In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

Having narrated Joseph’s story in detail, the sūrah now begins commenting on it, pointing out some fundamental issues. To clarify these, it touches on certain aspects that are clearly apparent in the expanse of the universe around us, and others that are deep in the human soul, or relevant to former nations and communities, or which belong to the realm that lies beyond the reach of human perception. We will discuss these as they occur in this final passage, pointing out at the outset that they are ordered with a specific objective in mind.

Joseph’s story was not one that the Arabian people among whom Muĥammad lived all his life used to relate. It includes certain secrets of which neither he nor his people were aware. In fact those secrets were known only to the people who lived through its events and took part in them. These had long gone. At the opening of the sūrah, God tells the Prophet Muĥammad (peace be upon him): “In revealing this Qur’ān We relate to you the best of narratives. Before it you were among those who are unaware [of revelation].” (Verse 3) Now after the story has been told in full, the comment provided here is closely linked to its opening: “That is an account which We have now revealed to you, speaking of things that have been beyond your perception. You were not present when they [i.e. Joseph’s brothers] resolved upon their plans and completed their schemes.” (Verse 102)

That story, with all its intricate details, belongs to what is beyond your knowledge and perception. It is We who reveal it to you. The fact that it is a revelation from God is clearly seen in the fact that you could not have come to know of it by any other means. In so far as you are concerned, it has been something beyond the reach of your perception. You were not present with Joseph’s brothers when they indulged in their consultations to which reference was made in different parts of the sūrah. Nor were you with them when they indulged in their scheming against Joseph, and against their father. Nor were you present with them after Joseph had detained his younger brother, when they were involved in earnest discussion, which involved some planning and scheming. This is also a reference to the scheming of the aristocrat women against Joseph, and of the people of the court who imprisoned him.

All this scheming was not witnessed by the Prophet. It is a part of the revelation bestowed on him from on high and confirmed yet again in the revelation of this sūrah, which also confirms other issues of faith illustrated throughout the narrative.

The truth of revelation, the stories that it contains, the various aspects that move listeners’ hearts should be sufficient to make people believe in the truth of the Qur’ān. They have seen the Prophet, known his character and personality, and listened to what he had to say. Yet most of them did not believe. They pass by the various signs that are everywhere in the expanse of the universe, without paying much attention to them or understanding their message. They are just like one who turns his face away so that he does not see what is in front of him. What are they waiting for, when it is a fact that God’s punishment may overtake them when they are unaware? “Yet however strongly you may desire it, most people will not believe. You ask no recompense from them for it. It is but God’s reminder to all mankind. Yet many are the signs in the heavens and the earth which they pass by, paying no heed to them. And most of them do not even believe in God without also associating partners with Him. Do they feel confident that the overwhelming scourge of God’s punishment will not fall upon them, or that the Last Hour will not come upon them suddenly, taking them unaware.” (Verses 103-107)

The Prophet was very keen that his people should believe, because he knew that his message contained everything that was good and he loved dearly that they should have that good in full. Moreover, he wanted to spare them the hardship that is bound to engulf unbelievers in this world and the punishment of the hereafter.

However, God, who knows human nature and how people think and react, tells him that his desire will not lead the majority of unbelievers to faith. That is because they turn away from the numerous signs that are in the universe around them, staring them in the face. Their attitude takes them away from faith, making them unable to benefit from all these signs.

The Prophet is in no need of their positive response to faith. He does not seek any wages for providing them with guidance. In fact their attitude, turning away from these signs is very singular, considering that they are freely given to them. They are not asked to give anything in return: “You ask no recompense from them for it. It is but God’s reminder to all mankind.” (Verse 104) You are reminding them of God’s signs and messages, directing their eyes and minds to them. In fact these signs and messages are available to all mankind. They are not given specially to a particular community, race or tribe. No price is sought in return, so that rich people have an advantage over the poor. No condition is attached to them, so that those who are able to meet it would be favoured. They are a reminder for all mankind. Everyone can benefit from them without difficulty. “Yet many are the signs in the heavens and the earth which they pass by, paying no heed to them.” (Verse 105)

The signs that point to God’s existence, oneness and power are numerous, placed everywhere in the universe. They are held out in the heavens and the earth for all to see. They pass by them morning and evening, day and night. They almost speak to people, inviting them to reflect and contemplate. They are directly in front of all people, addressing their hearts and minds. Yet they prefer not to see them or listen to their messages. They turn a deaf ear and a sealed heart to their profound message.

It is sufficient to contemplate a sunrise or sunset for a moment, or to reflect on the shade and how it gently increases or decreases, or to look at the mighty sea, or gushing fountain. Reflect, if you will, on a growing plant, an emerging bud, a glowing flower and mature harvest. Or look at a bird flying as though it is swimming in the air, a fish swimming in water, worms that travel in the soil, ants going ceaselessly about their work. Contemplate the countless number of species and communities of animals and insects. Only a moment of reflection in the depth of night or the great hassle of day, with the human mind receptive to the message given by life and existence is sufficient to make us shudder with awe and respond positively, recognizing the truth of God’s oneness. Alas, most people pass by these signs, paying no heed to them and taking no notice of the message they all impart.

Hence, the majority of people do not believe.

Yet even the believers among them allow an element of disbelief, in one form or another, to creep into their hearts. True faith requires being constantly alert so that any fleeting thought that Satan tries to sneak into our beliefs, and every worldly value in any action or attitude we take are removed straightaway. To do so is to ensure that we address all our actions to God alone. Pure faith needs a firm decision in the question of who has the supreme influence on people’s hearts and actions. This ensures that all submission is to God alone. No one else has any position that requires even partial submission.

“And most of them do not even believe in God without also associating partners with Him.” (Verse 106) They associate some earthly value in the way they consider events, matters and people, or give to something other than God’s will or power a role in what brings them harm or benefit. Or they may acknowledge an element of submission to a ruler or master who does not confine himself to God’s law alone; or they look up to someone other than God for the fulfilment of their hopes; or address their sacrifice in a way that seeks to win people’s admiration; or strive to ensure some benefit or dispel harm but their striving is not done purely for God’s sake; or they may allow something to creep into their worship which makes it not purely dedicated to God alone. Hence, the Prophet says: “Shirk, i.e. associating partners with God, may be more subtle than the creeping of an ant.” [Related by Abū Ya’lā on the authority of Ma’qil ibn Yasār.] The Prophet’s statements give several examples of such subtle idolatry. `Abdullāh ibn `Umar quotes the Prophet as saying: “Whoever swears by something other than God commits idolatry.” [Related by al-Tirmidhī.] `Abdullāh ibn Mas`ūd reports that the Prophet says: “Charms and talismans are marks of idolatry.” [Related by Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd.] He also says: “Whoever wears a charm associates partners with God.” [Related by Ahmad.] The Prophet also relates a statement attributing it to God in a sacred ĥadīth: “I am the least in need of partners. If anyone does something, associating in it someone else with Me, I will abandon him to that partner.” In another ĥadīth the Prophet is quoted as saying: “When all generations, past, present and future, are gathered before God on the Day which will undoubtedly come, an announcement will be made in the following words: ‘Whoever associated a partner with God in any action he did for God’s sake should seek its reward from someone other than God. For God is the least in need of partners.’“ Imām Ahmad relates that the Prophet warned: “What I fear most for you is little shirk.” When his Companions asked him to explain what he meant by little shirk, he said: “Hypocrisy. When people come with their deeds on the Day of Judgement, God says to them: ‘Go to those whom you used to flatter in your first life and seek your reward from them.’“ Such, then, are the subtle forms of associating partners with God. Hence constant alertness is required in order to remove any trace of it so that our faith is true and pure.

On the other hand, there is the clear and apparent form of associating partners with God, which means submission to a being other than God in any matter of this life. This may be in the form of submission to a law other than God’s. This is universally accepted. There is also submission to tradition, which may take the form of festivals and other occasions that people may accept without reference to God’s orders. People may submit to norms that violate God’s orders, as in the case of dress and clothing which reveals what God has ordered to remain covered. What we are talking about here goes beyond submission to a tradition or social custom which people do in flagrant disregard of God’s clear orders. That takes their behaviour from the realm of offences committed to make it a belief and a form of submission. This makes it far more serious indeed. Hence God says: “And most of them do not even believe in God without also associating partners with Him.” (Verse 106) This applies then to those Arabs whom the Prophet addressed directly and to other generations and communities throughout human life.

Now the question arises: what are those people waiting for when they continue to turn away and pay no heed to all the signs that are present in the universe pointing to God and His oneness? What are they waiting for after they have turned away from God’s revelations, for which they have been asked no recompense? “Do they feel confident that the overwhelming scourge of God’s punishment will not fall upon them, or that the Last Hour will not come upon them suddenly, taking them unaware.” (Verse 107)

This is a powerful touch which is meant to wake them up and shed their negligent attitude, so that they do not suffer its aftermath. The timing of God’s punishment is unknown to anyone. It may strike them suddenly, or it may be that the Last Hour is so near, and the Day of Judgement, with all its suffering may come suddenly, taking them unaware. The doors leading to the world beyond are all closed, allowing no eye or ear to penetrate through it. No one knows what the next moment brings. How is it that those who turn away from God’s signs feel secure?

The verses of the Qur’ān, which embody God’s message, are within their grasp, and the signs God has placed in the universe are also there for all to behold and contemplate. But most people pass by both paying no heed, associating partners with God, either openly or in a subtle way. God’s Messenger, however, will follow his own way, joined by those who follow him, maintaining the right path, without any deviation, and allowing nothing to influence their determination to follow it. “Say:

‘This is my way. I call [all mankind] to God on the basis of sure knowledge, I and all those who follow me. Limitless is God in His glory. I am not one of those who associate partners with Him.’“ (Verse 108)

“Say: ‘This is my way.’“ (Verse 108) It is a straightforward road, without any crookedness or concealed turns. There is no doubt about its being the right path. “I call [all mankind] to God on the basis of sure knowledge, I and all those who follow me.” (Verse 108) We follow God’s guidance which illuminates our way for us. We follow it with open eyes, knowledge and understanding. There is no groping in the dark or following sudden whims or fancies that lack solid foundation. We attribute to God nothing that does not suit His Lordship of the universe. We abandon those who associate partners with Him and show ourselves to follow a road that is completely distinct from any that is followed by those who associate partners with Him.

“Limitless is God in His glory. I am not one of those who associate partners with Him.” (Verse 108) I do no such thing, neither openly nor subtly. This is my way. Whoever wishes to follow me may do so. As for me, I am going along, regardless of who may wish to follow a different way.

The advocates of the divine cause must make this distinction very clearly. They must declare that they belong to a separate community that is distinct from anyone who does not belong to their faith, follow their way and obey their leadership. It is not sufficient that they should call on people to follow their religion while they themselves continue to be part of un-Islamic society. Such advocacy is of little value and produces little return. It is imperative that they should declare, right at the outset, that they are different from ignorant communities, and that they have their own distinctive community based on the bond of faith, and following Islamic leadership. They must distinguish themselves and their leadership from un-Islamic society and its leadership. If they stay within that society and constitute a part of it, deferring to its leadership, they undermine all the authority of their faith, all the results their message may achieve, and all the attraction that message may have.

This fact does not apply merely to Islamic advocacy among idolaters in pre- Islamic Arabia. It applies every time a state of jāhiliyyah prevails. Jāhiliyyah in the twentieth century does not differ, in its basic elements or distinctive features, from any other state of ignorance, or jāhiliyyah, which the Islamic message has had to face in any period of history.

Those who believe that they may achieve something by being diluted within un- Islamic society, or by presenting the message of Islam in a subtle way through such a society are mistaken. They do not fully understand the nature of the Islamic faith and how it appeals to hearts and minds. The advocates of atheism declare their identity and their goals. Would not the advocates of Islam declare their true identity and make their way clear? Would they not make clear that the route they follow is totally different from that of jāhiliyyah?

The sūrah now refers to the divine law concerning the messages given to prophets who delivered them. It also refers to some of the signs shown in the fate met by some past generations. As a Messenger of God, Muĥammad has many predecessors, and his message is not without precedent. Hence people should consider what happened to earlier communities which did not believe their messengers and rejected the faith.

Their fate provides some signs that are clearly visible to all beholders.

“Even before your time, We only sent [as messengers] men to whom We gave Our revelations, choosing them from among their people. Have they not travelled the land and seen what was the end of those [unbelievers] who lived before them? Better indeed is the life to come for those who remain God-fearing. Will you not, then, use your reason?” (Verse 109)

Reflection on the fate of former communities is bound to shake even hardened hearts. We can imagine their movements, actions and feelings, and we can paint a picture of them going about their business in these places, going from one location to another, full of hope, fear and aspiration, and looking up to the future, then suddenly they are motionless, with all their faculties and senses completely dead. Their quarters are lifeless, and they have gone. All has come to nothing. A complete void is all that is left. Reflection on these facts is bound to shake even the most hardened and cruel of hearts. Therefore, the Qur’ān takes us by the hand to show us the fate of earlier communities, time after time.

“Even before your time, We only sent [as messengers] men to whom We gave Our revelations, choosing them from among their people.” (Verse 109) These messengers were neither angels nor any other species of creature. They were human beings, just like the people of the towns. Like you, they were not even desert people, so that they would be gentler and more compassionate, showing more perseverance in the difficult task of advocating the faith. The Prophet’s message, then, follows the same pattern of revelation given to other messengers.

“Have they not travelled the land and seen what was the end of those [unbelievers] who lived before them?” (Verse 109) Had they done so, they would have realized that their own fate is bound to be the same as that of those earlier communities who denied their messengers when they conveyed to them God’s message. They would have realized that the pattern of God’s dealings with earlier communities will apply to them, and that they themselves will soon depart along the same way.

“Better indeed is the life to come for those who remain God-fearing.” (Verse 109) It is indeed infinitely better than this present life which is, by nature, a life of short duration. “Will you not, then, use your reason?” (Verse 109) You should use your reason to contemplate what happened to communities before you and guard against a similar fate. Reason will tell you to opt for the eternal life in preference to the fleeting comforts of this life.

The sūrah then describes the very hard period in the life of God’s messengers, which precedes the decisive moment when God’s promise is fulfilled and His law inevitably takes effect: “When at length [Our] messengers lost all hope and thought that they were denied, Our help came to them, saving those whom We willed [to be saved]. Never can Our [mighty] punishment be averted from people who are guilty.” (Verse 110) This is a frightful scene, describing the great difficulties messengers face: the denials, persistent abuse and arrogant refusal to accept the truth. Days and years pass while they continue to convey God’s message but meet with only very limited response.

Years follow years while falsehood and evil continue to enjoy power and large followings, while the believers who are few in number, muster little or no power.

These are difficult times when evil swells its power, spreads tyranny and deals harshly and treacherously with advocates of the truth. God’s messengers await His promise, but it is not fulfilled in this world. At these moments, disturbing thoughts occur to them: have they been belied? Have their souls deceived them when they hoped for victory in this life? No messenger of God would be in this position unless he had been exposed to a measure of distress, hardship, suffering and stress beyond the ability of any other human being to tolerate. I have never read this verse, or the other one in Sūrah 2, without feeling a strong shudder as I try to imagine the horror that would cause a messenger of God to entertain such feelings. The verse in Sūrah 2

runs as follows:

“Do you reckon that you will enter paradise while you have not suffered like those [believers] who passed away before you? Affliction and adversity befell them, and so terribly shaken were they that the Messenger and the believers with him would exclaim, ‘When will God’s help come?’ Surely, God’s help is close at hand.” (2: 214) Every time I read either of these two verses I could imagine this great horror giving rise to such feelings of despair, affliction and distress violently shaking a messenger of God, with his morale getting so low, and the pain in his heart so intolerable.

It is at this point when distress reaches its climax, leaving even the messenger powerless, that support is given in full measure, and victory is decisive: “Our help came to them, saving those whom We willed [to be saved]. Never can Our [mighty] punishment be averted from people who are guilty.” (Verse 110)

Such is the normal line of events when it comes to advocacy of God’s message.

Hardship and adversity are necessary until all the efforts and energy of its advocates are exhausted. When people so despair of victory, it is given by God. Those who deserve to be saved will be saved from the destruction that engulfs the others who deny the truth and from the tyranny of those who wield worldly power. God’s might strikes the evil-doers and they can in no way resist it. Neither their own nor their supporters’ power can prevent God’s punishment.

This is the normal way because God’s support does not come cheap. Had it been so, there would be a lot of frivolity about the advocacy of God’s message. There would be no shortage of people claiming to be advocates of the true message, since there would only be a small price to pay before God’s support were given. The message of the truth should never be treated with frivolity. It provides a complete way of life and a code to be implemented. Hence, it must be protected against false advocates who are not prepared to pay the price. When the price is high, and the truth emerges clearly against the background of hardship and adversity, true advocates are also distinguished by their steadfastness. They do not abandon their message even though they may feel that they will never see victory in their lifetime.

Advocacy of the divine message is not a short-term investment which must yield returns by a certain deadline, or people move to a different investment seeking better returns. No one who undertakes advocacy of God’s message in the hostile environment of un-Islamic society which submits to a power other than God’s can think that his task will be an easy one, or that his investment will yield quick returns.

He must be clear in his mind that he stands against all tyranny in human life that commands physical and financial power, and which deludes the masses until they do all its bidding, even describing as black what they know to be white. Tyrants even turn the masses against the advocates of God’s message, tempting them with the satisfaction of their desires and putting in their minds the notion that God’s message and its advocates deprive them of such satisfaction.

Those who want to call on people to follow God’s message must realize that the task they undertake is tough and demanding. Not only so, but it is even tougher to join it against the power of jāhiliyyah. Hence the oppressed masses will not initially join it. Only those who prefer the truth, even though it requires the sacrifice of comfort, safety and all the pleasures of the world, will rise to it. Such people are always few in number, but God will judge between them and their community on the basis of the truth after they have striven hard. It is only when God has judged for them that the masses will join them. This is when people embrace God’s message in large numbers.

In Joseph’s story we read about the different types of hardship he faced and his despair of people ever coming to realize the truth about him. The outcome however was very good, just as God had promised. For God’s promise will always come true.

Joseph’s story is but an example of the histories of God’s messengers. It provides lessons for those who wish to reflect. It confirms what earlier scriptures emphasized, even though Muĥammad had no access to these scriptures. What he preached could not have been a fabricated tale. Lies do not confirm one another. They neither provide guidance nor spread an air of mercy over believers’ hearts. “Indeed their stories give a lesson to those who are endowed with understanding. This [revelation] could not possibly be an invented discourse. It is a confirmation of earlier revelations, an explanation of all things, as well as guidance and mercy for people who believe.” (Verse 111)

Thus the beginning and the end of the sūrah are brought in line, just as the beginning and end of the story are perfectly matched. Comments at the opening and end of the sūrah, as well as those interspersed in the story relate perfectly to the theme and the way it is expressed. The religious objective of relating it is thus fulfilled, while providing an essential artistic element. This is coupled with the fact that it is a true story relating events that actually took place.

The whole story, from beginning to end, is told in a single sūrah, because its nature requires that. It is the gradual fulfilment of a dream, which evolves and takes shape day after day, and stage after stage. Hence, its lessons as well as artistic harmony cannot be clearly seen unless it is followed right through to its conclusion. This is different from relating episodes from the history of other messengers where highlighting a single episode serves a particular purpose. This is frequently done in the Qur’ān, as in the case of the story of the Prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, or the birth of Mary, or that of Jesus, or the floods at the time of Noah. In all these cases, a single episode is related in order to serve a certain objective. Joseph’s story, on the other hand, needs to be told altogether in order to draw its moral to the fore. God certainly tells the truth as He says: “In revealing this Qur’ān We relate to you the best of narratives. Before it you were among those who are unaware [of revelation].” (Verse 3)