Ad-Dukhan 44:34–59

In every period the root cause of a man’s going astray has been his loss of belief in the life after death. The disbelief of some finds expression in their utterances. Others may not openly express it, but their hearts are devoid of the belief that they have to rise after death and face the reckoning of their deeds before God. The reason for this misunderstanding is generally that man, in view of his strong position in this world, presumes that he is never going to lose his elevated status, though the history of past nations ought to be enough to dispel this illusion. Tubba‘ was the title of the Kings of the ancient Himyar tribe of Yemen. These people enjoyed prominence from 300 B.C. to 115 B.C. and their greatness was much talked about in ancient Arabia. The rise and fall of the Tubba‘ people, a piece of history well-known to the initial addressees of the Quran (the Quraysh), gave proof of the fact that the law of ‘crime and punishment’ was prevalent in this world. Similarly, for every community there is a ‘Tubba‘’ which, by its example, teaches them a lesson. But, man is wont to take such occurrences as being nothing out of the ordinary. The result is that he does not learn those lessons which, by God’s will, are latent in events.

If one ponders over the system of heaven and earth—indeed, of the entire universe, it will become clear that its creation was effected with a definite purpose. Had this not been so, it would have been impossible in this world for man to build up glorious cultures. Its entire functioning being meaningful is an indication that it will end also in a meaningful and purposeful way. It is unimaginable that its end could be otherwise. Its end, in reality, will herald the commencement of the life Hereafter. And belief in the Hereafter is but an extension of universal meaningfulness. The present stage of the world is that of trial. So, everyone finds his share in the meaningfulness of this world. But, in the Hereafter, only those who are actually deserving in the eyes of God, will find a share in the meaningfulness of the afterlife.

The picture of Hell painted by the Quran here and at other places is sufficient to shake every man who is serious about his future; it will make him rush towards the path of Paradise and away from the path of Hell. But those who are not serious about the Truth, who pay heed only to their own desires and who do not feel the necessity to consider the world of realities which lies outside their ambitions, will hear this and simply ignore it. For such people, these words will be like water running over a rock without a single drop penetrating its surface.

These words paint an idyllic picture of a world which man sees only in his dreams. Therein lies the existence he most yearns for, but is unable to have it in this present world. Only in Paradise will he enter such a world, and it will be even better than his ‘dream’ world. This world, free of all kinds of fear, will be open to those who feared God in this world. The life there, which is replete with eternal benefits, will be the reward of those who sacrificed the temporary benefits of this world for its sake. The crowning glories of the Hereafter will be savoured only by those who had the courage to risk their worldly success for higher things.

The Quran is undoubtedly a great book. It is, moreover, a very straightforward book. But its being easy to understand is in direct relation to the desire for guidance. In other words, one who seeks to discover the Truth through it will find it very simple to follow. But for one who is not serious or sincere in his search for Truth, the Quran can be impenetrable. In the present world one of the conditions for a man’s being serious is that he should not keep putting off his acceptance of the Truth. In other words, the appearance of Truth at the level of reasoning and arguments should be enough to make him accept it. One who does not accept the Truth on its being established at this level, is in effect waiting for the Truth to be laid bare before him. But when the Truth so appears, it does not do so in order to claim acceptance, but to have the accepters appreciate it and the rejecters pushed into the pit of blindness forever.