In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful
Remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: all men of strength and vision. We gave them a specially distinctive quality: the remembrance of the life to come. In Our sight, they were indeed among the elect, the truly good. And remember Ishmael, Elisha and Dhul-Kifl: each belonged to the truly good. (SAD: 38: 45-48)
As we saw in our discussion of the surah so far, the stories of three prophets, David, Solomon and Job are related in some detail to remind Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he too should remain steadfast in the face of opposition, the surah makes a very brief reference to other prophets. They too endured tests and remained patient; they also received God’s favors as a result. Some of these lived earlier than David, Solomon and Job, and we know the periods they lived in, while we do not know the others’ time of life, because the Qur’an and other sources available to us have not specified it. “Remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: all men of strength and vision. We gave them a specially distinctive quality: the remembrance of the life to come. In Our sight, they were indeed among the elect, the truly good. And remember Ishmael, Elisha and Dhul-Kifl: each belonged to the truly good.”
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, as well as Ishmael, undoubtedly lived earlier than David and Solomon, but we do not know in what time relation they were to Job. Elisha and Dhul-Kifl are mentioned only very briefly in the Qur’an. The Arabic name given to the first of these two is Alyasa, which is closer to the Hebrew version of Elisha. Most probably they refer to the same person. As for Dhul-Kifl, we know nothing of him apart from how he is described here: he “belonged to the truly good.”
God, limitless is He in His glory, describes Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as “men of strength and vision,” which refers to their good actions, whether physical, done by hand, or mental, relying on sound vision and good judgment. This implies that a person who does not do good deeds is without a hand, and the one who does not think well is without a mind or a vision.
Another of their good characteristics is that God gave them a distinctive quality to remember the life to come. This they did with complete disregard for everything else: “We gave them a specially distinctive quality: the remembrance of the life to come.” This is the quality that gave them their distinction and choice position: “In Our sight, they were indeed among the elect, the truly good.”
Similarly, God states that Ishmael, Elisha and Dhul-Kifl were truly good. He instructs his last messenger to remember them and to contemplate their patience in adversity and the grace He bestowed on them. He too should remain patient in the face of denial and rejection. Steadfastness and patience is the proper course for all advocates of the divine message, particularly God’s messengers. God will not abandon such servants. Instead, He will reward them for their patience. What He has for them is certainly better than anything else. When compared with God’s grace and care, the schemings and rejections of the unbelievers are of little significance.
So far the surah has presented a taste of the life of some of God’s chosen people, as they were tested and endured hardship with patience and resignation. They were then granted God’s favors and grace. In this way some of the most noble lives in this present world were depicted. Now the surah continues its discourse, speaking about God-fearing people in contrast to those who are tyrannical and commit excesses. It shows them however in the next world, where life is everlasting. Thus it paints a scene of the Day of Judgment.
The surah draws a picture of two completely contrasting images, both in their general outlook and detail. Thus, the God-fearing will have “a good place to return to”, while the transgressors will have “the most evil place to return to.” The former will be in gardens of perpetual bliss, with gates wide open, where every comfort is available and they are well seated, enjoying all the food and drink they desire, as also female companions of the same age. Although they are still young women, they are “of modest gaze,” which means that they are not looking around for anything or coveting what others have. This is all part of what God will provide them with, and whatever He provides will never be exhausted.
We will discuss this in more detail next week, God willing.