Teachings and Commentary 1-14
In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Soorah starts with the mention of the demand by some Makkans from the Prophet
to bring about the Doomsday that he was warning about.
1 A demander has demanded[1] the doom that is bound to fall 2 upon
the disbelievers, that none will be able to ward off, and 3 that will be
from Allaah Who owns the ways and means to infinitely high ranks. 4 The angels
and the Spirit (Gabriel) ascend towards Him in a day the span of which is fifty
thousand years. 5 So be patient with comely patience. 6 They certainly
consider it far away, 7 while We see it nearby.
The deniers of the Hereafter have been told that:
§ The destruction of the doomsday is inevitable and that Day is bound to come, but
it will come on its time pre-determined by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala. Neither
can their demands bring it earlier, nor can their denials make it go away.
§ When Allaah makes it happen, it will be unstoppable. No one in the heavens or
earth will be able to ward it off – including any of the deniers, their invented
gods, angels or anyone else for that matter.
§ Human concept of time is defined and bound by the movements of the earth, moon
and sun and thus is limited in application to life on earth and is counted in short
measures. They cannot perceive time beyond what they understand from the movements
of the earth. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala is exalted and infinitely above and beyond
these limitations. His timetable spans thousands, millions and billions of years
of human reckoning. For example, even an angelic activity spans periods like 50,000
years. So what people may think of as a very long time is as the blink of an eye
in Allaah’s timetable. So the “delay” in the advent of doomsday in their perception
should not delude them. According to Allaah’s timetable, it is about to happen and
is close at hand. Thousands of years in the human calendar are like a day or less
in Allaah’s calendar. People of this age can understand it by taking a ratio of
a thousand or two thousand years to 13 or 14 billion years -- the presumed age of
the universe.
According to the Qur-aan, “The Spirit” is the title of Angel Jibreel (Gabriel).
For example, in Soorah Al-Baqarah, Jibreel has been mentioned by name, “Whoever
has become the adversary of Jibreel because he brought it (the Qur-aan) down to
your mind…” And then in Soorah Ash-Shu‘araa, he has been mentioned by his title,
“Trusted Spirit brought it (the Qur-aan) down to your mind.” Jibreel, the Spirit,
has been mentioned separately from the angels to underscore his high status.
As for the nature of the angelic activity of ascending toward Allaah Subhaanahu
wa Ta’aala, it is of the Mutashaabihaat category – beyond our understanding, imagination
and capacity. The intent is just to let people realize that the exalted greatness
of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala is infinitely beyond their perception and that they
should not think of Allaah’s timetable and units of time in terms of human concepts
of time. Some people have interpreted this to be the length of the Day of Resurrection.
The Hadeeth quoted in that respect is not trustworthy (is dha‘eef) because of two
unreliable persons in the chain of narrators. The context does not allow it to mean
that way because the conditions of that Day are not being mentioned here, they are
coming in verse 8. Here it is explaining the word Ma‘aarij in relation to Allaah
Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala and giving the concept of divine units of time in human terms.
Now the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was most earnestly trying his best
to make the Makkans realize and accept the reality of the Day of Resurrection and
the Hereafter, but in return he was being ridiculed by sardonic demands. Thus it
was natural for him to feel hurt. Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala is advising him to
take their ignorant behaviour and vicious reaction to his preaching in stride and
to remain patient and steadfast in his mission. He should not only be patient and
steadfast, but he should do so in a dignified manner: not reacting emotionally,
but ignoring it gracefully and magnanimously; without feeling disheartened, and
without giving up or slowing down in the mission, but rather remaining on course
in a steadfast manner.
The next set of verses gives people a glimpse of the conditions of that day.
8 On that day, the sky will be like murky oil, 9 the mountains will
be like flakes of wool 10 and no close friend will ask a close friend of
his condition, 11 though they will be put in sight of each other. The criminal will
long to be able to ransom himself from the punishment of that day at the price of
his children, 12 and his wife and his brother, 13 and his nearest
kindred who sheltered him, 14 and all those that are on the earth collectively,
so this ransom might save him.
The first two verses point towards the universe-wide destruction. The word used
to describe the condition of heaven during the initial stage of destruction is that
it will look like “Muhl” which is used for describing different types of thick,
liquid-type material such as sediments at the bottom of oil (murky oil), molten
copper or molten silver, perhaps indicating the explosion of stars spreading molten
matter in the sky. The condition of the mountains in the early period of destruction
will be that their solid rocks will become powdered and scattered like dyed wool
or cotton that is fluffed like falling snow flakes.
Verses 10 -14 describe the human attitude after resurrection. Everyone will be so
self-centred and worried about his or her own salvation that they will not care
for anyone else. Those who used to be very close friends, willing to do everything
for each other, will see each other, but not even care to ask how the other is doing.
Rather, every wrong-doer will be willing to sacrifice their children, spouses, their
dearest relatives and the whole world just to save himself / herself from the punishment
of that day. An Arab’s loyalty to one’s clan and tribe was paramount. A clan or
tribe would go to any length to protect one of its own at any cost and an individual
would be ever willing to sacrifice his life for the honour of his tribe or clan.
But on that day every wrongdoer would wish that he could give the whole clan as
ransom to attain his own personal salvation.
However, nothing except one’s personal faith in Islam and his good deeds will be
of any avail. In the absence of Islamic faith and good deeds, there will be no salvation
and a person will have to suffer the punishment of fire.
FootNotes
[1] Verse 41 itself does not specify whether the replacement of disbelievers with those better than them is to happen in this world or in the Hereafter.
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