In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
They answered: “Never shall we prefer you to all the evidence of the truth that has come to us, nor to Him who has brought us into being! Decree, then, whatever you are going to decree. You can only decree on what pertains to this worldly life. As for us, we have come to believe in our Lord, hoping that He may forgive us our faults and all that magic to which you have forced us. God is certainly the best and He is everlasting.”
He who shall appear before his Lord (on Judgment Day) laden with sin shall be consigned to hell, where he shall neither die nor live. But he who shall appear before Him with true faith, having done righteous deeds, shall be exalted to the highest ranks, abiding in the gardens of Eden through which running waters flow. Such shall be the recompense of those who keep themselves pure.
(Ta Ha: 20: 72-76)
We stopped last week at the point when the sorcerers, who were gathered by Pharaoh to challenge Moses and prove that his message was false, had submitted to the truth of Moses’ message. They realized that what they produced was a mere dazzling of the eyes that has no basis in reality. On the other hand, the sign given by Moses when he threw his staff and it turned into a snake devouring all that they worked out was a real one. They tested it with the best method they could only to discover that it was not the result of any trick. The whole thing was both real and tangible. Hence, they submitted to the only power that could produce such a transformation, that is, God Almighty. Pharaoh realized what that meant for him and his authority over his people. Hence, he threatened them with severe punishment, saying: “I shall most certainly cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I shall most certainly crucify you on the trunks of the palm trees. You will then come to know for certain which of us can inflict a more severe and longer lasting punishment.”
But it was too late for Pharaoh. Faith has touched the hearts of those sorcerers and the small, insignificant human being in them was now in firm contact with the great source of real power. Hence, they were very strong, while all earthly powers were too weak. Indeed the whole life on Earth is too small when compared to the broad, bright horizons to which those believing hearts now looked up. All that pertains to life on Earth is of no consequence: “They answered: ‘Never shall we prefer you to all the evidence of the truth that has come to us, nor to Him who has brought us into being! Decree, then, whatever you are going to decree. You can only decree on what pertains to this worldly life. As for us, we have come to believe in our Lord, hoping that He may forgive us our faults and all that magic to which you have forced us. God is certainly the best and He is everlasting’.”
This is the sort of change faith brings about in the hearts of people who, until a moment earlier, were submissive to Pharaoh, considering their highest achievement to be close to him, receiving his favors. Now they are ready to confront him with determination that puts his power, throne and wealth in proper perspective: “Never shall we prefer you to all the evidence of the truth that has come to us, nor to Him who has brought us into being!” Such evidence is much more precious in our view, and God, our Creator, is far dearer to us than anything else. “Decree, then, whatever you are going to decree.” This is a challenge to Pharaoh to do his worst. He cannot stop them. “You can only decree on what pertains to this worldly life.”
That is as far as Pharaoh’s power extends. They tell him clearly that he can have no authority over them anywhere other than in this worldly life, which is short, momentary and of little value. Whatever punishment he may inflict on them is too trivial to be feared by a heart that has established a close contact with God and hopes to receive His reward in the hereafter. “As for us, we have come to believe in our Lord, hoping that He may forgive us our faults and all that magic to which you have forced us.” They tell him that in the past they could not disobey him when he forced them to practice magic. Now that they have believed, they hope to be forgiven by God who, they realize, is the best and the everlasting. His reward is far more plentiful and enjoyed for much longer than any worldly reward.
The sorcerers who came to believe in God were inspired by their faith to adopt an attitude that looked down on Pharaoh and his power: “He who shall appear before his Lord (on Judgment Day) laden with sin shall be consigned to hell, where he shall neither die nor live. But he who shall appear before Him with true faith, having done righteous deeds, shall be exalted to the highest ranks, abiding in the gardens of Eden through which running waters flow. Such shall be the recompense of those who keep themselves pure.”
Pharaoh originally threatened them saying that his punishment was more severe and longer lasting. The reply provides an image of one who comes on the Day of Judgment to meet his Lord, being fully laden with sin. The punishment such a person receives is indeed the longer lasting and more painful, because such a person “shall be consigned to hell, where he shall neither die nor live.” He does not enjoy the termination of pain that a dead person normally has, nor is he living so as to enjoy life’s pleasures. He simply receives a painful punishment that does not lead to a life or death. On the opposite side the highest ranks are shown. These are the gardens of bliss, irrigated by running waters. That is “the recompense of those who keep themselves pure,” purging themselves of all sin.
Thus the believing hearts take no notice of the stern threats of despotic tyranny, standing up to it with the powerful word of faith. They are profoundly confident, issuing a warning based on faith and expressing their hopes that are based on their newly-found faith.
This confrontation is recorded in the history of mankind as a declaration of man’s freedom, after throwing the shackles of this worldly life, its powers, worries and aspirations. No human heart can adopt such a confrontational attitude unless it believes in God and relies on His support.
With this attitude clearly portrayed the Surah moves on to a different stage in the history of Moses and his followers. We will look at this next week, God willing.
A one-directional flow of benefit
Edited by Adil Salahi
Today we will discuss a sacred, or Qudsi Hadith which defines the relationship between God and His servants. We have mentioned earlier that a sacred Hadith is a form of revelation stated in God’s own words and conveyed to us by the Prophet. However, it is not part of the Qur’an and cannot be read in prayer. Moreover, although it may be highly authentic, its transmission may rely on a chain of single narrators.
Our commentary over the last two weeks dealt with the first part of the Hadith in which all injustice is described as absolutely forbidden and the basic needs of man have been shown to be provided by God. Without His provisions, all of us would remain hungry, naked, astray and writhing under the burden of sin. Therefore, we should always seek His help and pray Him to feed and clothe us, guide us to the right path and forgive our sins. Before commenting on the next part of the Hadith, let us remind ourselves of its text: One of the statements the Prophet relates as having been said by his Lord (limitless He is in His glory) is that He says: “My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another. My servants, all of you are astray, except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you. My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you.
“My servants, you will not attain the ability of harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain the ability of benefiting Me so as to benefit Me. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what they have requested, that would not decrease what I have any more than a needle decreases the ocean if put into it.
“My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him who finds good praise God and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and Muslim).
After having established that we are in need of God for even the most basic of our needs, such as food and clothes, God makes it clear to us that we can neither harm nor benefit Him in any way. While we will suffer great harm if God withholds His bounty from us and denies us His provisions, we stand to enjoy great benefits if He allows their flow to reach us. Thus, the relationship between God and ourselves is that of continuous need on our part and absolute inability to do without God’s help.
Some people may look at the great advancements achieved by scientists over the last fifty or sixty years and compare human life before these advancements with what has been achieved through them. The thought may occur to some people that with such a great rate of progress, man may move into wider horizons which he could not even have thought to exist a few years ago. With such progress, could not man achieve a much higher position than he has so far occupied in the universe? Well, man may attain any great height he is capable of attaining. No matter how great his achievements are, man will never be able to cause harm or bring benefit to God.
The Hadith gives further details of this inability in a most conclusive manner. Were all beings, human and jinn, in all generations to demonstrate the greatest standard of piety, righteousness and model behavior, they will give God nothing. Conversely, if they were as wicked as the most wicked person that has ever existed, they will cause no decrease in God’s kingdom. In other words, neither our piety, worship or model behavior are of any benefit to God, nor are our sins and wickedness of any harm to Him. Indeed, it is we who benefit by our piety and suffer harm as a result of our sins and wickedness. And it is we who will always be in need of God.
This thought is carried even further. An image is drawn which can easily be perceived by us: imagine that all human beings together with all the jinns who lived ever since the beginning of life and who are living now and will live in future till the end of life were brought together and each one of them was told that he or she was free to pray God to give them anything they wished. Everyone will start making his list of comforts and luxuries they wish to enjoy. Imagine then that each single person of them was given all their requests, how much would that constitute? If we were to evaluate all that in our monetary terms, the value is bound to reach astronomical figures. After all, we see so much misery in the world and yet individual countries estimate their annual budgets in billions of pounds and dollars. We need only to imagine that if all people were to live comfortably, these budgets would have to be multiplied several times. That is the need of one generation. When we think that human life has seen perhaps thousands of generations and may see thousands more, what sort of figure we imagine will be sufficient to meet all basic needs of all humanity in all generations? Nevertheless, if every single one of them, and of other beings as well, were to ask God every thing they could desire or imagine, and if they were all to be granted all their requests, what will the cost of all that be to God?
In this sacred Hadith, God gives us an idea. He compares all that to what He has and says that it is in the same proportion as a needle will decrease the water of the ocean when it is dipped once in it. Indeed this comparison is given for our benefit in order to imagine God’s greatness and the vastness of His kingdom. Indeed, if He were to grant everyone his request, that would not decrease what He has got in any way. A needle dipped into the ocean would decrease its water by a fraction of a single drop. To our minds, the ocean remains the same, because of the great difference between what is taken out of it and what is left. Nevertheless, that tiny little drop of water costs much more than what granting the requests of all human beings and jinns would cost God.
The Hadith concludes with an important reminder to all human beings that they can influence their outcome on the Day of Judgment. It is on that day that their deeds are reckoned up. The result will determine whether they will receive a reward or get a punishment. But then, the reward comes by God’s grace, because it is He who has guided us and who has given us everything to enable us to do well. If we do not do well, the fault is with us and we are responsible for that. Hence, on the Day of Judgment, if we find the result to be good, then we should praise God for His bounty, provisions, guidance and forgiveness. Those who find their results otherwise — and we pray sincerely not to be included among them — have only themselves to blame. Everything has been given them to help them maintain a life which will bring them happiness in this life and will ensure their happiness in the life to come, but they abandoned all this and chose a life which might bring them momentary pleasures but was certain to end up with misery.
