Surah Al-Qaari’ah – Chapter 101 – Lesson No.20.

8^th February 1998 – 10/11 Shawwal 1418 –

بسم الله الرّحمن الرّحيم

ربّ اشرحلي صدري ويسّرلي أمري واحلل عُقدة مّن لُّلساني يفقهو قولي

الحمد لله ربّ العالَمين والعاقبة اللمتّقين والصّلوةُ والسّلام على رسولك سيّدنا محمّد

وأاله وأصحابه وأهل بيته وأهل طاعتك أجمعين – أمّا بعد

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرّجيم

بسم الله الرّحمن الرّحيم

الْقَارِعَةُ ¤ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ ¤ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ ¤ يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ¤ وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ ¤ فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ ¤ فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ ¤ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ ¤ فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ ¤ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ ¤ نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ ¤

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1 The calamity! The Great Disaster
2 What is the calamity? What is the Great Disaster
3 And what will make thee know how terrible is the calamity?
4 The day wherein men will be as scattered moths,
5 And the mountains will be as carded wool.
6 Then as for him whose measure (of good deeds) is heavy,
7 He will live a pleasant life.
8 And as for him whose measure (of good deeds) is light,
9 The abyss is a mother to him.
10 And what will make thee know what that is?
11 A burning Fire.

My dearest Brothers, My Dearest Sisters and my Dearest Children

السّلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنْفُوشِ

101.5 And the mountains will be like carded wool.

Continuing from last week – from where we left off :

Good deeds result in guidance and evil deeds make one go astray.  This is a universal rule to which there is no exception.

The Holy Qur’an describes it in different words, and has based on it many of its realities   Allah says: “Our Lord is he who gave everything to its creation, then guided it. (20:50)

قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَى

20.50 He said: “Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature, and further, gave (it) guidance.”

This means that everything, after its creation is completed, is guided by Allah to the goals of its creation and to its perfection..

For this purpose, it has been bound to other other things, and takes their advantage through action and reaction, uniting and separating, associating and dissociating, advancing and retreating, taKing and leaving …and so on.

We showed you when we did the scientific introduction to this surah, that no mistake occurs in the effect of the system of creation, and it never misses its targets.

e.g. When fire licks dry wood, it does not intend to cool it.

The Holy Qur’an says…….

ا إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

11.56  Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.

Thus in the world of creation, the effect never fails to follow the cause, and there is no discord in it.

Now we have Two axioms here

(axiom: a self-evident truth, a universal principle – Greek .axioma means to think worthy, To take for granted  – axio – means worthy)

1. Creative guidance is general;

2. The fact that no mistake ever occurs in creative matters.

These two realities are the basis of the system of cause and effect.

There is a way, or ways, between a thing and its intended goal and only through those specific ways it can reach there.

A seed grows into a tree only if it passes along its own particular path, complying with all its conditions and means.

And a fruit tree grows its own particular fruit.

In short, each cause creates its own particular effect, and each effect follows its own particular cause.

Allah says:

وَالْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَالَّذِي خَبُثَ لا يَخْرُجُ إِلا نَكِدًا كَذَلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ

7.58 From the land that is clean and good, by the will of its Cherisher, springs up produce, (rich) after its kind: but from the land that is bad, springs up nothing but that which is niggardly: thus do we explain the signs by various (symbols) to those who are grateful.

[And as for the good land, its vegetation springs forth (abundantly) by the permission

of its Lord and as for that which is bad(its herbage) comes forth but scantily (7:58)].

Reason  and experience vouch for it, otherwise the law of cause and effect would go awry.  So, you can see that creation guides everything to a particular goal; and that goal can be reached through that particular way.  It is the system created by Allah who has perfected everything.  Every link in the chain of causes leads to a particular end; and if a single link is changed  -  the effect will invariably change. Just a very superficial indication about creation.

The same rule applies to other fields like social affairs.

Society too is the result of creative and follows the laws of “creation”.

Social affairs and activities of society are connected with their own effects:

Those effects can be produced only by those particular activities.

Good upbringing can be accomplished only by a “good” tutor; if a “bad” tutor brings up a child, even if he shows himself to be a good man and actually sticks to good and proper methods in his bringing-up, the hidden evil will unfailingly pollute the mind of the child, and it will produce an undesirable and evil result.

A hundred veils and a thousand curtains will not be able to prevent the tutor’s spiritual evil effecting the character of the pupil.

When someone unlawfully takes hold of a country, or when an incompetent judge sits and delivers judgements on public disputes, or when someone takes upon himself, without the sanction of the Shariah, to discharge a social responsibility, its evil effects most certainly manifest themselves in society.

Let a wrong disguise itself as right,   or

Let an evil masquerade as good or

A lie to take the place of truth   or

Dishonesty appear as honesty  or

Deception camouflages itself in sincerity

All these disguises may fool the onlookers for a period, but ultimately all the protective coverings must come off,  revealing the ugly reality underneath.

وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

17.81 And say: “Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish.”

It is the system created by Allah in his creatures, and in 35:43

فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلا وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَحْوِيلا

35.43 . . But no change wilt thou find in Allah’s way (of dealing): no turning off wilt thou find in Allah’s way (of dealing).

["and you shall not find any alteration in the system of Allah, and you shall not find any change in the system of Allah].

The  truth does not die, nor does its effect fade, even if, for a short time, it is not perceived by the on lookers – and a lie can never stand on its feet, not can its effect be sustained  even if at times it may cause confusion.

Allah says in (8:8) – to the effect:

“So that he may manifest the truth of what was true and show the falsehood of what was false”

لِيُحِقَّ الْحَقَّ وَيُبْطِلَ الْبَاطِلَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُجْرِمُونَ

008.008 That He might justify Truth and prove Falsehood false, distasteful though it be to those in guilt.

Allah in his mercy shows the truth of what is true by stabilizing its effect  and manifests the falsehood of what is false by exposing its corruption and depravity

and – unmasKing its reality. he says in 14:24 to 27

14.24 أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ

14.24 Seest thou not how Allah sets forth a parable? – A goodly word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens,- of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition.

14.25 تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الأمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

14.25 It brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition.

14.26 وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِنْ فَوْقِ الأرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِنْ قَرَارٍ

14.26 And the parable of an evil Word is that of an evil tree: It is torn up by the root from the surface of the earth: it has no stability.

14.27 يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الآخِرَةِ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ

14.27 Allah will establish in strength those who believe, with the word that stands firm, in this world and in the Hereafter; but Allah will leave, to stray, those who do wrong: Allah doeth what He willeth.

[14:24: have you not seen how Allah sets forth a parable of a good word being like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed deep into the soil and whose branches are wide spread in heaven,

14:25. yielding its fruits on every moment by the permission of its Lord? and Allah sets parables for men that they may reflect

14:26 and the parable of an evil word is as an evil tree, whose roots are pulled from the surface of tkhe earthand has no stability

14:27 Allah confirms and will establish in strength those who believe, with the word that stands firm, in this world and in the hereafter; but Allah will leave to stray, those who do wrong. Allah does what he wills].

Thus – Allah lets the unjust people go astray in their affairs.

And what is their affair?  They want their evil ways to lead to good results.

As Allah quotes Yusuf (A) as saying :

وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الَّتِي هُوَ فِي بَيْتِهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَغَلَّقَتِ الأبْوَابَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ رَبِّي أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَايَ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ

12.23 But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: “Now come, thou (dear one)!” He said: “Allah forbid!  truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn agreeable!  truly to no good come those who do wrong!”

[I seek Allah's refuge surely my Lord made good my abode surely the unjust do not prosper].

An unjust person cannot prosper in his injustice, nor can his injustice lead him to where a virtuous person is led by his virtue and pious one by his piety Allah says: (29:69)

وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

29.69 And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right.

[“And as for those who strive hard  for us, we will most surely and certainly guide them unto our ways; and Allah - is most surely with the doers of good."]

and in 20:132 he says..

وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا لا نَسْأَلُكَ رِزْقًا نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَى

20.132 Enjoin prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not to provide sustenance: We provide it for thee. But the (fruit of) the Hereafter is for righteousness.

[...and the good end is for piety].

various meanings and explanations are attributed to the Qur’anic ayaths.

And the most complete and comprehensive verse in line with our subject-matter is  13:17

أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَالَتْ أَوْدِيَةٌ بِقَدَرِهَا فَاحْتَمَلَ السَّيْلُ زَبَدًا رَابِيًا وَمِمَّا يُوقِدُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِي النَّارِ ابْتِغَاءَ حِلْيَةٍ أَوْ مَتَاعٍ زَبَدٌ مِثْلُهُ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ وَالْبَاطِلَ فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً وَأَمَّا مَا يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الأرْضِ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الأمْثَالَ

13.17 He sends down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure: But the torrent bears away to foam that mounts up to the surface. Even so, from that (ore) which they heat in the fire, to make ornaments or utensils therewith, there is a scum likewise. Thus doth Allah (by parables) show forth Truth and Vanity. For the scum disappears like forth cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on the earth. Thus doth Allah set forth parables.

Every man knows one episode or another which shows that the end of unjust people is always bad and that their endeavours never succeed.

This is a narration supposed to have been extracted from Hadith Qudsi where it speaks about a prophet of the Banu Isra’eel.  Some narrations specify Moosa (A) as the prophet involved in this incident.  For sake convenience, let us not dispute as to who the prophet is.  Let us refer to Moosa (A) as, the prophet.

Anecdote:

“Moosa (A) one day decided that he should involve himself alone in worship.  He choose a  high mountain at the foot of which is running water.  He used to seat himself almost at the edge of the mountain and was able to observe the forest below.  One day he hears the galloping of a horse and looked down to see a young man on horseback.  He dismounted and he removed a bag which he had slung over his shoulder kept it aside and proceeded to wash, cleanse and refresh himself at the spring of running water. He rested a little while, got on his horse and rode away, leaving the bag behind.

Long after he was gone, Moosa (A) he hears another horseman coming in.  He too dismounts, refreshes himself at the spring and suddenly he sees a bag lying round.  He opens it and finds it full of gold pieces.  He counts them and sees it had One thousand gold pieces.  He looks around, calls a couple of times to see whether it belonged to anyone else in the vicinity – he did not see anyone. So he takes the bag of 1000 gold pieces, gets on his horse and goes on his way.  Moosa (A) was observing all these.

Now, again he sees wood – cutter coming in to the spring with a heavy load of wood on his back.  He keeps his load on the ground, quenches his thirst, refreshes himself and lies down on the pile of wood.

Now Moosa (A) hears the galloping of horse, to see, the first horseman who left his bag of money comes back in search of the bag.  He sees only the wood-cutter and says: “Where is the bag which was here?”  The wood-cutter knows nothing of it  and he says that he has not seen any bag around.  The rider got so angry, he drew out his sword and killed the wood-cutter. He rummaged through his pile of wood and searched through the clothes of the wood-cutter, to see whether the bag could be found.  Since he did not see anything of his bag, he gets on his horse and rides away.

When Moosa (A) saw this he turned to his Lord and said: O Lord, what is happening in your Nizam – one man leave his bag, another takes the bag and an innocent wood-cutter is slain unjustly.

Allah Almighty answers his query. He says: Oh Moosa, you have come here to perform your devotions and your worship and You should be engrossed in your worship for whatever happens in the universe, which is beyond your control is not your affair.  But since, you have observed this and queried it from me let me explain it to you.

The Father of the First Horseman, blatantly and violently robbed one thousand dinars from the father of the Second Horseman.  What I did was, to give the money back to the rightful son.  As for the wood-cutter, – you see him now as a wood-cutter – but he was a powerful man during his younger days.  He had killed the father of the First Horseman and was not punished because of the power he wielded and his connections.  What I did was to make the son to obtain retribution for the murder of his father.

Moosa (A) cried – Laa Ilaaha Illallaah – There is none other deity than Thou.  Subhanallaah – Glory be to Thee – Yaa ‘Aalimul Ghaib – Verily Thou art the Knower of all Secrets.”

What Moosa (A) saw and heard – had been really misunderstood by him.  Whatever happens in this world, we do not actually know the reasons behind it. For Allah is All-Knowing – All-Aware.  For all things that do happen we have no authority or power or even knowledge to interpret them.

Let us look at a few verses from the Holy – Exalted Quran:

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِ الْمَوْتَى قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ قَالَ بَلَى وَلَكِنْ لِيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَى كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

2.260 When Abraham said: “Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, ” He replied: “Have you no faith?”  He said “Yes, but just to reassure my heart.”  Allah said, “Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces.  Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back.  They will come swiftly to you.  Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise.”

Now I want you to look into the two verses immediately before this i.e. 258 & 259

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ وَاللَّهُ لا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

2.258 Hast thou not Turned thy vision to one who disputed with Abraham About his Lord, because Allah had granted him power? Abraham said: “My Lord is He Who Giveth life and death.” He said: “I give life and death”. Said Abraham: “But it is Allah that causeth the sun to rise from the east: Do thou then cause him to rise from the West.” Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected faith. Nor doth Allah Give guidance to a people unjust.

أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّى يُحْيِي هَذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَلْ لَبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ فَانْظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنْشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

2.259 Or (take) the similitude of one who passed by a hamlet, all in ruins to its roofs. He said: “Oh! how shall Allah bring it (ever) to life, after (this) its death?” but Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again). He said: “How long didst thou tarry (thus)?” He said: (Perhaps) a day or part of a day.” He said: “Nay, thou hast tarried thus a hundred years; but look at thy food and thy drink; they show no signs of age; and look at thy donkey: And that We may make of thee a sign unto the people, Look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh.” When this was shown clearly to him, he said: “I know that Allah hath power over all things.”

The three verses 2 : 258, 259 and 260 describe the Oneness of the Creator and His Omnipotence  (His Unlimited Power)

Looking at the First line of the Aayath. :

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ

Did you not see him who disputed with Ibrahim (A) about his Lord.

The word used is “Haajja” – حَاجَّ

That is to bring proof against the opposite party’s claim, to prove one’s own claim or to refute the argument of the other party.

حَاجَّ – جَادَلَ – Give a variety of Meanings – it is indeed amazing. They are:

Argument, arguing, dispute, debate, controversy, expostulation, argumentation.

intellect, mind, brains, reason.

It also means : Intelligence, understanding, wit, insight, sagacity, acumen, perspicacity, astuteness.

That is using these to prove one’s own claim. the phrase “about his Lord” is connected with the verb “disputed”.

the pronoun in “his Lord” refers to Ibrahim (A) (A).  this fact is plain to see in the next sentence  which states

إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ

Ibrahim (A)  said: My Lord is He Who gives life and causes to die”

The man who disputed with Ibrahim (A) was the King of his time and according to history and traditions, he was the Babylonian King, Namrud  King of Iraq  Ur of the Chaldees.

The bible does not mention this dispute -  but Thalmud – the Jewish Scriptures, relates it in detail and its version is substantially the same as that of the Holy Qur’an.

It says:

That Ibrahim (A)’s father Azar was the chief officer of King Namrud and a great favourite with his royal master.

His son Ibrahim (A) was a lover of Allah from his earliest childhood. When he grew up he began to preach openly the “Oneness” of Allah and condemn the association of  any partner or rival with Allah. In order to demostrate this, he broke the idols and his father hastened before the King and denounced Ibrahim (A).  Ibrahim (A) was summoned before the King and the dispute mentioned here took place between them.

What was this dispute?

Whom did Ibrahim (A) acknowledge as his Lord – Allah or Namrud?

Namrud  because of his arrogance, forced his subjects to acknowledge him as their Lord and not Allah.  This was very wrong indeed.

If he is a grateful servant, he will know that the Kingdom was given to him by Allah and he should acknowledge Allah as his Lord., but instead, he became so arrogant and began to claim Lordship for himself.

By looking at the context of the verse and if you reflect upon the behaviour of mankind in the past as well as in the present, you will understand the nature of this argument.

Man, by his nature, has always remained submissive to the powers about him which effect his life one way or the other.

No student of anthropology, who has studied the behaviour of the ancients, or has looked at the present generations of various nations, can have any doubt about it.  We have even described earlier that man, by his nature, accepts that there is a creator of the universe, who has brought this universe into existence and who manages it.

Primitive man, in his simplicity, thought of everything in the light of his own experience.  he saw that he performs different acts by means of his different organs and limbs;

and likewise, a society’s structure, various people discharge various duties and functions.  and the natural phenomena in the world happen because of their respective natural causes which are closely related to them.

Yet, his nature led him to believe in a creator who had all the affairs in his hand.

Not surprisingly, he thought that every phenomenon  of the world had a special deity of its own  and all those deities were under the authority of a supreme god.

Sometimes he named them as :

Deity of the earth/rivers/fire /wind/etc.

At other times he attributes these functions to the stars, to the planets, the sun and the moon, ascribing various faculties believing that each of them affected man in its own way.

This belief was held by the Sabaeans.

The next stage was to make images and statues for those lesser deities. Then man started to worship those idols, so that, the particular image might intercede on his behalf with its particular deity, which in turn was expected to intercede with the supreme god.

(different tribes, had different shapes and sizes as deities).

Gradually, the idols usurped the place of these special deities and even the supreme god was relegated to obscurity.

Worshippers gave prominence to what was near them.  What they could see and touch.

They tended to forget what was beyond their five senses.

In this manner, idols took the place of the Mighty Creator.

This happened because, initially they thought that these lesser deities had influence and control over the affairs of their lives.  When some powerful personality appeared on the scene and took the reins of the Kingdom in his hands, he often exploited this trend of thought  – he literally had their affairs and their lives in his hands  and it was very easy for him to claim godhood -  declaring himself to be a god.

Phir’aun did it. Namrud did it. And so many others did it.

Strangely enough, whilst including themselves in the list of deities, these arrogant Kings, continued to worship the idols of their nations.

The King had influence and authority and hold over his people. This was more manifest than what the dieties had.  Once again it was easy for Phir’aun to declare :

فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الأعْلَى

079.024 Saying, “I am your Lord, Most High”.

But continued to worship other idols as well.

How did Phir’aun misguide his people that there is danger from Musa (A)

وَقَالَ الْمَلأ مِنْ قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ لِيُفْسِدُوا فِي الأرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَآلِهَتَكََ

7.127 Said the chiefs of Pharaoh’s people: “Wilt thou leave Moses and his people, to spread mischief in the land, and to abandon thee and thy gods?”

And by using the phrase – وَيَذَرَكَ وَآلِهَتَكَ – …and to forsake you and your gods -  Phir’aun slowly included himself in it.

That same was the claim of Namrud : – قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ قَالَ   ”I give life and cause death.”

Here he does not use the conjunctive “and”   meaning that he shared this power with Allah, and he did not want to admit any such partnership.

He wanted him to be worshipped as the supreme god of the universe.

It was because “because Allah had given him the Kingdom” – أنْ آنَاهُ المُلْك

It appears as if though someone is saying – “ look at him, he mistreated me because I did good to him.”

The speaker says:” I did good to him  I expect him to reciprocate with goodness  look how he has misbehaved with me!

There is an Arabic Proverb :“be on guard against the evil of him to whom you did good.”

Namrud did not own the Kingdom. He had become Namrud, the King, the mighty and powerful,

Because   -  Allah had made him so.    Just strip him off of this bounty of Allah  and what would you think is left of him?

Just an ordinary  common man with no special quality or attribute.  Hence the reason for Allah not mentioning his name.

He just mentioned as – الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ “the one who disputed with Ibrahim (A) about his Lord”.

This shows the insignificance and lowliness of Namrud.

the Kingdom  like all other powers and authorities, is a bounty and grace of Allah.

He gives it to whom He pleases… and man has been given this knowledge of Allah in his nature. And because of this natural instinct, he inclines towards him.

If he had made good use of that Kingdom or blessing putting everything in its place, it would be a blessing and bliss for him.

وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الآخِرَةَ وَلا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الأرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

28.77 “But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief.”

“and seek by means of what Allah has given you the future abode.

And if he transgressed the limits and deviated from the right path, it would become a curse and perdition for him, as Allah says: in 14:28

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ

14.28 Hast thou not turned thy vision to those who have changed the favour of Allah. Into blasphemy and caused their people to descend to the House of Perdition?-

“did you not see those who changed Allah’s favour for ungratefulness and made their peiple to alight into the abode of perdition?”

It is the same way that Allah addresses Phir’aun…in 28:8

فَالْتَقَطَهُ آلُ فِرْعَوْنَ لِيَكُونَ لَهُمْ عَدُوًّا وَحَزَنًا إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا كَانُوا خَاطِئِينَ

28.8 Then the people of Pharaoh picked him up (from the river): (It was intended) that (Moses) should be to them an adversary and a cause of sorrow: for Pharaoh and Haman and (all) their hosts were men of sin.

“and pharaoh’s family took him (musa) up, so that he might be an enemy and a grief for them.”

A Prophet is a blessing.   Deny the blessing and you get nothing but perdition.

We shall Insha Allah continue Next Week, from here onwards.

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