لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ ٤٢ فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ٤٣ فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ ٤٤ فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۚ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ٤٥
Indeed We sent messengers before your time to other nations, and visited them with misfortune and hardship so that they might humble themselves. If only, when the misfortune decreed by Us befell them, they humbled themselves! Rather, their hearts were hardened and Satan made their deeds seem goodly to them. Then, when they had clean forgotten what they had been reminded of We threw open to them the gates of all good things, until just when they were rejoicing in what they had been granted, We suddenly took them to task; and they were plunged into utter despair. Thus the last remnant of the wrongdoing people was wiped out. All praise is due to God, the Lord of all the worlds. (Verses 42-5)
هذه الآيات تضع أمام أعيننا مثالًا تاريخيًا على كيفية تعرّض الناس لقدرة الله، وعلى ما يحل بهم جراء ذلك. يمنحهم الله فرصةً تلو الأخرى، ويوجّه إليهم تذكيراتٍ متتابعة، ومع ذلك ينسون. فإن لم تدفعهم المحن التي يواجهونها إلى التوبة إلى الله والتضرع إليه، وإن لم تحملهم نعمُه التي يتقلبون فيها على الشكر والحذر من الشر، فقد فسدت فطرتهم فسادًا لا يُرجى إصلاحه، ولم تعد حياتهم تستحق أن تُمدّ. فينزل بهم عذاب الله، ويُهلك عالمهم: ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ * فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ (الآيتان 42-43)
These verses place before our eyes an historical example of how people expose themselves to God’s might and what happens to them in consequence. God gives them one chance after another and issues them with successive reminders, but they still forget. If the trials they encounter do not persuade them to turn to God and implore Him, and if His grace which they enjoy does not prompt them to be grateful and to guard against evil, then their nature has become irremediably corrupt and their lives are no longer worth extending. God’s punishment befalls them and their world is destroyed: “Indeed We sent messengers before your time to other nations, and visited them with misfortune and hardship so that they might humble themselves. If only, when the misfortune decreed by Us befell them, they humbled themselves! Rather, their hearts were hardened and Satan made their deeds seem goodly to them.” (Verses 42-3)
لقد عرف التاريخ البشري أمماً كثيرة من هذا القبيل، وتقصّ علينا القرآنُ أخبارَها التي تعود إلى عصورٍ سحيقةٍ تسبق التاريخَ المدوَّن. والتاريخُ المدوَّن حديثُ العهد، ولا يحتوي إلا على جزءٍ يسير من تاريخ البشرية على الأرض. وهذا التاريخُ المدوَّن، على قِصَره، مليءٌ بالتحريف والكذب، ويتسم كذلك بعجزه عن الإحاطة الكاملة بجميع العوامل التي تؤثر في حركة التاريخ الإنساني. فبعضُ هذه العوامل يكمن في أعماق النفس البشرية، وبعضُها الآخر يقع خارج نطاق ما يدركه الإنسان بالحواس. ولا يُكشف إلا عن بعض هذه العوامل مما يُرى ظاهراً، ومع ذلك لا تُحدَّد ولا تُفسَّر على وجهها الصحيح. والحقُّ أن الناس لا يستطيعون التمييز بين الباطل والحق في هذه العوامل.
Human history has known many such nations and the Qur’ān gives us accounts of them which date back to periods long before recorded history. Such history is new and it contains only a small portion of human history on earth. Short as it is, this history recorded by human beings is full of misrepresentation and falsehood. It is also marked by its inability to take full account of all factors which influence the movement of human history. Some of these lie deep in the human soul, while others remain beyond the realm of what is perceptible by man. Only some of these factors are made visible, but these are nevertheless not identified or interpreted properly or correctly. Indeed, people cannot distinguish the false from the true in these factors.
لَيْسَ لِأَيِّ إِنْسَانٍ أَنْ يَدَّعِيَ أَنَّهُ يُحِيطُ عِلْمًا بِتَارِيخِ الْبَشَرِيَّةِ، وَأَنَّهُ يُفَسِّرُهُ تَفْسِيرًا "عِلْمِيًّا"، وَأَنَّهُ قَادِرٌ عَلَى التَّنَبُّؤِ بِأَحْدَاثِهِ الْمُسْتَقْبَلِيَّةِ الْحَتْمِيَّةِ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَعْظَمُ كَذِبٍ يَمْكِنُ أَنْ يَنْطِقَ بِهِ إِنْسَانٌ. وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّ بَعْضَ النَّاسِ يُطْلِقُونَ مِثْلَ هَذِهِ الدَّعَاوَى. وَالْأَعْجَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ بَعْضَ النَّاسِ يُصَدِّقُونَ هَذِهِ الدَّعَاوَى. وَلَوْ قَالَ الْمُدَّعِي إِنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يَذْكُرُ في الْأَسَاسِ مَا "يَتَوَقَّعُ" حُدُوثَهُ، لَا مَا هُوَ "حَتْمِيٌّ"، لَكَانَ ادِّعَاؤُهُ مَعْقُولًا. وَإِذَا وَجَدَ الْكَذَّابُ نَاسًا ساذجين بما يكفي لتصديقه، فإنه سيختلق الأكاذيب ليقولها لهم بالتأكيد.
For any human being to claim that he has full knowledge of human history, can interpret it ‘scientifically’ and is able to predict its inevitable future events is to say the greatest lie a human being may utter. Nevertheless, some people do make such claims. What is even more amazing is that some people believe such claims. Had the claimant said that he is mainly relating what he ‘expects’ to happen, not what is ‘inevitable’, his claim may be reasonable. When a liar finds people gullible enough to believe him, he will certainly invent lies to tell them.
یقیناً اللہ تعالیٰ سچ فرماتا ہے۔ وہ یہ بھی جانتا ہے کہ کیا واقع ہوا اور وہ اسباب کیا تھے جو اس کا باعث بنے۔ اپنے فضل سے وہ اپنے بندوں کو اپنے قانون کے کام کرنے کے طریقے اور اپنی مشیت کے عمل کے کچھ پہلو بتاتا ہے، تاکہ وہ عبرت حاصل کریں۔ اس طرح وہ ان کو اس قابل بناتا ہے کہ وہ باطنی عوامل اور ظاہری اسباب کے باہمی تعلق کو جان سکیں جنہوں نے تاریخ کے واقعات کو جنم دیا ہے۔ پھر وہ اللہ کے اس قانون کے مطابق، جو اس نے ان پر نازل فرمایا ہے اور جو کبھی نہیں بدلتا، حقیقت پسندانہ توقع رکھ سکتے ہیں کہ کیا کچھ پیش آئے گا۔
God certainly tells the truth. He also knows what happened and the reasons that led to it. Out of His grace, He tells His servants some aspects of the working of His law and how His will operates, so that they may take heed. They are, thus, placed in a position of knowing the interaction of inner factors and manifest reasons that have led to the events of history. They can then have a realistic expectation of what will happen in accordance with God’s law which God has revealed to them and which never changes.
في هذه الآيات نجد عرضاً كاملاً لنموذجٍ تكرّر مراراً: أمم تلقّت رسل الله، لكنها رفضت رسالاتهم.
In these verses we have a full outline of an example that has repeated itself several times: communities that have received God’s messengers but rejected their messages.
ثم ابتلاهم الله بالشدة والمحنة التي شملت أنفسهم وأموالهم وأحوالهم العامة. ومن الواضح أن هذه الشدة والمحنة كانت دون عقوبة الاستئصال التامة التي أُشير إليها في الآية السابقة.
God then tested them with hardship and tribulation that involved their lives, properties and general situations. Such hardship and tribulation obviously fell short of the punishment of total destruction to which reference is made in the preceding verse.
ذكر القرآن الكريم مثالًا محددًا على هذه الأمم وما نزل بها من البلاء، في قصة فرعون وقومه: ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ بِالسِّنِينَ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ﴾
The Qur’ān mentions a specific example of these communities and the tribulations visited upon them in the account it gives of Pharaoh and his people: “Most certainly did We afflict Pharaoh’s people with drought and poor harvests, so that they might take heed.
فَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُوا لَنَا هَٰذِهِ ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُوا بِمُوسَىٰ وَمَن مَّعَهُ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّمَا طَائِرُهُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ وَقَالُوا مَهْمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِ مِنْ آيَةٍ لِّتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ آيَاتٍ مُّفَصَّلَاتٍ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا مُّجْرِمِينَ
But whenever something good came their way, they would say, `This is but our due’; and whenever affliction befell them, they would blame their evil fortune on Moses and those who followed him. Surely, their ill fortune had been decreed by God, though most of them did not know it. They said [to Moses]: ‘Whatever sign you may produce before us in order to cast a spell on us, we will not believe in you.’ So We plagued them with floods, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood: clear signs all; but they continued in their arrogance, for they were evil-doing folk.” (7: 130-3)
هذا مثال واحد من أمثلة كثيرة تشير إليها هذه الآية القرآنية. فقد ابتلى الله هؤلاء القوم بالشدة والمحنة لكي يستيقظوا إلى الحق، وأراد منهم أن يتفكروا في حالهم. ولعل الشدة كانت تدفعهم إلى أن يتضرعوا إلى الله في خشوع تام، وتساعدهم على التخلص من كبرهم، وأن يدعوه بقلوب مفتوحة مخلصة. ولو فعلوا ذلك لفتح الله لهم بالتأكيد أبواب رحمته. لكنهم لم يرجعوا إلى الله، فلم تلن الشدة قلوبهم، ولم تفتح عقولهم، ولم تساعدهم على التخلص من عنادهم. واستمر الشيطان يزين لهم طرقهم الضالة ويصورها لهم حسنة جميلة.
This is just one of numerous examples to which this Qur’ānic verse refers. God visited these people with hardship and tribulation so that they might awaken to the truth. He wanted them to examine their situation. The hardship might have prompted them to appeal to God in all humility, and might have helped them to get rid of their arrogance and to pray with open, sincere hearts. Had they done so, God would certainly have opened the gates of His mercy to them. But they did not turn back to God. The hardship did not soften their hearts, open their minds and help them rid themselves of their stubbornness. Satan continued to portray their erring ways to them as fair and appealing:
{قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ} (الآية ٤٣)
“Their hearts were hardened and Satan made their deeds seem goodly to them.” (Verse 43)
عندما لا تدفع الشدّةُ الإنسانَ إلى أن يلجأ إلى الله طلباً للعون، فإنّ قلبَه بلا شكّ قد قسا. فلم تعد فطرته القابلة للتأثّر تعمل، ولا يشعر بتلك الرقّة التي تعيد عادةً الحياةَ إلى القلوب وتجعلها مستعدةً استعداداً تاماً للتلقّي. والله يبتلي عباده بالشدّة، فمن كان حيّاً أيقظته، وهو الذي يعود إلى ربّه. فالشدّةُ إذن رحمةٌ من الله، وقد أوجب على نفسه أن يُنعم بها على عباده.
When hardship fails to make a human being turn to God for help, that person’s heart is certainly hardened. Its natural receptive quality is no longer functioning. It does not feel the compunction which normally brings life back to hearts and makes them fully receptive. God puts His servants through a test of hardship. He who is alive will be awakened by it and it is he who returns to his Lord. The hardship is, thus, an act of mercy which God has committed Himself to bestow on His servants.
من مات لا ينتفع بذلك بشيء، بل يصير ذلك حجةً عليه في موقفه، ويزداد به شقاءً، لأنه يكون مقدمةً لعذاب الله.
He who is dead will benefit nothing by it. Indeed, it leaves him without any excuse for his attitude. He is made more miserable by it since it serves as an introduction to God’s punishment.
القرون التي يقصّ الله تعالى على رسوله ﷺ وأتباعه أخبارها لم تنتفع شيئاً بالبلاءات التي ابتُليت بها. لم يتضرّعوا إلى الله، ولم يُصلحوا أحوالهم المنحرفة، بل أصرّوا على رفض الحق الذي زيّنه لهم الشيطان وحسّنه في أعينهم. فأمهلهم الله تعالى وأعطاهم من الرزق الوفير: ﴿فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ﴾ (الأنعام: 44)
The communities whose history God relates to His Messenger and his followers have benefited nothing by the trials to which they were put. They made no appeal to God. They did not mend their erring ways but persisted with their rejection of the truth, which Satan portrayed to them as good and proper. God then allowed them a respite and gave them provisions in plenty: “Then, when they had clean forgotten what they had been reminded of We threw open to them the gates of all good things, until just when they were rejoicing in what they had been granted, We suddenly took them to task; and they were plunged into utter despair.” (Verse 44)
يُبتلى الناسُ بالنعمة والرخاء كما يُبتلَون بالشدة والضيق.
People may be tested with a life of plenty just as they may be tested with hardship.
إنَّ اللهَ قد يَبتَلي عِبادَهُ المُطيعينَ والعاصينَ، إمَّا بالرَّخاءِ أو بالشِّدَّةِ. وإنَّ ابتلاءَ الرَّخاءِ أشدُّ وأصعبُ على الاحتمالِ. فالمؤمنُ إذا ابتُليَ بالشِّدَّةِ صبرَ وأظهرَ ثباتَهُ، وإذا ابتُليَ بالرَّخاءِ شكرَ ربَّهُ. فكلُّ ما يُصيبُهُ يكونُ خيرًا له لا محالة. قال النَّبيُّ ﷺ:
Indeed, God may test both His obedient servants and those who are disobedient, either with abundance or with hardship. The test of abundance is even harder and more difficult to endure. A believer who is tested with hardship perseveres and shows his steadfastness, and when he is tested with abundance, he is grateful to his Lord. Thus, whatever happens to him, the result is certainly good. The Prophet says:
عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ، إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ، وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ؛ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ. (رواه مسلم)
“Wonderful is the lot of a believer. Whatever may happen brings him good. This applies to no one other than a believer, because when good fortune comes his way, he is grateful and that is good for him. When misfortune befalls him, he endures patiently and that is good for him.” (Related by Muslim.)
وأما الأمم التي كذّبت رسل الله، وقصّ القرآن أخبارها، فقد سلكت طريقًا مختلفًا. فقد ذُكّرت بالموقف الصحيح، فأعرضت عنه. ولما صار هلاكها محتومًا، ابتلاها الله بالشدة والمحنة، لعلها تستيقظ وتُصلح سلوكها، لكنها لم تفعل. ثم امتحنها بالرخاء والسعة. وقد صوّر القرآن الكريم هذا الامتحان تصويرًا بالغ الوضوح: ﴿فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴾ [الأنعام: 44]. فالأرزاق والنعم والسلطان كلها تُعرض هنا كأنها سيول متدفقة لا يعترضها شيء، تأتيهم دون أن يُكلّفوا أنفسهم أدنى جهد.
Those communities who rejected God’s messengers and whose histories are given in the Qur’ān were on a different course. They were reminded of the proper attitude but they ignored it. When their destruction was inevitable, God visited them with hardship and tribulation so that they would awaken and mend their ways, but they did not. He then put them to the test of abundance. The Qur’ān gives us a very vivid description of how they were put to that test: “We threw open to them the gates of all good things.” (Verse 44) All provisions, luxuries and power are shown here flowing like unhindered floods. They come to them without any need for them to put in even the smallest of effort.
لدينا هنا مشهدٌ رائع يصوّر دولةً مليئةً بالحياة بالأسلوب الفريد للقرآن الكريم: ﴿حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ﴾ (الآية 44). كان لديهم وفرةٌ من الأرزاق ونعيمٌ لا ينقطع، لكنهم لم يُظهروا الشكر لله على النعمة التي أنعم بها عليهم. لم يكن همّهم سوى الانغماس في لذات الدنيا، فلم يبقَ في حياتهم متّسعٌ لاهتماماتٍ أسمى. وقد تبع هذا الفسادَ في قلوبهم وأخلاقهم فسادٌ في أنظمتهم، وهذا أدّى بطبيعة الحال إلى أن يصبح الفساد سمةَ حياتهم. وكان ذلك كافياً لتفعيل سنّة الله التي لا تتخلف: ﴿فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ﴾ (الآية 44).
We have here a wonderful scene depicting a state full of life in the inimitable style of the Qur’ān. “We threw open to them the gates of all good things, until just when they were rejoicing in what they had been granted.” (Verse 44) They enjoyed abundance of provisions and endless luxuries, but showed no gratitude to God for the grace He had bestowed on them. All they cared for was to indulge in the pleasures of this world, leaving no room in their lives for higher concerns. This corruption of their hearts and morals was followed by a corruption of their systems, and this naturally led to corruption being the mark of their lives. That was enough to trigger God’s law which never fails: “We suddenly took them to task; and they were plunged into utter despair.” (Verse 44)
جاءهم عذابُ اللهِ وهم في غمرةِ متاعِ الدنيا، فتُرِكوا حائرين، يائسين، لا يدرون إلى أين يتجهون. وقد هلكوا: ﴿فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا﴾ [الأنعام: ٤٥].
God’s punishment befell them when they were fully drunk with the pleasures of this life. They were left confused, hopeless, unable to think where to turn. They were destroyed: “Thus the last remnant of the wrongdoing people was wiped out.” (Verse 45)
يشير النص العربي إلى آخر أمة من كل هذه الأمم. فإذا هلكت هذه الأمة، فقد لقي غيرها المصير نفسه. والمراد بعبارة "القوم الظالمين" هنا: الذين أشركوا بالله. وهي عبارة كثيرة الورود في القرآن الكريم، يُطلق فيها على الشرك اسم الظلم، وعلى المشركين اسم الظالمين.
The Arabic text refers to the very last one of each of these communities. If this one was wiped out then everyone else faced the same destiny. The phrase, `the wrongdoing people’, means here those who associated partners with God. This is a frequently used expression in the Qur’ān referring to idolatry as wrongdoing and idolaters as wrongdoers.
﴿الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ (الآية ٤٥) وهذا يأتي تعقيبًا على هلاك الذين ظلموا، أو بالأحرى الذين أشركوا بالله، بعد أن ابتُلوا بضروب مختلفة من الاختبار. فهل يمكن أن نتصور نعمةً أعظم من استئصال الظالمين من وجه الأرض، أو أن نتخيل لعباد الله فضلًا أعظم من مثل هذا التطهير؟ فالحمد إذن واجب لله على هذه النعمة.
“All praise is due to God, the Lord of all the worlds.” (Verse 45) This comes by way of commenting on the destruction of the people who did wrong, or rather those who associated partners with God, after they were put to different tests. Can we think of any blessing greater than the eradication of the wrongdoers from the face of the earth or imagine an act of grace shown to God’s servants better than such a purge? Praise, then, must be offered to God for this blessing.
أذِن الله أن تجري هذه السُّنّة في قوم نوح، وهود، وصالح، ولوط، وكذلك في أتباع فرعون، واليونان، والرومان، وغيرهم كثير. وما وراء قيام كلٍّ من هذه الحضارات، وانحدارها، وهلاكها، تكمن هذه المشيئة الخفية وجريان سُنّة الله. وهذا هو التفسير الصحيح الحق لوقائع التاريخ التي نعرفها.
God allowed this law to operate for the people of Noah, Hūd, Şālih, Lot, as well as the followers of Pharaoh, the Greeks, the Romans and many others. Beyond the rise of each of these civilizations and their decline and destruction lies this secret destiny and the operation of God’s law. This is the proper and true interpretation of the events of history known to us.
هذه المجتمعات بلغت مستويات من الحضارة والقوة والثراء كانت مساوية، بل متفوقة في بعض الوجوه، لما تتمتع به اليوم المجتمعات القوية في العالم، وهي مخمورة بقوتها. إن جبروتها يغرّ من لا يعرف سنّة الله التي تجري بالابتلاء بالضراء والسراء. ولا تستطيع هذه المجتمعات أن تتخيل أن الله إنما يبتليها فحسب. وقد تنبهر مجتمعات أخرى، وهي تنظر إليها، بعظيم القوة والثراء اللذين تتمتع بهما، فتظن أن الله قد أعطى هذه المجتمعات كل شيء، مع أنها تأبى عبادته، وتتمرد على سلطانه، وتدّعي صفاته لنفسها، وتنشر الفساد في الأرض، وتظلم الناس بعد أن اغتصبت سلطان الله.
These communities attained standards of civilization, power and affluence which were equal, if not in certain respects superior, to what is enjoyed today by the mighty communities of the world, intoxicated as they are with their power. Their might deceives those who do not know God’s law that operates tests of hardship and abundance. These communities cannot even imagine that God is simply putting them to a test. As they look at them, other communities may be dazzled with the great power and affluence they enjoy. They think that God has given these communities everything when they refuse to worship Him, rebel against His authority, claim His attributes for themselves, spread corruption on earth and deal unjustly with people after they have usurped God’s authority.
عندما كنتُ في الولايات المتحدة، رأيتُ بعينيّ التجسيدَ العملي لهذا القولِ القرآنيّ: ﴿فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴾ (الآية 44). إن مشهدَ الرزقِ المتدفقِ دون حسابٍ، الذي تصوّره هذه الآية، لا يمكن أن يُرى في أي مكانٍ على وجه الأرض بمثل هذا الوضوح كما يُرى هناك. كما شهدتُ غطرسةَ هؤلاء الناس، التي أورثتهم إياها ثروتُهم. كانوا يتصرفون كأنّ تلك الوفرةَ كانت دائمًا حكرًا على الرجل الأبيض. ورأيتُهم يعاملون الملوّنين، لا سيما المسلمين منهم، بتعالٍ بغيضٍ وقسوةٍ شديدة. وقد فاقَ استعلاؤهم بكثيرٍ استعلاءَ النازيين الذين جعل منهم اليهودُ رمزًا للغطرسة.
When I was in the United States,11 I could see with my own eyes, the practical manifestation of this Qur’ānic statement: “Then, when they had clean forgotten what they had been reminded of We threw open to them the gates of all good things.” (Verse 44) The scene portrayed in this verse of provisions flowing unchecked cannot be seen anywhere on earth as clearly as it can be seen there. I also witnessed the arrogance of these people, imparted to them by their wealth. They behaved as if that abundance was always exclusive to the white man. I saw them treating coloured people, especially those who were Muslim, with hateful arrogance and much brutality. Their conceit surpassed by far that of the Nazis of whom the Jews have made a symbol of arrogance.
وَلَمَّا شَهِدْتُ كُلَّ ذَلِكَ، كُنْتُ أَتَذَكَّرُ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، وَأَتَوَقَّعُ أَنْ تَدْخُلَ سُنَّةُ اللهِ حَيِّزَ التَّنْفِيذِ. وَفِي الحَقِيقَةِ، كُنْتُ أَرَاهَا تَأْتِي لِتُفَاجِئَ النَّاسَ عَلَى غِرَّةٍ.
As I witnessed all this, I used to remember this Qur’ānic verse, expecting God’s law to come into operation. Indeed, I could see it coming to catch people unaware:
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۚ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“Until just when they were rejoicing in what they had been granted, We suddenly took them to task; and they were plunged into utter despair. Thus the last remnant of the wrongdoing people was wiped out. All praise is due to God, the Lord of all-worlds.” (Verses 44-5)
بعد بعثة النبي محمد ﷺ، رفع الله عز وجل عذاب الاستئصال الشامل، غير أن أنواع العذاب الأخرى ما زالت قائمة. ويعيش البشر اليوم، ولا سيما الأمم التي تنعم بالوفرة، ألوانًا مختلفة من العذاب، على الرغم من ثرائها.
After the Prophet Muĥammad’s mission, God suspended the punishment of total destruction. However, other types of punishment remain in force. Mankind today, particularly those nations enjoying abundance, experience different types of punishment, in spite of their affluence.
تُكاد المشكلات النفسية، والفراغ الروحي، والانحراف الجنسي، والفسق التي تعاني منها هذه المجتمعات اليوم أن تُبطل آثار الإنتاجية الكبيرة والرخاء الذي تتمتع به. وهي تُضفي على حياة هذه المجتمعات جوًّا من القلق والضغط والبؤس الشامل. وإضافةً إلى ذلك، نسمع بين حين وآخر عن فضائح سياسية تُباع فيها أسرار الدولة مقابل التمتع بالملذات أو الانغماس في الانحراف. وما هذه إلا طلائع تُنذر بعقوبةٍ لا تُخطئ.
The psychological problems, spiritual vacuum, sexual perversion and immorality suffered by these communities today almost negate the effects of the great productivity and affluence they enjoy. They impart to the lives of these communities an air of worry, stress and total misery. In addition, we hear every now and then about political scandals when state secrets are sold in return for enjoying pleasures or indulging in perversion. These are simply the forerunners that herald unfailing punishment.
هذه ليست إلا البداية. إن النبي ﷺ يقول الحق إذ يقول: «إذا رأيت الله يعطي العبد من الدنيا ما يحب وهو مقيم على معاصيه، فاعلم أنما هو استدراج وابتلاء». ثم تلا قول الله تعالى: ﴿فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ﴾. (رواه ابن جرير وابن أبي حاتم.)
This is only the beginning. The Prophet certainly tells the truth as he says: “When you see that God has given a person plenty of what he likes in this world, despite his sinful practices, know that it is only a temptation and a test.” He then quoted the Qur’ānic verse: “Then, when they had clean forgotten what they had been reminded of We threw open to them the gates of all good things, until just when they were rejoicing in what they had been granted, We suddenly took them to task; and they were plunged into utter despair.” (Related by Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Abī Ĥātim.)
يجب التنبيه إلى أن سنة الله في إزهاق الباطل ومحق الشر تقتضي أن يقوم الحق في الأرض في صورة جماعة، فإذا تحقق ذلك جعل الله الحق يغلب الباطل فيُمحق محقًا تامًا. وينبغي لدعاة الحق ألا يقعدوا متفرجين، ينتظرون جريان سنة الله دون أن يبذلوا أي جهد، فإن فعلوا ذلك أخرجوا أنفسهم من دائرة دعاة الحق. ولا يمثل الحق إلا جماعة تبذل كل جهدها لتطبيق سنة الله وتغلب أولئك الذين يدّعون لأنفسهم صفات الله وسلطانه. وهذا هو الأصل الأول من أصول الحق.
It is necessary to point out that God’s law of destroying falsehood and evil requires that the truth be established on earth in the shape of a community. When this happens, God causes the truth to overwhelm falsehood and it is, thus, totally destroyed. The advocates of the truth must never sit idle, waiting for God’s law to operate, without putting in any effort. If they do this, then they disqualify themselves as advocates of the truth. The truth can only be represented by a community that exerts all its efforts to implement God’s law and overpower those who claim for themselves God’s attributes and authority. This is the most basic element of the truth.
{وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَفَسَدَتِ الْأَرْضُ} (٢:٢٥١)
“Had it not been for the fact that God repels one group of people by another, the earth would have been utterly corrupted.” (2: 251)