In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

Ha. Mim. The revelation of this book isfrom God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, who forgives sins, accepts repentance, is severe in retribution and limitless in bounty. There is no deity other than Him. To Him is the ultimate return. (Verses 1—3)

This is the first of seven surahs that all begin with the two separate letters, Ha Mim. In one of these seven surahs three other separate letters, (Ayn Sin Qaf are added after the initial two. We have already discussed why some surahs start with these separate letters, thereby indicating that the Qur’an, which defies imitation, is composed of such letters which the Arabs used every day, orally and in writing, in their language.

This is followed by a statement of a fact that is frequently used in Makkan surahs given these seek to establish faith: the fact of revelation:

“ The revelation ofthis book isfrom God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.” (Verse 2) A number of God’s attributes are then stated. These are directly relevant to the subject matter of the surah and the issues it discusses:

“ the Almighty, the All-Knowing, who forgives sins, accepts repentance, is severe in retribution and limitless in bounty. There is no deity other than Him. To Him is the ultimate return(Verses 2-3) In fact ail the issues the surah raises relate to these attributes of God, powerfully stated at the outset to give an impression that they are well and firmly established.

Limitless in His glory, God outlines to His servants these of His attributes that have a profound effect on their lives. Thus, He raises their hopes and fears, making them feel that they are within His grasp and can never elude what He wills. The attributes highlighted here are:

The Almighty. He is overpowering. No one can get the better of Him, while He has power over all things. When He decides something, nothing can stop this from occurring.

The All-Knowing. He conducts all affairs on the basis of perfect knowledge. Nothing is hidden from Him.

He forgives sins: He grants His forgiveness on the basis of His knowledge about those servants who deserve to be forgiven.

He accepts repentance: When sinners repent, He accepts their repentance and bestows His grace on them, opening the door for them to address Him directly.

He is severe in retribution: He punishes the arrogant who are hardened in sin, unwilling to show regret or seek forgiveness.

Limitless in bounty: He bestows His limitless grace, multiplies the reward for good deeds and gives without reckoning.

There is no deity other than Him: He alone is the Godhead who has no partners or equals.

To Him is the ultimate return: None can evade meeting Him or escape accountability.

These attributes provide a clear outline of the interrelation between Him and His servants. They should be clear in their feelings, thoughts and understanding of how to deal with Him. Then, they will have no ambiguity about what pleases Him or incurs His anger.

In the past, those who held beliefs based on legends were at a loss in knowing how to deal with their deities, because they had no clear idea of what pleased or angered them. They pictured them as impulsive, having no clear aim or purpose, demonstrating violent reactions and causing people much worry and confusion. They resorted to charms and sacrifices in their attempts to please such deities, but could only guess about whether they were satisfied or not. By contrast, Islam provides a very clear concept, establishing a relationship between people and their true Lord, outlining His attributes, defining His will, and instructing them on how to draw closer to Him, fear His punishment and pray for His mercy, always following a straight and clear path.

None but the unbelievers dispute God's revelations. Let it not deceive you that they seem to be able to do as they please on earth. Before their time the people ofNoah rejected the truth, as did other groups and communities after them. Each of these communities schemed against the messenger sent to them, aiming to lay their hands on him. With false argument they strove to refute the truth, but then I took them to task. How awesome was My punishment! Thus your Lord's word shall come true against the unbelievers: they will be the dwellers in the fire ofhell. (Verses 4-6)

Having established the truth of Gods oneness and His Divine attributes, the surah makes clear that this truth is accepted by all creatures. It is, in fact, firmly rooted in their nature and directly related to the nature of the universe. All creation is entirely convinced by the signs testifying to God’s oneness. Only the unbelievers dispute these signs and argue about God’s revelations. Thus they are a class apart, choosing to be at odds with the universe and all other creatures within it.

“None but the unbelievers dispute God's revelations.” (Verse 4)

Throughout the entire expanse of the universe, only the unbelievers stand apart, deviating from the true path. In relation to the whole universe, they are weaker and less significant than an ant in relation to planet earth. When they stand on their own disputing God’s revelations and denying His signs, the rest of the universe declares its acceptance of Him and recognizes His oneness, deriving its strength from Him.

With their odd attitude, the unbelievers’ fate is sealed, no matter how powerful, affluent and mighty they may appear to be: “Let it not deceive you that they seem to be able to do as they please on earth." (Ncrse 4)

They may be able to move about, gather wealth, enjoy their power and revel in easy living. However, they are ultimately doomed. The battle, if there could ever be a battle between them and the Creator of the universe, will lead to its inevitable end.

There were in former times communities that followed the same path. Their fate should make clear to the unbelievers what happens in the end to anyone who tries to stand against the power of the Almighty:

“Before their time the people of Noah rejected the truth, as did other groups and communities afier them. Each ofthese communities schemed against the messenger sent to them, aiming to lay their hands on him.

With false argument they strove to refute the truth, but then I took them to task. How awesome was My punishment? (Verse 5) It is the same old story, beginning with the Prophet Noah. In other words, the battle remains the same throughout all generations. This verse provides an overall picture: a message from God received with rejection and tyranny, which leads to the inevitable end. Every messenger is met by those in power in his community who do not try to justify their stance with sound argument. On the contrary, they resort to tyranny and try to do away with Gods messenger. They also resort to trickery in order to deceive the masses and claim victory for themselves. Therefore, God’s power intervenes and smashes them in the most amazing way: “How awesome was My punishment? (Verse 5) The punishments meted out were indeed severe, leaving in their wake ruins that testify to the same.

Furthermore, all this is recorded in human history.

The battle, however, is not over yet. There is a further episode in the life to come: “ Thus your Lord's word shall come true against the unbelievers: they will be the dwellers in the fire ofhell” (Verse 6) When Gods word applies to someone, it always comes true. There can be no argument about this.

Thus does the Qur’an describe the true nature of the battle between faith and unfaith, truth and falsehood, those who advocate God’s oneness and those who, against all right, behave arrogantly on earth.

We then realize that this is an old and on-going battle that started at the dawn of human life. The battlefield is wider than the whole earth because the universe and all that exists in it believe in God and submit to Him. The only exceptions are those who dispute God’s revelations.

The two sides are far from equal: on the side of truth stand an endless line, while on the side of falsehood only a small band stands, weak and powerless even though it may appear to be able to do as it likes on earth and to possess power and authority.

The Qur’an describes the nature of the battle so that advocates of the truth, in all generations, are reassured. They should never be deceived by the apparent might enjoyed by the forces of falsehood at any particular time, or by the outcome of a single round in the battle.

Such instances after all do not reflect the complete truth. The truth is that which is described in God’s book, in His own words. He is the most truthful of all speakers, and He is the Almighty, the All-Knowing.

A relevant point is that even the angels carrying God’s throne and those surrounding it, who rank among the forces of faith in the universe, remember the believers among human beings, mention them in God’s presence and pray for their forgiveness. They also pray to Him for the fulfilment of His promise to those believers with whom the angels share their bond of faith:

Those who bear the Throne and those around it extol their Lord's limitless glory and praise, and have faith in Him, and pray for the forgiveness ofall believers: "Our Lord! You embrace all things with [Your] grace and knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn to You in repentance and follow Your path, and shield them from the suffering in the blazing fire. And, our Lord, admit them to the gardens ofperpetual bliss You have promised them, together with the righteous from among their ancestors, spouses and offspring. You alone are the Almighty, the Wise. Shield them from all evil. Anyone whom on that day You shall shieldfrom evil, You shall have graced with mercy. That will be the supreme triumph' (Verses 7-9)

We do not know what this throne is: we have no image of it. Nor do we know how those assigned to carry it do so or how the others are present around it. It is futile to try to determine something which is beyond the reach of human understanding or perception. No purpose can be served by arguing about something over which God has not provided information. All that can be said concerning this fact is that there are some creatures who are close to God, and these 'extol their Lord's limitless glory and praise, and have faith in Him' Although the fact that they are believers can be taken for granted, this is specifically mentioned in the Qur’an to emphasize the bond between them and human believers. Having extolled God’s limitless glory, these servants of God pray for the believers among humanity, requesting the best that one believer can ask for another.

They begin their supplication in a very polite way, in the process teaching us how to couch our own prayers. They say: "Our Lord! You embrace all things with [Your]grace and knowledge." (Verse 7) As they address God, they make clear their request that God bestows His grace on people, that they are relying on the fact that His grace embraces all, and that His knowledge encompasses everything. Thus, they do not make any assumptions; they simply refer to God’s grace and knowledge.

"Forgive, then, those who turn to You in repentance and follow Your path, and shield them from the suffering in the blazing fire." (Verse 7)

This reference to God’s forgiveness and people’s repentance corresponds to the opening of the surah where God is described as the One who forgives sins and accepts repentance. Likewise, the reference to the 'suffering in the blazing fire' corresponds to the earlier description of His retribution as being severe.

These servants of God continue with their supplications, praying now for the admission of believers among human beings into heaven, in fulfilment of His promise to His good servants: “Our Lord, admit them to the gardens ofperpetual bliss You have promised them, together with the righteous from among their ancestors, spouses and offspring. You alone are the Almighty, the Wise.” (Verse 8) Admission into heaven is a great triumph and means a life of bliss. When there is added to this the company of righteous ancestors, spouses and offspring, another dimension of bliss is thus granted. Moreover, this is an aspect of the unity of all believers. It is in the bond of faith that fathers, spouses and offspring are united. Without it, all their ties are severed. This part of their supplication highlights Gods attributes of power and wisdom.

It is this combination that determines how people are judged.

The supplication continues: “Shield them from all evil. Anyone whom on that day You shall shield from evil, You shall have graced with mercy.

That will be the supreme triumph” (Verse 9) Having prayed for their admission to heaven, this prayer refers to the most important point in the whole difficult process. It is evil deeds that ruin people and lead them to their doom. When God shields a believer from evil, He actually shields that believer from the consequences of such evil. This is the great mercy on the Day of Judgement, and it is only the first step to bliss and happiness. This shielding from evil is indeed the great triumph.

As the carriers of the throne and those surrounding it address their prayer to God appealing for His grace to be bestowed on believers, their brethren in faith, the unbelievers find themselves in a totally different capacity. Everyone is looking for support, but none is to be found. In fact all bonds with all beings and things in the universe are severed. They are called out so that they can listen to the rebuke coming from all directions. The arrogance they demonstrated in this life is turned now into humiliation. They want to place their hopes in someone, but none is available to encourage their hopes:

The unbelievers will be addressed: Indeed, greater than your present loathing ofyourselves is God's loathing ofyou when you were called to the faith and you rejected it.’ They will say: "Our Lord! Twice have You caused us to die, just as twice You have brought us to life! Now that we have recognized our sins, is there any way out?' [They will be told]: 'This is all because when God alone was invoked, you denied this truth; whereas, when partners were associated with Him, you believed in them! All judgement rests with God, the Exalted, the Supreme One] (Verses 10—12)

The Arabic text uses the strongest word for hate. We see them addressed from all corners and told that God’s loathing of them when they were called upon to believe and still rejected the faith is far stronger than their feelings of hate towards themselves as they realize to what end they have brought themselves. They realize how different their fate could have been, had they responded to the call to faith before it was too late. This reminder is exceptionally painful for them in their newly difficult situation.

Now that all delusion is gone, they realize that the only One to turn to is God Himself; and so they do: “ They will say: Our Lord! Twice have You caused us to die, just as twice You have brought us to life! Now that we have recognized our sins, is there any way out?' (Verse 11) Their words betray their misery and despair. They call out: 'Our Lord? Yet they had once denied Him and rejected His message. You gave us life the first time when You breathed of Your spirit into what was dead and thus You gave it life and we became alive. Again You have given us life after we died. We are now turning to You because You are the only One who can save us from the misery we are in. We acknowledge our faults and admit our sins. Is there, then, a way out of this misery?

Their appeal betrays the direness of their situation. They are in bitter despair. They are made to see the reason for their plight: "This is all because when God alone was invoked, you denied this truth; whereas, when partners were associated with Him, you believed in them! All judgement rests with God, the Exalted, the Supreme One." (Verse 12)

This is what has brought you to your present position of humiliation.

You denied God’s oneness and attributed partners to Him. All judgement, then, rests with Him, the Exalted, the Supreme. Both attributes fit well with the position of judgement. He is Exalted above all things and Superior to all beings.

The surah now dwells on one of Gods attributes that fits with His exalted position. The believers are instructed to address their prayers to Him, associating no partners with Him and to be sincere in their devotion to Him alone. The surah also refers to the fact of revelation so as to give a warning about the day when all mankind will be brought together for judgement, reward and punishment. On that day, all dominion and sovereignty belong to God alone:

He it is who shows you His signs and sends down sustenance from the sky for you. Yet only those who turn to God will take heed. Pray to God, then, sincere in your faith in Him alone, however hateful this may be to the unbelievers. High above all orders [of being] is He, the Lord of the Throne. By His own will does He bestow revelation on whomever He wills of His servants, so as to warn of the Day when all shall meet Him; the Day when they shall come forth, with nothing about them concealed from God. With whom does sovereignty rest today? With God, the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists. This day each soul will be requited for what it has earned: no injustice will be done today. God is swift in reckoning. (Verses 13-17)

“ He it is who shows you His signs?' (Verse 13) God s signs are seen in everything in the universe: in the great bodies such as the sun and the planets, and also in the great phenomena such as the day and night, rain, thunder and lightning. Likewise, they are seen in minute things such as the atom, cell, leaf or flower. In each of these there is a miraculous sign which appears clearly when man tries to imitate it, let alone initiate it. Never can man fully imitate even the simplest little thing God has created.

And He it is who “ sends down sustenancefrom the skyforyou?' (Verse 13) Of all the sustenance God sends down people know best the rain, which is the origin of life on earth and the source of food and drink.

Yet there is so much more than rain that God sends down and people learn about this gradually. Part of it consists of the rays that are necessary for life on earth. Such sustenance may also include the Divine messages that have provided guidance for mankind ever since the early stages of human life on earth. They showed man the right way and provided sound codes for living.

“Yet only those who turn to God will take heed” (Verse 13) It is the one who turns to God that remembers His grace as well as His signs and revelations which the unbelievers, with hardened hearts, prefer to ignore. In connection with turning to God, the believers are instructed to pray to God alone and to be sincere in their faith, paying little heed to what the unbelievers feel or say: “Pray to God, then, sincere in your faith in Him alone, however hatefid this may be to the unbelievers” (Verse 14) The unbelievers will never accept that the believers should hold on sincerely to their faith in God alone and their worship of none but Him. There is no way they will accept this, no matter how much the believers try to appease them. Therefore, the believers should stay their course, praying to God alone, completely sincere and devoted.

They should pay no heed to whether the unbelievers are happy with them or not, because they will never be satisfied.

The surah adds at this point the following attributes of God: “High above all orders [ofbeing] is He, the Lord ofthe Throne. By His own will does He bestow revelation on whomever He wills ofHis servants.” (Verse 15) It is God alone who is exalted in His position, high above all orders of being, the Lord of the Throne who controls everything. It is He who gives His orders, which give life to hearts and souls, to those whom He chooses from among His servants. This expression refers to the revelation of the Divine message, and it highlights here the fact that Gods revelations bring life to humanity. It further states that revelation is bestowed from on high to those chosen elite among God’s servants. All these facts are in harmony with God’s attributes mentioned earlier in the surah, stating that He is “the Exalted, the Supreme One.” (Verse 12)

The main task undertaken by a servant of God chosen to receive such a message is to deliver a warning: “so as to warn ofthe Day when all shall meet Him.” (Verse 15) That is the day when people will meet together, and they will also stand face to face with the deeds they did during their lives on earth, and they will meet other creatures such as the jinn, the angels and other types of God’s creation. All of them will meet their Lord at the time of reckoning. Hence the day is described as ‘the day of the meeting’. Furthermore, it is the day when they all stand without any cover to screen their reality. Hence, no one can put up a false image: “the Day when they shall come forth, with nothing about them concealed from God” (Verse 16) In fact, nothing about them is concealed from God at any time. However, at all times other than that day, they may imagine that they are covered or screened by something or other, or that what they do or say may remain secret.

On that day, however, they will be truly exposed, unable to enjoy even an imaginary cover.

Therefore, on that day the arrogant and the mighty are made to face their humble reality. The whole universe stands in awe, and all creatures demonstrate their submission. Sovereignty belongs completely to God, the One who overpowers all. In fact this is true at all times. However, on that day, this fact becomes clear to all and sundry. Every tyrant of old and every conceited person will come to know and feel it. Then every sound dies down and every movement stops. A majestic voice asks a question and replies to it, as there is no one else to ask or reply:

“With whom does sovereignty rest today?'... “With God, the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists” (Verse 16)

“ This day each soul will be requitedfor what it has earned: no injustice will be done today. God is swift in reckoning” (Verse 17) An air of awe, heightened by silence spreads. All creatures listen and realize; everything is settled, the reckoning is over. This is in harmony with what the surah said at the outset about those who dispute Gods revelations:

“Let it not deceive you that they seem to be able to do as they please on earth” (Verse 4) This is the end of unjustified arrogance, tyranny and injustice, as well as of wealth and affluence.

The surah instructs the Prophet to warn his people about this day.

The instruction is given against a backdrop of an image of the Day of Resurrection when God sits alone for judgement. Up till now the surah has not addressed people directly; instead it used a reporting style:

Warn them of the Day that is ever drawing near, when people's hearts will chokingly come up to the throats. The wrongdoers will have neither intimate friend nor intercessor to be heeded. God is well aware of the most stealthy glance, and of everything the heart would conceal. God willjudge in accordance with truth andjustice, whereas those whom they invoke beside Him cannot judge at all.

God alone hears all and sees all. (Verses 18-20)

The surah describes the Day ofJudgement as ever drawing near, and we perceive it to be hastening towards us. Souls are in distress, pressing against people’s throats. They try to suppress their worries and fears, and the effort is difficult. Nevertheless, they can find no one to support or protect them. No one can put up a word of intercession that finds response from anyone.

They stand in full view; nothing can conceal their reality. Even a stealthy glance and a hearts secret is brought into the open: “God is well aware ofthe most stealthy glance, and ofeverything the heart would conceal” (Verse 19) An eye looking stealthily will try hard to conceal its stealthy gaze, but God is well aware of it. A secret may be hidden safely in one’s soul, but it is not hidden from God who knows it all.

On that day, it is God only who passes judgement in fairness. Their alleged deities have nothing to do with such judgement: “God will judge in accordance with truth and justice, whereas those whom they invoke beside Him cannot judge at all” (Verse 20) His judgement is based on perfect knowledge and full awareness. He will not entertain any injustice for anyone, and He forgets nothing: “ God alone hears all and sees all” (Verse 20)