In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Mankind! Have fear of your Lord. The violent convulsion of the Last Hour will be awesome indeed.
On the day when it comes, every suckling mother will utterly forget her nursling, and every woman heavy with child will cast her burden; and it will seem to you that all mankind are drunk, although they are not drunk. But severe indeed will be God’s punishment.
(The Pilgrimage, Al-Haj: 1-2)
We begin today our commentary on this surah which was partly revealed in Makkah and partly in Madinah, as appears from its verses and the topics they address. We note in particular that verses 38-41, which give the Muslim community permission to fight, and verse 60, which speaks about meting out the same punishment as the one inflicted on Muslims by others, were revealed in Madinah. Muslims were only allowed to fight or to exact similar punishment after the Prophet’s migration to Madinah and the establishment of the Muslim state there. Prior to that, the Prophet stated that he had not received any directives allowing such fight.
He was replying to an offer by the people of Madinah who came to pledge their support to him. They stated that they were ready to attack the unbelievers in Mina and kill them all. He said: “I have not been told to do such a thing.” But when Madinah became the land of the Muslim state, God permitted fighting to repel the aggression of the unbelievers and to defend the freedom of belief and worship.
In its subject matter and its general ambiance, the surah appears closer to the Qur’anic surahs revealed in Makkah. Issues like God’s oneness, the warning to be watchful for the Last Hour, evidence for the inevitable resurrection of all mankind, the fallacy of pagan beliefs based on associating partners with God, the scenes of the Day of Judgment, and drawing attention to universal signs pointing to God’s existence and power, are all very prominent in the surah. But also prominent are many of the issues normally addressed in surahs revealed in Madinah. Apart from giving permission to the Muslim community to fight for God’s cause, the surah addresses issues like the freedom of worship, promises of God’s support to those who fight to repel aggression, and the order to fight for God’s cause.
The surah gives clear impressions of power, strength, toughness and awe. It gives clear warnings and alerts feelings of God consciousness, fearing Him and submission to His will. All these impressions are given in the scenes painted in the surah and the examples it cites.
The scene of resurrection at the beginning is very powerful, striking fear in people’s hearts: “Mankind! Have fear of your Lord. The violent convulsion of the Last Hour will be awesome indeed. On the day when it comes, every suckling mother will utterly forget her nursling, and every woman heavy with child will cast her burden; and it will seem to you that all mankind are drunk, although they are not drunk. But severe indeed will be God’s punishment.”
The same may be said of the scene describing punishment in the hereafter: “For the unbelievers garments of fire shall be cut out; and scalding water will be poured over their heads, melting all that is in their bellies and their skin. In addition, there will be grips of iron for them. Whenever, in their anguish, they try to get out, they are returned there, and will be told: ‘Taste the torment of fire’.”
A full of life picture is drawn showing the status of one who associates partners with God: “He who associate partners with God is like one who is hurling down from the skies; whereupon he is snatched by the birds, or blown away by the wind to a far-off place.” Equally vivid is the description of the one who has lost hope of every being given support by God: “If anyone thinks that God will not succor him in this world and in the life to come, let him stretch out a rope to the sky and then cut himself off; and then let him see whether his scheme will remove that which has enraged him.”
And powerful indeed is the scene of the townships that were destroyed on account of their wrongdoing: “How many a township have We destroyed because it had been immersed in evildoing. Now they lie in desolate ruin. How many a well lies abandoned, and how many a proud palace lies empty.”
All these powerful and awesome scenes are coupled with the serious orders and the tasks assigned, in addition to the justification to the use of power to repel aggression, the firm promise to grant victory and power. This is re-emphasized in the reference to God’s might and the weakness of His alleged partners. In the first group we may cite the following example: “Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged.
Most certainly, God has the power to grant them victory. These are the ones who have been driven from their homelands against all right for no other reason than their saying, ‘Our Lord is God!’ Were it not that God repels some people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques — in all of which God’s name is abundantly extolled — would surely have been destroyed. God will most certainly succor him who succors God’s cause. God is certainly most powerful, almighty.
They are those who, if We firmly establish them on earth, attend regularly to their prayers, give in charity, enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong. With God rests the final outcome of all events.”
And an example of the second type we find in the following two verses: “Mankind! An aphorism is set forth; hearken, then, to it. Those beings whom you invoke instead of God cannot create a fly, even though they were to join all their forces to that end. If a fly robs them of anything, they cannot rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and weak the sought! No true understanding of God have they. God is certainly most powerful, almighty.”
Beyond all this we discern the repeated call to remain God-fearing and to stand in awe of God. The surah starts with this call in its first verse, and repeats it time and again: “Mankind! Have fear of your Lord. The violent convulsion of the Last Hour will be awesome indeed. Anyone who honors the symbols set up by God (shows evidence of) God-consciousness in people’s hearts.”
“Your God is the One and Only God. Hence, surrender yourselves to Him. Give good news to those who are humble, whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God is mentioned. Never does their meat or their blood reach God; it is your piety that reaches Him.”
The surah is also full of scenes of the universe, the Day of Judgment, the fate of earlier communities, cited cases, images, reflections and lessons drawn. All these aim to alert the feelings of faith, piety, and surrender to God. This is what characterizes the entire surah and gives it its distinctive mark.
We will begin a more detailed discussion of the surah next week, God willing.