In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful
Say: ‘I counsel you one thing: stand before God, in pairs or singly, and think: there is no madness in your companion (Muhammad). He is only a warner to you of awesome suffering to come.’ Say: ‘If I have ever asked you for any reward, you can keep it. My reward rests with none other than God. He is witness to everything.’ Say: ‘My Lord hurls forth the truth. He has full knowledge of all that is beyond the reach of people’s perception.’ (Sheba; Saba’: 34: 46-48)
The surah now instructs the Prophet (peace be upon him) to call on them in all sincerity to search for the truth, to distinguish between what is false and what is true, and to assess the situation they are in, free of distortion and fabrication: “Say: I counsel you one thing: stand before God, in pairs or singly, and think: there is no madness in your companion (Muhammad). He is only a warner to you of awesome suffering to come.”
This is an invitation to stand before God, in all sincerity, removing from one’s mind all personal prejudices, interests, motivations, desires, environmental and social influences. It is an invitation to look at the facts, plain and simple. This invitation seeks to put before their eyes the plain argument of human nature, away from everything that blurs or obscures what is clear and simple. At the same time, it is a simple means to search for truth, discarding all outside influences and being mindful only of God.
There is only ‘one thing’, that ensures that the way is the right one and the method sound. This is to stand before God in all sincerity, looking to satisfy no prejudice, or ensure any personal gain or interest; and to be free of all influences and pressures; and then to think and reflect in complete sincerity. What, then, is this one thing? “Stand before God, in pairs or singly:” ‘in pairs’ so that one can speak frankly to another and argue with him, without being influenced by the masses and their spontaneous reactions, and ‘singly’ so that you can face the facts in a cool and reflective way.
“And think: there is no madness in your companion (Muhammad).” You have known him for a long time, and everything you have seen from him points to his wisdom and logic. He does not say anything that could cause anyone to suspect the soundness of his mind. He only says powerful words of wisdom that are plainly stated.
“He is only a warner to you of awesome suffering to come.” This statement shows the suffering to be close at hand, and the warning precedes it by only one step, hoping to save anyone who listens. It is like an alarm warning of a fire that threatens lives. It urges immediate action to escape inevitable suffering.
Quoting one of the Prophet’s companions, Imam Ahmad relates the following Hadith: “The Prophet came out one day and called us three times, then said: ‘Do you realize what my position is in relation to you?’ People said: ‘God and His Messenger know best.’ He rejoined: ‘My position in relation to you is like that of a community who feared that an enemy might be heading toward them, so they sent one of them to gather intelligence. As he went about his mission, he saw the enemy drawing near, and he moved fast to warn his people. However, he feared that he might be caught by the enemy before he could warn his people. So he waved his robe and shouted: the enemy is nigh; the enemy is nigh.’” In another Hadith, the Prophet is quoted as saying: “I was sent with my message at the approach of the Last Hour: it could have almost been ahead of me.”
That was the first note: powerful and inspiring. It is closely followed by another note: “Say: If I have ever asked you for any reward, you can keep it. My reward rests with none other than God. He is witness to everything.” At first the surah called on them to think carefully about the man delivering the message and the fact that he is of sound mind, without the faintest trace of madness. Now they are asked to think about the reasons that motivate him to warn them against the painful suffering that may befall them: what is his interest in all this? How can he benefit by it? The Qur’an orders the Prophet to put this to them in a way that fits with their logic and touches their consciences: “If I have ever asked you for any reward, you can keep it.” Take it all! Whatever I asked you, you keep for yourselves. This combines sarcasm with guidance and instruction: “My reward rests with none other than God.” It is He who has charged me with this message and He gives me my reward for it. It is to Him alone that I look for reward. If a person expects to be rewarded by God, all that others can offer is trifling. “He is witness to everything.” He sees and knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is my witness in whatever I intend, say or do.
The third note is stronger and faster: “Say: My Lord hurls forth the truth. He has full knowledge of all that is beyond the reach of people’s perception.” What I have given you is the truth, which is powerful in its own right. However, it is God who hurls it forth: who can stand up to His truth? It is like a missile whose trajectory penetrates what otherwise would not be possible to penetrate. The one who hurls it is God, who ‘has full knowledge of all that is beyond the reach of people’s perception.’ When He hurls it, He is fully aware of what takes place. No goal is hidden from Him and no shield or fortification can stop what He hurls.