In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Even were We to show them mercy and remove whatever distress might afflict them, they would still persist in their overweening arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro.

Indeed, We took them to task, but they neither humbled themselves before their Lord, nor do they submissively entreat (Him).

Yet when We open before them a gate of truly severe suffering, they will plunge in despair.

It is He who has endowed you with hearing, and sight, and minds. How seldom are you grateful.

And He it is who caused you to multiply on earth; and to Him you shall be gathered.

And He it is who grants life and death; and to Him is due the alternation of night and day. Will you not, then, use your reason?

(The Believers, Al-Mu’minoon, 23: 75-80)

The surah continues to speak about the unbelievers who do not believe in the hereafter. These are people who have lost their way and no longer benefit by tests to which they are exposed, be they tests of plenty and affluence or tests of hardship. Hence, when they are tested with favors “they think that by all the wealth and offspring We provide for them We hasten to them all that is good?” Should their test be one of difficulty and hardship, neither their hearts are softened, nor their consciences awakened.

They do not turn back to God, appealing to Him to remove their hardship. They remain in such a condition until, on the Day of Judgment, they are visited with an even greater suffering. They will then look desperate and bewildered.

“Even were We to show them mercy and remove whatever distress might afflict them, they would still persist in their overweening arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro. Indeed, We took them to task, but they neither humbled themselves before their Lord, nor do they submissively entreat (Him). Yet when We open before them a gate of truly severe suffering, they will plunge in despair.” These are common features of such type of people. They are hard hearted, oblivious of their duties to God, they deny the hereafter. The idolaters who opposed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he delivered his message belonged to this type of people.

Showing humility at the time of hardship, and turning to God, entreating Him and recognizing Him as the only refuge and resort are indicative of a change of heart and returning to faith. A human heart which establishes such a link with God is bound to soften. Reflection and remembrance then provide protection against further slips and errors. Thus, the test of hardship brings about real benefits. On the other hand, should a person persist in arrogance, then he is a lost case with no hope.

He is left to his destiny when he will be overwhelmed with suffering in the life to come. He will then plunge in despair, and will have no refuge or support. The surah takes them on a further round of reflection, in the hope that their hearts will awaken when they see the pointers to faith within themselves and in the universe at large: “It is He who has endowed you with hearing, and sight, and minds. How seldom are you grateful. And He it is who caused you to multiply on earth; and to Him you shall be gathered. And He it is who grants life and death; and to Him is due the alternation of night and day. Will you not, then, use your reason?”

Indeed if man would only reflect on his own form and constitution, the organs and potential he has been given, and the faculties of perception with which he has been blessed, he would certainly acknowledge God. His method of guidance would be all these great faculties within him that testify to God’s oneness. No one other than God Almighty could produce such a creation with all these miraculous aspects, large and small. How does the sense of hearing function? How are sounds picked up and distinguished? How does eyesight function, sorting out shapes and shades of light? And then, what about the mind and its work? How does it recognize forms and things? How does it understand meanings, concepts, values, feelings and physical forms?

The mere understanding of the nature of these senses and faculties and their ways of functioning is, in itself, a miraculous human discovery. How do we, then, look at their creation and placing them into man’s body in such a way that are best suited to the nature of man’s world. The degree of harmony achieved here reflects a high standard of delicacy. Should only one of the many ratios that need to be met, in either man’s nature or the nature of the universe, be disturbed, the whole relation will no longer function. Ears will not be able to pick a sound, and eyes will no longer see a light.

It is God’s perfect design and limitless power that has achieved this perfect balance between human nature and the universe in which man lives. But man does not show gratitude to God for His favors: “How seldom are you grateful.” Gratitude begins with a clear acknowledgment of the One who has given us all these favors and blessings, glorifying Him and recognizing His attributes, then addressing all worship to Him alone. His oneness is testified by His creation. Gratitude is further enhanced when we use our faculties and senses to enjoy life in the manner of a firm believer who looks up to God before every action and in every situation.

“And He it is who caused you to multiply on earth.” He has placed you in charge of building human life on earth, after he had given you your hearing, eyesight and minds, as well as all the faculties and potential that you need to fulfill the task assigned to you. “And to Him you shall be gathered,” when you will be accountable for all that you do in your life on earth. You will be rewarded for all the good you do, and for following divine guidance. By contrast, you will reap the fruits of any evil or corruption of which you are guilty. Your life on earth is not meant in vain, and you are not abandoned in your habitat for no purpose. It is all for a definite purpose God has determined.

“And He it is who grants life and death.” Both life and death occur at every moment, but it is God alone who causes them both to occur. Man, the highest of all creatures on earth, cannot give life to a single cell. Similarly, man is totally unable to deprive any living being of its life in the full sense of the word. People may be the means of ending life, but they are not the ones who truly deprive a living entity of its life. It is God alone who grants life and causes death.

“And to Him is due the alternation of night and day.” He is the One who has set this alternation in operation, just like he grants life and takes it away. Both sets of parallel situations are natural laws: one operates within the human being while the other operates in the world at large. When life is taken away from a particular body, it stops functioning and becomes motionless. Similarly, when light is taken away from the earth it darkens and becomes stagnant. But then life is brought back again and light is allowed to spread as the alternation takes place and the cycle continues uninterrupted, for as long as God wills. “Will you not, then, use your reason?” Will you not draw the right conclusion and admit that it is all part of God’s perfect design and elaborate planning. It is He alone who is in full control of life and the universe.

Arab News Islam 23 May 2003