In the Name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful
Say: “Can those who know and those who do not know be deemed equal?” Only those who are endowed with insight will take heed. “Say: (Thus speaks God:) You servants of Mine who believe! Fear your Lord! Those who do good in this world will have a good reward. Wide is God’s earth. Those who are patient in adversity will be given their reward in full, beyond reckoning.” (The Throngs; Al-Zumar: 9-10)
The first verse poses the question whether people who know can be considered equal to those who devoid of knowledge. Needless to say, the surah is referring to a superior type of knowledge, which enables man to comprehend the truth. As we stated last week, true knowledge is that which understands the truth and opens one’s mind to the need to be in touch with the fundamental truths in the universe. True knowledge is not a host of pieces of information that clutter the mind without leading to any understanding of the fundamentals of existence.
The way to true knowledge and enlightened information then is devout worship, a sensitive heart, being mindful of the life to come, entertaining strong hopes of benefiting from God’s mercy and of being conscious of God. Those who limit themselves to individual experiences and superficial vision are no more than collectors of information. They will never attain the rank of people with knowledge. “Only those who are endowed with insight will take heed.”
The surah then addresses the believers, requiring them to remain God-fearing and to ensure that they always do good. They should use their life on earth, short as it is, as a means to earn everlasting reward in the life to come: “Say: (Thus speaks God:) You servants of Mine who believe! Fear your Lord! Those who do good in this world will have a good reward. Wide is God’s earth. Those who are patient in adversity will be given their reward in full, beyond reckoning.”
It is important to note here how the Arabic text is phrased. The words between brackets, “thus speaks God,” are not in the text. They are added to remove confusion. The text should originally read: “Say to My servants,” but the Prophet (peace be upon him) is made to address them, because an address alerts the addressees and makes them more aware of what is to come. When the Prophet addresses them, he does not call them as his servants, because they are God’s servants, not his. This means that he is addressing them in God’s name, making the address from God directly to them. The Prophet is merely the means by which the address is given.
“Say: (Thus speaks God:) You servants of Mine who believe! Fear your Lord!” (Verse 10) To fear God means to have a sensitive heart and to look up to Him cautiously and with apprehension, hope, wary lest one should incur His displeasure and keen to earn His pleasure. It is seen in the bright picture drawn in the previous verse of a devout worshipper, full of humility.
“Those who do good in this world will have a good reward.” What a great reward: a good deed in this present life, which is short and flimsy, is repaid with something good in the life to come, which is everlasting. This is certainly an act of God’s grace. He knows man’s weakness and small effort, so He repays him generously and takes care of him.
“Wide is God’s earth.” Your love of your land where you have relatives and friends should not prevent you from seeking a different abode if your own area is hostile to your faith and you cannot do well there. To stick to your place of habitat in such a case could present an opening for Satan. It could become a form of attributing equals to God, even though it might not be felt in this way. This is a fine point indicating that polytheism can subtly creep into our hearts. It is given within the context of belief in God’s oneness and fearing Him. It should be seen as evidence of the source of the Qur’an. No one can deal in this way with the human heart except the One who created it and knows what has an effect on it and how.
God, the Creator of mankind, knows that leaving one’s land is hard. It involves abandoning one’s relatives and the people with whom one has close ties, leaving the place where one can easily find work and earn a living, to go to a new place where one is a stranger. This is not an easy thing for anyone. Hence, the surah refers here to patience in adversity and how it is generously rewarded by God: “Those who are patient in adversity will be given their reward in full, beyond reckoning.” (Verse 10) Thus, God’s servants feel His care and are touched as they see that when they have to undertake something hard God turns to them with care and grace. He opens for them what compensates for land, country, family and relatives, giving them a reward without count.
All praise is due to God who knows all that affects a human heart and is fully aware of every thought that finds its way into his mind.
