In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

Mankind! Have fear of your Lord. The violent convulsion at the Last Hour will be awesome indeed. On the day when it comes, every suckling mother will utterly forget her nursling, and every woman heavy with child will cast her burden; and it will seem to you that all mankind are drunk, although they are not drunk. But severe indeed will be God’s punishment. (Verses 1-2)

This is how the sūrah begins: an awesome opening that makes hearts tremble. It addresses all mankind, calling on them to fear their Lord and warning them against what may happen on the eventful and terrible Day of Judgement. There is a clear element of mystery about it, one that is frightening and cannot be expressed in words. Thus we are told of a ‘violent convulsion’ which is then described as ‘awesome indeed’, but we have no clear indication as to its nature or substance.

When the details are given, we find them even more frightening. We have a picture of every suckling mother completely unaware of the child she is nursing: she looks but does not see, moves but only aimlessly. Every pregnant female miscarries because of the great shock that engulfs her. All people look drunk, but they are not.

They only seem to be as they look into a void and walk unsteadily in all directions. It is a very busy scene, with a huge moving crowd. We almost see it with our eyes as the verses are recited, and we paint it in our imagination. Yet we hardly get the full view, because of the horror it describes. It is a horror that cannot be measured by volume or extent, but rather by its effect on human beings. Its measure is the suckling mother oblivious of the child on her breast. No mother can be so oblivious unless the horror she is encountering commands all her senses and faculties. It is also measured by the miscarrying pregnant women, and by the people behaving as if they are drunk yet who have not had a drink. All this is because God’s punishment is severe indeed.

Despite this horror, we are told that some people dispute about God, having no fear of Him: “Yet some people argue about God without having any knowledge, and follow every rebellious devil. It is decreed for whoever entrusts himself to any [such devil] that he will lead him astray and guide him towards the suffering of the blazing flame.” (Verses 3-4)

Whether the dispute is about God’s existence, oneness, power, knowledge or any of His attributes, it sounds extremely singular. How can anyone realize the extent of the horror that awaits us all, and from which the only escape is through piety and earning God’s pleasure, yet continue to dispute about God? How can anyone with a mind to think and a heart to feel indulge in anything other than trying to avoid this violent convulsion whose horror threatens us all?

Had it been a dispute based on true knowledge, something might be said for it, but it is a dispute without knowledge. It is immersed in arrogance that seeks no firm evidence, and error that is the result of following Satan’s bidding. Such people dispute about God “and follow every rebellious devil,” who boasts about turning away from the truth. Hence, “it is decreed for whoever entrusts himself to any [such devil] that he will lead him astray and guide him towards the suffering of the blazing flame.” (Verse 4) It is inevitable that such devils will lead their followers away from the truth in order to land them in hell. The sūrah sarcastically calls this ‘guidance’, which can only be the guidance of one who leads to destruction and doom.

Or is it that people are in doubt about the resurrection, or about the violent convulsion that signals the arrival of the Day of Judgement? If they are doubtful about returning to life, then they should reflect on how life is initiated. They should look at themselves, and at the earth around them. There are numerous indications that tell them that the whole thing is very close to them, but they pay little heed to the significance of the indicators within themselves and on earth, let alone appreciate them.

Mankind! If you are in doubt as to the resurrection, remember that We have created you out of dust, then out of a gamete, then out of a clinging cell mass, then out of an organized and unorganized embryo, so that We might make things clear to you. We cause to rest in the [mothers’] wombs whatever We please for an appointed term, and then We bring you forth as infants, that you may grow up and attain your prime.

Some of you die young, and some live on to abject old age when all that they once knew they know no more. You can see the earth dry and barren; and [suddenly,] when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of radiant bloom. (Verse 5)

Resurrection is a return to a life that has been in existence. Thus, by human standards, it is easier than the origination of life in the first place, although, by God’s standards, the notion of easier or more difficult does not arise. To Him, initiating something out of nothing and restoring a life that had ended are the same. Both are the result of His will: “When He wills a thing to be, He only says to it, ‘Be’– and it is.” (36:

82) But the Qur’ān addresses people according to their own standards, rational thinking and understanding. It directs their hearts to reflect on what they see happening at every moment in their lives. If only they would reflect on it carefully, they would realize that it is miraculous. But to appreciate it as such, they need to look at it with an open heart and a reflective mind. Alas! They rarely ever do so.

Let them ask themselves: what are these people all around them? What are they made of? Where have they come from? What were they before they took this shape and form? And what stages have they gone through?

“We have created you out of dust.” Man is a son of the earth. He originated, took form and lived out of its dust. Not a single element does man have in his constitution but has its parallel in the elements present in mother earth. The only exception is that gentle secret God placed in him when He breathed of His soul into–man, thus bringing about the great difference between man and those elements constituting dust. The fact remains, however, that man is closely related to dust both in his constitution and his food. All tangible elements in man are from the dust of the earth.

Nevertheless, the gap is great between dust and man. The basic atoms that are present in dust are far removed from this highly complex creation that acts on his own behest and responds to others. The human creature is influenced by different factors in his surroundings and similarly influences others. His feet are placed on earth, but his soul and heart can fly to heaven. His mind floats to realms beyond that of the physical world that includes the dust from which he was first created.

It is a great divide separating the first status and the last. It points to the power that can bring about the resurrection, having brought about the initial creation.

Then out of a gamete, then out of a clinging cell mass, then out of an organized and unorganized embryo, so that We might make things clear to you. We cause to rest in the [mothers) wombs whatever We please for an appointed term, and then We bring you forth as infants...6 (Verse 5)

Again the gulf between the primitive, idle elements found in dust and the gamete, a single living cell, is great indeed. It enfolds the great secret of life about which human beings know only a very little, despite the passage of millions of years in which countless numbers of idle elements have been transformed into living cells in a continuous process that never stops. It is a secret that we can only observe and record, without ever being able to initiate, no matter how ambitious we may be. And then there are other secrets, like that of the transformation of the gamete into a clinging cell mass, and the transformation of this cell mass into an embryo which is then transformed into a human being.

What is this gamete, then? It begins with man’s semen, a single drop of which contains many thousands of sperms. Yet only one of these countless sperms, or gametes, is needed to fertilize the woman’s egg, which is then implanted in the uterus. In this little fertilized egg, implanted in the uterus, are stored, by God’s will and power, all the unique characteristics of the human being yet to be born: his physical appearance including his height, stature, beauty, strength and health status as well as his mental and psychological characteristics, including his tendencies, natural likes and dislikes, abilities and talents.

Who can imagine that all this is stored in this little speck clinging to the uterus which, in time, becomes such a complex being? Yet every individual in this race is extremely different from all other individuals, to the extent that no two individuals are ever identical over any period of time.

Then this clinging cell mass is transformed into an embryo which at first is without shape or distinction. Subsequently a transformation overtakes it to give it a form that begins with a skeleton that is later fleshed up. Alternatively, the uterus may reject it if God wills not to let it complete its cycle.7

“So that We might make things clear to you.” (Verse 5) This clause indicates that there is a pause between the embryonic stage and the child. This clause refers to the numerous signs of God’s limitless power, and the reference coincides with the appearance of organs in the embryo.

The verse moves on to refer to the next stage in the development of the foetus: “We cause to rest in the [mothers] wombs whatever We please for an appointed term.” (Verse 5)

Whatever God wills to complete its cycle will rest in its mother’s womb until its time of birth. “Then We bring you forth as infants.” (Verse 5) Again we say, what a wide gulf separating the first stage and this final one! In terms of time, it is normally nine months, but in terms of the difference between the nature of the gamete and the nature of the child, it is far greater than that. The gamete cannot be seen by the naked eye, while the child is a highly complex and sophisticated creation, with numerous organs and systems, features, qualities, talents, tendencies and desires. An intelligent mind can only appreciate this great divide after it has humbly reflected, time and again, on the great power behind creation.

The sūrah continues with a new cycle that starts with the newborn child, after it has left its hiding place where it went through a series of great miracles, away from all beholders. Then it is time for a new phase, so that “you may grow up and attain your prime.” (Verse 5) You will attain your full growth: physically, mentally and psychologically. The gulf between a newborn child and an adult, in their respective characteristics, is much wider than the time separating one from the other. This gulf, however, is bridged by God’s will who has given the little infant all the characteristics of a mature adult. What is more is that He has given this child a great variety of talents and potentialities that may rise to the surface at their appropriate times. It is the same divine will that gives the zygote, as it is implanted in the uterus, all the qualities of a human child. Yet that fertilized egg is the product of worthless fluid.

“Some of you die young, and some live on to abject old age when all that they once knew they know no more.” (Verse 5) The one who dies young meets at an early stage the end of every living thing. As for the ones who live to old age, they provide an important case for reflection. Although each one was a person of knowledge, maturity and wisdom, now they are again children in their feelings, reactions, awareness, knowledge, dealings and management. Like a child, one little thing may give them great pleasure, and another may cause them to cry. Their memory retains very little and retrieves very little. And like a child, they take events individually, unable to relate them to one another or to look ahead to the conclusion to which they lead.

They simply forget the beginning before they reach the end. It is like God says:

“When all that they once knew they know no more.” They lose the knowledge that once was a source of pride to them, leading them even to argue about God, His existence and His attributes. Now all such knowledge disappears from their minds and consciousness.

The verse then moves on to portray other scenes of creation and living creatures on earth and in the world of plants. “You can see the earth dry and barren; and [suddenly,] when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of radiant bloom.” (Verse 5) The state of being ‘dry and barren’, which is expressed in the Arabic text with one word, ĥāmidah, is a state in between life and death. This is how the earth is when it is starved of water, the basic ingredient for life and the living. Thus, when rain water is poured over it, ‘it stirs and swells.’ This is a remarkable movement which the Qur’ān recorded many centuries before human science. When soil is very dry and then rain falls over it, it makes a movement like shaking or stirring. It absorbs the water and swells. It is then full of life, bringing forth blooming vegetation that radiates pleasure. Is there anything more pleasing to the eye than seeing life bloom in an area that has long remained barren?

Here we see how the Qur’ān speaks of a bond between all living creatures, citing them all as one of God’s numerous signs. This is a remarkable reference to the fact that the essence of life is one in all the living, and to the unity of the will that brings life into being on earth, as in plants, animals and man.

That is because God alone is the Ultimate Truth; and He alone brings the dead to life; and He has the power to will anything. And that the Last Hour is certain to come, beyond any doubt; and that God will certainly resurrect all who are in their graves.

(Verses 6-7)

All that has been said about the origins of man and his creation out of dust, the various stages an embryo goes through, and the next cycle of a child and his life, and also about life blooming out of a dry and barren earth are closely related to the fact that God is the Ultimate Truth. All these aspects are constant laws initiated and operated by God, the Truth, whose laws will never fail. The progress of life in such a fashion, moving from one stage to another, is indicative of the great will that determines its moves and stages. The link is clear between the fact that God is the Ultimate Truth and this consistency of an unfailing cycle of life.

“He alone brings the dead to life.” (Verse 6) Bringing the dead to life is to re-initiate life in what has been dead. The One who originated life in the first instance is the One who brings it back in the final stage. “God will certainly resurrect all who are in their graves.” (Verse 7) They will then be given their reward for whatever they did in this first life. Such resurrection is dictated by the purpose of creation.

The cycles both embryo and child go through indicate that the wise will which has set them in motion will inevitably allow man to attain his ultimate perfection in a world of perfection. In this life on earth, perfection is unattainable because man’s advancement stops at a certain point before he retreats so far as to reach a stage when ‘all that he once knew, he knows no more.’ It is, then, absolutely necessary that a second life should take place to allow man to attain perfection.

Thus, these cycles, with all their stages, give a dual indication of the resurrection.

They establish first that the Creator who initiates life is able to bring the dead back to life. They also show that the wise will that has set all this in operation will undoubtedly complete man’s perfection in the life to come. Thus, the laws of creation and return, life and resurrection, as well as reckoning and reward, all unite to testify to the power of God, the Creator, who conducts and controls the entire universe. His existence and power admit no doubt whatsoever.

But despite all this evidence some people continue to dispute God’s existence: “Yet some people argue about God without having any knowledge, without guidance, and without any light giving revelations. They turn away in scorn so as to lead others astray from the path of God. Disgrace is in store for them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall make them taste suffering through fire. [They shall be told]: This is the outcome of what your own hands have wrought. Never does God do the least wrong to His creatures.” (Verses 8- 10)

Argument about God in the face of all this evidence is singularly stupid. How much more ridiculous is it then when such argument has no basis in knowledge, evidence, fact, or revelation to enlighten the heart and mind and give a clear account of the truth?

The sūrah paints a picture of this type of conceited person who ‘turns away in scorn’. Such a person realizes that his attitude lacks sound knowledge and tries to compensate for it by becoming arrogant. His aim is ‘to lead others astray from the path of God.’ He is not satisfied to be astray himself. He wants others to follow his suit.

Such deviant arrogance which leads people astray must be stopped and dealt with severely. Hence, ‘disgrace is in store for them in this world.’ Such disgrace befalls them in contrast with their arrogance. God does not ignore such arrogant people who lead others astray but instead He smashes their arrogance and brings them low, even if this is not immediate. God may give them respite for a while so that their disgrace becomes that much more effective and their punishment in the hereafter that much more severe: “On the Day of Resurrection We shall make them taste suffering through fire.” (Verse 9)

And in a brief moment, the threatened punishment becomes a reality we see with our own eyes. This is achieved by the change of style from a statement to an address:

“This is the outcome of what your own hands have wrought. Never does God do the least wrong to His creatures.” (Verse 10) We almost see them being severely rebuked as well as the punishment of fire that they must endure.

The sūrah then paints a picture of another type of person. Although this type was definitely present in the early days of the Islamic message, it is also present in every generation. It is the type that weighs up faith against what profit or loss he is likely to achieve as a result. Thus, his approach to faith is the same as any business transaction he conducts.

Some people worship God on the border-line [of faith]. If good befalls such a person, he is content; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly; thus losing this world and the life to come. This is, indeed, a loss beyond compare. He invokes, instead of God, something that can neither harm nor benefit him. This is the utmost that one can go astray. Indeed he invokes one that is far more likely to cause harm than benefit. Vile indeed is such a patron, and vile the friend. (Verses 11-13)

Faith is the mainstay of a believer’s life. The world may be swayed and shaken here or there, but the believer stays his ground supported by this mainstay. Events may pull him in this or that direction, but he remains firm in his resolve. Support may crumble all around him, but he is certain that faith gives him the kind of support that never fails. Such is the value of faith in the life of a believer. Hence, he or she must ensure that they have the right faith, trust to its unfailing support, entertain no hesitation and wait for no immediate reward. Indeed, faith itself is a reward for believers, because it gives them all the support they need. It is indeed a reward for a heart that opens up to the light of faith and seeks guidance. Because of this, God grants them faith to provide them with all the reassurance they need. A believer realizes that faith is a reward and appreciates its value when he sees people all around him moving aimlessly, pulled here and there, worried, thrown off-course, while he himself is certain of his footsteps, calm, reassured by his strong bond with God.

Contrasted with this is the person who looks at faith as a commercial endeavour:

“If good befalls such a person, he is content.” He would say that faith is beneficial, bringing in material gains, allowing plants to grow, efforts to be fruitful, goods to sell well and transactions to be profitable. But if it turns out otherwise, then he takes a totally different stance: “If a trial assails him, he turns away utterly; thus losing this world and the life to come.” (Verse 11) His loss in this life is reflected in the misfortune he cannot tolerate, and the calamity that did not bring him back to complete reliance on God. Hence he also loses the hereafter by turning away from faith, rejecting the guidance that was made available to him.

This is a very vivid picture. For such a person’s worship of God is shown to be on the edge, or on the border line. Faith has not penetrated him; his worship is suspect.

Hence, he moves unsteadily, liable to fall at the slightest push. Hence, when misfortune does befall him, it causes him to turn away completely. In fact, lack of surety shows him to be all too ready for such a roundabout turn.

A computation of profit and loss may be suitable for commercial dealings, but it is utterly unsuited to faith, because faith represents the truth and it is embraced for nothing other than its truth. It addresses the heart which receives light and guidance and inevitably reacts to them. Moreover, faith brings its own rewards in the form of satisfaction, pleasure and reassurance. It does not seek any reward other than itself.

A good believer worships God in gratitude to Him for having guided him, and for the reassurance he feels in being close to God. Should there be any further reward, it comes by the grace of God, and it is given for one’s acceptance of the faith or for one’s worship. Moreover, a believer does not put God to the test. On the contrary, he accepts everything that God determines for him, contented with whatever comes his way, be it pleasant or otherwise. There is no question of a market deal here between a buyer and a seller. All that takes place is submission to the Creator who initially gives people existence and who ultimately determines fates.

Undoubtedly, the person who turns away from faith once hardship befalls him exposes himself to utter loss: “This is, indeed, a loss beyond compare.” (Verse 11) He is deprived of trust, reassurance and contentedness, in addition to his loss of wealth, children, health or other losses with which God puts His servants to the test. For God requires His servants to demonstrate their trust in Him, to patiently persevere in the face of adversity, as well as to dedicate their lives to His cause and to His will.

Moreover, he loses the life to come and all that it promises of bliss, happiness and being close to God. This is indeed a great loss.

So where does the person who worships God on the border line go when he strays from God? In simple terms, “he invokes, instead of God, something that can neither harm nor benefit him.” (Verse 12) He may invoke an idol or a statue in old fashioned ignorance, or jāhiliyyah, or he may invoke a person, or some authority, or interest, like the different forms of jāhiliyyah that exist at any time or place, whenever human beings abandon belief in God’s oneness and turn their backs on His guidance. But what does all this represent? It is all going astray from the only method in which invocation is of use: “This is the utmost that one can go astray.” (Verse 12) Indeed when anyone resorts to invoking such beings instead of God, he takes himself very far away from the truth and the right way leading to it.

“Indeed he invokes one that is far more likely to cause harm than benefit,” be that an idol, Satan, or a human being providing support or protection. None of these can cause the invoker either harm or benefit; indeed, they are more likely to bring him harm than benefit. This harm results, in the spiritual world, from overburdening one’s heart with myth and humiliation. As for the material world, its harm is self-evident.

And above all, it brings about utter loss in the life to come. Hence, the sūrah states:

“Vile indeed is such a patron,” which is powerless, able to cause neither harm nor benefit. “And vile the friend,” who brings on such utter loss. All this applies equally to whether the patron and the friend are idols and statues, or human beings raised to the status of deities or semi-deities.

As for those who truly believe in God’s oneness, God prepares for them what is much better than all the material comforts and benefits this life may provide: “God will certainly admit those who believe and do righteous deeds into gardens through which running waters flow. God certainly does whatever He wills.” (Verse 14) Therefore, anyone who endures adversity or a test should remain steadfast and persevere. He must also continue to place his trust in God and His mercy and support, believing that only He can relieve his adversity and reward him for his perseverance.

A person who loses his trust in God’s help, both in this life and in the life to come, and despairs of God’s grace when he finds himself under severe pressure or adversity, may do with himself whatever he is able to do. But nothing he does will ever change his lot or relieve him of his problems: “If anyone thinks that God will not succour him in this world and in the life to come, let him stretch out a rope to the sky and then cut himself off; and then let him see whether his scheme will remove that which has enraged him.” (Verse 15)

This verse paints a moving scene of the rage such a person feels and the action that results from such rage. It magnifies this state when one is at breaking point. Needless to say, a person in adversity who despairs of God’s grace loses every source of light and every comforting thought or hope. His worry increases manifold and his stress weighs heavily on his heart. Thus, his adversity is multiplied. Therefore, the verse tells anyone who thinks that God will not grant him His help, either in this world or in the life to come, to stretch a rope to the sky and to climb up holding to it, or to tie the rope round his neck and then cut the rope so that he falls, or cut his own breath so as to choke. Let him then look to see whether this removes his hardship or not.

The fact remains that the only way to endure hardship is to trust in God’s help and hope for His grace. There is simply no way to rise above one’s trials except by hard work, seeking God’s support. No desperate measure can bring anything other than an increase in stress and adversity. Feelings of pressure and hardship may multiply leading to utter desperation. Therefore, anyone who is en in _such adversity should keep the window of hope and trust in God’s help open, as only it brings comfort and mercy.

With such a clear exposition of examples of people who benefit by, and follow, divine guidance as well as those who go astray, God has sent this Qur’ān from on high. Thus, people who open their hearts to it will benefit by it and receive God’s guidance: “Thus have We bestowed from on high this [Qur’ān] in clear verses. God guides him who wills [to be guided].” (Verse 16)

God has willed that guidance and error are to be granted. Therefore, whoever seeks guidance will have it in fulfilment of God’s will and according to His law. The same applies to one who wishes to follow error and to stray from the truth. The sūrah here only mentions guidance because this is what fits with the context.

As for the different sects and their divergent beliefs, it is God who judges them all on the Day of Judgement. He is perfectly aware of whatever each of them incorporates of the truth and what falsehood they contain: “As for the believers, the Jews, the Sabians, the Christians, the Magians, and those who associate partners with God, God will decide between them on the Day of Judgement. God is witness to everything.” (Verse 17)

Human beings determine the way they follow according to their ideas, tendencies and desires. By nature, the rest of the universe submits to its Creator, prostrating itself before Him:

Are you not aware that to God bow down in worship all those who are in the heavens and on earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees and the beasts, and a great number of human beings? But a great number also will inevitably have to suffer punishment. He whom God shall disgrace will have none who could bestow honour on him. God certainly does what He wills. (Verse 18)

When we reflect on this verse we find countless creatures, some of which we know and some we do not; and we glance at an infinite number of worlds, many of which we do not begin to know; as also an endless variety of mountains, trees and beasts that live on earth, man’s abode. All these, without exception, join a single procession that prostrates itself in humble submission to God, addressing its worship, in perfect harmony, to Him alone. And out of all these creatures, man alone has a special case, as people diverge: “a great number of human beings [bow down in worship], but a great number also will inevitably have to suffer punishment,” because of their rejection of the truth. Thus, man stands out on his own, unique in that great, harmonious procession.

The verse concludes with a statement making clear that whoever deserves punishment will inevitably be humbled and disgraced: “He whom God shall disgrace will have none who could bestow honour on him.” (Verse 18) How could such a person be honoured when all honour and respect are granted by God. In other words, anyone who submits to any being other than God Almighty, to whom the entire universe willingly submits, will be disgraced.

The next passage draws a scene of the Day of Judgement when the honour bestowed by God on His faithful servants and the humiliation suffered by the others are shown as though they are happening here and now.

These two adversaries have become engrossed in contention about their Lord. For the unbelievers garments of fire shall be cut out; and scalding water will be poured over their heads, melting all that is in their bellies and their skin. In addition, there will be grips of iron for them. Whenever, in their anguish, they try to get out, they are returned there, and will be told: ‘Taste the torment of fire.’ God will certainly admit those who believe and do righteous deeds into gardens through which running waters flow, wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls, and where silk will be their raiment. (Verses 19-23)

It is a violent scene with loud noises and bustling movements. The descriptive style imparts a sense of long duration, with ever renewing action raised before our imagination. We see garments being cut out and tailored, and fiercely boiling water being poured over people’s heads. Its temperature is so high that the moment it touches the heads of those at the receiving end, whatever is in their bellies smelted, as does their skin. We also see whips made of red-hot iron to flog those condemned to such punishment. The suffering is intensified and becomes unbearable. The unbelievers make a sudden move to try to escape this torment, but they are fiercely returned into it. They are strongly rebuked and told: ‘Taste the torment of fire.’ Our imagination continues to repeat this scene from its first movement right up to the point where the unbelievers are repelled when they try to escape. It then starts all over again. The only way to turn away from this self-repeating scene is to look at the other destiny portrayed in the sūrah. The starting point is that there are two adversaries contending about their Lord. We have just seen the sad end of those who refuse to believe in Him. The believers, on the other hand, are in gardens through which running waters flow. Their clothes are unlike those of the first group: they are made of silk. On top Of these they have adornments and jewellery made of gold and pearls. God also guides them to the best of words and to the way leading to the One worthy of all praise. Thus, they encounter no difficulty either in word or in direction.

Such guidance is a great blessing, because it gives them a sense of ease, comfort and reassurance.

Such is the end of contention about God: people are ranked into two groups with two greatly different ends. Anyone who continues to argue about God, without knowledge, guidance or a light-giving divine book, unsatisfied with the clear evidence of the truth God has given us, should reflect before he faces this inevitable end.