The sūrah is distinguished by a very powerful opening that shakes the careless who are preoccupied with the petty concerns of this world while the reckoning draws ever closer to them. Signs and indicators are given to them while they continue to turn their backs on divine guidance. The situation is grave, yet they remain totally unaware of its seriousness. Whenever they receive a new Qur’ānic warning, they respond with ridicule, persisting in their playful negligence. Their hearts can only attend to their own pleasure. It should be pointed out here that in Qur’ānic usage, the term, ‘heart’, is synonymous with mind as it refers to the faculty of contemplation, reflection and thought. “Closer to people draws their reckoning, yet they continue to blithely turn away. Whenever there comes to them any new reminder from their Lord, they listen to it but take it in jest; their hearts set on pleasure. Yet, concealing their inner thoughts, the wrongdoers say to one another: Is this man anything but a human being like yourselves? Will you, then, follow his sorcery with your eyes open?’” (Verses 1-3)

This is a picture of hearts that know no seriousness, jesting when the situation is most serious, and trifling with what is sacred. The reminder given to them here originates with ‘their Lord’, yet they are playful as they listen to it, showing no respect whatsoever. A soul that knows no seriousness, respect or sacredness ends up in a condition of barren triviality which makes it unsuitable for the fulfilment of any task of merit. Its life seems devoid of respect, cheap. A spirit which cares little or nothing for what is held as sacred is sick. Carelessness is the opposite of endurance.

The latter is a serious effort indicating strength, while the former indicates insensitivity.

Such people responded inappropriately to Qur’ānic revelations that are meant to be a constitution regulating human life, and form a code for human dealings. They are hence warned of the imminent reckoning, but still they remain oblivious to it.

Such people can be seen at all times. Whenever a person’s spirit is devoid of seriousness and respect, it ends up in such a sick state that it makes of life a matter of jest, lacking real purpose.

By contrast, the believers received this sūrah with a due seriousness that made them care little for this world. In his biographical notes on `Āmir ibn Rabī`ah, al- Āmidī says that he once received a bedouin guest and was typically very hospitable to him. Some time later, the Bedouin called on him after having acquired a plot of land. He said to him, ‘The Prophet has given me a valley in a nearby place of the Arab land. I would like to give you a piece of it to be yours to bequeath to your heirs.’ `Āmir said: “I have no need for your gift, because today a sūrah has been revealed which leaves us oblivious to all concerns of this life.

It is the sūrah that starts with, “Closer to people draws their reckoning, yet they continue to blithely turn away.’” This is the marked difference between a living heart which interacts with what it receives and a dead one which covers its lifelessness in a shroud of jest and play. The latter type does not respond to reminders because it is devoid of the elements of life.

“Before your time, We never sent [as Our messengers] any but men whom We inspired.

Hence, ask the followers of earlier revelations if you do not know this. Neither did We give them bodies that did not eat food, nor were they immortal.” (Verses 7-8) In His infinite wisdom, God chose His messengers from among human beings. They received His revelations and called on people to believe in Him on the basis of such revelations.

Those noble messengers of God were men with human bodies. God did not make them of a special type, so as not to eat food. Food is a basic necessity for human survival, and God’s messengers, who were human, were not immortal. Such is the law God has set, and if those Arabs were unaware of it, then they should ask the people who received earlier revelations, because they knew earlier prophets.

Moreover, God chose His messengers from among human beings because He wanted them to experience human life. Thus, their own practical lives would demonstrate the practicality of divine law, and their daily actions set the example of what they called for. When words are confirmed by practice, they are far more effective, because people see their effect as they are implemented. Had God’s messengers been of a different species, needing no food to eat, no going about in the markets to obtain their needs, and no intimacy with women, and had they had no experience of human emotion, they would have had no empathy with other people, and no understanding of their feelings and motives. In which case, people would not find in them relevant examples to follow.

Any advocate of a cause who does not interact with the people he addresses, neither sharing their feelings, nor letting them share his, remains on the margin of their lives, experiencing no mutual sympathy with them. Regardless of what he says to them, he will not be able to motivate them because of their mutual isolation.

Likewise, an advocate whose actions do not endorse his words will not be able to reach people’s hearts, no matter how lucid and eloquent he may be. Indeed a simple word that is felt to be genuine and endorsed by action is the one that motivates people to act.

Those who in times past suggested that God’s messenger should be an angel, like their successors who today suggest that such a messenger of God should be far above human earthly feelings, indulge in futile argument. Furthermore, they are all oblivious to the fundamental fact that angels do not, by their very nature, experience human life. They an experience neither the physical needs and interactions of the human body, nor human feelings, emotions or concerns. A messenger from God must know all such feelings and motives, experiencing them in his own daily life so that he is able to provide practical guidance to those who respond to his message.

Furthermore, were the messenger to be an angel, people would have no motivation to follow his example in their life’s details. They would feel that he belonged to a different race with a totally different nature. They will remain unable to follow his suit in their daily life. Needless to say, God’s messengers have always provided their peoples with a good example to follow.

God reminds the pagan Arabs who oppressed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), denying his message and persecuting him and his followers, that they are subject to His law for their transgression. He also makes it clear to them that it is an aspect of the grace He bestows on them that He has not sent them any physical miracle, because that would have spelt their doom if they continued to reject the truth as older communities did. Instead, He sent them a book which imparts honour to them, since it is in their own language. This book sets their life on the right footing and makes of them a community entitled to lead mankind and be respected by them.

Moreover, this book invites thinking people to reflect on it and elevate themselves by implementing it: “We have now revealed for you a book bringing you respect. Will you not, then, use your reason?” (Verse 10)

The miracle of the Qur’ān is open to all generations. Thus, it is unlike the physical miracles given at a particular time and place. For the Arabs, the Qur’ān brought respect, honour and glory as they delivered its message to all people. Prior to the Qur’ān, the Arabs barely received mention in humanity’s records. They had nothing to give humanity so as to ensure they were remembered. But as long as they upheld their book, they were honoured by the rest of mankind. Indeed, they assumed the leadership of humanity over many centuries, bringing happiness to themselves and to the rest of mankind. Then when they abandoned it, humanity left them aside, and they lost their position of respect. They were then at the tail end of humanity, suffering aggression from different quarters, in stark contrast with their glorious past when they enjoyed security while others suffered fear and anxiety.

The Arabs have nothing of value and no sound idea to give to humanity other than this guidance and the ideas it contains. Therefore, when they present their book to the world, they are known by it and they are given the honour they deserve, because humanity knows that they have what is of benefit to it. But when they present themselves as mere Arabs, such questions as – who are Arabs? – are asked.

And what is the value of their ancestry when they do not have their book? Mankind has never accorded the Arabs any position of respect except when they showed themselves to be advocates of a faith which they implemented and conducted their affairs by and according to its teachings. By contrast, their being merely Arabs had no value in human history and no entry in the records of civilization. They are known only by being the standard-bearers of Islamic values, ideals and civilization.

In history, this certainly has great value.

It is to this fact that the Qur’ān refers when it says to the Arab idolaters who rejected every idea it put to them and denied its truth: “We have now revealed for you a book bringing you respect. Will you not, then, use your reason?” (Verse 10)

It was an act of divine grace that God revealed the Qur’ān to them, rather than giving them the miracle they demanded. Had such a miracle been sent to them and had they continued to deny the truth, a calamity like those that destroyed earlier unbelievers would have brought about their doom. At this point the sūrah portrays a scene of total destruction and annihilation:

Indeed, the words the Qur’ān uses here add, by their very sound, strong connotations of an overwhelming strike that leaves everything lifeless. We look and see how those communities ran around frantically as God’s power struck their land.

They appear like trapped mice jumping here and there before they fall motionless:

“As soon as they began to feel Our might they took to their heels and fled.” (Verse 12) They run so that they might leave a town which they felt was doomed. They run as though their very running will save them from God’s power. It is not that they imagine that they are faster than God’s strike; it is a thoughtless movement, like that of trapped mice.

They are then sarcastically told: “Do not run away. Return to all your comforts and to your dwellings, so that you might be called to account.” (Verse 13) You do not need to run away from your homes. Go back to your luxuries and comforts. You may perchance be asked about all this luxury and how you have used it. But the time for questioning is already over, and the Qur’ān delivers this final cataclysm as bitter sarcasm.

This brings their situation clearly before their eyes, for there is no means of escape.

They cannot run away from or flee God’s punishment. Hence, they change tactic and admit their faults: “They said: Woe betide us! We were indeed wrongdoers!” (Verse 14) But the time for all this is over. They can say what they like, but it is all to no avail. They are left to their devices until they are lifeless: “And that cry of theirs did not cease until We caused them to become like a field mown down, still and silent as ashes.” (Verse 15) But it is a field of humans, all of whom are motionless, lifeless; yet only a minute earlier, it was bustling, vibrant, full of life.

At this point the sūrah establishes a link between the faith already mentioned, its essential laws under which unbelievers are punished and the fundamental truth and seriousness which form the pivot around which the whole universe turns. If the unbelievers receive every new Qur’ānic revelation with jest and play, oblivious to its seriousness and the truth it outlines, heedless of the fast approaching Day of Reckoning and what awaits them on that day, then they should know that God’s laws never fail. “We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in mere idle play. Had We willed to indulge in a pastime, We would indeed have found one near at hand; if ever We were to do so! Nay, but We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes the latter, and behold, it withers away. But woe to you for all your false claims.” (Verses 16-18)

God has created the universe for a definite purpose, not to indulge in a pastime or idle play. He conducts its affairs in His infinite wisdom, and does not leave it to run aimlessly. One aspect of the seriousness involved in the creation of heaven and earth is that He has sent messengers, revealed books, and outlined for mankind their duties and obligations. We see, then, how seriousness is inherent in the nature of this universe and its laws, and in the faith God wants people to embrace and implement, as well as in the way He holds people accountable after they die.

It is all a theoretical argument given here in order to establish the basic truth that whatever relates to God is, like Him, ever-present and eternal. Hence, if God wants to enjoy some pastime, such pastime would not relate to anything that is created such as the heavens, the earth or anything in between. All these are new, in the sense that they are created at a certain point in time. What relates to God remains with Him, eternally, so as to fit in with His Majesty.

But the law that operates for all time is that there is no such thing as a pastime in respect of God. There are only seriousness and truth.

Thus, intrinsic truth will triumph over incidental falsehood: “Nay, but We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes the latter, and behold, it withers away. But woe to you for all your false claims.” (Verse 18)

The Arabic particle bal, rendered here as ‘nay’, signifies turning away from whatever is at hand. Here it indicates putting aside this point about having a pastime to turn to a more serious point about the real world and the laws operating in it which ensure that falsehood is vanquished and the truth triumphant. The Qur’ānic verse paints this in a vivid picture, showing the truth as a missile hurled by God at falsehood, breaking its head and so utterly destroying it.

Such is the normal state of affairs: the truth is fundamental to the nature of the universe, deeply permeating its structure. Falsehood, on the other hand, is alien to it, lacking roots and power. God brands it as false and hurls the truth at it. When anything receives such a strike by God, it is bound to wither away and disappear.

People may sometimes feel that practical life goes on in a different direction to that stated by God, who knows all. This is particularly so when falsehood appears to be strong and overpowering, while the truth appears of small stature, shrinking in a corner, defeated. But this lasts only for a time, which God may extend as He pleases to expose people to a trial. Ultimately the law God has set in operation, to allow the heavens and the earth to remain and His message to flourish, is bound to run its course.

Those who believe in God entertain no doubt that His promise will come true, or that the truth enjoys prime position in the structure of the universe and its system.

They are also certain that victory will eventually belong to the truth. Hence, if God tests them by allowing falsehood a temporary triumph, they realize that this is merely a test God puts them through so as to eradicate their weakness or give them what they lack. He wants them to be fit to receive the victorious truth, and to make them the tool by which He accomplishes His purpose. Thus, He lets them go through the test, to equip them properly for their role. If they hasten to remedy their weakness and redress their drawbacks, God will shorten their period of test and accomplish through them whatever He wishes. The ultimate result is a foregone conclusion: “We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes the latter, and behold, it withers away.” (Verse 18) God accomplishes what He wills.

Thus, the sūrah paints a picture of creatures glorifying God and extolling His praises at all times. At the same time, the unbelievers’ claims about their multiple deities are strongly criticized. The sūrah provides irrefutable evidence of God’s oneness by virtue of what we see in the constant system that permeates the universe, testifying that it is all run by the will of God, the One who manages and conducts all affairs. It also provides evidence from earlier scriptures given to other communities.

Or have they taken for worship some earthly deities who can restore the dead to life?

Had there been in heaven or on earth any deities other than God, both would surely have fallen into ruin! But limitless in His glory is God, Lord of the Throne, and exalted is He above all that they attribute to Him! He cannot be questioned about whatever He does, whereas they shall be questioned. Or have they taken for worship some deities besides Him? Say: ‘Produce your convincing proof. This is the message of those who are with me and the message of those before me. ‘ But nay, most of them do not know the truth, and so they stubbornly turn away. Before your time We never sent a messenger without having revealed to him that there is no deity other than Me.

Therefore, you shall worship Me alone. (Verses 21-25)

The question the sūrah poses about the unbelievers’ worship of different deities is, in effect, a denunciation of what they do. Yet the description of such deities as ones restoring the dead to life contains a strong note of ridicule. Indeed, one of the first qualities of the true God is that He is able to restore the dead to life. Hence, it is pertinent to ask whether the deities they worship can also do this. The answer is too clear to need to be stated. Indeed, they themselves do not claim that their deities initiate or restore life. As such, they do not have the very first quality of the Divine Being.

This is an argument based on the facts as we see them in our world. But there is another argument based on universal facts: “Had there been in heaven or on earth any deities other than God, both would surely have fallen into ruin!” (Verse 22)

The universe and its whole existence are based on a single system that brings all its parts together and ensures harmony between all those components. This system is devised by the single will of the One God. Had there been other entities, they would have had multiple wills and, consequently, multiple systems and laws. It goes without saying that a will is a manifestation of the entity that exercises it, and the system is a manifestation of the active will. Hence, had there been other deities, the unity which provides coherence in the whole machinery of the universe, consistency and direction in its system, would totally disappear. Chaos, corruption and ruin would ensue. There would be no way of maintaining the coherence and harmony acknowledged by even the most hardened of atheists.

As it receives a clear message of the system governing the whole universe, a straight, uncorrupted nature will instinctively testify to the unity of the system and the will that has initiated it. It will acknowledge the oneness of the Creator who conducts all affairs in this consistent and harmonious universe, which suffers from no inherent defect in formation or from any impediment to its progress. “But limitless in His glory is God, Lord of the Throne, and exalted is He above all that they attribute to Him!” (Verse 22)

The sūrah then states the nature of what was revealed to all messengers sent to different communities before the Prophet Muhammad’s time: “Before your time We never sent a messenger without having revealed to him that there is no deity other than Me.

Therefore, you shall worship Me alone.” (Verse 25) God’s oneness is indeed the basic essential element in divine faith, ever since God sent His first messenger to mankind.

Nothing has changed in that. God, the Creator who must be worshipped is One, without partners. The truth of Godhead and Lordship over the universe is a single issue that cannot be separated. God has no partners, whether in the sphere of Godhead or in that of worship. This fact ranks alongside the basic essential laws of the universe and is classified with them. Like them, its truth is unassailable.

The sūrah then picks up the claims of the unbelievers alleging that God has a son.

This is one of the absurdities of ignorance:

They say: ‘The Most Merciful has taken to Himself a son!’ Limitless is He in His glory! No; they are but His honoured servants. They do not speak until He has spoken, and they act at His behest. He knows all that lies before them and all behind them.

They do not intercede for any but those whom He has already graced with His goodly acceptance, since they themselves stand in reverent awe of Him. If any of them were to say, I am a deity beside Him,’ We shall requite him with hell. Thus do We reward the wrongdoers. (Verses 26-29)

The claim that God – limitless is He in His glory – has a son took several forms in the different communities that deviated from the path of truth. The pagan Arabs alleged that the angels were God’s daughters, while unbeliever groups among the Jews alleged that Ezra was God’s son. Similarly, deviant Christians alleged that Jesus Christ was God’s son. All these are ignorant claims that deviate from the clear truth.

The sūrah is here especially concerned with the Arabs’ claim that the angels were God’s daughters. This claim is rebuffed by clarifying the nature of angels. They are not God’s female offspring, rather, they are only His servants whom He has honoured. The angels do not suggest anything to God, because they know their limits and abide by them. They do what God bids them, without argument. God’s knowledge encompasses all their affairs. They do not try to intercede on behalf of anyone other than those to whom He has gracefully granted His acceptance. Only on behalf of these does He accept intercession. By nature, the angels are in awe of God, revering Him, even though they are pure, honoured and obedient to Him. Needless to say, none of them ever makes a claim to Godhead. Had any of them, for argument’s sake, made such a claim, they would have suffered the same fate as anyone else who makes such a claim. That fate is hell where goes everyone guilty of the worst type of wrongdoing, which is to make such a claim which runs against all right and is unjust to all creation.

The same applies to the unbelievers’ false claims. They are hollow, absurd and irrational. Should anyone make such a claim, the same terrible fate will befall him.

The sūrah has so far given us several types of evidence drawn from the universe, all testifying to God’s oneness, and stated a number of arguments denying any possibility of there being more than one God. It has also provided evidence that addresses people’s hearts directly. Now the sūrah takes the human heart by the hand to contemplate some of the great phenomena in the universe, as it is wisely managed by God. Yet the unbelievers remain heedless of the clear signs revealed all about them. For those who look however, the universe reveals aspects of itself that leave our minds in total amazement when we contemplate them with an open heart and alert senses.

Are the unbelievers unaware that the heaven and the earth were once one single entity, which We then parted asunder? We have made out of water every living thing. Will they not, then, believe? (Verse 30)

The statement that the heavens and the earth were split apart after having been a single entity is worth careful consideration. The more advanced theories of astronomy seeking to explain universal phenomena always tend to support this truth stated in the Qur’ān over 1,400 years ago. The theory that wins most acceptance today is that which claims that star constellations, such as our solar system which includes the sun, its planets and moons including our planet earth and its moon, were originally nebula. The nebula was then rent asunder and its parts took their circular shapes. The earth was also a piece of the sun that separated from it and cooled down.

However, this is merely an astronomical theory which may be fashionable today, but could be proven false tomorrow, only to be replaced by yet another assumption to explain universal phenomena. It thus gives birth to a different theory. 1 We, as believers, do not try to interpret a Qur’ānic statement in terms of a theory which is far from certain. We take Qur’ānic statements as they are. Scientific theories are different from true scientific facts which can be tried and tested, such as the fact that metals stretch when heated, or that water evaporates or freezes in severely cold weather.

The Qur’ān is not a book of scientific theories. Its field is not applied science. It is a constitution that regulates man’s whole life. Its method is to set the human mind on the right track, so that it can function and be free within the limits set for it. It also sets society on the right lines so that it allows the mind to work and be free, without labouring on purely scientific detail. This area is left for the human mind to work out after it has been set free.

The Qur’ān may refer to some universal facts, like the one stated here: “The heaven and the earth were once one single entity, which We then parted asunder.” (Verse 30) We accept this as an absolute certainty simply because it is stated in the Qur’ān. We certainly do not know how the heavens and the earth were parted, or ripped one from the other. We accept astronomical theories which are not in conflict with this general fact mentioned in the Qur’ān. What we will not do however is take up the Qur’ānic text and try to fit it to any astronomical theory. We do not seek an endorsement of the Qur’ān through human theories, because the Qur’ān states only what is certain. The most we can say is that the astronomical theory accepted today is not in conflict with the general import of this Qur’ānic statement revealed many generations prior to it.

This first passage of the sūrah concludes with an outline that links the laws relevant to creation, formation and sustenance with those relevant to the nature and destiny of human life:

Never have We granted life everlasting to any man before you. Should you yourself die, do they, perchance, hope to live forever? Every soul shall taste death. We test you all with evil and good by way of trial. To Us you all must return. (Verses 34-35)

No human being has ever been granted immortality. Every creature is bound to die, and whatever has a beginning will certainly have an end. So if God’s Messenger [peace be upon him] is also destined to die, why do they think they would be granted life everlasting? Since they cannot hope to live for ever, why do they not behave like ones who will inevitably taste death? Why do they not reflect and contemplate?

“Every soul shall taste death.” (Verse 35) This is the law that governs life. It has no exceptions or exemptions. The living, then, must take this into account and prepare themselves for it. This short journey on earth is bound to come to an end, and its end is the death of every living thing. All shall return to God. But whatever happens to us during this trip through life, whether good or bad, is meant as a test: “We test you all with evil and good by way of trial.” (Verse 35)

When we speak of being tested by something evil or hard, we can all easily understand this notion. It is a test to show the endurance and patience of the one who is being tested. It is the means to determine how unshakeable his trust in God, his Lord, is, and how much trust he places in God’s mercy. But a test with good things needs to be explained.

To be tested with good things is more difficult than hardship, even though it may appear easier. For the fact is that many people can endure being tested by evil, but few can endure a test with the good. When the test takes the form of sickness and weakness, many are able to endure and withstand the hardship, but when its form is that of good health, strength and ability, then few are those who pass through successfully.

People may be able to withstand poverty and deprivation, maintaining their dignity in such situations, but few are those who succeed in a test with comfort and affluence. For the latter tempts us to satisfy all our desires.

Equally there are many who cannot be deterred by torture or physical harm. They are not overawed by such threats and actualities. By contrast, however, only a few can resist the temptations posited by wealth, position, comfort and desire.

It is not difficult to tolerate the hardships of struggle and the injuries that one sustains in such a struggle. But it is extremely hard to experience comfort and a carefree life without becoming so keen to maintain it even at the expense of one’s dignity. Indeed such an experience could easily lead to accepting humiliation in order not to lose it.

A test with hardship may arouse within us a keen sense of dignity, encouraging us to resist. Thus, all our powers and faculties are directed at the hardship and enable us to pass through successfully. Affluence, on the other hand, has a calming effect which reduces our awareness of the test. Hence, many fail it. This applies to all human beings, except those that God helps and protects. They are the ones described by the Prophet as ending up with what is good in all situations: “Amazing is a believer’s situation, because it all ends up in what is good. This applies to no one other than a believer. If he experiences what is good and pleasing, he will express his gratitude to God and this is good for him. On the other hand, if he experiences hardship, he will patiently persevere and this is good for him.” [Related by Muslim] Hence to keep on the alert when being tested by affluence and comfort is more important than doing so when we go through a test with hardship. Maintaining a sound relation with God is the best guarantee in all situations.