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In the Shade of the Qur'an - Surah # 78

In the Shade of the Qur'an - Surah # 78
 
Syed Qutb
 

Surah # 78

The Tiding

an Nab'a

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.


About what are they asking?

About the fateful tiding

on which they are at variance.

No indeed; they shall certainly know !

Again, no indeed; they shall certainly know.

Have We not spread and levelled the earth,

and made the mountains as pegs?

We created you in pairs,

and made your sleep a cessation of activity.

We made the night a mantle,

and appointed the day for gaining a livelihood.

We built above you seven mighty ones,

and placed therein a blazing lamp.

We send down out of the rain-clouds water in abundance,

by which We bring forth grain and varied plants,

and gardens thick with trees.

Fixed is the Day of Decision.

On that day the Trumpet is blown and you shall come in crowds,

and heaven is opened, and becomes gates,

and the mountsins are get in motion, and seem to have been a mirage.

Hell stands as a vigilant Watchguard,

a home for the tyrants and the transgressors.

Therein they shall abide for ages,

tasting neither coolness nor any drink,

save boiling fluid and decaying filth:

a fitting recompense

They did not expect to be faced with a reckoning,

and roundly denied Our revelations.

But We noted and recorded all,

(and We shall say:) "Taste this, then;

the only increase you shall have is increase of torment."

The godfearing; shall have a place of security,

gardens and vineyards

and high-bosomed maidens, of equal age, for companions,

and a cup overflowing.

There they shall hear no idle talk, nor any falsehood.

Such is the recompense of your Lord: a truly sufficient gift:

Lord of the heavens and earth and all that lies between them, the

All Merciful, with Whom they have no power to speak.

On the day when the Spirit and the angels stand in ranks, they shall not

speak, save him to whom the All-Merciful has given leave, and who

shall say what is right.

That day is a certainly Let him who will seek a way back to his Lord.

We have forewarned you of an imminent scourge, on the day when a

man will look on what his hands have forwarded and the disbeliever

will cry: "Would that I Were dust"!

In the Shade of the Quran

This thirtieth part of the Qur'an has a special, distinctive colour. All the surahs it includes are Makkan, except two, namely, "The Clear Proof" and "Victory". Although they vary in length, they are all short. More significant, however, is the fact that they form a single group with more or less the same theme. They have the same characteristics of rhythm, images, connotations and overall style. They are, indeed, like a persistent and strong knocking on a door, or loud shouts seeking to awaken some people who are fast asleep, or some drunken men who have lost consciousness, or are in a night club, completely absorbed with their dancing or entertain ment. The knocks and the shouts come one after the other: Wake up! Look around you! Think! Reflect! There is a God! There is planning, trial, liability, reckoning, reward, severe punishment and lasting bliss. The same warning is repeated time after time. A strong hand shakes them violently. They seem to open their eyes, look around for a second and return to unconsciousness. The strong hand shakes them again, the shouts and knocks are repeated even more loudly. They may wake up once or twice to say obstinately, "No!" They may stone the person warning them or insult him and then resume their position of inattention. He shakes them anew.

This is how I feel when I read this part of the Qur'an. It puts strong emphasis on a small number of highly important facts and strikes certain notes which touch men's hearts. It concentrates on certain scenes in the universe and in the world of the human soul, as well as certain events which take place on the Day of Decision. I note how they are repeated in different ways, which suggests that the repetition is intended.

This is how one feels when one reads:

Let man reflect on the food he eats ... (80:24) Or: Let man then consider of what he was created ... (86:5) Or: Let them reflect on the camels, and how they were created; the heaven, how it was raised on high; the mountains, how they here set down, the earth, how it was levelled flat.(88:17-20) Or: Which is stronger in constitution: you or the heaven He has built? He raised it high and gave it its perfect shape, and gave darkness to its night, and brought out its daylight. After that He spread the earth. He brought out water from it, and brought forth its pastures; and the mountains He set firm, for you and your cattle to delight in. (79:27-33) Or: Have We not spread and levelled the earth, and made the mountains as pegs? We created you in pairs, and gave you sleep a cessation of activity. We made the night a mantle and appointed the day for gaining a livelihood. We built above you the seven mighty ones and placed therein a blazing lamp. We send down out of the rain-clouds water in abundance, by means of which we bringforth grain and varied plants, and gardens thick with trees. (78:6-16)

Or: Let man refl'ect on the food he eats: how We pour down the rain in torrents, and cleave the earth in fissures; how We bring forth the corn, the grapes and the fresh vegetation, the olive and the palm, the dense-treed gardens, the fruit-trees and the green pastures, for you and your cattle to delight in. (80:24-32) Or: O man, what has lured you away from your gracious Lord, Who created und moulded you and gave you an upright shape. He can give you whatever form He wills. (82:6-8) Or: Praise the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who creates and proportions well Who determines and guides, Who brings forth the pasturage, then turns it into withered grass.(87:1-5) Or: We indeed have created man in the fairest shape and form: then We brought him down to the lowest of the low, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, for theirs shall be an unfailing recompense. Who, then, can give you the lie as to the Last Judgement? Is not Allah the most Just of judges? (95:4-8) Or: When the sun is darkened, when the stars fall and disperse. when the mountains are made to move away, when the camels, ten months pregnant, are left untended, when the wild beasts are brought together, when the seas are set alight, when men's souls are paired (like with like), when the infant girl, buried alive, is asked for what crime she was slain, when the records are laid open, when the sky is stripped bare, when Hell is made to burn fiercely, when Paradise is brought near, every soul shall know what it has put forward. (81:1-14) Or: When the heaven is cleft asunder, when the stars are scattered, when the oceans are made to explode, when the graves are hurled about, each soul shall know its earlier actions and its later ones. (82:1-5) Or: When the sky is rent asunder, obeying her Lord in true submission, when the earth is stretched out and casts forth all that is within her and becomes empty, obeying her Lord in true submission. (84:1-5) Or: When the earth is rocked with her (final) earthquake, when the earth shakes off her burdens, and man cries: 'whats the matter with her?' On that day she will tell her news, that your Lord has inspired her. (99:1-5)

We experience the same feeling as we meditate over the scenes of the universe portrayed at the beginning or in the middle of some of the surahs in this part of the Qur'an:

I swear by the turning stars, which move swiftly and hide them selves away, and by the night as it comes darkening on, and the first breath of dawn. (81:15-18) Or: I swear by the twilight, and by the night and what it envelops, and by the moon in her full perfection. (84:16-18) Or: By the dawn, by the ten nights by that which is even and that which is odd, by the night as it journeys on. (89:1-4) Or: By the sun and his morning brightness, by the moon as she follows him, by the day which reveals its splendour, by the night when it enshrouds him, by the heaven and its construction, by the earth and its spreading, by the soul and its moulding, and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and piety. (91:1-8) Or: By the night when she lets fall her darkness, by the day in full splendour by him who created the male and the female. (92:1-3) Or: By the white forenoon and the brooding night. (93:1-2)

Strong emphasis is laid, throughout this thirtieth part of the Qur'an, on the origin of man as well as the origin of life, in both its vegetable and animal forms. Emphasis is also given to various scenes in the universe, such as scenes of the Day of Resurrection, which is described in different places as "the Greatest Catastrophe" the Stunning Blast", "the Enveloper", etc. Scenes of the reckoning, fine reward and severe retribution are also given prominence. They are drawn with images which leave a stunning effect. All these are given as a proof of the reality of creation and elaborate planning of the universe by Allah, as well as evidence confirming the reality of the life to come, and its decisive reckoning. These scenes are, at times, combined with scenes of the fate of some of the nations who rejected the Divine messages. The whole of this part exemplifies all this. We will make, however, a brief reference in this introduction to some examples.

The present surah, "The Tiding" is an example of the emphasis laid on the realities of creation and resurrection, and the prominence given to the scenes of the universe and the hereafter. The same applies to the next surah, entitled "The Pluckers". The third surah in this part, "The Frowning" starts with a reference to a certain event of the early days of Islam. The rest of the surah is devoted to a discussion of the origins of man and plants before it tackles the "Stunning Blast":

On that day each man will forsake his brother, his mother and his father, his wife and his children: for each one of them will on that day have enough preoccupations of his own. Some faces on that day shall be beaming, smiling and joyful. Some other faces on that day shall be covered with dust, veiled with darkness. (80:34-41)

Surah "The Darkening" portrays scenes of the great upheaval which envelops the whole universe on the Day of Resurrection. It also draws some fine and inspiring scenes of the universe in the context of affirming the reality of revelation and the honesty of the Prophet.

Surah "Cleaving Asunder" includes scenes of the universal upheaval, coupled with scenes of perfect happiness and eternal suffering in the hereafter. As it portrays these scenes it attempts to shake and awaken men's hearts:

O man! What has lured you away from your gracious Lord ... (82:6)

Scenes of both types are also portrayed in the surah entitled, "The Rending". Surah "The Constellations" touches very briefly on some scenes of the universe and the here after by way of introduction to the main theme. The surah tackles the history of a group of believers who were subjected by the disbelievers to severe torture with fire. It also states how Allah will inflict greater and more severe torture with fire on those disbelievers.

Surah "The Night Visitor" gives some scenes of the universe and speaks of the origins of man and plants prior to an oath by all these affirming

Surely it is a decisive word, it is no frivolity. (86:13-14)

The surah entitled "The Most High" speaks of creation, planning, Divine guidance and the various stages of the growth of pastures. All this is given by way of introduction to the theme of the hereafter, reckoning, reward and retribution. Surah "The Enveloper" gives some images of the happiness of the believers in the hereafter. and the misery of the disbelievers. It also draws attention to the creation of camels, heaven, earth and mountains. The same applies right through to the end of this thirtieth part, with the exception of a few surahs which are devoted to the exposition of the fundamental principles of faith, such as the surahs entitled "Purity of Faith", "The Disbelievers", "Small Kindness" "The Declining Day", "Power", and "Victory", and with the exception of a few more surahs which give encouragement and solace to the Prophet and direct him to seek the refuge of his Lord against all evil, such as those entitled, "The Forenoon", "Solace", "Abundance", "The Daybreak" and "Men".

Another aspect of the style of this part is its artistic use of fine expressions, images, rhythm, meter and rhyme to touch upon areas of exceptional beauty in the human soul and in the universe at large. It does this in order to achieve better results as it addresses those who have lost sight of the truth, trying to attract their attention and awaken their feelings. This is clearly evident, for example, in its portrait of the stars as they turn in their orbits, rise and set, in the image of deer disappearing in their dens then appearing again, its image of the night as a living being walking quietly in the dark, and the dawn breathing with the first rays of light:

I swear by the turning stars, which move swiftly and hide themselves away, and by the night as it comes darkening on, and the first breath of dawn. (81:15-18)

It is also clear in the description of sunset, the night and the moon:

I swear hy the twilight, and by the night and what it envelops, and by the moon, in her full perfection (84:16-18)

and in the scenes of dawn and the travelling night:

By the dawn, by the ten nights, by that which is even and that which is odd, by the night as it journeys on, (89:1-4) or: By the white fore noon and the brooding night. (93:1-2)

Again it is markedly evident in the inspiring address to the human heart:

O man, what has lured you away from your gracious Lord, Who created and moulded you and gave you an upright shape? He can give you what ever form He wills. (82:6-8)

in the description of Heaven:

Other faces on that day are jocund, well-pleased with their striving, in a sublime garden, where they hear no babble (88:8-11),

and of Hell:

But he whose scales are light, shall have the abyss for his home. Would that you knew what that is like! It is a raging fire. (101:8-11)

Allegory is often employed and an unusual derivation is sometimes preferred in order to obtain the intended musical effect. All this shows the artistry which so entirely pervades this part of the Qur'an.

The present surah is a good example of the general bent of this part, its themes, the fundamental principles it seeks to establish, the scenes and images it portrays, its inferences, its music and its fine touches, as well as its artistic selection and manipulation of terms and expressions to enhance its effect. It opens with a form of question which imparts a sense of gravity to the matter in dispute, yet it is something that admits of no dispute. This is followed by an immediate warning of what will happen on the day when they will realise its nature:

About what are they asking? About the fateful tiding on which they are at variance. No indeed; they shall certainly know! Again, no indeed; they shall certainly know.

Discussion of this fateful tiding is then temporarily dropped. The surah draws attention to what we see around us in the universe and what we feel in our souls which give an unmistakable indication of what will follow:

Have We not spread and levelled the earth, and made the mountains as pegs? We created you in pairs, and made your sleep a cessation of activity. We made the night a mantle and appointed the day for gaining a livelihood. We built above you seven mighty ones, and placed therein a blazing lamp. We send down out of the rain-clouds water in abundance, by which We bring forth grain and varied plants, and gardens thick with trees.

After this multitude of images taken from actual life the surah takes up the issue of the event of which they have been warned. It explains to them its nature and how it takes place:

Fixed is the Day of Decision. On that day the Trumpet is blown and you shall come in crowds, and heaven is opened, and becomes gates, and the mountains are set in motion, and seem to have been a mirage.

Then follows the scene of misery, violent, infinitely powerful:

Hell stands as a vigilant watchguard, a home for the tyrants and the transgressors. Therein they shall abide for ages tasting neither coolness nor any drink, save boiling fluid and decaying filth, a fitting recompense. They did not expect to be faced with a reckoning and roundly denied Our revelations. But We noted and recorded all, (and We shall say): 'Taste this, then; the only increase you shall have is increase of torment.'

The scene of happiness, on the other hand, overflows with beauty:

The godfearing shall have a place of security, gardens and vineyards and high-bosomed maidens, of equal age, for companions, and a cup over flowing. There they shall hear no idle talk, nor any falsehood. Such is the recompense of your Lord. a truly sufficient gift.

The surah closes with a distinctive note which accompanies a majestic scene of the day when all this takes place:

Lord of the heavens and earth and all that lies between them, the All Merciful, with Whom they have no power to speak. On the day when the spirit and the angels stand in rank, they shall not speak, save him to whom the All-Merciful has given leave, and Who shall say what is right. That day is a certainty. Let him who will seek a way back to his Lord. We have forewarned you of an imminent scourge, on the day when a man will look on what his hands have forwarded and the disbeliever will cry: Would that I were dust!

This is the fateful tiding about which they ask, and this is what will happen on the day when they will realise the true nature of this great event.

About what are they asking? About the fateful tiding on which they are at variance. No indeed; they shall certainly know. Again, no indeed;they shall certainly know.

The surah opens by shunning the enquirers and the enquiry. It wonders that anyone should raise any doubts about resurrection and judgement, which were the centre points of bitter controversy. For the disbelievers could hardly imagine that resurrection is at all possible, despite the fact that it is most logical. The surah asks what they are talking about:

About what are they asking?

We are then given the answer. The question is not meant to solicit information but to draw attention to the singularity of their questioning by putting forward the subject of their questions and stating its nature:

About the futeful tiding on which they are at variance.

The answer does not name the event but describes it to enhance the feeling of wonder and amazement at such people. The variance was between those who believed in resurrection and those who denied it, but the questions were raised by the latter only.

The surah does not provide any more details about the event in question. It simply describes it as great before adding an implicit threat which is much more frightening than a direct answer.

No indeed, they shall certainly know. Again, no indeed, they shall certainly know.

The phrase "no indeed" is used here as the nearest possible rendering of the Arabic term "kalla", which denotes strong shunning. The whole sentence is repeated to add force to the threat implied.

The surah then puts aside, apparently, that great event which is at the centre of controversy, only to pick it up later on. The surah takes us on a quick round of the universe in which we see a multilude of scenes, creatures and phenomena. Contemplation of these would strongly shake any human heart:

Have We not spread and levelled the earth, and made the mountains as pegs? We created you in pairs, and made your sleep a cessation of activity. We made the night a mantle and appointed the day for gaining a livelihood. We built above you seven mighty ones, and placed therein a blazing lamp. We send down out of the rain-clouds water in abundance, by which We bring forth grain and varied plants, and gardens thick with trees.

In this round we go across the vast universe, observing a great multitude of scenes and phenomena, which are sketched out with great economy of words and phrases. This helps make the rhythm sharp and penetrating, like incessant hammering. The form of question implying a statement is used here on purpose. It may be likened to a strong hand shaking those unaware, it draws their attention to all these creatures and phenomena which give strong evidence of the deliberate planning and designing which go into their creation, the ability to create and recreate, and the wisdom behind creation, which dictates that no creature will be left out of the great reckoning. Hence we come back to the fateful tiding, the subject of argument.

The first leg in our round takes in the earth and the mountains:

Have We not spread and levelled the earth, and made the mountains as pegs?

Both facts mentioned here can be easily recognised and appreciated by everyone. Indeed, even primitive man can be affected by them once his attention is drawn to them.

As human knowledge advances and man acquires better insight into the nature of the universe and its varied phenomena, his appreciation of these two aspects is enhanced. He recognises more fully Allah's elaborate planning of the universe, the accurate balance maintained between the individual kinds of creation and their respective needs, the preparation of the earth for human existence and man's adaptability to his environment. That the earth has been specially prepared as a comfortable home for human life in particular is irrefutable evidence of the careful designing of this existence.

It is sufficient to break one relation in the conditions available on earth or in the conditions and proportions required for life and the earth would no longer be that comfortable home for men to tread on.

Man recognises easily, by eyesight, that the mountains are very much like the pegs of a tent. From the Qur'an we learn that they steady the earth and keep its balance. This may be bccause the mountains' height offsets the depth of the seas and oceans. An alternative explanation is that mountains balance out the inner with the outer movements of our planet. Or probably they merely increase the weight of the earth at certain spots to prevent its violent shaking with earthquakes, volcanoes or internal tremors. There may be another explanation not yet known to man. In the Qur'an we find numerous references to natural laws the essence of which was completely unknown to man at the time of revelation, but knowledge of them has been acquired a few centuries later.

In its second leg our round touches upon various aspects of human existence:

We created you in pairs.

Again, this is a well established phenomenon, easily recognised by every human being. Allah has made the survival and continuity of mankind conditional on each of the two different sexes, male and female, playing its role in life fully. Not much knowledge is required for appreciating what this involves of comfort, pleasure and recreation. Hence the Qur'anic statement stands to be appreciated by every society in every age according to that society's abilities and knowledge.

Beyond the primitive feeling of the importance of this fact there is a wider scope of contemplation as man's knowledge increases and his feelings become more refined. We may contemplate how one sperm produces a male child while another, absolutely similar to the first, produces a female child. Our contemplation, however penetrating, is bound to lead us to the inescapable conclusion that it is the perfect planning of Ailah which gives each sperm its distinctive characteristics so that we may have a male and a female, for life to continue.

And made your sleep a cessation of activity. We made the night a mantle and appointed the day for gaining a livelihood.

Allah has willed that sleep should overpower man and make him lose consciousness and activity. When asleep, man is in a state which is unlike life and unlike death. It ensures rest for his body and mind and compensates both for whatever effort they have exerted during wakefulness. All this happens in a way the true nature of which man cannot conceive. His will plays no part in it and it is impossible for him to discover how it happens to him. When awake, man does not know his condition while he is asleep. He is also unable, when asleep, to observe his condition and how sleep affects him. It is one of the secrets of the constitution of man and all living creatures, unknown except to the Creator Who has made sleep essential for life. For there is no living creature who can stay without sleep except for a limited period. If he were forced, by external means, to stay awake he would certainly die.

Sleep does not merely satisfy some of man's physical and mental needs. It is, indeed, a truce for the human soul from the fierce struggle of life. It is a respite which allows man to lay down his armour willingly or unwillingly, and enjoy a period of perfect peace which he needs no less than he needs food and drink. Sometimes, when one is low-spirited, mentally exhausted, possessed by fear and alarm, sleep may overpower one, for a few minutes perhaps, and bring about a total change in one's condition. Sleep does not merely renew one's strength, but it may revive one as if one wakes up a new person altogether. This is miraculous but still very true. It happened on a large scale to the early Muslims who fought in the battles of Badr and Uhud. Allah mentions both occasions in the Qur'an, reminding the Muslims of His favours.

He made slumber overcome you as a reassurance from Him. (8:11) Then, after grief, He let peace and security fall upon you - a sleep which overtook some of you ... (3:154)

Many other people had the same experience in similar conditions. Cessation of activity and consciousness through sleep is a prerequisite for the continuity of life. Yet it can be given only by Allah. It is mentioned here by way of inviting man to contemplate his own creation and constitution.

Allah's perfection of creation has provided a correspondence between the movement of the universe and that of living creatures. As man requires sleep afler his day's work, so Allah has provided the night as a covering mantle for man to enjoy his slumber. Day is also provided as a period of activity for man to pursue his livelihood. Thus perfect harmony is established. The world is perfectly suitable for the creatures who live in it, and Allah's creation is endowed with the characteristics which fit in easily and gently with the characteristics of the universe. What perfect planning by a scrupulous Designer!

The final leg of our round touches on the creation of heaven;

We built above you seven mighty ones, and placed therein a blazing lamp. We send down out of the rain-clouds water in abundance, by which We bringforth grain and varied plants, and gardens thick with trees.

The seven mighty ones Allah has built above the earth are the seven heavens or skies, the precise nature of which is known only to Allah. They may be seven galaxies (a galaxy is a group of stars the number of which may exceed one hundred million) which have a bearing on our planet or on our solar system. The phrase may also refer to something else which we do not know. What we know for certain, however, is that these seven have strong constitution and do not easily disintegrate. This much we know about the stars and we observe-in what we call "the sky". The surah also points out that the construction of the seven mighty ones is in perfect harmony with the creation of the earth and the world of man. This is implied in the following verses:

And placed therein a blazing lamp.

This is a reference to the sun which shines and gives the heat necessary for the earth and its living creatures. It also plays an important part in forming the clouds by evaporating sea water:

We send down out of the rainclouds water in abundance.

The Arabic text refers to these clouds as something squeezable. But who squeezes them to extract their juice? The winds, maybe, or perhaps some kind of electric charge in the atmosphere. Beyond both types, however, there is the hand of the Designer, who has assigned to everything in the universe its respective qualities.

The use of the word "lamp" to refer to the sun is very apt, for a lamp gives heat and light and it shines as if it is ablaze. The heat and the light provided by the sun combine with the water flowing in abundance time after time from the "squeezable" clouds to help the seeds send out their shoots. This is how grains, vegetables, bushes and wide-branching trees grow. This consonance in the design of the universe could not have been achieved without the careful Designer and the wise Planner. Any man would appreciate this if his attention were drawn to it. If he acquired advanced knowledge he would find much more consonance and congruity in the universe, which would leave him wondering in complete amazement. He would then find completely insupportable the argument that all this had been the result of coincidence. He would consider those who evade admitting the fact of elaborate and conscious planning pig-headed, unworthy of respect.

The Qur'an refers to this multitude of scenes and phenomena in the universe in a very significant succession: making the earth level, the mountains its pegs, mankind pairs, sleep a cessation of activity, the night a covering mantle, the day a period of bustling activity, building the seven mighty ones, providing the blazing lamp and the abundant flow of water so that vegetation, grains and trees can shoot forth and grow. This succession confirms the perfect consonance and produces a very strong feeling of the great Wisdom that has planned all this. It inspires the heart with the realisation of the purpose of this life ... Hence, we pick up again the theme of the fateful tiding, the subject of controversy.

All this has been for work and pleasure, but there are reckoning and reward to follow, on the appointed Day of Decision:

Fixed is the Day of Decision. On that day the trumpet is blown and you shall come in crowds, and heaven is opened and becomes gates, and the mountains are set in motion, and seem to have been a mirage.

Creation is not without purpose. The Creator Who has accurately measured human life and carefully provided perfect harmony between it and the universe cannot let people just live and die in vain. Reason cannot accept that those who do good and the evil-doers should both end in dust. The rightly guided and the straying folk, the just and the tyrants cannot have the same fate. There must be a day when everything is judged and evaluated. The day is appointed by Allah:

Fixed is the Day of Decision.

It is a day when upheaval overtakes the universe and destroys its systems.

On that day the Trumpet is blown and you shall come in crowds, and heaven is opened and becomes gates, and the mountains are set in motion, and seem to have been a mirage.

The "Trumpet" is a kind of horn of which we know nothing except its name and that it will be blown. We need not waste our time trying to discover how, for such discovery will not strengthen our faith.

Allah has revealed to us what we need to know of the secrets of the universe so that we may not waste our energy in futile pursuit of useless knowledge. We can imagine, however, a blow on the Trumpet which men answer by coming in crowds. We can visualise such a scene when all generations of mankind, which succeeded one another on this earth, rise up, walking in multitudes, from all directions to attend the great reckoning. We can imagine the fearful sight of people rising up from graves and the great crowd, huge, endless. We can feel the horror of the day with such an unprecedented crowd, helpless', horror-stricken. We do not know where will this happen, for the universe is full of great events" and heaven is opened and becomes gates, and the mountains are set in motion, and seem to have been a mirage.

Heaven, the mighty heaven, is opened up so that it becomes gates. It is, as described elsewhere in the Qur'an, rent asunder. So, it will look very unfamiliar to us. The firmly dug-in pegs, namely, the mountains are set in motion. They are hammered, scattered, turned into dust, blown by the wind, as other Qur'anic verses describe. Hence, they become non-existent, like a mirage which has no reality. Or, probably, different rays are reflected against them after they have been turned into dust and they look like a mirage.

All in all, it is horror apparent in the upheaval which envelops the universe as well as in men's resurrection after blowing the Trumpet. Such is the Day of Decision carefully and wisely fixed.

The surah takes another step, beyond resurrection, to describe the fate of the tyrant disbelievers and that of the righteous. It begins with the former group who raise doubts about the fateful tiding:

Hell stands as a vigilant watchguard, a home for the tyrants and the transgressors. Therein they shall abidefor ages, tasting neither coolness nor any drink, save boiling fluid and decaying filth: a fitting recompense. They did not expect to be faced with a reckoning and roundly denied Our revelations. But We noted and recorded all, (and We shall say:) Taste this, then; the only increase you shall have is Increase of torment.

Hell has been created so that it may watch the tyrants and transgressors and await their arrival. They come to find it well prepared to receive them, as if they return to their natural home after having gone on a journey to the earth . It is a home in which they stay endlessly. But they taste "neither coolness nor any drink." The next verse gives an exception to that, but the exception is even worse: "save boiling fluid and decaying filth." Their throats and stomachs burn as they drink their boiling fluid, which is the "coolness" they have, while their other drink is the filth of the burning bodies, decaying by the enormous heat. The Qur'an comments that this is "a fitting recompense." It is in keeping with what they have done in their lives.

For they thought they would never return to Allah:

They did not expect to be faced with a reckoning and roundly denied Our revelations.

Their denial, as the Arabic verse suggests, is strongly emphatic and stubbornly upheld. But Allah keeps a meticulous record which does not leave out anything they do or say: "But We noted and recorded all." Then follows a reproach coupled with the tiding that they can hope for no change in their condition and no abatement of its intensity: "Taste this, then; the only increase you shall have is increase of torment."

We then have the corresponding scene of the righteous in complete bliss.

The god fearing shall have a place of security, gardens and vineyards, and high-bosomed maidens, of equal age, for companions, and a cup over flowing. There they shall hear no idle talk, nor any falsehood. Such is the recompense of your Lord, a truly sufficient gift.

If Hell is a vigilant watchguard which the tyrants cannot escape, the righteous, the godfearing, will end in a place of security. What a place it is: "gardens and vineyards." The vine tree is specifically mentioned because it is well known to the addressees. The godfearing will also have companions who are described here as high-bosomed and of equal age. They also drink ef a cup overflowing with drink. These luxuries are given a physical description so that they may be appreciated by human beings. The precise nature of these luxuries and how they may be enjoyed remain unknown to us as our understanding is restricted by our limited world. But the enjoyment provided to the righteous is not purely physical.

There they shall hear no idle talk, nor any falsehood.

So it is a pure life there, free of the idle chatting and falsehood which give rise to controversy. The reality is known to everyone, which means that there is no room for futile argument. It is a sublime state of affairs suitable for the eternal life. Then follows the Qur'anic comment:

Such is the recompense of your Lord: a truly sufficient gift.

The surah closes with the final scene of the day when all this happens. It is a scene in which we see Jibril, the Holy Spirit, and all the angels standing in ranks before Allah, their All-Merciful Lord. They stand in awe of Him; no-one dares utter a word without prior permission from the Merciful.

Lord of the heavens and earth and all that lies between them, the All Merciful, with Whom they have no power to speak. On the day when the Spirit and the angels stand in ranks, they shall not speak, save him to whom the All-Merciful has given leave, and who shall say what is right.

The recompense given to the righteous and to the tyrant transgressors which was detailed in the previous section is from

your Lord ... Lord of the heavens and earth and all that lies between them, the All-Merciful.

What a befitting context to reaffirm the eternal truth of godhead. Allah is the Supreme Lord of man, heavens and earth, this life and the next, Who metes out reward for righteousness and punishment for tyranny. But above all He is the All-Merciful. The reward He assigns to each group is a manifestation of His mercy. Even the torment endured by the transgressors originates from Allah's mercy. For it is indeed part of mercy that evil should be punished and that it should not have the same end as good.

The other Divine attribute implied here is majesty: "with Whom they have no power to speak." In this highly awesome situation no man or angel can speak without permission from the All-Merciful. Whatever is said will be right because He does not permit anyone to speak whom He knows will not be saying what is right.

When we think that the angels, who are favoured by Allah, and absolutely pure from sin, stand silent in front of Allah and dare not speak without His permission, we are bound to feel how awesome the atmosphere is. Having motivated such a feeling the surah gives a cry of warning to those who have chosen not to hear or see:

That day is a certainty. Let him who will, seek a way back to his Lord. We have warned you of an imminent scourge, on the day when a man will look on what his hands have forwarded and the disbeliever will cry: 'Would that I were dust!'

Those who raise doubts and question the reality of the Day of Decision are given a violent shake: "That day is a certainty." There is no room left for doubts and controversy. Yet there is time for mending one's erring ways before the fearful watchguard, i.e. Hell becomes a permanent home: "Let him who will, seek a way back to his Lord." The warning is stern enough to make the drunken awake: "We have forewarned you of an imminent scourge." It will not be long coming, for man's life is but a short period. The scourge is so fearful that the disbelievers, when faced with it, will send up that great cry expressing the wish that they had never lived:

on the day when a man will look on what his hands have forwarded and the disbeliever will cry: 'Would that I were dust!'

It is a cry of one who is in great distress, who feels ashamedly for what has been and what one has done. He feels that it is better not to be, or to be something as worthless as dust, than to witness such a fearful occasion. The horrifying position of the disbelievers is the subject of the questions and doubts they raise concerning that fateful tiding.

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