In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

This sūrah deals almost exclusively with the issue of God’s oneness. It varies its address to the human heart, striking the full range of tones on its instrument so as to produce a sustained and profound effect. This it does to firmly establish the roots of the principle of God’s oneness, purging the heart of anything that could mar its image. Thus, from start to finish, the sūrah variously deals with just one subject.

From the very outset, this issue is given immediate prominence: “This book is bestowed from on high by God, the Almighty, the Wise. It is We who have bestowed on you this revelation from on high, stating the truth. Therefore, worship God alone, sincere in your faith in Him. True devotion is due to God alone.” (Verses 1-3) It comes again with regular frequency, either expressly stated or as a concept to contemplate. Examples of the first type are: “Say: lam commanded to worship God, sincere in my faith in Him alone; and I am commanded to be the first to submit myself to Him.’ Say: ‘Indeed I would dread, were I to disobey my Lord, the suffering of an awesome day.’ Say: ‘God alone do I worship, sincere in my faith in Him alone. You can worship whatever you please instead of Him.’“ (Verses 11- 15) “Say: ‘You ignorant people! Would you bid me worship anyone other than God?’ It has been revealed to you, and to those before you, that if you ever associate partners with God, all your works shall certainly come to nothing, and you shall certainly be among the lost. You shall worship God alone, and be one of those who give thanks Ito Him].” (Verses 64-66) Two examples now follow of the second type: “God cites the case of a man who has for his masters several partners at odds with each other, and a man belonging wholly to one person?

Can they be deemed equal? All praise is due to God alone, but most of them do not understand” (Verse 29) “Is not God sufficient for His servant. Yet they would try to frighten you with those [they worship] other than Him. He whom God lets go astray can never find any guide; whereas he whom God guides aright can never be led astray. Is God not mighty, capable of inflicting retribution?” (Verses 36-37)

Alongside stating the truth of God’s oneness the sūrah provides numerous guidelines and inspiring touches to alert our hearts. This serves to fine tune our responses so that we can make the right response to the divine address. For example:

“There is good news for those who shun the worship of false deities and turn to God, so give good news to My servants, who listen carefully to what is said and follow the best of it. These are the ones whom God has graced with His guidance, and these are the ones endowed with insight.” (Verses 17-18) “God has bestowed from on high the best of all teachings: a book that is consistent within itself repeating its statements [of the truth] in manifold forms. It causes the skins of those who stand in awe of their Lord to shiver, but then their skins and hearts soften at the mention of God. Such is God’s guidance.. He guides with it him that wills, whereas the one whom God lets go astray can never find any guide.” (Verse 23) “When man suffers affliction, he cries out to his Lord, turning to Him for help; but once He bestows upon him a favour by His grace, he forgets what he cried and prayed for earlier, and claims that others are equal to God, thus leading others astray from His path. Say [to him]: ‘Enjoy yourself for a while in your disbelief for you are one of those destined to the fire.” (Verse 8)

A prominent feature of the whole sūrah is the way in which the air of the life to come spreads over it. Every short passage takes us there. Indeed, the hereafter is its stage. Again, a few examples suffice by way of illustration: “How about one who devoutly worships God during the hours of the night prostrating himself or standing in prayer, ever mindful of the life to come, and hoping for his Lord’s mercy?’ (Verse 9) “Say:

Indeed I would dread, were I to disobey my Lord, the suffering of an awesome day.” (Verse 13) “How about one on whom God’s sentence of punishment has been passed? Can you rescue those who are already in the fire?” (Verse 19) “How about one who shall have nothing but his bare face to protect him from the awful suffering on Resurrection Day.” (Verse 24)

“Yet much greater will be the suffering of the life to come, if they but knew it.” (Verse 26) “Is not there in hell a proper abode for the unbelievers?” (Verse 32) “If the wrongdoers possessed all that is on earth, and twice as much, they would surely offer it all as ransom from the awful suffering on the Day of Resurrection. For God will have made obvious to them something they have never reckoned with.” (Verse 47) “Turn towards your Lord and submit to Him before the suffering comes upon you, for then you cannot be helped. Follow the best that has been revealed to you by your Lord before the suffering comes upon you of a sudden, without your being aware of it, lest anyone should say: ‘Woe is me for having neglected what is due to God, and for having been one of those who scoffed [at the truth]’; or lest he should say: If God had but guided me, I would surely have been among the God-fearing; or lest he should say, when faced by the suffering [that awaits him]: If only I could have a second chance in life, I will be among those who do good.’” (Verses 54-58) Moreover, a large part of the sūrah draws complete scenes of the hereafter, thereby adding to its overall ambience.

Scenes of the universe which are varied and frequent in Makkan sūrahs are few here. We have one at the opening: “He has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with the truth. He causes the night to flow into the day, and the day to flow into the night; and He has made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws]: each running its course for a set term. He is indeed the Almighty, the All-Forgiving.” (Verse 5) One more such scene is given in the middle of the sūrah: “Have you not considered how God sends down water from the skies, and then causes it to travel through the earth to form springs? He then brings with it vegetation of different colours; and then it withers and you can see it turning yellow.

In the end He causes it to crumble to dust. In all this there is indeed a reminder for those endowed with insight.” (Verse 21) Apart from these expressions we have a number of other quick references to the creation of the heavens and the earth.

The sūrah also includes references to practical life and human nature. Thus, early in the sūrah there is a reference to the origins of humanity: “He has created you all from a single soul, and from it He fashioned its mate; and He has bestowed on you four kinds of cattle in pairs; and He creates you in your mothers’ wombs, one act of creation after another, in threefold depths of darkness. Such is God, your Lord: to Him belongs all dominion. There is no deity other than Him. How, then, can you lose sight of the truth?” (Verse 6) On the nature of human reactions in situations of both adversity and pleasant ease there are the following two examples: “When man suffers affliction, he cries out to his Lord, turning to Him for help; but once He bestows upon him a favour by His grace, he forgets what he cried and prayed for earlier.” (Verse 8) “When man suffers affliction, he cries out to Us; but once We bestow upon him a favour by Our grace, he says: I have been given all this by virtue of my knowledge.’ By no means! It is but a test.” (Verse 49) The fact that people’s souls are always in God’s grasp is also highlighted: “God takes away people’s souls upon their death, and the souls of the living during their sleep. He keeps with. Him the souls of those whose death He has ordained and sends back the others until their appointed time. In all this there are signs for people who reflect.” (Verse 42)

However, the ambience of the sūrah is derived from its discourse on the Day of Judgement and the life to come. This permeates the sūrah until its conclusion with a scene of devoted worship giving us a clear impression of the atmosphere on that day:

“You will see the angels surrounding the Throne, extolling their Lord’s glory and praise.

Judgement will have been passed on all in justice, and it will be said: All praise is due to God, the Lord of all the worlds.” (Verse 75)

This impression fits perfectly with the ambience of the sūrah and the effect it has on our hearts. It emphasizes feelings of awe, fear of God and apprehension over one’s fate in the hereafter. Hence, the images it presents to us are those of a trembling, anxious and apprehensive heart. Take for example the image in verse 9

painting a devout worshipper spending hours at night in prayer with his mind fixed on his destiny in the life to come, hoping for God’s mercy. Or take the image in verse 23 depicting good believers listening to the Qur’ān, yet they are shivering, though it is not long before their hearts and skins soften at the mention of God. The sūrah is full of directives drawing people’s attentions to the need to fear God and to be fully aware of what may happen to them on the Day of Resurrection: “You servants of Mine who believe! Fear your Lord!” (Verse 10) “Say: Indeed I would dread, were I to disobey my Lord, the suffering of an awesome day.” (Verse 13) “Above them there shall he layers of fire, and layers of fire shall he beneath them. In this way God puts fear into His servants’ hearts:

My servants! Fear Me!’“ (Verse 16) Additionally there are scenes of the Day of Judgement which emphasize our feelings of awe and apprehension.

The sūrah deals with its main theme in quick, short rounds, each one of which concludes with an image of the Day of Resurrection. We will discuss these separately, as they are presented in the sūrah, because it is difficult to break this down into main passages. Indeed every few verses can he treated as a distinct entity for all address one major truism, God’s oneness.