In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

This surah presents a detailed picture of what the Islamic message faced of problems, arguments and objections. It also shows how the Qur’an dealt with these and their effects on people, establishing at the same time its own truth in place of old, false, ignorant superstitions and values that had taken hold of people’s minds at the time. In fact, some people, everywhere, continue to hold elements of these as valid.

Followers of pagan beliefs used to claim that the catde God has created for the benefit of mankind are divided between God and their own alleged deities: "Out of the produce and the cattle He has created they assign a portion to God, saying: 'This is for God’— or so they pretend - 'and this is for the partners we associate [with Him]9. Whatever they assign to their partners never reaches God but that which is assigned to God does reach their partners.” (6:136) In fact, they believed in many legends and superstitions concerning cattle, and these were all the result of deviant practices. In this way, they claimed that they were forbidden to ride some animals, while others were considered unlawful to eat: “ They say: 'Such cattle and crops are forbidden.

None may eat of them save those whom we permit" - so they falsely claim.

Other cattle they declare to be forbidden to burden their backs; and there are cattle over which they do not pronounce God's name, inventing [in all this] a lie against Him." (6: 138)

This surah discusses such deviant beliefs putting forward the original truth and demonstrating that cattle are God s creatures, representing an aspect of life that is closely related to the creation of the heavens and the earth. God has made cattle subservient to man so that people can express their gratitude and give thanks to Him for such a blessing. They must neither attribute false partners to Him nor enact for themselves legislation that is at variance with what pleases God, when they recognize Him as the Creator. How absurd that they discard the natural result of this truth, which they acknowledge, allowing superstition to get the better of them:

“Yet if you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?" they are sure to answer, ‘The Almighty, the All-Knowing created them.’ It is He who has smoothed out the earth for you and has traced on it paths for you so that you can find your way And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will be raised from the dead. And He it is who created all living things in pairs, and provided for you the ships and animals on which you ride, so that when you are seated on their backs you remember your Lord’s blessings and say: ‘Limitless in His glory is He who has made all this subservient to our use. We could not have done it by ourselves. To our Lord we shall most certainly return.” (Verses 9-14)

Ignorant paganism used to claim that angels were Gods daughters.

Although they hated daughters being born to themselves, they nonetheless attributed daughters to God and worshipped these instead of Him. They alleged that they worshipped them by Gods will. Had He willed otherwise, they would not have worshipped them. Again, this was nothing but a legend arising from deviant beliefs.

The surah uses the unbelievers’ own logic as well as the logic of sound human nature to refute this baseless legend: “ Yet they assign to Him some of His own servants as offspring. Surely man is clearly berefi of all gratitude.

Would He, out of all His creation, choose for Himself daughters and favour you with sons? If any of them is given the good news of the birth of what he so readily attributes to the Lord of Grace, his face darkens and he is filled with gloom. [Would they ascribe to God] someone who is brought up among trinkets and cannot put together a clear argument? They claim that the angels, who are themselves but servants ofthe Lord of Grace, are females! Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be put on record and they will be questioned about it. They say: ‘Had it been the will of the Lord of Grace, we should never have worshipped them.' Of that they have no knowledge: they are blatantly lying. Or have We given them a book before this one to which they are still holding fast? No indeed! They say ‘We found our forefathers following this tradition and we find our guidance by following in their footsteps! (Verses 15-22)

When they were told that they were only worshipping statues, idols and trees, and that everyone who worships anything other than God will be thrown into hell together with the object of their worship, they twisted this clear statement making it a subject of dispute. They referred to Jesus, pointing out that his followers worshipped him. So would he be thrown into hell? They also argued that the idols represented angels who were God’s daughters. Therefore, they postulated, “we are better worshipping them than the Christians who worship Jesus, a mere human being.” The surah exposes such twisted logic, absolving Jesus of what the Christians perpetrated after his time, since he did not sanction anything of the sort: “ Whenever the son of Mary is cited as an example, your people raise an outcry, saying: ‘Who is better: our deities or he?’ They cite him only to challenge you. They are contentious people.

He was but a servant of Ours whom We had favoured and made an example to the Children of Israel.” (Verses 57-59)

They also claimed that they followed Abraham’s faith and, as such, were best guided, yet all the while they were immersed in pagan ignorance. The surah outlines the true nature of Abraham’s faith, based on God’s absolute oneness. This principle continued and will continue among Abraham’s descendants. Muhammad, God’s messenger, came to them with the same principle, but they received him with other than what Abraham’s offspring should give: “Abraham said to his father and his people: 7 renounce what you worship, I worship none other than Him who brought me into being. It is He who will guide me.f He made this an abiding precept among his descendants so that they might always return [to God]. I have allowed these people and their forefathers to enjoy their lives freely until the truth has come to them through a messenger who makes things clear. Now that the truth has come to them, they say, ‘This is all sorcery, and we reject it outright. (Verses 26-30)

They could not understand God’s wisdom in choosing His messenger. Their earthly values, the basis of the status they assigned to people, contributed to their unwillingness to accept him. The surah reports what they said in this respect, presenting the true values that should be upheld in comparison to their trivial ones: “ They also say, 'Why was not this Quran revealed to some great man of the two cities?’ Is it they who apportion your Lord’s grace? It is We who deal out to them their livelihood in the life of this world, and raise some in rank above others, so that some of them may take others into their service. Your Lord’s grace is better than all that they can amass. Were it not that all people would become one community [of unbelievers], We would have provided those who now disbelieve in the Lord of Grace with roof of silver for houses, stairways on which to ascend, gates, couches on which to recline, and gold ornaments. Yet all this would have been nothing but the fleeting enjoyment of life in this world. It is the life to come that your Lord reserves for the God fearing.” (Verses 31-35)

The surah then recounts an episode from Moses’ life history, one that reflects Pharaoh’s similarly false values. This account demonstrates how both these values and Pharaoh himself were unworthy. It tells us of the fate that awaits him and all those with similar attitudes:

“We sent Moses with Our message to Pharaoh and his nobles; and he said: T am a messenger of the Lord of all the worlds, ’ but when he presented Our signs to them, they laughed at them, yet each sign We showed them was greater than the preceding one. We put them through suffering so that they might return [to the right path]. They said:

'Sorcerer, pray to your Lord for us on the strength of the covenant He has made with you. We shall now follow the right way. ’ Yet when We removed their suffering they still broke their word. Pharaoh proclaimed to his people, saying: 'My people, is the kingdom of Egypt not mine, with all these rivers flowing at my feet? Do you not see? Am I not better than this contemptible wretch who can hardly make his meaning clear? Why have no bracelets of gold been given to him? Why have no angels come to accompany him?’ Thus did he make fools of his people, and they obeyed him. They were people lost in evil. When they incurred Our anger, We inflicted Our retribution on them and drowned them all; and so We made them a thing of the past and an example for later generations.” (Verses 46-56)