Page 526 - An Index to the Qur'an
P. 526
my old age, has given me Isma‘il and Ishaq. My sheep. You see our father is a very old man.’
Lord is the Hearer of Prayer.’ (14:39) (28:23)
He (Ibrahim) said, ‘Do you bring me this good It is Allah Who created you from a weak begin-
news despite the fact of old age having reached ning then after weakness gave you strength then
me? What kind of good news are you bringing after strength ordained weakness and grey hair.
me?’ (15:54) He creates whatever He wills. He is All-
Allah created you and then will take you back Knowing, All-Powerful. (30:54)
again. And some of you revert to the lowest form When We rescued him (Lut) and all his
of life so that after having knowledge, you know family–except an old woman among those who
nothing at all. Allah is All-Knowing, All- stayed behind. (37:134-135)
Powerful. (16:70) It is He Who created you from earth, then from a
Your Lord has decreed that you should worship drop of sperm, then from a clot of blood, then He
none but Him, and that you should show kind- brings you out as infants, then so you may
ness to your parents. Whether one or both of achieve full strength, then so you may become
them reach old age with you, do not say ‘Ugh!’ to old men–though some of you may die before that
them out of irritation and do not be harsh with time–so that you may reach a predetermined age
them but speak to them with gentleness and gen- and so that hopefully you will use your intellect.
erosity. (17:23) (40:67)
Remembering your Lord’s mercy to His servant His wife came up with a shriek and struck her
Zakariyya, when he called on his Lord in secret face and said, ‘What, and me a barren old
and said, ‘My Lord, my bones have lost their woman!’ (51:29)
strength and my head is crowned with white, but
in calling on You, My Lord, I have never been OLD WOMAN
disappointed.’ (19:2-4) She (Ibrahim’s wife) said, ‘Woe is me! How can I
He (Zakariyya) said, ‘My Lord! How can I have a give birth when I am an old woman and my hus-
boy when my wife is barren and I have reached band here is an aged man? This is indeed an as-
advanced old age?’ (19:8) tonishing thing!’ (11:72)
Mankind! If you are in any doubt about the Therefore We rescued him (Lut) and all his fam-
Rising, know that We created you from dust then ily–except for an old woman who remained be-
from a drop of sperm then from a clot of blood hind. (26:170-171)
then from a lump of flesh, formed yet unformed,
so We may make things clear to you. We make OLIVE
whatever We want stay in the womb until a spec- It is He Who sends down water from the sky from
ified time and then We bring you out as children which We bring forth growth of every kind, and
so that you can reach your full maturity. Some of from that We bring forth the green shoots and from
you die and some of you revert to the lowest them We bring forth close-packed seeds, and from
form of life so that, after having knowledge, they the spathes of the date palm date clusters hanging
then know nothing at all. And you see the earth down, and gardens of grapes and olives and pome-
dead and barren; then when We send down granates, both similar and dissimilar. Look at their
water onto it it quivers and swells and sprouts fruits as they bear fruit and ripen. There are Signs
with luxuriant plants of every kind. (22:5) in that for people who believe. (6:99)
When he (Musa) arrived at the water of Madyan, It is He Who produces gardens, both cultivated
he found a crowd of people drawing water there. and wild, and palm-trees and crops of diverse
Standing apart from them, he found two women, kinds, and olives and pomegranates, both similar
holding back their sheep. He said, ‘What are you and dissimilar. Eat of their fruits when they bear
two doing here?’ They said, ‘We cannot draw fruit and pay their due on the day of their harvest,
water until the shepherds have driven off their and do not be profligate. He does not love the
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