Ali 'Imran

The Creator and Sustainer of the universe is not a mechanical God. He is, in fact, a live and conscious Being. He has sent guidance for man throughout the ages, including the Torah and the Bible, which were revealed to the former prophets. But man has always put different constructions upon divine teachings. Thus, through his self-styled interpretations, he has divided one religion into many. Ultimately, in accordance with God’s plan, the final book in the form of the Quran was sent down to man. The Quran is not only a genuine book of guidance but also serves as the criterion or standard of right and wrong. It tells us which is the true religion and which is the religion devised by human beings through misinterpretation. Now those who, denying the book of the Almighty, refuse to abandon the religion devised by human beings, are deserving of His punishment. These are the people to whom God granted eyes, but who failed to see the light (sent by God in the form of this book). These are the people to whom their Creator granted minds, but who failed to understand the truth when it came to them in the form of arguments. Bowing to the truth required them to bow to the Prophet and to God, and they thought that by surrendering to the Supreme Being and His Prophet they would diminish in stature. To save their petty ‘greatness’, they refused to bow to the Truth.

Only God can truly tell us what He is in His Being and in His attributes. And He has made this so clear in His Book, that any reader who is eager for knowledge of Him will certainly gain enlightenment from it. Again, it is only God who can truly give guidance to man. The right course of action for man can be determined only by a Being who has not only known man from his birth to his death, but also knows what has gone before his birth and what will happen after his death. It is, therefore, only God who, after placing the nature of man in the perspective of the entire universe, may decree what kind of conduct will guarantee man’s success in this world and the next, for a sound human mentality can only be one which is in harmony with the rest of the world and in complete accord with the vaster system of the cosmos. It is only God who has the power and the knowledge to ordain what it befits human beings to strive for in the present world. This being so, the only realistic approach for man is to trust in His Maker and accept and follow His guidance wholeheartedly and with full confidence.

There are two kinds of subjects dealt with in the Quran, one pertaining to the known human world, like historical events, signs from the universe and commandments for worldly life; the other pertaining to unseen matters which are not comprehensible by man in this life, for instance, God’s attributes, and the states of Heaven and Hell, etc. The first are clear revelations, quite precise in their meaning, since they have been couched in a direct style. The second relate to the unknown world (for man) and cannot, therefore, be expressed in everyday language. That is why they are framed in an allegorical style. For instance, if we say, ‘man’s hand’, this is an example of the expression of a fact, but if we say, ‘God’s hand’, this is an example of an allegory. Those who do not understand this difference fall into the error of interpreting allegorical verses quite literally. This will only lead man astray; he will never arrive at the truth. Whereas a ‘human hand’ may be precisely understood, a ‘divine hand’ cannot, because of our present limited thinking capacity.

The correct academic and intellectual stand regarding the allegorical part of the Quran is for man to acknowledge his limitations. One should be content to have an abstract understanding of the things which cannot be grasped precisely by the senses. When, due to his imperfect sensory perception, man cannot have a total understanding of those realities, the practical approach should be not to make any attempt to determine the precise meaning in these matters. Instead, man should pray to God to save him from entanglement in fruitless discussions. He should pray to God to grant him such wisdom as will enable him to recognize his place and be content to repose his faith in those realities, without knowing all of their details. A Day is soon to come when these realities will come into full view, but it is not possible for man to comprehend them as long as he is still being put to the test in this life, by his Lord. The path of the intellect may be a slippery one, where the intellectual may slip and fall in failing to see things in their right perspective. He understands reality, but only when he looks at it from the proper angle. When he does so from another angle, it is quite possible that he will fail to assess it properly and will be a prey to misunderstandings. The greater wisdom for man is to learn the secret of seeing things from the correct standpoint.

When the call of Truth goes out, it appears to people to be of no value. On the one hand, there are all the assets of worldly comfort and grandeur, while, on the other hand, there is the caravan of truth, having no foothold in society, and no worldly interests attached to it. In such a situation, joining the caravan of truth amounts to detachment from the social circle and depriving oneself of all material benefits. That is why, in order to safeguard his interests, man turns away from the truth. If it means abandoning his friends and relatives, he is not ready to join a lone preacher (da‘i). But all the material considerations that appear important today will cease to matter on the Day of Judgement. Their importance will last only so long as dealings are between man and man. The Day the veil of Doomsday is rent asunder, and all issues are to be settled between man and God, all worldly things will become insignificant—as if they had never existed. The missionary in this world appears to be powerless, but in reality, he is powerful, because God is backing him. The denier appears to be influential in this world, but is, in fact, totally powerless, because his strength is nothing but a temporary delusion.

The battle of Badr in the fourteenth year of the prophethood was a worldly example of what will happen in the next world. Those who deny the truth greatly exceeded the believers in numbers and in strength. In fact, the believers were so few in number that they were powerless. In spite of this, those who denied the truth suffered a crushing defeat and the believers achieved a decisive victory. This is a clear proof that God is always on the side of the believers. In the face of such a great difference in resources, an extraordinary victory cannot be achieved without God’s succour. This serves as a demonstration from God that truth does not go unsupported. It is also a clear indication to those who deny the truth of how they are placed in this world. There are obvious signs in the words and deeds of the preacher that the Truth he preaches comes from God. But the arrogant find refuge in fine words to refute this. They live by false explanations, until finally they leave for the next world, only to learn that the words in which they had taken refuge were utterly meaningless from the standpoint of reality.

This world is a place of trial. God, wishing to ascertain which of His creatures are capable of rising above worldly attractions, has so willed it that man should be attracted to and find gratification in the things of this world, but at the same time be faced with the choice of clinging to them or renouncing them in favour of the unseen things of the next world. This is not an easy choice, for he sees that worldly acquisitions lead him to an honourable place in society. By possessing material resources, he can have all that he wants in life. This gives him the impression that it is these things that are of consequence. All his interests and activities centre around his family, his wealth and his property. This presents the greatest obstacle to advancing towards the demands of the Hereafter. The aura of importance surrounding worldly things makes him oblivious of all that pertains to the next life. He is so engrossed in building the future of his children in this world, that he no longer remembers the fact that there is any ‘future’ beyond this present life, to which he should give thought. Providing all comforts for his home in this world becomes so dear to him that it never occurs to him that there is any other home save this, to which he should pay heed. Making money, accumulating riches and possessing property in this world seem so estimable to him, that he fails to realize that there is any ‘wealth’ other than this, to which he should devote his life. However, all these things with the external glitter of this present life will be of no use to him in the next, eternal life. It is only one who makes the permanent life of the Hereafter the focus of his attention who will realize the insignificance of these worldly things.

He will be filled with the conviction that the matters of the next world are entirely in the hands of his Lord and all the glitter of this world will appear meaningless. As a result, God will be the entity he fears most and he will be desirous of the next life more than anything else. He will not follow his mundane desires, but will rather determine his course of action, keeping in view the court of the Almighty. There will be no discrepancy between his words and his actions. His wealth will no longer remain his, but will be devoted to the cause of God. Whatever difficulties he faces in the path of his Creator, he will adhere to that path with total steadfastness, because he will have the conviction that no one can give him succour if he turns away from God. His heart will be filled with His remembrance, and he will start calling upon Him spontaneously. God will be his companion in his solitude. In the presence of His greatness and perfection, his own being will appear completely insignificant. He will have no words to utter but—‘O my God, forgive me.’

The God of the universe is the One and only God and He likes justice. This assertion is made in all the revealed scriptures which are still in their original form. The vast universe run by its Master through His unseen agents, the angels, is exactly what it ought to be and as perfect as it can be. According to established knowledge, the universe seems to be a completely unitary system. This would indicate that it has a single Planner. Moreover, everything in the universe being in its right place is a proof that its Lord loves justice and righteousness rather than injustice and wrongdoing. Then how can God, who has maintained justice in the vaster universe, allow injustice in human matters? Each and every part of the universe is in a complete state of ‘surrender’, that is, all its functions are performed in accordance with the appointed plan of God. Exactly the same performance is required of man. Man must recognize his Lord and mould his life in accordance with God’s plan. Making anyone else, save God, the centre of his attention or nurturing the thought that God’s judgement can be based on anything other than justice is inconceivable in the present universe.

The call of the Quran is the call of the same true version of Islam, the religion of submission to God, as was revealed to all the other prophets. Those who deny this do so, not because its truth is not clear to them, but because of their own sense of superiority. Acknowledging its veracity amounts, as they see it, to accepting the intellectual superiority of the proponent of the Quran. And their jealousy and arrogance do not allow of such an acknowledgement. Instead of accepting the truth, they want to exterminate the dayee himself. However, this is not possible in this world of God. All their plans to censor the dayees’ words will fail, and when God’s scales of justice are put in place, they will see that those actions, which had given them the conviction of securing success and salvation, are quite without value. True argument is one of God’s signs. One who does not bow to a true argument, fails to bow to God. Such dissenters will enter the next world divested of all support.

God’s guidance is one and the same as that revealed to various prophets from time to time in various languages. The same guidance was revealed to the Final Prophet in the form of the Quran. Due to this uniformity in content, recognizing the call of the Quran is not difficult for the People of the Book, i.e. believers in other revealed scriptures. The only difference between the Quranic call and former divine scriptures lies in the fact that the Quran has purified the religion of God of all human interpolations. Then why is it that many people deny the call of the Quran? It is because the Quranic call does not appear to them to be a serious matter, vis à vis their self-styled concepts by which they feel that they have safeguarded themselves from the fire of hell. It is as a result of this mindset that they think that, even if they do not recognize the truth, their salvation is still not at risk. But when the divine scales are put in place, they will realize how deluded they were in their wishful thinking.

All kinds of honour and power lie in the hand of God. Those who are considered insignificant by the leaders of the time can be entitled to the highest honour and eminence by the grace of God. In the eyes of God, it is those who regard such attainments as being purely and simply the gifts of God who are deserving of honour and power. The most undeserving of honour and power are those who consider them to be their own acquisitions. In the vaster universe, God daily performs the miracle, on a colossal scale, of bringing darkness after light and light after darkness (i.e. the alternation of day and night). He brings into existence life from dead elements and causes living things to die. There is nothing surprising about it if this same power of God manifests itself among human beings. But those who exchange falsehoods in the name of truth always turn against the call of truth. The preacher of truth may ultimately be rendered homeless and his economic resources may be cut off. But such an individual is always under the direct guardianship of God, who provides for him His special succour. While others are provided for according to their efforts, a messenger of truth is provided for by God ‘without measure’.

A believer treats all human beings with justice and fairness, without differentiating between Muslims and non-Muslims. But friendship with non-Muslims who are at war with Islam is not lawful. In the eyes of God, it is our intention that matters: when our intention is sincere, God does not take us to task for our actions. The key factor, worthy of consideration in all matters, is the fear of God. One should always give proper thought to one’s behaviour, whatever the issue, because one is accountable to God for everything. Whoever is proved wrong on the divine scale cannot escape punishment. Nothing pertaining to human beings escapes the eyes of God, whether in public or in private. When the veil of the divine test is cast aside, the world of the Hereafter will appear before mankind and the fruits of all man’s actions will be before him. This sight will be so dreadful that all the things of this world which had appeared so pleasing to him, will now be the very things from which he will want to distance himself. What is most important in the eyes of God is whether Islam is implanted in one’s heart or not. A believer is one whose love for God springs from his heart, who loves God truly in his heart of hearts. It is people such as those who deserve God’s love and attention. One who forms such a bond with God is forgiven by Him for his failings. God is hard on the arrogant. But He is gentle with those who adopt modesty as their way of life.

It is a psychological reality that one who loves someone cannot at the same time love the enemy of the beloved. It is also a fact that when the beloved is a Being who has the status of one’s Creator and Sustainer, then this love will necessarily bring about in the lover the desire to obey that Being in all matters. If the love of God does not produce in him feelings of obeisance to Him, then such a love is false. A believer who is one in name only will be included among the deniers. God Himself has testified to the Prophet’s total obedience to Him in all matters. So the authentic example of a life of God-worship in this world is only such as was handed down to us by His messenger.