Teachings and Commentary 19-52
The next set of verses describes the immediate reaction people will have when they
are given their record of deeds and the kind of life they will have according to
the contents of that record. The first six verses are about those who will be successful
on that Day and the subsequent 13 verses are about the losers.
19 So, anyone who is given his record in his right hand, he will say: “Ah here!
Read my record! 20 I always thought that I would face my reckoning.” 21 So he will
have a life of pleasure, 22 in a lofty garden, 23 the fruit clusters of which will
be in easy reach. 24 (They will be told), “Eat and drink enjoying freely, because
of what you did beforehand in the days gone by.”
The first sign indicating who is successful in the test and who is a failure will
be whether a person is given his or her record of actions in the right or left hand.
A person who is given his record in his right hand will react with joy and will
proudly invite others to view his record. He will not be shy or ashamed, trying
to hide his result. The main factor for his success would have been that he believed
in the accountability to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala and lived his worldly life
accordingly.
Conversely, the losers will be given their record in their left hands. In Soorah
Al-Inshiqaaq, we have been told that they will be given their record behind their
back. Perhaps they will put their left hands behind their backs so that they do
not have to receive the record with their left hands, but it will still be given
in their left hands.
25 However, anyone who is given his record in his left hand, he will say: “Oh, would
that my book had never been given to me, 26 and I had not known how my account stood!
27 Oh, would that it (my death) had been the decisive one! 28 My wealth has not
helped me out! 29 Gone from me is my authority!”
In this world such people are so proud that they disregard any notion of accountability
and assume that physical death is the end of everything for a human being. Thus
they try to maximize wealth and power by all means and live a pompous and haughty
lifestyle. When they will receive their record, they will be so ashamed of themselves
and their deeds that they would wish that they had not received it and that death
would have been the end of it all. Unfortunately, it will be too late for them to
realize their mistake and they will face the following consequences:
30 (It will be said), “Seize him, and collar him, 31 then cast him into the hell-fire;
32 then fetter him with a chain the length of which is seventy cubits. 33 Verily
He used not to believe in Allaah, the Tremendous, 34 nor did he encourage the feeding
of the poor. 35 Thus he has no close friend here today, 36 nor any food except something
like the discharge of wounds, 37 which only the sinners will eat.”
Note the relationship between belief in Allaah and helping the poor. The Qur-aan
contends that a true belief in Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala compels a person to
take care of underprivileged people in the society by spending their own money as
well as encouraging others to do the same. Conversely, if a person does not care
for the poor, his belief in Allaah is invalid despite his claim to be a believer.
Influential people in the society (who have wealth and power) are usually surrounded
by many “friends” and “well-wishers” . But those friends are there only because
of their influence. In the Hereafter, with their wealth and influence gone, they
will not have any friends either. In this world, they may be eating fancy foods,
but in hell they will be living on recycled discharges.
The next verse starts with the negation of their baseless assumptions and their
fallacious arguments against the belief in the Hereafter and invites them to think
and reflect honestly to arrive at the right conclusions.
38 So no! I swear by that which you see, 39 and that which you do not see, 40 it
definitely is the word of a noble messenger. 41 It is not the word of a poet; little
is it that you believe; 42 nor the word of a soothsayer; little is it that you think
over. 43 It is a revelation sent down by the Lord of the universe.
As we have repeatedly explained, the oaths in the Qur-aan stand for “calling to
witness” certain things, reflection on which will help people understand the matter
being discussed. Here the matter is that “the Qur-aan is the word of a noble messenger
revealed to him by the Lord of the universe. It is not the word of a poet; nor the
word of a soothsayer.” In support of these facts, people are being invited to reflect
upon two kinds of things:
What they saw at that time:
§ The presenter of the Qur-aan has been the most honourable, most truthful and most
trustworthy person of their society;
§ He has selflessly made huge financial, social and personal sacrifices for this
mission without expecting any worldly benefit in return;
§ Those who follow him become the most excellent persons in the society in their
conduct, morals, ethics, dealings and interactions;
§ His message makes sense and corroborates with the signs in the universe and the
things around them that they can observe;
§ His warnings of punishments are corroborated by the ruins of previously punished
nations that they know about; and
§ The text of the Qur-aan is neither like poetry in any aspect, nor does it bear
any resemblance to the kind of things soothsayers talk about;
§ The Qur-aanic prose is so superb, exquisite and eloquent that the most celebrated
orators of the time could not even come close to its excellence;
§ The Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam’s own statements were of different
style and quality than the Qur-aanic prose; and
§ The topics covered by the Qur-aan were such that the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi
wa sallam was never found talking or learning about them even a day before the first
revelation came to him. And being illiterate, he had no way of acquiring such knowledge
from anywhere.
What they did not see:
§ The unseen matters described by the revelations.
As for those who still think that the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam composes
the passages himself and presents them as the revelation from Allaah, their attention
has been drawn to Allaah’s ways of dealing with His messengers:
44 Had he (Muĥammad) made up some sayings about Us, 45 We would certainly have seized
him by the right hand, 46 then We would certainly have cut off his aorta; 47 and
not one of you could have prevented it.
The true messengers of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala are under strict supervision
and are not allowed to make any changes in the revelation sent to them or to add
anything to it from their own. If anyone would ever entertain such an idea, he would
be punished severely and swiftly. This has been worded such that anyone can easily
visualize it in terms of a king dealing with his messenger. This has been stated
for two reasons: firstly, people should know that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala does
not tolerate any changes, additions or deletions in His revelations; and secondly,
they should not expect the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to change the
message to suit public demands. One point that should be clearly understood in this
regard is that this rule is for Allaah’s true messengers, not false claimants. As
for those who make a false claim to be the prophets or messengers of Allaah, Allaah
does not bother with them. As they are not from Him, He lets people use their senses
to reject their false claims. Like all other sinners, fraudsters and cheaters, false
claimants will be punished in the Hereafter.
However, despite all the facts mentioned earlier, only those people who want to
please Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala and avoid His displeasure (people with the attitude
of Taqwa) will benefit from the admonitions, reminders and teachings of the Qur-aan.
48 Indeed, it (the Qur-aan) is an admonition for those who have Taqwa. 49 And We
certainly know that that some of you are rejecters. 50 and it will definitely be
a cause of regret for the disbelievers. 51 And indeed it is the absolute truth.
As for disbelievers, they will be extremely sorry on the Day of Judgment, which
is an absolute truth and inevitable. Thus the Soorah concludes with the same message
with which it started.
The last verse exhorts the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and through him
the Muslims, not to be disheartened by the rejection from people, but rather, to
continue to glorify Allaah with patience and steadfastness.
52 Therefore, glorify the name of your Lord, the Tremendous.
This is the glorification that Muslims engage in while worshipping Allaah in the
bowing position during Ŝalaah.
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