CHAPTER THIRTEEN

NON-BELIEVERS (PAGANS OF ARABIA)

ATTRIBUTES OF KAFIRS
DELIBERATE DENIAL OF THE TRUTH
(74:8-10) And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded, that very Day shall be a day of
anguish, not of ease, for all who [now] deny the truth! [This is the earliest Quranic occurrence of the expression kafir (the
above surah having been preceded only by the first five verses of surah 96), its use is determined by the meaning which it had in
the speech of the Arabs before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad. The term kafir cannot be simply be equated, as many
Muslim theologians of post-classical times and practically all Western translators of the Quran have done, with “unbeliever” or
“infidel” in the specific, restricted sense of one who rejects the system of doctrine and law promulgated in the Quran and
amplified by the teachings of the Prophet - but have a wider, more general meaning. The root verb of the participial noun kafir
(and of the infinitive noun kufr) is kafara, “he or it covered a thing”: thus, in 57:20 the tiller of the soil is called (without any
pejorative implication) kafir, “one who covers”, i.e., the sown seed with earth, just as the night is spoken of as having “covered”
(kafara) the earth with darkness. In their abstract sense, both the verb and the nouns derived from it have a connotation of
“concealing” something that exists or “denying” something that is true. Hence, in the usage of the Quran - with the exception of
the one instance (in 57:20) where this participial noun signifies a “tiller of the soil” - a kafir is one who denies (or refuses to
acknowledge) the truth in the widest, spiritual sense of this latter term: that is, irrespective of whether it relates to a cognition of
the supreme truth - namely, the existence of God - or to a doctrine or ordinance enunciated in the divine writ, or to a self-evident
moral proposition, or to an acknowledgment of, and therefore gratitude for, favors received.]
AL-KAFIRUN (109)
The hundred-ninth surah Al-kafirun (those who deny the truth) belongs to early Mecca period. It sums up the dichotomy of belief
systems between polytheism and monotheism which existed in pre-Islamic Arabia.
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace: (109:1-6) Say: “O you who deny the truth! “I do not
worship that which you worship, and neither do you worship that which I worship. [In the above rendering, “that which”
alludes, on the one hand, to all positive concepts and ethical values - e.g., belief in God and the believer’s self-surrender to Him -
and, on the other, to false objects of worship and false values, such as man’s belief in his own supposed self-sufficiency (96:6-7),
or his overriding, almost compulsive greed for more and more (surah 102).] “And I will not worship that which you have
[ever] worshipped, and neither will you [ever] worship that which I worship. [So long as you are unwilling to abandon the
false values which cause you to deny the truth.] “Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine!” [The primary significance of
din is “obedience”; in particular, obedience to a law or to what is conceived as a system of established - and therefore binding -
usages, i.e., something endowed with moral authority: hence “religion”, “faith” or “religious law” in the widest sense of these
terms (2:256); or simply “moral law”, as in the above instance as well as in 42:21, 95:7, 98:5 or 107:1.]
THERE HEARTS AND MINDS ARE CLOSED
(2:6-7) Behold, as for those who are bent on denying the truth - It is all one to them whether you warn them or do not
warn them: they will not believe. [In contrast with the frequently occurring term al-kafirun (“those who deny the truth”), the use
of the past tense in alladhina kafaru indicates conscious intent, and is, therefore, appropriately rendered as “those who are bent on
denying the truth”. God has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil; and awesome suffering
awaits them. [A reference to the natural law instituted by God, whereby a person who persistently adheres to false beliefs and
refuses to listen to the voice of truth gradually loses the ability to perceive the truth, so that finally, as it were, “a seal is set upon
his heart”. Since it is God who has instituted all laws of nature - which, in their aggregate, are called sunnat Allah (the way of
God) - this “sealing” is attributed to Him: but it is obviously a consequence of man’s free choice and not an act of predestination.
Similarly, the suffering which, in the life to come, is in store for those who during their life in this world have willfully remained
deaf and blind to the truth, is a natural consequence of their free choice - just as happiness in the life to come is the natural
consequence of man’s endeavor to attain to righteousness and inner illumination. It is in this sense that the Quranic references to
God’s reward and punishment must be understood]
(7:179) And most certainly have We destined for hell many of the invisible beings and men who have hearts with which
they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear. They are like cattle -
nay, they are even less conscious of the right way: it is they, they who are the [truly] heedless! [As animals follow only their
instincts and natural needs and are not conscious of the possibility or necessity of a moral choice.]
(41:2-5) The bestowal from on high [of this revelation] issues from the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace: a divine
writ, the messages whereof have been clearly spelled out as a discourse in the Arabic tongue for people of [innate] knowl-
edge, to be a herald of glad tidings as well as a warning. And yet, [whenever this divine writ is offered to men,] most of
them turn away, so that they cannot hear [its message]; [The people of innate knowledge mentioned in the preceding verse are
obviously those who understand the spiritual purport of this divine writ and, therefore, submit to its guidance. On the contrary,
people who are devoid of such knowledge and to whom, in consequence, the Quran is meaningless.] and so they say, [as it
were:] “Our hearts are veiled from whatever you call us to, [O Muhammad,] and in our ears is deafness, and between us
and you is a barrier. [For this rendering of the term hijab, see 7:46 and 6:25. The saying of those who turn away from the
message of the Quran is, of course, figurative, describing only their attitude.] Do, then, [whatever you will, whereas,] behold,
we shall do [as we have always done]!”
MAKING ONE’S OWN DESIRES THEIR DEITY
(45:21,23) Now as for those who indulge in sinful doings - do they think that We place them, both in their life and their
death, on an equal footing with those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds? Bad, indeed, is their judgment:
[The reference to the intrinsic difference between these two categories with regard to “their life and their death” points not merely
to the moral quality of their worldly existence, but also, on the one hand, to the inner peace and tranquility with which a true
believer faces life’s tribulations and the moment of death, and on the other, to the nagging anxiety which so often accompanies
spiritual nihilism, and the “fear of the unknown” at the time of dying.] Have you ever considered [the kind of man] who makes
his own desires his deity, and whom God has [thereupon] let go astray, knowing [that his mind is closed to all guidance],
and whose hearing and heart He has sealed, and upon whose sight He has placed a veil? Who, then, could guide him after
God [has abandoned him]? Will you not, then, bethink yourselves?
REJECTION OF GOD’S MESSAGE
IGNORANCE UNDERLYING DISBELIEF
(22:8-10) And yet, among men there is many a one that argues about God without having any knowledge [of Him], without
any guidance, and without any light-giving revelation - scornfully turning aside [from the truth] so as to lead [others]
astray from the path of God. Disgrace [of the spirit] is in store for him in this world; and on the Day of Resurrection We
shall make him taste suffering through fire; [and he shall be told:] “This is an outcome of what your own hands have
wrought - for, never does God do the least wrong to His creatures!” [Since many unrighteous people apparently prosper in this
world, it is clear that the disgrace of which the above verse speaks is of a moral nature - namely, a gradual coarsening of all moral
perceptions and, thus, a degradation of the spirit.]
TRUTH WHICH THEY DETEST
(23:66-77) Time and again were My messages conveyed unto you, but [every time] you would turn about on your heels
[and,] impelled by your arrogance, you would talk senselessly far into the night.” [This expression indicates the pursuit of
endless, fruitless discussions divorced from all reality, or a mere play with words leading nowhere. (See 31:6).] Have they, then,
never tried to understand this word [of God]? Or has there [now] come to them something that never came to their
forefathers of old? [Implying that the message of the Quran is but a continuation of all the divine messages ever revealed to
man.] Or is it, perchance, that they have not recognized their Apostle, and so they disavow him? Or do they say. “There is
madness in him”? Nay, he has brought them the truth - and the truth do most of them detest! [I.e., they hate to admit the
truth: the reason being - as the sequence shows - that the world-view propounded by the Quran is not in accord with their own
likes and dislikes or preconceived notions.] But if the truth [I.e., the reality of all creation.] were in accord with their own likes
and dislikes, the heavens and the earth would surely have fallen into ruin, and all that lives in them [would long ago have
perished]! [I.e., if the universe - and, especially, human life - had been as devoid of meaning and purpose as they imagine,
nothing could have endured, and everything would have long since perished in chaos.] Nay, [in this divine writ] We have
conveyed unto them all that they ought to bear in mind: and from this their reminder they [heedlessly] turn away! Or do
you [O Muhammad] ask of them any worldly recompense? But [they ought to know that] recompense from thy Sustainer
is best, since He is the best of providers! [Implying that recompense from God is unlimited, relating both to this world and the
hereafter.] And, verily, you call them onto a straight way - but, behold, those who will not believe in the life to come are
bound to deviate from that way. And even were We to show them mercy and remove whatever distress might befall them
[in this life], [As it inevitably befalls all human beings: an oblique allusion to the fact that human life is never free from distress.]
they would still persist in their overweening arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro. And, indeed, We tested them through
suffering, but they did not abase themselves before their Sustainer; and they will never humble themselves until We open
before them a gate of [truly] severe suffering [in the life to come]: and then, lo! they will be broken in spirit.
THEY ARE LIKE CATTLE DEVOID OF REASONING
(25:41-44) Hence, whenever they consider you, [O Muhammad,] they but make you a target of their mockery, [saying:] “Is
this the one whom God has sent as an apostle? Indeed, he would well-nigh have led us astray from our deities, had we not
been [so] steadfastly attached to them!” But in time, when they see the suffering [that awaits them], they will come to
know who it was that went farthest astray from the path [of truth]! Have you ever considered [the kind of man] who
makes his own desires his deity? Could you, then, [O Prophet,] be held responsible for him? Or do you think that most of
them listen [to your message] and use their reason? Nay, they are but like cattle - nay, they are even less conscious of the
right way! [Lit., “they are farther astray from the path of truth”: see 7:179.]
ARROGANCE: (shackles around their neck and their heads forced up)
(36:7-11) Indeed, the word [of God’s condemnation] is bound to come true against most of them: for they will not believe.
Behold, around their necks We have put shackles, [This is an allegory of their deliberate denial of the truth. See 13:5 and
34:33.] reaching up to their chins, so that their heads are forced up; [And they cannot see the right way; their forced-up heads
symbolize also their arrogance. On the other hand, God’s placing shackles around the sinners’ necks is a metaphor similar to His
sealing their hearts and their hearing, spoken of in 2:7. The same applies to the metaphor of the barriers and the veiling mentioned
in the next verse.] and We have set a barrier before them and a barrier behind them, and We have enshrouded them in veils
so that they cannot see: [So that they can neither advance nor go back: a metaphor of utter spiritual stagnation.] thus, it is all
one to them whether you warn them or do not warn them: they will not believe. You can [truly] warn only him who is
willing to take the reminder to heart, and who stands in awe of the Most Gracious although He is beyond the reach of
human perception: unto such, then, give the glad tiding of [God’s] forgiveness and of a most excellent reward!
HAUGHTY DISDAIN OF GOD’S MESSAGE
(45:7-11) Woe unto every sinful self-deceiver [The term liar - and, particularly, one who lies to himself because he is perverted
in his intellect and judgment.] who hears God’s messages when they are conveyed to him, and yet, as though he had not
heard them, persists in his haughty disdain! Hence, announce unto him grievous suffering - for when he does become
aware of any of Our messages, he makes them a target of his mockery! For all such there is shameful suffering in store.
Hell is ahead of them; and all that they may have gained [in this world] shall be of no avail whatever to them, and neither
shall any of those things which, instead of God, they have come to regard as their protectors: for, awesome suffering
awaits them. [I.e., anything to which they may attribute a quasi-divine influence on their lives, whether it be false deities or false
values, e.g., wealth, power, social status, etc.] [To pay heed to God’s signs and messages:] this is [the meaning of] guidance;
on the other hand, for those who are bent on denying the truth of their Sustainer’s messages there is grievous suffering in
store as an outcome of [their] vileness.
SARCASM OF DENIER OF THE TRUTH
(9:124-127) Yet whenever a surah [of this divine writ] is bestowed from on high, some of the deniers of the truth are prone
to ask, “Which of you has this [message] strengthened in his faith?” [This is perhaps an oblique, sarcastic reference to 8:2,
which speaks of the believers “whose faith is strengthened whenever His messages are conveyed unto them”.] Now as for those
who have attained to faith, it does strengthen them in their faith, and they rejoice in the glad tiding [which God has given
them.] [A reference to the promise of paradise] But as for those in whose hearts is disease, each new message but adds
another [element of] disbelief to the disbelief which they already harbor, and they die while [still] refusing to acknowledge
the truth. [It but adds another loathsome evil to their loathsome evil - i.e., makes them more stubborn in their denying the truth of
God’s messages because they are a priori determined to deny everything that is incompatible with their refusal to admit the
existence of anything that is beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb).] Are they, then, not aware that they are being
tested year-in, year-out? [The test consists in the fact that man has been endowed with reason and, therefore, with the ability to
choose between right and wrong.] And yet, they do not repent and do not bethink themselves [of God]; and whenever a
surah is bestowed from on high, they look at one another [and say, as it were], “Is there anyone who can see what is in
your hearts?” [Who sees you - thus implying that God does not exist] - and then they turn away. God has turned their hearts
away [from the truth] - for they are people who will not grasp it.
MORAL RELATIVISM (expediency is eo ipso right)
(68:36-47) What is amiss with you? [O you sinners] On what do you base your judgment [of right and wrong]? Or have
you, perchance, a [special] divine writ which you study, and in which you find all that you may wish to find? [I.e., a moral
justification of the claim that whatever is considered expedient is eo ipso right.] Or have you received a solemn promise, bind-
ing on Us till Resurrection Day, that yours will assuredly be whatever you judge [to be your rightful due]? Ask them which
of them is able to vouch for this! Or have they, perchance, any sages to support their views? [I.e., wise people who would
share their views and their way of life] Well, then, if they are sincere in this their claim, let them produce those supporters of
theirs on the Day when man’s very being shall be bared to the bone, [I.e., when man’s innermost thoughts, feelings and
motivations will be laid bare on the day of judgment. The implication is that their erstwhile claim that whatever is expedient is
morally justifiable, shall be revealed in all its nakedness - namely, as something indefensible and spiritually destructive.] and
when they [who now deny the truth] shall be called upon to prostrate themselves [before God], [I.e., willingly, gladly
humbling themselves before Him.] and shall be unable to do so: downcast will be their eyes, with ignominy overwhelming
them - seeing that they had been called upon [in vain] to prostrate themselves [before Him] while they were yet sound [and
alive]. Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie to this tiding. [I.e., to divine revelation in general, and to the tiding of
resurrection and judgment, in particular - the implication being that God alone has the right to decide whether or how to chastise
them.] We shall bring them low, step by step, without their perceiving how it has come about: for, behold, though I may
give them rein for a while, My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm! [The term “subtle scheme” evidently circumscribes here
God’s unfathomable plan of creation of which man can glimpse only isolated fragments and never the totality: a plan in which
every thing and happening has a definite function, and nothing is accidental. (See 10:5 - “None of this has God created without an
inner truth”.) Indirectly, the above passage alludes to the question as to the reason why God allows so many evil persons to enjoy
their lives to the full, while so many of the righteous are allowed to suffer: the answer being that during his life in this world man
cannot really understand where apparent happiness and unhappiness ultimately lead to, and what role they play in God’s “subtle
scheme” of creation.] Or is it that [they fear lest] you ask them for a reward, [O Prophet,] so that they would be burdened
with debt [if they listened to you]? Or [do they think] that the hidden reality [of all that exists] is within their grasp, so that
[in time] they can write it down? [And that therefore, they need not listen to divine revelation. For the real significance of the
term al-ghayb - of which the above is undoubtedly the earliest instance in the chronology of Quranic revelation - see 2:3. Its use
in the above context is meant to elucidate and further develop the idea already touched upon in 96:6 - “man becomes grossly
overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient”. More particularly, the present passage points to the fallacy of the
arrogant belief that the solution of all the mysteries of the universe is just around the corner and that man-centered science -
epitomized in the reference to its being written down - can and will teach its adepts how to conquer nature and to attain to what
they regard as the good life.]
SPIRITUAL CONFUSION
(70:36-44) What, then, is amiss with such as are bent on denying the truth, that they run about confusedly to and fro
before you, [coming upon you] from the right and from the left, in crowds? [People who do not want to see the truth of God’s
existence and have, therefore, no solid basis on which to build their world-view, are, by the same token, unable to conceive any
definite standards of personal and social ethics. Hence, whenever they are confronted with anyone’s positive assertion of faith,
they run about to and fro in spiritual confusion, trying, in order to justify themselves intellectually, to demolish the premises of
that faith by means of many-sided, contradictory arguments - an endeavor depicted in the metaphor, “coming upon you from the
right and from the left”; and since they derive all their strength from a conformity with shallow mass-opinions, they can do this
only “in crowds”.] Does every one of them hope to enter [by this means] a garden of bliss? [I.e., Do they hope to achieve
inner peace and fulfillment by disproving another person’s faith?] Never! For, behold, We have created them out of something
that they know [only too well]! [Namely, out of dust - i.e., out of the same primitive organic and inorganic substances as are
found in and on the earth: the implication being that only spiritual consciousness and endeavor can raise man above the mere
material form of his existence, and thus enable him to achieve the inner fulfillment metaphorically described here as “a garden of
bliss”.] But nay! I call to witness [Our being] the Sustainer of all the points of sunrise and sunset: [I.e., of all the variation,
throughout the solar year, of the points at which the sun rises and sets: thus stressing the fact that He is the Ultimate Cause of all
orbital movement in the universe and, hence, its Creator (see 37:5 and 55:17).] verily, well able are We to replace them with
[people] better than they are; for there is nothing to prevent Us [from doing what We will]. [The implication is that it is not
His will to replace those who are bent on denying the truth, in this world, by believers, as such a replacement would not be in
accord with His design of multiform human existence, in which faith is always challenged and tested by unbelief, and vice versa.]
Hence, leave them to indulge in idle talk and play [with words] - [I.e., their philosophizing about a supposedly uncreated
world and a hypothetical self- generation of life, as well as their blatant denial, unsupported by any factual evidence, of a life after
death or even of the existence of God.] until they face that [Judgment] Day of theirs which they have been promised the
Day when they shall come forth in haste from their graves, as if racing towards a goal-post, with downcast eyes, with
ignominy overwhelming them: that Day which they were promised again and again. [The phrase “again and again” means by
a succession, through the ages, of prophetic revelations.]
FALSE NOTION OF MAN’S SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Belief in the false notion of man’s self-sufficiency (since God alone is self-sufficient) and thus denial of an acknowledgment of
gratitude for favors received through God’s grace.
(96:6-8) Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient: for, behold, unto
thy Sustainer all must return. [This has here a twofold implication: everyone will inescapably be brought before God for
judgment, as well as everything that exist goes back to God as its source. Above verses reject as absurd the arrogant idea that man
could ever be self-sufficient and, hence, master of his own fate; furthermore, it implies that all moral concepts - that is, all
discrimination between good and evil, or right and wrong - are indissolubly linked with the concept of man’s responsibility to a
Supreme Power: in other words, without such a feeling of responsibility - whether conscious or subconscious - the concept of
morality as such loses all its meaning.]
MAN’S ARROGANCE AND ILLUSION OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY
(38:2-3) But nay - they who are bent on denying the truth are lost in [false] pride, and [hence] deeply in the wrong. [They
refuse to acknowledge the fact of divine revelation because such an acknowledgment would imply an admission of man’s
responsibility to God - and this their false pride, manifested in their arrogant belief in man’s self-sufficiency, does not allow them
to do.] How many a generation have We destroyed before their time [for this very sin]! And [how] they called [unto Us]
when it was too late to escape! [The term “generation” signify as “people belonging to a particular period and environment’, i.e.,
a “civilization” in the historical connotation of this word.]
(40:56-60) Behold, as for those who call God’s messages in question without having any evidence therefore - in their hearts
is nothing but overweening self-conceit, which they will never be able to satisfy: you seek, then, refuge with God - for,
verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing! [This is a reference to the conceit which makes many agnostics think that man is self-
sufficient and that, therefore, in no need to assume that he is responsible to a higher Power. See in this connection 96:6-7 above.
And since this self-sufficiency is entirely illusory, those who build their world-view on it will never be able to satisfy their
overweening conceit.] But [then,] the blind and the seeing are not equal; and neither [can] they who have attained to faith
and do good works and the doers of evil [be deemed equal]. How seldom do you keep this in mind! Verily, the Last Hour is
sure to come: of this there is no doubt; yet most men will not believe it. [I.e., refuse to admit to themselves that the world as
they know it could ever come to an end: which is another aspect of the overweening conceit spoken of in verse above.] But your
Sustainer says: “Call unto Me, [and] I shall respond to you! Verily, they who are too proud to worship Me will enter hell,
abased!”
PARABLE OF LIFE AND ACHIEVING MASTERY OVER NATURE
(10:24) The parable of the life of this world is but that of rain which We send down from the sky, and which is absorbed by
the plants of the earth whereof men and animals draw nourishment, until - when the earth has assumed its artful
adornment and has been embellished, and they who dwell on it believe that they have gained mastery over it [I.e., they
come to believe that they have gained mastery over nature, with no conceivable limits to what they may yet achieve. Thus, the
whole of the above parabolic sentence may be understood as alluding to the artificial, illusory adornment brought about by man’s
efforts, not in collaboration with nature but, rather, in hostile confrontation with it.] - there comes down upon it Our judgment,
by night or by day, and We cause it to become [like] a field mown down, as if there had been no yesterday. Thus clearly do
We spell out these messages unto people who think!
INGRATITUDE FOR GOD’S BLESSING
GOD’S CREATION FOR MAN’S BENEFIT (ingratitude of man)
(36:71-76) Are they, then, not aware that it is for them that We have created, among all the things which Our hands have
wrought, [I.e., which We alone have or could have created. The above metaphorical expression is based on the concept of
handiwork in its widest sense, abstract as well as concrete.] the domestic animals of which they are [now] masters? - and that
We have subjected them to men’s will, [Lit., “made them submissive to them”: implying also that man is morally responsible
for the manner in which he uses or misuses them.] so that some of them they may use for riding and of some they may eat,
and may have [yet other] benefits from them, and [milk] to drink? Will they not, then, be grateful? But [nay,] they take to
worshipping deities other than God, [Alluding, in either case, to objects of worship consciously conceived as such - i.e., idols,
imaginary deities, deified persons, saints, etc. - as well as to abstract concepts like power, wealth or luck, which may not be
consciously worshipped but are nevertheless often revered in an almost idolatrous fashion.] [hoping] to be succored [by them,
and not knowing that] they are unable to succor their devotees, even though to them they may [appear to] be hosts drawn
up [for succor]. However, be not grieved by the sayings of those [who deny the truth]: verily, We know all that they keep
secret as well as all that they bring into the open.
HOPELESS DURING AFFLICTION ARROGANCE IN GOOD TIMES
(11:9-11) And thus it is: if We let man taste some of Our grace, [The generic term “man” referred to in this and the next verse
applies, primarily, to the agnostics who are either unconvinced of the existence of God or are “bent upon denying the truth”; in its
wider implication, however, it applies also to those who, while believing in God, are weak in faith and therefore easily swayed by
external circumstances, and particularly by whatever happens to themselves.] and then take it away from him - behold, he
abandons all hope, forgetting all gratitude [for Our past favors]. [He becomes utterly hopeless, as he attributes his past happy
state to a merely accidental chain of causes and effects - in short, to what is commonly regarded as luck - and not to God’s grace.]
And thus it is: if We let him taste ease and plenty after hardship has visited him, he is sure to say, “Gone is all affliction
from me!” - for, behold, he is given to vain exultation, and glories only in himself. [He is exultant beyond all measure,
excessively self-glorifying - i.e., he usually attributes the turn of fortune to his own good qualities and his supposed good luck.]
[And thus it is with most men] save those who are patient in adversity and do righteous deeds: it is they whom forgiveness
of sins awaits, and a great reward.
(17:82-84) Thus, step by step, We bestow from on high through this Quran all that gives health [to the spirit] and is a grace
unto those who believe [in Us], the while it only adds to the ruin of evildoers: [By evildoers are meant people who, out of self-
conceit or an excessive love of this world, reject out of hand any suggestion of divine guidance - and, with it, any belief in the
existence of absolute moral values - and in the end, as the sequence shows, fall prey to spiritual nihilism.] for [it often happens
that] when We bestow Our blessings upon man, he turns away and arrogantly keeps aloof [from any thought of Us]; and
when evil fortune touches him, he abandons all hope. Say: “Everyone acts in a manner peculiar to himself - and your
Sustainer is fully aware as to who has chosen the best path.”
MAN’S INGRATITUDE (parable of seafarer)
(10:21-23) And [thus it is:] whenever We let [such] people taste [some of Our] grace after hardship has visited them - 1o!
they forthwith turn to devising false arguments against Our messages. [Since God’s messages are purely conceptual, the
scheming against them obviously connotes the devising of fallacious arguments meant to cast doubt on the divine origin of these
messages or to disprove the statements made in them. The above discourse on the psychology of agnosticism and half-belief is
continued in the parable of the seafarers set forth below.] Say: “God is swifter [than you] in His deep devising!” Behold, Our
[heavenly] messengers are recording all that you may devise! He it is who enables you to travel on land and sea. And
[behold what happens] when you go to sea in ships: [they go to sea in ships,] and they sail on in them in a favorable wind,
and they rejoice thereat - [At this point the discourse changes abruptly from the direct address “you” to the third person plural
“they”: a construction which is evidently meant to bring out the allegorical character of the subsequent narrative and to turn it into
a lesson of general validity.] until there comes upon them a tempest, and waves surge towards them from all sides, so that
they believe themselves to be encompassed [by death; and then] they call unto God, [at that moment] sincere in their faith
in Him alone, “If you will but save us from this, we shall most certainly be among the grateful!” Yet as soon as He has
saved them from this [danger], lo! they behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right! O men! All your
outrageous deeds are bound to fall back upon your own selves! [The oft-recurring Quranic expression, “they have sinned
against themselves”, or, “they have wronged themselves”, indicating the inevitability with which every evil deed damages its
perpetrator spiritually.] [You care only for] the enjoyment of life in this world: [but remember that] in the end unto Us you
must return, whereupon We shall make you truly understand all that you were doing [in life].
(17:66-69) Your sustainer is He who causes ships to move onward for you through the sea, so that you might go about in
quest of some of His bounty: verily, a dispenser of grace is He unto you. And whenever danger befalls you at sea, all those
[powers] that you are wont to invoke forsake you, [and nothing remains for you] save Him: but as soon as He has brought
you safe ashore, you turn aside [and forget Him] - for, indeed, bereft of all gratitude is man! Can you, then, ever feel sure
that He will not cause a tract of dry land to swallow you up, or let loose upon you a deadly storm wind, whereupon you
would find none to be your protector? Or can you, perchance, feel sure that He will not make you put back to sea once
again, and then let loose upon you a raging tempest and cause you to drown in requital of your ingratitude - whereupon
you would find none to uphold you against Us?
(29:65-66) And so, when they embark on a ship [and find themselves in danger], they call unto God, [at that moment]
sincere in their faith in Him alone; but as soon as He has brought them safe ashore, they [begin to] ascribe to imaginary
powers a share in His divinity: and thus they show utter ingratitude for all that We have vouchsafed them, and go on
[thoughtlessly] enjoying their worldly life.
PARABLE OF INGRATITUDE AND ITS DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES
(16:112-113) And God propounds [to you] a parable: [imagine] a town which was [once] secure and at ease, with its
sustenance coming to it abundantly from all quarters, and which thereupon blasphemously refused to show gratitude for
God’s blessings: and therefore God caused it to taste the all-embracing misery [Lit., “the garment” - idiomatically used to
describe the utmost degree of misfortune which envelops man like a garment.] of hunger and fear in result of all [the evil] that
its people had so persistently wrought And indeed, there had come unto them an apostle from among themselves - but they
gave him the lie: and therefore suffering overwhelmed them while they were thus doing wrong [to themselves]. [This
parable is meant to show that deliberate ingratitude for the manifold blessings which God bestows upon man. A deliberate refusal
to submit to His guidance is bound, in the long run, and in the context of aggregate social life, to have disastrous consequences
not only in the hereafter but in this world as well, as no society may expect to live in security and ease unless it conforms to the
ethical and social standards inherent in the concept of man’s bond with God.]
DENIAL OF AFTERLIFE, RESURRECTION AND GOD’S JUDGMENT
(For detail regarding afterlife, resurrection, and Judgment day, see vol. 3)
GOD’S JUDGMENT IN THIS LIFE
(3:137-139) [Many] ways of life have passed away before your time. [The word Sunnah (of which sunan is the plural) denotes
a “way of life” or “conduct” (hence its application, in Islamic terminology, to the way of life of the Prophet as an example for his
followers). In the above passage, the term sunan refers to the “conditions characteristic of past centuries”, in which, despite all the
continuous changes, an ever-recurring pattern can be discerned: a typically Quranic reference to the possibility, and necessity, of
learning from man’s past experiences.] Go, then, about the earth and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the
lie to the truth: this [should be] a clear lesson unto all men, and guidance and an admonition unto the God-conscious. Be
not, then, faint of heart, and grieve not: for you are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers.
(13:31-32) But as for those who are bent on denying the truth - in result of their [evil] deeds, sudden calamities will always
befall them or will alight close to their homes; [and this will continue] until God’s promise [of resurrection] is fulfilled:
verily, God never fails to fulfill His promise! [This phrase connotes repetition and continuity, namely, an unceasing succession
of social catastrophes, fratricidal wars and mutual deprivations which, in consequence of their deliberate disregard of all spiritual
values, will directly befall those who are bent on denying the truth, or will, indirectly, cause them to suffer by affecting their
whole organic environment: and this is the meaning of the phrase “or will alight close to their homes”. (See 5:33)] And, indeed,
[even] before your time have [God’s] apostles been derided, and for a while I gave rein to those who were [thus] bent on
denying the truth: but then I took them to task - and how awesome was My retribution! (13:4043) But whether We let you
see [in your lifetime, O Prophet, the fulfillment of] some of what We have promised them, [I.e., the calamities which are in
store for those who are bent on denying the truth.] or whether We cause you to die [before its fulfillment] - your duty is no
more than to deliver the message; and the reckoning is Ours. Have, then, they [who deny the truth] never yet seen how We
visit the earth [with Our punishment], gradually depriving it of all that is best thereon? [The above sentence may relates to
the struggle between the early Muslim community at Medina and the pagans of Mecca, and thus interpreted as: ‘Do they (i.e., the
pagans of Mecca) not see that we are visiting with Our punishment the land held by them, gradually curtailing it from all its
sides?” - which would imply a prophecy of the gradual conquest of all Arabia by the Muslims. Other commentators interpret this
passage in a more general sense. Thus, for instance, Razi: “Have they (i.e., the deniers of the truth) never yet seen the turns of
fortune that take place in this world - destruction after prosperity, death after life, humiliation after glory, deficiency after
perfection? Hence, what makes those deniers of the truth so sure that God will not render them abject after they had been mighty,
and subjected by others after they had been rulers?” Thus, in its widest sense, the phrase “gradually depriving it of all that is best
in it” may be taken to relate not merely to physical and social catastrophes but also to the loss of all ethical values - and, thus, to
the loss of all worldly power - which those who are bent on denying the truth are bound to suffer in the end.] For, [when] God
judges, there is no power that could repel His judgment: and swift in reckoning is He! Now those who lived before these
[sinners] did, too, devise many a blasphemy - the most subtle devising is that of God, who knows what each human being
deserves: [“earns” - i.e., of good and evil.] and the deniers of the truth will [in time] come to know to whom the future
belongs. And [if] they who are bent on denying the truth say [unto you, O Prophet], “You have not been sent [by God]”,
you say: “None can bear witness between me and you as God does; and [none can bear witness as does] he who truly
understands this divine writ.” [Implying that a true understanding of the Quran unavoidably leads one to the conviction that it
has been revealed by God]
(20:128) Can, then, they [who reject the truth] learn no lesson by recalling how many a generation We have destroyed
before their time? - [people] in whose dwelling-places they [themselves now] walk about? In this, behold, there are
messages indeed for those who are endowed with reason!
(39:26) And thus God let them taste ignominy [even] in the life of this world. [See 16:26: “God visited with destruction all
that they had ever built …”, etc., which explains the present reference to their suffering and ignominy in the life of this world.]
Yet [how] much greater will be the [sinners’] suffering in the life to come - if they [who now deny the truth] but knew it!
(40:4-6) None but those who are bent on denying the truth would call God’s messages in question. But let it not deceive
you that they seem to be able to do as they please on earth: to the truth gave the lie, before their time, the people of Noah
and, after them, all those [others] who were leagued together [against God’s message-bearers]; [See 38:12-14, where some
of those who were “leagued together” are enumerated; also verses 30 of this surah.] and each of those communities schemed
against the apostle sent unto them, aiming to lay hands on him; and they contended [against his message] with fallacious
arguments, so as to render void the truth thereby: but then I took them to task - and how awesome was My retribution!
And thus shall thy Sustainer’s word come true against all who are bent on denying the truth: they shall find themselves in
the fire [of hell].
(43:5-8) [O you who deny the truth!] Should We, perchance, withdraw this reminder from you altogether, seeing that you
are people bent on wasting your own selves? [The above rhetorical question answers itself, of course, in the negative - implying
that God never ceases to remind the sinner through His revelations, and always accepts repentance.] And how many a prophet
did We send to people of olden times! But never yet came a prophet to them without their deriding him - and so, [in the
end,] We destroyed them [even though they were] of greater might than these: [I.e., than the people addressed in verse 5
above.] and the [very] image of those people of old became a thing of the past.
REFUSAL TO BELIEVE IN JUDGMENT DAY
(21:36-37) But [thus it is:] whenever they who are bent on denying the truth consider you, [Lit., “see you”: but this verb has
here obviously an abstract meaning, relating to the message propounded by the Prophet.] they make you but a target of their
mockery, [saying to one another,] “Is this the one who speaks [so contemptuously] of your gods?” [Or dares to deny their
reality although he is a mere mortal like us] and yet, it is they themselves who, at [every] mention of the Most Gracious, are
wont to deny the truth! [I.e., although they resent any aspersion cast on whatever things or forces they unthinkingly worship,
they refuse to acknowledge God’s planning will manifested in every aspect of His creation.] Man is a creature of haste; [I.e., he
is by nature imbued with impatience (17:11.) In the present context this refers to man’s impatience regarding things to come: in
this case - as is obvious from the sequence - his hasty refusal to believe in God’s coming judgment.] [but in time] I shall make
obvious to you [the truth of] My messages: do not, then, ask Me to hasten [it]! [16:1 - “God’s judgment is bound to come: do
not, then, call for its speedy advent!”]
CAN DEITIES SHIELD THEM FROM GOD’S PUNISHMENT
(21:42-46) Say: “Who could protect you, by night or by day, from the Most Gracious?” [The reference to God, in this
context, as “the Most Gracious” (ar-rahman) is meant to bring out the fact that He – and He alone – is the protector of all
creation.] And yet, from a remembrance of their Sustainer do they stubbornly turn away! Do they [really think that they]
have deities that could shield them from Us? Those [alleged deities] are not [even] able to succor themselves: hence,
neither can they [who worship them hope to] be aided [by them] against Us. Nay, We have allowed these [sinners] - as [We
allowed] their forebears - to enjoy the good things of life for a great length of time: [Until they grew accustomed to the
thought that their prosperity would last forever.] but then - have they never yet seen how We visit the earth [with Our
punishment], gradually depriving it of all that is best thereon? Can they, then, [hope to] be the winners? Say [unto all
men]: “1 but warn you on the strength of divine revelation!” But the deaf [of heart] will not hearken to this call, however
often they are warned. And yet, if but a breath of thy Sustainer’s chastisement touches them, they are sure to cry, “Oh,
woe unto us! Verily, we were evildoers!”
GOD’S JUDGMENT IN AFTERLIFE
THE LAST HOUR
(30:12-13) And when the last Hour dawns, those who were lost in sin will be broken in spirit for they will have no
intercessors in the beings to whom they were wont to ascribe a share in God’s divinity, seeing that [by then] they
themselves will have ceased to believe in their erstwhile blasphemous fancies.
(32:28-30) But they answer: “When will that final decision take place, if what you [believers] say is true?” Say: “On the
Day of the Final Decision, their [newly-found] faith will be of no use to those who [in their lifetime] were bent on denying
the truth, nor will they be granted respite!” - and then leave them alone, and wait [for the truth to unfold as] they, behold,
are waiting.
DIALOGUE BETWEEN GOD AND IDOLATERS (we did not mean to ascribe divinity)
(6:21-28) And who could be more wicked than he who attributes his own lying inventions to God or gives the lie to His
messages? Verily, such evildoers will never attain to a happy state: for one Day We shall gather them all together, and
then We shall say unto those who ascribed divinity to aught beside God: “Where, now, are those beings whom you
imagined to have a share in God's divinity?” Where upon, in their utter confusion, they will only [be able to] say: “By
God, our Sustainer, we did not [mean to] ascribe divinity to aught beside Him!” [This refers to beliefs which undoubtedly
imply shirk (the ascribing of divinity or divine qualities to beings or forces other than God) in the objective sense of this concept,
but which the person concerned does not subjectively visualize as denying God’s oneness: for instance, the mystical dogma of the
“Trinity” which, in the Christian view, does not conflict with the principle of God’s oneness as it is supposed to express a
threefold aspect of the One Deity, or the attribution of divine or semi-divine qualities to saints as supposed mediators between
man and God, and so forth. All such beliefs are, of course, emphatically rejected by the Quran.] Behold how they have lied to
themselves - and [how] their false imagery has forsaken them! [By allowing themselves to think, in their lifetime, that their
beliefs did not offend against the principle of God's oneness.] And there are among them such as [seem to] listen to you [O
Prophet]: but over their hearts We have laid veils which prevent them from grasping the truth, and into their ears,
deafness. [Regarding the problem of God’s “causing” this spiritual blindness and deafness, see 2:7 and 14:4.] And were they to
see every sign [of the truth], they would still not believe in it - so much so that when they come unto you to contend with
you, those who are bent on denying the truth say, “This is nothing but fables of ancient times!” And they bar others there
from, and go far away from it: but they destroy none but themselves, and perceive it not. If you could but see [them] when
they will be made to stand before the fire and will say, “Oh, would that we were brought back [to life]: then we would not
give the lie to our Sustainer’s messages, but would be among the believers!” But nay - [they will say this only because] the
truth which they used to conceal [from themselves] in the past will have become obvious to them; and if they were brought
back [to life], they would return to the very thing which was forbidden to them: for, behold, they are indeed liars! [Their
longing for a second chance is not dictated by love of truth for its own sake but, rather, by their dread of the evil consequences of
their doings; and faith is useless unless it is desired for its own sake.]
APOSTLES HAVE INDEED TOLD US THE TRUTH
(7:53) Are [the unbelievers] but waiting for the final meaning of that [Day of Judgment] to unfold. [The fulfillment of the
warnings contained in the Quran: and in this sense it connotes the “unfolding of its final meaning”.] [But] on the Day when its
final meaning is unfolded, those who aforetime had been oblivious thereof will say: “Our Sustainer’s apostles have indeed
told us the truth? Have we, then, any intercessors who could intercede in our behalf? Or could we be brought back [to life]
so that we might act otherwise than we were wont to act?” [6:27-28: Indeed, they will have squandered their own selves, and
all their false imagery will have forsaken them.]
TESTIMONIES OF DEITIES (idolatry is worshipping your own fancies)
(10:28-30) For, one Day We shall gather them all together, and then We shall say unto those who [in their lifetime] ascribed
divinity to aught but God, “Stand where you are, you and those [beings and powers] to whom you were wont to ascribe a
share in God’s divinity!” [The expression “your place”, i.e., “keep to your place” bears a connotation of contempt and an
implied threat.] - for by then We shall have [visibly] separated them from one another. [I.e., separated those who ascribed
divinity to beings other than God from the objects of their one-time adoration: a metonymical phrase denoting a realization on the
part of the former that there has never been any existential link between them and those false objects of worship and all their false
imagery has or will have forsaken them.] And the beings to whom they had ascribed a share in God’s divinity will say [to
those who had worshipped them], “It was not us that you were wont to worship; [I.e., it was only your own fancies and
desires that you worshipped, clothing them in the garb of extraneous beings: in other words, the worship of saints, prophets,
angels, etc., is shown here to be nothing but a projection of the worshipper’s own subconscious desires. (See 34:41)] and none
can bear witness between us and you as God does: we were, for certain, unaware of your worshipping [us].” [Thus the
Quran makes it clear that the saints and prophets who, after their death, have been unwarrantably deified by their followers shall
not be held accountable for the blasphemous worship accorded to them (5:116-117).] There and then will every human being
clearly apprehend what he has done in the past; and all will be brought back unto God, their true Lord Supreme, and all
their false imagery will have forsaken them. [I.e., will be brought back to the realization of God’s oneness, uniqueness and
almightiness - that instinctive cognition which has been implanted in human nature as such (see 7:172).]
NO ESCAPE FROM FINAL JUDGMENT
(11:20-22) Never can they elude [their final reckoning, even if they remain unscathed] on earth: [The meaning is that
whereas God’s punishment may befall the sinners referred to during their life on earth, it will certainly befall them in the
hereafter. See 3:185 - “only on the Day of Resurrection will you be requited in full for whatever you have done.”] never will they
find anyone who could protect them from God. [In the life to come] double suffering will be imposed on them [For an
explanation of the “double suffering”, see 7:38.] for having lost the ability to hear [the truth] and having failed to see [it]. It is
they who have squandered their own selves - for [on the Day of Resurrection] all their false imagery will have forsaken
them: truly it is they, they who in the life to come shall be the losers! [False imagery implies not merely false imaginings
regarding the existence of any real power apart from God (i.e., the existence of supposedly divine or semi-divine beings) but also
deceptive ideas and “glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind” (see 6:112) - such as luck, wealth, personal power,
nationalism, deterministic materialism, etc. - all of which cause men to lose sight of spiritual values and thus to “squander their
own selves”.]
SCUM OVER CLEAR WATER (parable of truth and falsehood)
(13:17-19) [Whenever] He sends down water from the sky and [once-dry] river-beds are running high according to their
measure, the stream carries scum on its surface; [While the water beneath remains clear] and, likewise, from that [metal]
which they smelt in the fire in order to make ornaments or utensils, [there rises] scum. In this way does God set forth the
parable of truth and falsehood: for, as far as the scum is concerned, it passes away as [does all] dross; but that which is of
benefit to man abides on earth. In this way does God set forth the parables of those who have responded to their Sustainer
with a goodly response, and of those who did not respond to Him. [As for the latter,] if they possessed all that is on earth,
and twice as much [Lit., “and the like of it with it”.] they would surely offer it as ransom [on the Day of Judgment]: a most
evil reckoning awaits them, and their goal is hell: and how evil a resting-place! Can, then, he who knows that whatever has
been bestowed from on high upon you by thy Sustainer is the truth be deemed equal to one who is blind? Only they who
are endowed with insight keep this in mind.
GRANT OF RESPITE UNTIL RESURRECTION
(14:42-52) And do not think that God is unaware of what the evildoers are doing: He but grants them respite until the Day
when their eyes will stare in horror, [The wrongdoers mentioned here are those who indulge in the belief “that there are other
powers that can rival God, and thus commit the unforgivable sin of shirk.] the while they will be running confusedly to and fro,
with their heads upraised [in supplication], unable to look away from what they shall behold, [Lit., “their gaze will not
revert to them”.] and their hearts an abysmal void. Hence, warn men of the Day when this suffering may befall them, and
when those who did wrong [in their lifetime] will exclaim: “O our Sustainer! Grant us respite for a short while, so that we
might respond to Thy call and follow the apostles!” [But God will answer] “Why were you not aforetime wont to swear
that no kind of resurrection and retribution awaited you? [I.e., no passing-over from earthly life to a life in the hereafter,
attended by God’s retribution of sins: a reference to many people’s refusal, often mentioned in the Quran, to believe in life after
death and, hence, in God’s ultimate judgment.] And yet, you dwelt in the dwelling-places of those who had sinned against
their own selves [before your time], [I.e., you lived on the same earth, and in basically the same human environment, as those
earlier generations who offended against all ethical values and thereby brought destruction upon themselves: hence, their tragic
fate should have been a warning to you”.] and it was made obvious to you how We had dealt with them: for We have set
forth unto you many a parable [of sin, resurrection and divine retribution]. [I.e., the parables in the Quran which illuminate
the idea of resurrection and of God’s final judgment.] And [this retribution will befall all evildoers because] they devise that
false imagery of theirs [I.e., their blasphemous belief in the existence of other divine powers side by side with God.] - and all
their false imagery is within God’s knowledge. [And never can the blasphemers prevail against the truth - not] even if their
false imagery were so [well devised and so powerful] that mountains could be moved thereby. Hence do not think that God
will fail to fulfill the promise, which He gave to His apostles: [I.e., the promise of resurrection and recompense on the Day of
Judgment. This relates specifically to the respite occasionally granted to evildoers for the duration of their lifetime (see verse
14:42).] verily, God is almighty, an avenger of evil! For on that Day you will see all who were lost in sin linked together in
fetters, [The sinners’ being “linked together in fetters” is a metaphor of their own evil deeds and inclinations and, consequently,
of the utter despair which will be common to all of them in the hereafter. It may also be an allusion to the chain-reaction which
every evil deed is bound to set in motion on earth, one evil unavoidably begetting another.] clothed in garments of black pitch,
with fire veiling their faces] [The “garments of black pitch” and the “fire veiling their facts” are metaphors of the inexpressible
suffering and loathsome horror which will enwrap the sinners’ souls on the Day of Judgment. (See also 73:13.)] [And all shall be
judged on that Day,] so that God may requite every human being for all that he has earned [in life]: verily, God is swift in
reckoning! This is a message unto all mankind. Hence, let them be warned thereby, and let them know that He is the One
and Only God; and let those who are endowed with insight take this to heart!
DIALOGUE BETWEEN IDOLS AND IDOLATERS
(16:86-89) And when they who were wont to ascribe divinity to beings other than God behold [on Judgment Day] those
beings to whom they were wont to ascribe a share in His divinity, they will exclaim: “O our Sustainer! These are the beings
to whom we ascribed a share in Thy divinity, and whom we were wont to invoke instead of Thee!” [The Quran states in
many places that every sinner who dies without repentance will be endowed on Judgment Day with a clear, objectified vision of
his sins, every one of which will have assumed for him the status of an independent reality bearing witness against him and
forcing him to acknowledge his now irremediable guilt. The Quran describes every act of sinning - whether it be an offence
against the concept of God’s oneness and uniqueness or a wrong done to any of His creatures - as, primarily, one’s “wronging
oneself” or “sinning against oneself”.] Whereupon [those beings] will fling at them the retort: “Behold, you have indeed
been lying [to yourselves]!” And on that Day will they [who had thus been sinning, belatedly] proffer their surrender to
God; and all their false imagery will have forsaken them. Upon all who were bent on denying the truth and who turned
others away from the path of God will We heap suffering upon suffering in return for all the corruption that they
wrought: for one Day We shall raise up within every community a witness against them from among themselves. And you
[too, O Prophet,] have We brought forth to bear witness regarding those [whom your message may have reached],
[Although the Arabian contemporaries of the Prophet were, naturally, the first to whom his revelation was conveyed - a fact that
gave a particular weight to the manner in which they responded to it - the Quranic message as such is addressed to all mankind
(see 7:158 and 21:107).] inasmuch as We have bestowed from on high upon you, step by step, this divine writ, to make
everything clear, and to provide guidance and grace and a glad tiding unto all who have surrendered themselves to God.
[I.e., everything that pertains to the knowledge of good and evil, in both the individual and social senses of these terms.]
CRY OUT IN BELATED SUPPLICATION
(23:64-65) We shall have taken to task, through suffering, those from among them who [now] are lost in the pursuit of
pleasures - they cry out in [belated] supplication. [But they will be told:] “Cry not in supplication today: for, behold, you
shall not be succored by Us! [The “taking to task through suffering”, spoken of here may refer to the Day of Judgment or - as in
17:16 - to the inevitable social ruin which, in the long run, wrong beliefs and actions bring with themselves in this world.]
DIALOGUE BETWEEN GOD AND DEIFIED BEINGS
(25:17-19) But [as for people who are oblivious of thy Sustainer’s oneness -] one Day He will gather them together with all
that they [now] worship instead of God, and will ask [those to whom divinity was falsely ascribed]: [The rhetorical question
which follows is addressed to wrongfully deified rational beings - i.e., prophets or saints - and not to lifeless idols.] “Was it you
who led these My creatures astray, or did they by themselves stray from the right path?” They will answer: “Limitless art
Thou in Thy glory! It was inconceivable for us to take for our masters anyone but Thyself! [It would have been morally
impossible for us to ask others to worship us. The above allegorical question-and-answer - repeated in many variations throughout
the Quran - is meant to stress, in a dramatic manner, the moral odiousness and intellectual futility of attributing divine qualities to
any being other than God.] But [as for them -] Thou did allow them and their forefathers to enjoy [the pleasures of] life to
such an extent that they forgot all remembrance [of Thee]: for they were people devoid of all good.” [Thereupon God will
say:] “And now, they [whom you regarded as divine] have given the lie to all your [past] assertions, and you can neither
ward off [your punishment] nor obtain any succor! For, whoever of you has committed [such] evil, him shall We cause to
taste great suffering!”
TESTIMONY OF ANGELS (on Judgment day)
(34:40-42) And [as for those who now deny the truth,] one Day He will gather them all together, and will ask the angels,
“Was it you that they were wont to worship?” [This allegorical question because God is omniscient and has no need to “ask” -
implies that many of those who deny the truth of God’s messages delude themselves into believing that they are, nevertheless,
worshipping spiritual forces, here comprised in the term angels.] They will answer: “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Thou
[alone] art close unto us, not they! [Implying that the angels would never have accepted that worship which is due to God
alone.] Nay, [when they thought that they were worshipping us,] they were but [blindly] worshipping forces concealed
from their senses; most of them believed in them.” [The term jinn has its primary meaning of “that which is concealed from
man’s senses”, thus including all manner of unknown forces, both real and imaginary, believed to be inherent in what we describe
as “nature”. Hence, the answer of the angels implies that the sinners’ alleged worship of them had never been more than a
subconscious screen for their fear of the invisible forces of nature and, ultimately, of the yet deeper fear of the unknown - that fear
which sooner or later engulfs all who refuse to believe in the existence of God and, hence, cannot see any meaning or purpose in
human life. (See 10:28)] And [on that Day God will say]: “None of you [created beings] has today any power to benefit or to
harm another!” And [then] We shall say unto those who had been bent on evildoing: “Taste [now] that suffering through
fire which you were wont to call a lie!”
DEITIES TO DISOWN IDOL WORSHIPPERS
(35:13-14) Thus is God, your Sustainer: unto Him belongs all dominion - whereas those whom you invoke instead of Him
do not own so much as the husk of a date-stone! If you invoke them, they do not hear your call; and even if they could
hear, they would not [be able to] respond to you. And [withal,] on the Day of Resurrection they will utterly disown your
having associated them with God. And none can make you understand [the truth] like the One who is all-aware. [The
Quran states in many places that all false objects of worship - whether saints, angels, relics, fetishes, or deified forces of nature -
will “bear witness” against their one-time worshippers on Resurrection Day, and will “disown” them: a symbolic allusion to
man’s perception, at the end of time, of the ultimate reality.]
FREEDOM OF IDOL WORSHIP AND PUNISHMENT IN HEREAFTER
(39:11-16) Say [O Muhammad]: “Behold, I am bidden to worship God, sincere in my faith in Him alone; and I am bidden
to be foremost among those who surrender themselves unto God.” Say: “Behold, I would dread were I to rebel against my
Sustainer, the suffering [which would befall me] on that awesome Day [of Judgment].” Say: “God alone do I worship,
sincere in my faith in Him alone - and [it is up to you, O sinners, to] worship whatever you please instead of Him!” Clouds
of fire will they have above them, and [similar] clouds beneath them. In this way does God imbue His servants with fear.
[As in many other instances, the Quran alludes in this phrase to the allegorical nature as well as to the real purpose of all
descriptions of the suffering which awaits the sinners in the hereafter; 74:35-36 - “that [hell-fire] is indeed one of the great
[forewarnings]: a warning to mortal man”.]
PLACING DISPUTE BEFORE GOD
(39:30-32) Yet, verily, you are bound to die, [O Muhammad,] and, verily, they, too, are bound to die: and then, behold, on
the Day of Resurrection you all shall place your dispute before your Sustainer. And who could be more wicked than he
who invents lies about God? [In this instance, the “inventing of lies about God” alludes to the attribution of a share in His
divinity to anyone or anything beside Him.] and gives the lie to the truth as soon as it has been placed before him? Is not hell
the [proper] abode for all who deny the truth? [A rhetorical question indicating, firstly, that otherworldly suffering is the
unavoidable destiny -symbolically, an abode - of all such sinners; and, secondly, that in the concept and picture of hell we are
given an allegory of that self-caused suffering.]
SHACKLES AND CHAINS ON JUDGMENT DAY
(40:69-77) Are you not aware of how far they who call God’s messages in question have lost sight of the truth? [Lit., “how
they are turned away” - i.e., from the truth: in this case, from all the observable evidence of God’s almightiness and creative
activity.] they who give the lie to this divine writ and [thus] to all [the messages] with which We sent forth Our apostles [of
old]? [Since, as the Quran so often points out, the fundamental truths set forth in all divine revelations are the same, a rejection of
the last of them amounts to a rejection of all the preceding ones.] But in time they will come to know [how blind they have
been: they will know it on Judgment Day], when they shall have to carry the shackles and chains [of their own making]
around their necks, [For an explanation of the allegory of “shackles” and “chains”, see 13:5 and 36:8.] and are dragged into
burning despair, and in the end become fuel for the fire [of hell]. [For rendering of “burning despair”, see 6:70.] And then
they will be asked: “Where now are those [powers] to which you were wont to ascribe divinity side by side with God?”
They will answer: “They have forsaken us - or, rather, what we were wont to invoke aforetime did not exist at all!” [Lit.,
“we have not been invoking aforetime any real thing”: thus realizing, belatedly, the intrinsic nothingness of all those imaginary
powers and values - including the belief in man’s alleged self-sufficiency and greatness - to which they paid homage in life.] [And
they will be told:] “It is thus that God lets the deniers of the truth go astray: [I.e., by allowing them to pursue illusions and
foolish fancies in consequence of their unwillingness to acknowledge the self-evident truth of God’s existence and uniqueness and
of man’s utter dependence on Him. For a discussion of the problem of God’s “letting” a sinner go astray, see 14:4.] this is an out-
come of your having arrogantly exulted on earth without any [concern for what is] right, and of your having been so full of
self-conceit! Enter [now] the gates of hell, therein to abide: and how vile an abode for all who are given to false pride!”
Hence, you remain patient in adversity - for, verily, God’s promise always comes true. And whether We show you [in this
world] something of what We hold in store for those [deniers of the truth], or whether We cause you to die [before that
retribution takes place - know that, in the end], it is unto Us that they will be brought back.
FORSAKEN BY ALLEGED DIVINE PARTNERS
(41:47-48) In Him alone is vested the knowledge of when the Last Hour will come. And so, on the Day when He shall call
out to them, “Where, now, are those [alleged] partners of Mine?” - they will [surely] answer, “We confess unto Thee that
none of us can bear witness [to anyone’s having a share in Thy divinity]!” And so, all that they were wont to invoke
aforetime will have forsaken them; and they shall know for certain that there is no escape for them.
MOCKING THOSE WHO ATTAINED TO FAITH
(83:29-35) Behold, those who have abandoned themselves to sin are wont to laugh at such as have attained to faith; and
whenever they pass by them, they wink at one another [derisively]; and whenever they return to people of their own kind,
they return full of jests; and whenever they see those [who believe,] they say, “Behold, these [people] have indeed gone
astray!” And, withal, they have no call to watch over [the beliefs of] others. [Implying that none who is devoid of faith has the
right to criticize the faith of any of his fellow-men] But on the Day [of Judgment], they who had attained to faith will [be able
to] laugh at the [erstwhile] deniers of the truth: [for, resting in paradise] on couches, they will look on [and say to
themselves]: “Are these deniers of the truth being [thus] requited for [aught but] what they were wont to do?” [Speaking of
the righteous, the Quran repeatedly stresses that on the Day of Judgment God shall have removed whatever unworthy thoughts or
feelings may have been (lingering) in their bosoms (7:43 and 15:47). Since an expression of vengeful joy on the part of the blest
at the calamity which in the hereafter will befall the erstwhile sinners would certainly fall within the category of unworthy
feelings, their “laughing” can only have a metaphorical meaning, denoting no more than a realization of their own good fortune.]
DIVINE GUIDANCE FOR DENIERS OF THE TRUTH
(6:56) Say [to the deniers of the truth]: “Behold, I have been forbidden to worship those [beings] whom you invoke instead
of God.” Say: “I do not follow your errant views - or else I should have gone astray, and should not be among those who
have found the right path.”
(13:30) Thus have We raised you [O Muhammad] as Our Apostle amidst a community [of unbelievers] before whose time
[similar] communities have come and gone [An indirect reference to the continuity of prophetic revelation before and up to the
time of the Last Prophet, Muhammad.] so that you might propound to them what We have revealed unto you: for [in their
ignorance] they deny the Most Gracious! [By refusing to acknowledge His existence, or by rejecting His guidance, or by
ascribing divine qualities to other beings or forces side by side with Him.] Say: “He is my Sustainer, there is no deity save
Him. In Him have I placed my trust, and unto Him is my recourse!”
(15:1-3) These are messages of revelation - of a discourse clear in itself and clearly showing the truth. [The term Quran
whenever it appears without the definite article al, denotes a solemn “recital” or “discourse”.] And it will come to pass that
those who are [now] bent on denying this truth will wish that they had surrendered themselves to God [in their lifetime].
[Those who deliberately reject it now will have no excuse on Resurrection day.] Leave them alone; let them eat and enjoy
themselves the while the hope [of vain delights] beguiles them: for in time they will come to know [the truth].
(25:55-58) And yet, some people worship, instead of God, things that can neither benefit them nor harm them: thus, he
who denies the truth does indeed turn his back on his Sustainer! Yet [withal, O Prophet,] We have sent you only as a
herald of glad tidings and a warner. Say: “For this, no reward do I ask of you [- no reward] other than that he who so wills
may unto his Sustainer find a way!” Hence, place your trust in the Living One who dies not, and extol His limitless glory
and praise: for none is as aware as His creatures’ sins as He.
(42:6-7) Now as for those who take aught beside Him for their protectors - God watches them and you are not responsible
for their conduct. [You are but entrusted with Our message:] and so We have revealed unto you a discourse in the Arabic
tongue in order that you may warn the foremost of all cities and all who dwell around it [I.e., all mankind. As regards the
designation of Mecca as “the foremost of all cities”, see 6:92.] - to wit, warn [them] of the Day of the Gathering, [the coming
of] which is beyond all doubt: [the Day when] some shall find themselves in paradise, and some in the blazing flame.
(98:1-3) It is not [conceivable] that such as are bent on denying the truth - [be they] from among the followers of earlier
revelation or from among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God - [I.e., idol-worshippers or animists (in the
anthropological sense of this word) who have never had any revealed scripture to fall back upon.] should ever be abandoned [by
Him] before there comes unto them the [full] evidence of the truth: an apostle from God, conveying [unto them]
revelations blest with purity, wherein there are ordinances of ever-true soundness and clarity. [They are not abandoned or
condemned by God - unless and until they have been shown the right way by a God-sent prophet, and thereupon have consciously
refused to follow it: and this is in accord with repeated statements in the Quran to the effect that God does not take anyone to task
for wrong beliefs and wrong actions unless the true meaning of right and wrong has previously been made clear to him (see
6:131-32 and 17:15). Hence, the above reference to “the evidence of the truth” does not relate only to the Quran and the Prophet
Muhammad but to all the earlier prophets and revelations as well (see 42:13).]
PROSELYTIZE NONBELIEVERS (advice to the Prophet)
IGNORE BLASPHEMERS AND ADMONISH THE SINNERS
(6:68-70) Now, whenever you meet such as indulge in [blasphemous] talk about Our messages, turn your back upon them
until they begin to talk of other things; and if Satan should ever cause you to forget [yourself], remain not, after
recollection, in the company of such evildoing folk, for whom those who are conscious of God are in no wise accountable.
Theirs, however, is the duty to admonish [the sinners], so that they might become conscious of God. And leave to
themselves all those who, beguiled by the life of this world, have made play and passing delights their religion; [This phrase
can be understood in either of two ways: (1) they have made their religion an object of play and fun, or (2) they have made play
and fun or passing delights their religion - i.e., the main goal of their lives. The latter reading is preferable as it brings out the fact
that many of those who are beguiled by the life of this world devote themselves to the pursuit of what the Quran describes as
“passing delights” - including the pleasures which money and power can provide - with something akin to religious fervor: an
attitude of mind which causes them to lose sight of all spiritual and moral values.]
ADDRESSING DOUBTERS AND SKEPTICS
(6:113-115) Yet, to the end that the hearts of those who do not believe in the life to come might incline towards Him, and
that in Him they might find contentment, and that they might earn whatever they can earn [of merit] - [say you:] “Am I,
then, to look unto anyone but God for judgment [To seek a judge other than God.] [as to what is right and wrong], when it is
He who has bestowed upon you from on high this divine writ, clearly spelling out the truth?”, [In a manner that brings out
the distinction between truth and falsehood. The use of the plural “you” indicates that the divine writ is addressed to all who may
come to know it.] And those unto whom We have vouchsafed revelation aforetime know that this one, too, has been
bestowed from on high, step by step, by thy Sustainer. [The above phrase seems to allude to the instinctive (perhaps only
subconscious) awareness of some of the followers of the Bible that the Quran is, in truth, an outcome of divine revelation.] Be
not, then, among the doubters - for, truly and justly has thy Sustainer’s promise been fulfilled. [It refers to the Biblical
promise (Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18) that God would raise up a prophet “like unto Moses” among the Arabs (see 2:42).] There
is no power that could alter [the fulfillment of] His promises: and He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing.
FAITH AND SELF-ACCOUNTABILITY
(10:40-44) And there are among them such as will in time come to believe in this [divine writ], just as there are among
them such as will never believe in it; and thy Sustainer is fully aware as to who are the spreaders of corruption. And [so, O
Prophet,] if they give you the lie, say: “To me [shall be accounted] my doings, and to you, your doings: you are not
accountable for what I am doing, and I am not accountable for whatever you do.” And there are among them such as
[pretend to] listen to you: but can you cause the deaf to hearken even though they will not use their reason? And there are
among them such as [pretend to] look towards you: but can you show the right way to the blind even though they cannot
see? Verily, God does not do the least wrong unto men, but it is men who wrong themselves.
PROPHETS OF OLD ALSO FACED OPPOSITION
(15:10-13) And indeed, [O Prophet,] even before your time did We send [Our apostles] unto communities of old - [The term
shiah denotes a distinct group of people having in common the same persuasion or adhering to the same principles of behavior,
and is sometimes (though not here) used in the sense of “sect”.] and never yet came an apostle to them without their deriding
him. Even so do We [now] cause this [scorn of Our message] to pervade the hearts of those who are lost in sin, who do not
believe in it, [see 2:7 and 14:4.] although the way which those [evildoers] of olden times had to go has long been within their
ken. [Lit., “although the way of life (sunnah) of those of olden times has already passed” - i.e., although the manner in which God
has dealt with them has long since become a matter of common knowledge.]
DO NOT GRIEVE OVER THOSE WHO REFUSE TO HEED YOU
(15:88-89) Turn not your eyes [longingly] towards the worldly benefits which We have granted unto some of those [that
deny the truth]. And neither grieve over those [who refuse to heed you], but spread the wings of your tenderness over the
believers, [An idiomatic metaphor for loving tenderness and humility (17:24.).] and say: “Behold, I am indeed the plain
warner [promised by God]!” [This possibly alludes to the Biblical prediction of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad appearing
in Deuteronomy xviii, I5 and 18, which has been discussed in 2:42.] (15:94-99) Hence, proclaim openly all that you have been
bidden [to say], and leave alone all those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God: verily, We shall suffice you against all
who [now] deride [this message - all] who assert that there are, side by side with God, other divine powers as well: for in
time they will come to know [the truth]. [Who postulate, side by side with God, another deity - a term which is obviously used
here in its generic sense, embracing anything that could he visualized as a “divine power”.] And well do We know that your
bosom is constricted by the [blasphemous] things that they say: but extol you thy Sustainer’s limitless glory and praise
Him, and be of those who prostrate themselves [before Him] in adoration, and worship thy Sustainer till death comes to
you. [Till there comes unto you that which is certain - a term which in the Quran is often used as a metonym for death]
DO NOT AGONIZE OVER SPIRITUAL FATE OF NONBELIEVERS
(9:128-129) Indeed, there has come unto you [O mankind] an Apostle from among yourselves: [A human being like
yourselves, not endowed with any supernatural powers, but only chosen by God to convey His message to you. (50:2.)] heavily
weighs upon him [the thought] that you might suffer [in the life to come]; full of concern for you [is he, and] full of
compassion and mercy towards the believers. But if those [who are bent on denying the truth] turn away, say: “God is
enough for me! There is no deity save Him. In Him have I placed my trust, for He is the Sustainer, in awesome
almightiness enthroned.”
(18:6) But would you, perhaps, torment yourself to death with grief over them if they are not willing to believe in this
message? [This rhetorical question is addressed, in the first instance, to the Prophet, who was deeply distressed by the hostility
which his message aroused among the pagan Meccans, and suffered agonies of apprehension regarding their spiritual fate.
Beyond that, however, it applies to everyone who, having become convinced of the truth of an ethical proposition, is dismayed at
the indifference with which his social environment reacts to it.]
PARABLE OF GOD’S POWER TO BESTOW SPIRITUAL LIFE
(41:38) And though some be too proud [to listen to this call], they who [in their hearts] are with thy Sustainer extol His
limitless glory by night and by day, and never grow weary [thereof]. (41:39) For among His signs is this: you see the earth
lying desolate - and lo! when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells [with life]! Verily, He who brings it to life can
surely give life to the dead [of heart as well]: for, behold, He has the power to will anything. [Although the allusion to the
reviving earth often occurs in the Quran as a parable of man’s ultimate resurrection, in the present context, it appears to be an
illustration of God’s power to bestow spiritual life upon hearts that have hitherto remained closed to the truth of His existence and
omnipotence. Hence, it implies a call to the believer never to abandon the hope that “those who deny the truth” may one day grasp
the truth of the Quranic message.]
MORNING STAR THAT PIERCE DARKNESS
(86:1-4) Consider the heavens and that which comes in the night! [Some commentators assume that what is described here as
at-tariq (“that which comes in the night”) is the morning-star, because it appears towards the end of the night. However, the noun
signifies “anything or “anyone” that comes in the night”, because a person who comes to a house by night is expected to knock at
the door. In the Quranic mode of expression, at-tariq is a metaphor for the heavenly solace which sometimes comes to a human
being lost in the deepest darkness of affliction and distress; or for the sudden, intuitive enlightenment which disperses the
darkness of uncertainty; or, finally, for divine revelation, which knocks, as it were, at the doors of man’s heart, and thus fulfills the
functions of both solace and enlightenment.] And what could make you conceive what it is that comes in the night? It is the
star that pierces through [life’s] darkness: [for] no human being has ever been left unguarded. [Lit., “there is no human
being without a guardian (or without a watch being kept) over it”. See 82:10-12.]
MESSAGE TO MANKIND
(10:104-106) Say [O Prophet]: “O mankind! If you are in doubt as to what my faith is, then [know that] I do not worship
those beings whom you worship beside God, [The use of the pronoun in the phrase “those whom you worship” shows that it
relates here to rational beings - like saints, etc.- and not to inanimate representations. As regards the term din rendered here as
“faith”, see 2:256.] but [that] I worship God alone, who shall cause you [all] to die: [The specific reference to God as the One
who causes all living beings to die is meant to impress upon those who deny the truth the fact that after their death they will be
placed before Him for judgment.] for I have been bidden to be among those who believe [in Him alone].” Hence, [O man,]
set your face steadfastly towards the [true] faith, turning away from all that is false, and be not among those who ascribe
divinity to aught beside God. [The word “face” is a metonym for one’s whole being because it is the face, more than any other
part of the human body, that expresses man’s personality. For an explanation of the term hanif, see 2:135.] Thus, do not invoke,
side by side with God, anything that can neither benefit you nor harm you: for, behold, if you do it, you will surely be
among the evildoers!