Whoever submits himself to God and excels in good deeds has indeed taken hold of the most firm support. With God rests the final outcome of all events. And whoever disbelieves; let not their unbelief grieve you. To Us they must all return, and then We shall inform them about all that they were doing (in life). God has full knowledge of what is in people’s hearts. We will let them enjoy themselves for a short while, but We shall ultimately drive them into severe suffering.
If you were to ask them: ‘Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth?’ they will be sure to answer: ‘God.’ Say: ‘All praise is due to God alone!’ Yet most of them do not understand. To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Indeed, God is the One who is self-sufficient, worthy of all praise. (Luqman: 31: 22-26)
The surah now refers to the proper attitude that should result from reflecting on the universal evidence and the countless blessings: “Whoever submits himself to God and excels in good deeds has indeed taken hold of the most firm support. With God rests the final outcome of all events.” Together with good deeds, what is required is total submission to God, feeling reassured about God’s will, obedience to His commands, fulfillment of the duties He requires, confidence in His mercy, trust to His care, and total contentment. All this is grouped under the heading of submission to God.
“Whoever submits himself to God and excels in good deeds has indeed taken hold of a most firm support.” This support is a bond that is never severed or weakens. It never lets down anyone who holds to it, in any situation of ease or difficulty. No one who holds to it will ever be lost, even though his road is rough, dark and beset by hardships. This firm support is the close, confident link between the submitting believer and his Lord. Thus, whatever comes through God’s will is accepted without qualms. It gives the believer the sort of reassurance that keeps him calm and confident as he faces all events. He is able to rise above comforts, luxuries, difficulties, surprises and all impediments.
Man’s journey is long, hard and full of dangers. The danger posed by luxury and affluence is no less than that arising from misery and deprivation. The need for firm, ever-present support is urgent and permanent. The most firm support is that which comes about from submitting oneself to God and doing good deeds. “With God rests the final outcome of all events.” With Him all journeys end, and to Him we all return. Hence, it is better for man to submit to Him from the start, so that he will move along his journey with confidence, reassurance and guidance.
“And whoever disbelieves; let not their unbelief grieve you. To Us they must all return, and then We shall inform them about all that they were doing (in life). God has full knowledge of what is in people’s hearts. We will let them enjoy themselves for a short while, but We shall ultimately drive them into severe suffering.”
This is, by contrast, the end of the unbeliever who is deceived by life’s comforts. In this present life, he is shown to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the believers as being of no consequence: “Whoever disbelieves; let not their unbelief grieve you.” He is too small for you to be grieved over him. As for his end in the life to come, it is again a case of insignificance. He cannot escape God’s punishment, when God knows all about his actions and his intentions: “To Us they must all return, and then We shall inform them about all that they were doing in life. God has full knowledge of what is in people’s hearts.” (Verse 24) The enjoyments that deceive such people are small, short in duration, trifling in value, but the results at the end are terrifying. They are pushed into these and cannot escape them: “We shall ultimately drive them into severe suffering.” (Verse 24) The Arabic term, ghaliz, used here to describe the suffering, has more physical connotations than ‘severe’ suggests. Thus the verse gives a more tangible feeling of the suffering into which they are driven, unable to avoid it. How vastly different the two ends are.
The surah then puts them face to face with the logic of their own nature as it looks at the universe and cannot deny the truth it emphasizes. Nevertheless, they continue to deviate and remain heedless of the logic of their own nature: “If you were to ask them: ‘Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth?’ they will be sure to answer: ‘God.’ Say: ‘All praise is due to God alone!’ Yet most of them do not understand. To God belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Indeed, God is the One who is self-sufficient, worthy of all praise.”
When man questions his own nature and conscience, he cannot avoid admitting this clear truth. The heavens and the earth stand as they are: with careful planning of their sizes, movement, dimensions, qualities and characteristics. They are made in deliberate measure and full harmony. Yet they are creatures that no one claims to have created, and no one alleges that any creator other than God has had a share in their creation. They cannot have come into existence by themselves. Nor can they follow a system or establish harmony without elaborate planning or planner. To suggest that they have existed by themselves, or as the result of coincidence, does not merit argument. Moreover, human nature profoundly rejects any such claim.
Those who opposed the monotheistic faith by associating partners with God, and argued very strongly against the Prophet and his message, could not falsify the argument of their own nature when they were confronted with the universal proof of the creation of the heavens and the earth. Hence, they did not hesitate in their reply to the question: ‘Who has created the heavens and the earth?’ Their answer was clear: ‘God.’ Therefore, God directs His Messenger to comment on their answer by praising God: “Say: All praise is due to God alone.” Praise is due to God for keeping the truth clear in human nature, for this acknowledgement in the face of the universal proof and in all situations. The argument is discontinued so as to give a new comment: “Yet most of them do not understand.” It is because they do not understand that they continue to argue, ignoring the logic of human nature and the fact that the whole universe points to its supreme Creator.