In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

This whole passage is a continuation of the previous one. Since the sūrah previously outlined the destiny of those who follow the path acceptable to God, it now outlines the fate of satans, be they human or jinn. On the other hand, it continues to tackle the great issue of faith and its rejection, which is mentioned here within the framework of God’s sovereignty and authority to legislate. It links the issue of sovereignty with the main issues of the Islamic faith, including that of reward in the life to come for what people do in this present life. Other issues linked with this are God’s ability to remove all satans, their friends and all mankind, and to replace them with others, as also mankind’s weakness in the face of God’s irresistible power. All these faith issues are mentioned here within the context of the prohibition and permissibility of animal food, which has already been discussed, and the forthcoming discussion of offerings of crops, animals and offspring, as well as other ignorant traditions and jāhiliyyah concepts. Thus all these issues appear to be closely related. They are seen in their appropriate positions as designated by Islam. That is, they are all faith questions, equally treated according to God’s measures established in His revealed Book.

The previous passage of the sūrah contained a full discussion of the situation of those whose hearts God opens up to receive the message of surrender to Him. They remain conscious of God and continue to watch Him in all their actions, move towards a life of peace, assured that they will have the patronage of their Lord. As it is customary in the Qur’ān for contrasting scenes of the Day of Judgement to be portrayed, we now have a sketch showing the lot of the evil ones among humans and jinn. These spend their lives inspiring one another with deceptive falsehood, supporting one another in their hostility to every prophet and messenger pointing out to each other what arguments to use with the believers in order to raise doubts in their minds about what God has made lawful and what He has forbidden. All this is portrayed in a very vivid sketch, characterized by dialogue, confession and reproach.

On the day when He shall gather them all together, (He will say):”O you company of jinn! A great many human beings have you seduced.” Those who were their close friends among human beings will say: “Our Lord, we have enjoyed each other’s fellowship, and we have now reached the end of our term which You have appointed for us.” He will say: “The fire shall be your abode, where you shall remain, unless God wills it otherwise.” Indeed, your Lord is wise, all-knowing. In this manner do We cause the wrongdoers to be close allies of one another, because of that which they do.

“O you company of jinn and humans! Have there not come to you messengers from among yourselves who related to you My revelations and warned you of the coming of this your day?” They will reply: “We bear witness against ourselves.” The life of this world has beguiled them. So they will bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers.” (Verses 128-30)

Full of life, the scene is shown first to be one of the future, when all creation will be gathered before God. Yet it soon becomes a scene of the present, held in front of the eyes of every listener. This is achieved by the omission of one Arabic word which means in English, “He will say”, included in the translation between brackets for clarity. The omission of this phrase, expressed in a single Arabic word, brings the whole scene right into the present so as not to speak of something to be awaited in future but of something that is taking place now. This method is characteristic of the inimitable style of the Qur’ān.

Let us now look at what is sketched out in this scene. It begins with an address to the jinn: “On the day when He shall gather them all together, (He will say): ‘O you company of jinn! A great many human beings have you seduced.” (Verse 128) You have managed to gather a large following from among human beings who listen to your inspiration, follow in your footsteps and obey your suggestions. Although this is given in the form of a factual statement, it is not meant to merely impart information. The jinn know what they have done. Rather, the statement is intended to record the crime of leading such a large number of humans astray and to reproach the jinn for so doing.

In this gathering of all humans and jinn on the Day of Judgement, all evidence of the crime is shown. Therefore, the jinn do not make any reply. However, the imbeciles among human beings who take satanic inspiration lightly are the ones to answer:

“Those who were their close friends among human beings will say: ‘Our Lord, we have enjoyed each other’s fellowship, and we have now reached the end of our term which You have appointed for us.’“ (Verse 128)

The answer betrays their lack of awareness, and demonstrates to them how Satan finds his way into their thinking. They used to enjoy the ideas, the lack of discipline, the pleasures and the sinful ways which the jinn portrayed to them in attractive colours. It was their keenness to enjoy themselves that provided Satan with the opportunity to lure and play tricks on them. Thus were they made to work for the fulfilment of Satan’s goal.

Yet those imbeciles also used to think that the enjoyment was mutual and that they were giving as much pleasure as they were receiving. Hence they state in their answer: “Our Lord, we have enjoyed each other’s fellowship.” (Verse 128) That enjoyment lasted for the duration of their life on earth. On the day when they are gathered, they will know that they have always been subject to God’s power and that it was He who gave them this span of time to reflect and respond: “We have now reached the end of our term which You have appointed for us.” (Verse 128) With that knowledge, the judgement is made so that they receive their fair punishment: “He will say: ‘The fire shall be your abode, where you shall remain, unless God wills it otherwise.’“ (Verse 128)

The fire is, then, their abode. Abodes are meant for continuity. But the qualification is added, “unless God wills it otherwise.” (Verse 128) This qualification is in line with the fact that God’s will is free, subject to no restraining factor. Indeed, it is not subject even to what it has determined. This is a basic principle of the Islamic faith.

“Indeed, your Lord is wise, all-knowing.” What He determines for people is based on His unflawed and perfect knowledge.

A comment on this part of the scene is inserted here before the dialogue is resumed to complete it: “In this manner do We cause the wrongdoers to be close allies of one another, because of that which they do.” (Verse 129)

It is in the manner that established the fellowship between the jinn and the human beings and the ultimate end to which this fellowship has come that wrongdoers get to be closely allied, on account of what they do. The similarity of their nature, the unity of their direction and goal, and the fact that their end will be the same establishes an alliance between them. This is a statement that goes beyond its immediate occasion. It speaks of the nature of the fellowship between all evil ones, jinn and human. The wrongdoers who associate partners with God in one form or another gather together in one camp to oppose the truth and divine guidance. They establish a relationship of mutual support against every prophet and those who believe in Him. It is not only that they share the same nature, despite their different appearances, but they also have the same interest which can only be served by usurping the rights of Lordship over mankind and giving unrestrained rein to their desires.

Indeed, we see them in every age supporting one another in every fight against faith and believers, despite their own internal rivalry and differences. Hence, their common nature and common objectives help to establish their alliance. The evil they do and the sins they commit determine that they will suffer the same fate in the hereafter, as is portrayed in this scene.

In our present day we see a grand alliance of evil, in which Zionists, Crusaders, pagans and Communists work together despite their great differences. This alliance has been going on for centuries, united by its hostility to Islam and its determination to crush Islamic revivalist movements wherever they function. It is, indeed, a mighty alliance. It benefits from its experience of long centuries of combat against the principle of submission to God. Furthermore, it mobilizes material and cultural forces and makes use of systems and machinery available within the Muslim world to serve its evil plans. It is a confirmation of God’s own words: “In this manner do We cause the wrongdoers to be close allies of one another, because of that which they do.” (Verse 129)

But the reassurance given by God to His Messenger also applies here: “Had your Lord willed otherwise, they would not have done it. Therefore, leave them to their own inventions.” (Verse 112) This reassurance, however, requires that the community of believers continues to follow in the footsteps of God’s Messenger recognizing that they have to hold the banner and defend the cause of Islam and Muslims, whatever sacrifice they may have to make.

Let us consider now the last part of this scene: “’O you company of jinn and humans! Have there not come to you messengers from among yourselves who related to you My revelations and warned you of the coming of this your day?’ They will reply: ‘We bear witness against ourselves.’ The life of this world has beguiled them. So they will bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers.” (Verse 130)

The question here is not meant to seek information but to provide it and record the facts as they took place. God who is infinite in His Glory knows what their situation in this life was. Their answer to this question is simply an acknowledgement on their part that they deserve the punishment of the hereafter.

This question is addressed to the jinn as well as humans. Does this mean that God has sent messengers to the jinn from among themselves, in the same way as He sent messengers to human beings? God alone knows the nature of this species of His creation, the jinn, who remain unknown to us human beings. However, the Qur’ānic statement may be interpreted to mean that the jinn have been able to listen to the revelations sent down to God’s Messenger and to convey it to their people, warning them against continuing in their disbelief. An example of this is reported in Sūrah 46, The Sand Dunes, or al Aĥqāf:

Tell how We sent to you a band of jinn who, when they came and listened to the Qur’ān, said to each other: “Listen attentively.” As soon as its recitation was ended, they betook themselves to their people and gave them warning. “Our people”, they said, “We have just been listening to a revelation bestowed from on high after that of Moses, confirming what was revealed before it, and guiding to the truth and to a straight path. Our people, answer the call of the one who summons unto God and believe in Him! He will forgive you your sins and deliver you from a woeful scourge.

Those that give no heed to the one who calls unto God can never elude Him on earth, nor can they have any to protect them besides Him. Surely they are in evident error.” (46: 29-32)

It is probable that the question put by the jinn and human beings and the answer they receive are based on this fact. The whole matter is part of the knowledge God has kept for Himself. It is useless to try to go any further in establishing any clear answer on this point.

Anyhow, those of the jinn and humans who are addressed in this way recognize that the question is not meant to solicit information but to record it and to add an element of reproach for their attitude. Therefore, they make a full confession and state that they deserve the punishment they are bound to receive: “They will reply:

‘We bear witness against ourselves.’“ (Verse 130) At this point we have a comment to make: “The life of this world has beguiled them. So they will bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers.” (Verse 130) This comment describes their situation in this life, lured on by pleasures, with an arrogance that has led them to be unbelievers. On the Day of Judgement, they testify against themselves because they realize that denial is of no use. Can there be any situation more miserable than to find oneself in a fix where one cannot say in one’s own defence even a word of denial, let alone a word of justification?

Let us reflect for a moment on the remarkable Qur’ānic style which paints future events so that we can visualise them now, as if they were taking place in front of our very eyes. The Qur’ān is revealed so that it is read to people in this life, in their own surroundings. But it portrays the scenes of the life to come as if they are taking place now, while scenes of this life belong to an era which has long since passed. In this way, we forget that the Day of Judgement is still to come. We feel that it is here, now.

This is only made possible by the remarkable style of the Qur’ān: “The life of this world has beguiled them. So they will bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers.” (Verse 130)

When the scene is complete, the address is made to God’s Messenger (peace be upon him), his followers and to mankind generally. The address includes a comment on the judgement made against evil human beings and jinn and the fact that such a great multitude are condemned to the fire. Their fate is sealed only after they have testified against themselves that they continued to disbelieve despite receiving messengers who related to them God’s revelations and warned them against what awaited them of God’s punishment if they continued to reject the faith. The comment here makes it clear that God’s punishment does not befall anyone without warning.

God does not hold people accountable and does not punish them for their disbelief until after they have been shown the fact and received warnings from God’s messengers who relate His revelations to them: “And so it is that your Lord would never destroy a community for its wrongdoing, while they remain unaware.” (Verse 131)

God’s grace is such that in spite of the fact that He has shaped human nature in a way which makes it always keen to seek its Lord, and the fact that He has given human beings intelligence and understanding, He does not punish them for their disbelief until He sends them messengers to warn them. Their nature may deviate and their intellect may be lured away. Indeed, all human responses may be defective despite all the signs and indicators man sees in the world around him. Hence, God has assigned to His messengers the task of saving human nature and intellect from deviation and of making their receptive qualities open to what He has placed of indicators so that they can give the right responses. Punishment only comes after deliberate denial and rejection of the faith despite God’s warnings and messages.

So man’s nature and intellect do not provide immunity from error nor do they guarantee guidance to the truth and resistance to desire. Rather, all these must be supported by faith.

Another rule is stated concerning reward and punishment. It is applicable to believers and evil ones in equal measure: “They all shall have their grades in accordance with their deeds. Your Lord is not unaware of what they do.” (Verse 132) The believers have their grades, one above the other, while the evil ones have their own grades, one sinking below the other. They attain or sink into their grades according to their deeds which have been monitored to the finest detail: “Your Lord is not unaware of what they do.” (Verse 132)

God sends His messengers to human beings as a gesture of His grace. He Himself has no need of them, their worship or even their belief in Him. When they do well, they only benefit themselves both in this life and in the life to come. His grace is also seen in the fact that He grants a chance to the disobedient generation which continues to do wrong and to deny Him altogether, while He is able to destroy it completely and bring in its place a different generation: “Your Lord is the self-sufficient One, the Merciful. If He so wills, He may remove you altogether and cause whom He wills to succeed you, just as He brought you into being out of other people’s seed.” (Verse 133)

Therefore, human beings must never forget that they survive only by God’s grace, and that their existence depends on His will. Whatever power they enjoy, has been given to them by God. Theirs is not an intrinsic power or a self-determined existence.

No one has any choice with regard to their coming into being, and no one determines what sort of power he can exercise. To remove them altogether and to bring another community in their place is very easy for God. After all, it is He who has brought them into being from the seed of a past generation so that they succeed that generation by His will.

This verse shakes the hearts of those wrongdoers who scheme, exceed their bounds, claim for themselves the authority to forbid things and make others lawful, and who argue about the validity of God’s law. Yet they remain all the time within God’s grasp. He can let them be or remove them altogether when He wills, and bring about whomever He pleases to succeed them. At the same time, these strong tones reassure the Muslim community of the rightness of its course of action, at a time when it faces the wicked designs, power and hostility of those who are evil. All are powerless when it comes to resisting God’s will.

This is followed by another strong warning note: “That which you are promised will inevitably come, and you cannot elude it.” (Verse 134) You are all the time within God’s grasp and subject to His will. It is He who determines your fate, and you cannot resist Him or escape from your fate. The Day of Resurrection, a scene from which has just been painted, awaits you. It will inevitably come. When it does, nothing will avail you against God Almighty.

The final comment includes an implicit, but highly effective warning: “Say: ‘My people! Do all that may be in your power, and I will do what I can. You shall come to know to whom the future belongs. Never will the wrongdoers attain success.” (Verse 135)

This is a warning made by one who is certain that he follows the truth and who has complete trust in the power of the truth, and of the great power that supports the truth. The warning is made by God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) who says that he is disclaiming any responsibility for them, confident that what he has is the truth, absolutely certain of his way. He is also certain that what they follow is error and their prospects are very gloomy indeed: “Never will the wrongdoers attain success.” (Verse 135) This is an unfailing rule. Those who associate partners with God will never be successful, because success is granted only by God. Those who do not follow His guidance are in deep error and will end up as miserable losers.

Why the Method of Slaughter is Important This passage falls between two passages which differ greatly: the first speaks of slaughtered animals and the need to mention God’s name at the time of slaughter, while the next passage speaks about fruit, cattle and children which are pledged for charity or made as offerings. This middle passage includes a number of facts which relate to pure faith and a number of scenes and statements that relate to the nature of believing in God or denying Him. It also speaks of the battle between those who are evil on the one side and the prophets and those who follow them on the other. It also contains a large number of inspirational elements similar to those included earlier in the sūrah when it spoke of the basic principles of faith.

It is worth our while to reflect on the fact that the Qur’ān attaches such importance to practical details of human life and how they are brought in line with God’s law. It also emphasizes that they must always be based on the fundamental principle that the authority to legislate, or indeed the overall lordship in the universe, belongs only to God. It is pertinent perhaps to ask here why the Qur’ān gives such importance to this question.

The answer from the Islamic point of view, is that it is the summing-up of the question of faith and religion. In Islam, the central principle is belief in God’s oneness: He is certainly the only God in the universe. When a Muslim declares that he believes that there is no deity other than God, he purges his mind of all traces of any concept that assigns Godhead to anyone other than God Almighty.

Consequently, he is absolutely clear that all sovereignty and the authority to legislate belong solely to God. Making laws and regulations on matters of detail is the same as making them on larger issues: it is an exercise of the authority to legislate, which means that it is an exercise of Godhead. A Muslim can never accept this. Religion in the Islamic lexicon means that people submit in their practical life, as well as in their faith, to God alone. They accept no submission to anyone else. If issuing legislation is an exercise of Godhead, accepting such legislation is submission to that Godhead. A Muslim cannot attain the status of a believer, unless he submits to God alone in all matters, and rejects all submission to anyone else.

It is in this light that we should view the emphasis given in the Qur’ān to these principles of faith. We see an example of this emphasis in this sūrah which was revealed in Makkah, before the Prophet’s migration to Madinah. As we have already said, the parts of the Qur’ān which were revealed in the Makkan period did not tackle the question of the Islamic system of government or the laws that govern the life of the Muslim community. They simply tackled the question of faith.

Nevertheless, the sūrah attaches such great importance to the establishment of this basic principle concerning God’s sovereignty and His authority to legislate for human life. This is profoundly significant in itself.