Teachings and Commentary 36-44
Whenever and wherever the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would recite the
Qur-aan to people, they would come running in their own group of friends to heckle,
taunt and make nasty comments.
36 Now what is the matter with the disbelievers that they rush madly towards you,
37 from the right and from the left, in groups? 38 Does every man of them aspire
to enter the Garden of bounties? 39 Not at all! Verily, We have created them from
what they know.
“We have created them from what they know” refers to the humble beginning of every
human being and thus equality of human beings in terms of their coming into existence
and their natural potential. Thus, people cannot expect Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala
to treat them differently only because they were born in a certain household. Human
birth cannot be a deciding factor because regardless of the family, every human
being is exactly equal in that respect. What makes people different are their views,
choices, actions, lifestyle and behaviour they adopt and practice when they grow
up. That is why those who possess the aforementioned attributes will be the only
ones to be honoured and admitted into Jannah.
As for their doubts about resurrection and the Hereafter, the following was said
for their reflection:
40 Thus, no! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests that We are certainly
able 41 to replace them with others better than them; and We are not to be outdone.
42 So leave them to indulge in vain talk and play until they meet their Day that
they are promised – 43 the day on which they will emerge from the graves rapidly
as if they were rushing towards a goal, 44 their eyes cast down, disgrace covering
them. That is the Day which they are promised!
After negating their doubts by saying “NO”, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala has sworn
by Himself to present His absolute authority and control over the earth and sun
as a fact to ponder upon. The use of plurals for east and west may refer to the
rising and setting of the sun every day from a slightly different angle on the earth’s
horizon or its continuous rising and setting in a sequence of horizons at place
after place around the globe. The purpose is to indicate to the deniers that Allaah’s
power and authority is infinite and absolute. If he wants, He can not only destroy
them and raise them from the dead, but He definitely has the power and authority
to give honour in the Hereafter to others who are better than them in their lifestyle
and behaviour[1]. It is the people with the qualities mentioned in verse 19-34 that
will be honoured. The disbelievers will be thoroughly disgraced.
The Soorah ends with a consolatory and supportive note to the Prophet ŝall Allaahu
‘alayhi wa sallam to let the disbelievers waste their time and energies in senseless
arguments, absurd comments and useless pursuits. As compared to their current attitude,
on that Day, they will be speedily running toward their place of gathering for accountability
in the same haste as a sprinter races towards the finishing line or mark, but unlike
a sportsman, they will be covered by disgrace and humiliation. This description
is also to indirectly warn them so that they can change their attitude to avoid
such fate.
Foot Notes
[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.
While Amin Ahsan Islahi is of the opinion that here Allaah is telling the disbelievers
that He not only has the power to raise them in the Hereafter but even the power
to raise them in a better form or shape, the context defies that meaning because
the preceding verses are telling the disbelievers that they would not enter Jannah
and are criticizing them for attacking the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam;
while the subsequent verses are talking about their disgrace in the Hereafter. In
addition, there is no support for this meaning anywhere in the Qur-aan; the mention
of this power of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala does not contribute in convincing
them to believe in Resurrection; and there is no sense in raising those to be punished
in a better shape or form.
Many exegetes interpret it to mean that it is about their replacement with people
better than them in this world. However, that point is totally foreign to the context
here. The whole Soorah is about Hereafter, the preceding paragraphs were talking
about the honour to be bestowed upon the Allaah-fearing believers and the negative
reactions of Makkans on these matters. Even this particular paragraph is specifically
warning them about Resurrection, so it is safe to conclude that it is about removing
them from the position of honour and replacing them in the Hereafter with the Allaah-fearing
people whose qualities have been listed in the previous verses. Also, it does not
make sense to threaten them about being replaced and then negate the threat by telling
the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to let them do what they are doing until
the Day of Resurrection. In addition, in that early stage of the mission when the
whole thrust was on inculcating faith in and correcting beliefs about the Hereafter,
the threat to replace them with another species or another nation was out of place.
The earliest citation of the power of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala to replace people
with another species (new creation) was made in Soorah Al-Faaŧir, and then in Soorah
Ibraaheem, both revealed many years later. Only those people who claim to be believers
but do not act accordingly have been threatened to be replaced by another people
if they do not become true believers; and that was first mentioned in Soorah Muĥammad,
which was revealed at the beginning of the Madeenan period. Then it was also mentioned
in Soorah At-Towbah and Soorah Al-Maaidah.
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