In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Among My servants there were those who said: “Our Lord! We believe in You. Forgive us and have mercy on us; for You are the best of those who show mercy.” But you made them the target of your derision to the point where it made you forget all remembrance of Me; and you went on laughing at them. Today I have rewarded them for their patience in adversity. Indeed it is they who have achieved triumph.”

And He will ask: “How many years have you spent on earth?”

They will answer: “We have spent there a day, or part of a day; but ask those who keep count.”

He will say: “Brief indeed was your sojourn, if you but knew it. Did you think that We created you in mere idle play, and that to Us you would not have to return?”

Sublimely exalted is God, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth. There is no deity other than Him, the Lord of the Glorious Throne.

He that invokes besides God any other deity — a deity for whose existence he has no evidence — shall be brought to account before his Lord. Most certainly, the unbelievers shall never prosper.

Say: “My Lord! Forgive and have mercy. You are the best of those who show mercy.”

(The Believers, Al-Mu’minoon, 23: 109-118)

This passage begins with God’s reminder on the Day of Judgment to the unbelievers of their attitude to His servants for which they further deserved His punishment. He is telling them that they did not only refuse to believe, which is in itself a very serious offense.

Their rude behavior was coupled with absurdity as they were keen to ridicule those who believed and prayed for God’s forgiveness and mercy. “Among My servants there were those who said: ‘Our Lord! We believe in You. Forgive us and have mercy on us; for You are the best of those who show mercy.’ But you made them the target of your derision to the point where it made you forget all remembrance of Me; and you went on laughing at them.”

They were so absorbed in their absurd ridicule that they would not reflect on the signs pointing to the truth of faith which are available everywhere in the universe. They are now shown the great divide separating them from those believers on the Day of Judgment: “Today I have rewarded them for their patience in adversity. Indeed it is they who have achieved triumph.”

Having given them such a strong rebuff, outlining the reasons for it, further questioning now starts: “And He will ask: How many years have you spent on earth?” God certainly knows the answer, but the question is put to them as a gesture showing the insignificance of life on earth and its short duration.

Yet they were keen to barter away the everlasting life of the hereafter for such short life. They are now aware of the pettiness of that life, and their awareness makes them dejected and forlorn, caring little about its length in days and years: “They will answer: We have spent there a day, or part of a day; but ask those who keep count.”

In response to this gloomy answer God makes clear that their life on earth lasts only a trifling moment when compared with what awaits them: “He will say: Brief indeed was your sojourn, if you but knew it.” They are then reproached further for their denial of the truth of the hereafter. They are also made aware of the purpose of resurrection, which is clearly indicated to mankind from the very beginning of their creation: “Did you think that We created you in mere idle play, and that to Us you would not have to return?”

Resurrection is intertwined with creation and the purpose of both is closely interconnected. Resurrection is indeed the stage that brings creation to its final stage and completes its entire cycle. Only those who are blinded to the great divine wisdom as reflected everywhere in the universe remain oblivious to it.

Devoted to faith, this surah is concluded with a restatement of the basic principle of faith, i.e. God’s oneness. It declares that those who associate partners with God are the great losers, and their picture is shown in stark contrast to the great success achieved by the believers and highlighted at the opening of the surah. It closes with an appeal to God for mercy and forgiveness: “Sublimely exalted is God, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth. There is no deity other than Him, the Lord of the Glorious Throne. He that invokes besides God any other deity — a deity for whose existence he has no evidence — shall be brought to account before his Lord. Most certainly, the unbelievers shall never prosper. Say: My Lord! Forgive and have mercy. You are the best of those who show mercy.”

This final comment follows the scene of the Day of Judgment we have been discussing. It also comments on the numerous arguments given in the surah and the diverse proofs of the truth of faith it provides. Thus, it gives us the perfect conclusion to all that has passed in the surah. It declares that God is highly exalted above all that they claim. He is the true sovereign over the universe, the only God who commands all power, as He is “the Lord of the Glorious Throne.”

Any claim that there is any deity alongside God Almighty is a claim without any proof based on what we see in the universe, or on natural or sophisticated logic. Anyone who makes such a claim will have to face the reckoning before God Himself. The result is known in advance, for: “Most certainly, the unbelievers shall never prosper.” This is an ever-true rule, just like the rule that guarantees success to those who believe.

What people may see in this life, with the unbelievers enjoying wealth and power, is not counted as success when measured according to the true standard. It is merely a temptation and a test which will end in failure even in this present life. Should some of them escape punishment in this life, they are certain to be held to account in the hereafter. As we have repeatedly said, the hereafter is the final stage of human life. It is not separated from it in God’s design. As such, it is a necessity when we take a broad view of life and the universe.

The final verse in this surah, The Believers, is an appeal to God for mercy and forgiveness: “Say: My Lord! Forgive and have mercy. You are the best of those who show mercy.”

Thus, the beginning and the end of the surah are on the same wavelength. Both make clear that success belongs to the believers while the unbelievers will end in utter loss.

The opening shows the believers as humbling themselves in their prayers, while the end shows the believers addressing their Lord in perfect humility. Harmony between the beginning and the end is complete and perfect.

Arab News Islam 20 June 2003