In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful
This book is bestowed from on high by God, the Almighty, the Wise. It is We who have bestowed on you this revelation from on high, stating the truth. Therefore, worship God alone, sincere in your faith in Him. True devotion is due to God alone. Those who take others besides Him as their protectors say: ‘We worship them for no reason other than that they would bring us nearer to God.’ God will judge between them concerning all matters on which they differ. God will not grace with guidance anyone who is an ungrateful liar. (The Throngs, Al-Zumar, 39: 1-3)
THIS surah deals almost exclusively with the issue of God’s oneness. It varies its address to the human heart, striking the full range of tones on its instrument so as to produce a sustained and profound effect. This it does to firmly establish the roots of the principle of God’s oneness, purging the heart of anything that could mar its image. Thus, from start to finish, the surah variously deals with just one subject.
From the very outset, this issue is given immediate prominence. It comes again with regular frequency, either expressly stated or as a concept to contemplate.
Alongside stating the truth of God’s oneness the surah provides numerous guidelines and inspiring touches to alert our hearts. This serves to fine-tune our responses so that we can make the right response to the divine address.
A prominent feature of the whole surah is the way in which the air of the life to come spreads over it. Every short passage takes us there. Indeed, the hereafter is its stage. A few examples suffice by way of illustration: “Say: Indeed I would dread, were I to disobey my Lord, the suffering of an awesome day.” (Verse 13) “How about one on whom God’s sentence of punishment has been passed? Can you rescue those who are already in the fire?” (Verse 19) “Yet much greater will be the suffering of the life to come, if they but knew it.” (Verse 26) “Is not there in hell a proper abode for the unbelievers?” (Verse 32) Moreover, a large part of the surah draws complete scenes of the hereafter, thereby adding to its overall ambience.
Scenes of the universe which are varied and frequent in Makkan surahs are few here. We have one at the opening and one more in the middle of the surah. In addition we have a number of quick references to the creation of the heavens and the earth.
The surah also includes references to practical life and human nature. Thus, early in the surah there is a reference to the origins of humanity: “He has created you all from a single soul, and from it He fashioned its mate; and He has bestowed on you four kinds of cattle in pairs; and He creates you in your mothers’ wombs, one act of creation after another, in threefold depths of darkness. Such is God, your Lord: to Him belongs all dominion. There is no deity other than Him. How, then, can you lose sight of the truth?” (Verse 6) There are also two examples on the nature of human reactions in situations of both adversity and pleasant ease: “When man suffers affliction, he cries out to his Lord, turning to Him for help; but once He bestows upon him a favor by His grace, he forgets what he cried and prayed for earlier.” (Verse 8) The fact that people’s souls are always in God’s grasp is also highlighted: “God takes away people’s souls upon their death, and the souls of the living during their sleep. He keeps with Him the souls of those whose death He has ordained and sends back the others until their appointed time. In all this there are signs for people who reflect.” (Verse 42)
However, the ambience of the surah is derived from its discourse on the Day of Judgment and the life to come. This permeates the surah until its conclusion with a scene of devoted worship giving us a clear impression of the atmosphere on that day: “You will see the angels surrounding the Throne, extolling their Lord’s glory and praise. Judgment will have been passed on all in justice, and it will be said: All praise is due to God, the Lord of all the worlds.” (Verse 75)
This impression fits perfectly with the ambience of the surah and the effect it has on our hearts. It emphasizes feelings of awe, fear of God and apprehension over one’s fate in the hereafter. Hence, the images it presents to us are those of a trembling, anxious and apprehensive heart. Take for example the image in verse 9 painting a devout worshipper spending hours at night in prayer with his mind fixed on his destiny in the life to come, hoping for God’s mercy. Or take the image in verse 23 depicting good believers listening to the Qur’an, yet they are shivering, though it is not long before their hearts and skins soften at the mention of God. The surah is full of directives drawing people’s attentions to the need to fear God and to be fully aware of what may happen to them on the Day of Resurrection: “You servants of Mine who believe! Fear your Lord!” (Verse 10) “Above them there shall be layers of fire, and layers of fire shall be beneath them. In this way God puts fear into His servants’ hearts: ‘My servants! Fear Me!’” (Verse 16) Additionally there are scenes of the Day of Judgment which emphasize our feelings of awe and apprehension.
The surah deals with its main theme in quick, short rounds, each one of which concludes with an image of the Day of Resurrection. We will discuss these in detail over the following few weeks, God willing.
