B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m Teachings of the Qur`aan Al-Qiyaamah
Soorah 75:16-40 Ayub A. Hamid At this point, the flow of the discourse was interrupted to give the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam instructions about the intake of the revelation which have been discussed in detail in the background section for this Soorah. 16 Do not move your tongue (O Prophet) along with the revelation to hasten with it. 17 Verily, We are responsible for putting it together and ensuring its proper recitation. 18 So repeat its recitation only after We have finished it. 19 Then again, We are responsible for explaining it. One may wonder why the personal instructions given to the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam have been included in here as well as in Soorah Taa Haa (verse 114), interrupting the flow of the discourse at both places? After the instructions were conveyed and understood by the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, they should have been excluded from the text. The answer is that the exclusion of these verses would have violated the distinguishing feature of the Qur-aan. What distinguishes the Qur-aan from every other book is that every single letter or word revealed by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala in His own words to the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam through formal revelation was preserved, recited, written, taught, conveyed and retained exactly as revealed without any subsequent editing or change whatsoever by anyone involved in the process - Allaah Himself, angels, the Prophet or believers. The whole revelation has been preserved exactly as revealed forever. For the verses under discussion for this Soorah, there is another important and obvious additional benefit: People know from these verses that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala Himself has taken the responsibility of the preservation of the Qur-aan, that even the compilation of the verses of the Qur-aan has been strictly according to the dictates of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and that the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam was provided personal coaching subsequent to the revelation of the verses. These aspects were explained fully in the background section for this Soorah. After the instructions, the discourse resumes with negation of the excuses they used to justify their wrong-doings and to reject the concept of the Day of Judgment and the eternal life Hereafter. The real reason is that they fall for immediate fulfillment of desires and instant gratification, rather than patiently striving for the success in the Hereafter. But their neglect of the Hereafter is not going to make it go away. 20 Invalid excuses! The reality is that you love the immediate, 21 and neglect the Hereafter. 22 Some faces, that Day, will be fresh and radiant; 23 looking towards their Lord; 24 While other faces on that day shall be gloomy, 25 knowing that some back-breaking calamity was about to be inflicted on them. Those who patiently prepare for the Hereafter, they will be happy with the results. "Looking towards their Lord" has literal as well as idiomatic meanings and both are valid and applicable here. Idiomatically it means that they will be expecting the wonderful mercy and kindness and great rewards from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. Literally it means that they will be seeing Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. According to another verse of the Qur-aan and some Ahaadeeth of the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam, the people of Jannah will be seeing Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. However, it should be kept in mind that the nature of our vision in the Hereafter will not be the same as we are accustomed to in this world. Our visual capabilities and instruments of vision in the Hereafter are from Mutashaabihaat, beyond our understanding. We will truly understand these matters only in the Hereafter. Those who fall for the pleasures of this world at the cost of the Hereafter, they will be extremely sad and depressed knowing the hardships and intensity of punishment waiting for them. So if you assume that death is the end of everything, it is not true. Death takes you to the Hereafter to be presented to your Lord, which you cannot avoid at all! 26 It cannot be avoided! When it (the soul) reaches the collar-bones, 27 and it is wondered, "Any wizard who can cure?", 28 and he (the dying person) knows that it is the parting time, 29 and one shin is joined with the other, 30 to your Lord on that day shall be the departure. These verses paint a picture of the last moments of an individual's life when people are ready to do anything in desperation, but are utterly helpless. Joining of shins is interpreted by some commentators literally, indicating physical collapse at the time of death; while others take it idiomatically, indicating simultaneous incidence of two calamities - shock of leaving the world and fear of the hardships of the Hereafter. When the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam would present these facts to the Makkans, his opponents, especially Aboo Jahl, typically behaved in the manner described in the following verses. 31 So he did not accept the truth, nor did he perform Salaah (the formal worship). 32 But instead, he rejected Truth and turned away! 33 Then he went to his folks, stalking away haughtily. 34 Woe to you, even more woe. 35 Again, Woe to you, even more woe. The Soorah closes by inviting people once again to think and reflect about the accountability and the Hereafter. 36 Does man think that he is to be left without being held accountable? 37 Was he not a tiny bit of ejected semen? 38 Then he was a clinging clot, so Allaah developed him and fashioned him in due proportion 39 and made of him two kinds, the male and the female. 40 Is not He Capable of giving life to the dead? How can someone think that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala will bestow people with freedom to act and then leave them to do whatever they want without holding them accountable for their behaviour? How can He instil in them a concept of right and wrong, equip them with conscience and then make it inconsequential whether they practise goodness or evil? How can He do meaningless and purposeless things such as creating people and then letting them perish without any consequence? How can people assume that the One who designed an effective process to send people for a temporary stay in the world, did not design a process to bring them back for accountability? If He was capable of designing the first, was He not capable of designing the second? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2009 Ayub A. Hamid All rights reserved This document may be used, only with this copyright notice included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author's subject title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all other rights, which are reserved. Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur`aan, not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details. Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur`aan is in fact only an expression of the translator's understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur`aan itself. Only the original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur`aan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic thinker residing in Canada for the last 34 years. His recently published books are: 1. Islam - Does It Make Sense? 2. Unveiling the Commands - The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar and Jilbaab. 3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth. 4. A Book Unlike Any Other. 5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms. 6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs. http://soundvisioncanada.com/shop/pbrowse.asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following soowar 'Teachings of the Qur`aan' series by Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:- Al Faatihah Al Baqarah Aali`Imraan A Nisaa' Al Maaidah Al An`aam Al A`raaf Al Anfaal At Teen Al`Alaq Al Qadr Al Bayyinah Al Zilzaal Al Aadiyatt Al Qaari`ah At Takaathur Al`Asr Al Humazah Al Feel Al Quraish Al Maa`oon Al-Kowthar Al Kaafiroon Al Nasr Al Lahab Al Ikhlaas Al Falaq An Naas Al Mulk Al Qalam Al Haaqqah Al Ma`aarij Nooh Al Jinn Al Muzammil Al Muddaththir Al Qiyaamah - Name and Background / Aayaat 1-15 K a r i m a -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
