Аль-Анкабут 29:31–60

A severe earthquake destroyed the region where Lot’s community lived in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. The green and flourishing valley, inhabited by this community for four thousand years, was filled with the dense salt water of the Dead Sea. According to the Quran, this incident of destruction had occurred through the agency of God’s angels. But, geologists and archeologists say that as a result of a natural geological process when mountains appeared in this area, a chasm was formed, the southern part of which was later filled by sea water. In this way, a stretch of dry land came under water. It is now known as the Shallow Southern Coast of the Dead Sea. The event, which seems to be only a physical occurrence in non-Quranic observation, is, according to the Quran, a sign from God. It is the view of the experts that the ruins of the area which was laid waste are still extant at the bottom of the sea. Undoubtedly, there is a lesson in this. But this lesson is only for those who try to study things in depth.

The community, to which Shu‘ayb was appointed as prophet, was a trading community. Its members, however, became so greedy that they resorted to earning through unfair and fraudulent means. This was how they spread corruption in the land. Legitimate trade is the rightful method of earning, while fraud and exploitation are sinful. Shu‘ayb exhorted his people not to be unmindful of the Hereafter while in pursuit of worldly gain. He beseeched them to adopt a way of life by which they could hope for a better fate in the Hereafter. But, despite the best efforts of the prophet, his community did not pay heed to his exhortations, with the result that, in accordance with the Laws of God, it was destroyed. Their homes, which had reverberated with life, became houses of death and destruction for them.

God’s retribution was likewise meted out to the ‘Ad and the Thamud. They were very shrewd in their worldly affairs, but they proved most foolish in the matter of the Hereafter. They learned the secret of carving houses out of rocky mountain sides, but not the secret of shaping their lives under the guidance of their prophet. The reason for this was what is known as false glorification of deeds, or taz’in. Satan misled them into thinking that building up their worldly position was the genuine aim of life, and that if worldly success were achieved, nothing would pose any problem after that. But this deception was of no avail to them and neither will such fraudulence be of any avail to anybody at any time. In ancient times the ‘Ad people inhabited the area of southern Arabia, which is now known as Yemen, Ahqaf and Hadramouth. Similarly, the Thamud people inhabited the areas located in the northern part of Hijaz stretching from Rabegh to Aquaba and from Madinah and Khyber to Tyma and Tabuk.

Whenever the addressee communities rejected the prophets sent to them, they were destroyed by calamities which burst upon them either from the heavens or from the earth. Lot’s community was subjected to the curse of high-velocity winds that bore stones. The ‘Ad, the Thamud and the people of Midian were punished by thunder and lightning sent down upon them. Korah, at God’s behest, was swallowed by the earth. Pharaoh and Haman were drowned in the sea. The common reason for all these punishments was the false pride of the concerned persons, i.e. their rejecting the call of Truth for the reason that it would put an end to their high status.

It is shown here that one who sees a spider’s web and learns a lesson about reality from it, is a learned person in the true sense. This clealy demonstrates who are the truly learned in the eyes of God. They are not those who have become expert in bookish discourses, but individuals who are capable of imbibing the sound advice given by God’s signs scattered throughout His world, and whose minds are capable of magnifying small events into great lessons. When this very learning reaches the final stage of ma‘rifah or ‘knowledge with intense realization of God,’ then it is called by its other name: faith or iman.

‘Recite what has been revealed to you of the book’ here means ‘the propagation of the revelation’ i.e. reciting the Quran before people and making them aware of the will of God. This work of propagation is a task calling for great patience. To perform this work well, one has to be the well-wisher of one’s opponents, one has to ignore their excesses and one has to look at one’s addressees as one’s invitees, even if they are rivals and opponents. Just as prayer restrains a man from evil in everyday life, similarly, it saves a missionary from unmissionary-like behaviour. Only that man can become preacher of God’s message whose heart is full of God’s remembrance and who bows down before God in all sincerity. Prayer, or salaat, restrains the human being from committing evil. If a man bows down or prostrates himself (performs ruku‘ and sajdah) before God in all earnestness, he develops a sense of responsibility and humility. The character which forms in a man as a result of this makes him do that which he should do and desist from that which he should not do. When a man attains perfect knowledge through intense realization of God, or ma‘rifah, the result is that the thought of God permeates his very existence. This is what is meant by remembrance of God (dhikr). This spring of God’s remembrance, or dhikr, wells up and flows through his body and soul. Reaching this height of spirituality, man begins uttering noble words in praise of God, and this is undoubtedly the highest form of prayer or worship.

Rather than become entangled in unnecessary discussions and bickering, it is best if the preacher (da‘i) greets his antagonists formally and then avoids them. But, to those who are sincere and serious, he should try to explain and clarify the Truth. Furthermore, the preacher’s words should be full of wisdom—a wisdom made manifest in the way he takes into account the mental make-up of the addressee. He should present his message in a way which appeals to the addressee, so that his mind is addressed. The message should consist of sound advice and should not be argumentative.

There are two types of individuals—one who already possesses a knowledge of the Truth and the other who apparently does not. However, the second type also are acquainted with the Truth at the level of their inherent nature. The former are the bearers of the book, while the latter draw on the resources of their own nature. If people are really sincere and serious, they recognize the Truth immediately. One group might recognize it as a Divine Book from heaven, while the other might recognize it as a Book of Nature. To each one, the Truth will manifest itself as a matter after his own heart. But, people often become enmeshed in a variety of psychological problems, due to which they adopt a rigid attitude of denial. They go on denying the Truth, even though there may be many factors in its support, and even if many arguments are advanced in its favour.

People used to raise the objection that the Prophet Muhammad had not been given signs of God such as had been given to others, such as Moses, God’s answer to them was that signs or miracles were matters pertaining to Him and not to the prophets. The real support of the Prophet’s call of Truth are the sound arguments. Owing to certain considerations, God sometimes does give His signs or miracles to a prophet, but sometimes He does not. Faith is a conscious experience. Faith finds its place in a man’s heart once he is convinced by arguments in its favour. One who accepts something after testing it in the light of arguments is a protagonist of Truth, and one who indulges in irrelevant discussions is a worshipper of falsehood.

Man’s deeds make his Paradise and his deeds make his Hell too. Were it possible to view the consequences of the deeds of one who had adopted the way of denial and insolence, it would be seen that his apparently great deeds actually signalled the punishment which he merited and which lay in wait for him. Death is but to come and dispatch him to the world he has built for himself. Most of a man’s arrogance is nothing more than the result of his ignorance of the reality pertaining to his own existence. If this ignorance were to be replaced by knowledge, he would become a completely different man.

Sometimes a change is necessary in the mode of performing a task. This may require a change in the sphere of influence, in the way that the Hudaybiyah Pact shifted the scene of action from the battlefield to the field of missionary work. But more often, it requires a major step, like migration, for example, the migration of the Prophet from Makkah to Madinah. In these verses the faithful living in Makkah were told that if the people of Makkah were harassing them, they should leave Makkah, migrate to some other place, and carry on God’s worship there. This shows that the exercise of patience and trust means being steadfast in prayer and not persisting in clashing with enemies. Had it been God’s will that they should engage in hostilities under any circumstances, then the instructions would have been to continue fighting with their opponents and not in any event to move away.