THE WORD OF GOD
From The Scriptures
The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between 610 and 632 CE. It is a book that brings glad tidings to mankind, along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary
by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
By the winds sent forth in swift succession, and then storming on with
a tempest’s force, and the rain-spreading winds, separating one from
another, by those who bring down the reminder, to excuse some and
warn others: that which you have been promised shall be fulfilled.
(77: 1-7)
Vapour rises from the surface of the sea. This rises in the atmosphere and forms clouds. The winds take these clouds from one place to another. Leaving some places dry, they shower rain at other places, causing freshness and the growth of greenery. This shows that the system of this world is based on the principle of differentiating between things as well as people. The manifestation of this principle is only partially evident in the present world, but in the Hereafter it will take a perfect shape.
This nature of the winds is a sort of reminder for man. Them being a mercy to some and bringing harm to others is to remind us of the fact that, as there are these two different types of people in the present world, God’s verdict in respect of these two types of people will also appear in two different results in the next world.
When the stars lose their light, and when the sky is rent asunder, and when the mountains crumble into dust and when the messengers are brought together at the appointed time—for what Day has this been appointed? For the Day of Decision. What will explain to you what the Day of Judgement is? Woe on that Day to those who reject the truth. Did We not destroy the earlier peoples? We will now cause the later ones to follow them: thus do We deal with the culprits. Woe on that Day to those who reject the truth! (77: 8-19)
When Doomsday comes, the present system of the world will be thrown into disarray. Those who consider themselves strong in the present world—and on that basis ignore the call for Truth, will find that there is nobody weaker than they.
Did We not create you from a humble fluid, then placed it in a secure repository [the womb], for an appointed term? Thus We have determined the stages of development and Our power to determine is excellent indeed. Woe on that Day to those who reject the truth! Have We not made the earth a receptacle, for the living and the dead? Have We not placed high mountains upon it and given you fresh water to drink? Woe on that Day to those who reject the truth! (77: 20-28)
The system of the present world has been so formulated that one who ponders over it sees the Hereafter in its mirror. So, there is no criminal worse than one who denies the Truth in spite of the above-mentioned scenario.
Proceed to that which you denied. Proceed to a shadow rising in three columns: affording neither shade, nor protection from the flames, and throwing up sparks as huge as towers and as bright as a herd of yellow camels. Woe on that Day to those who reject the truth! On that Day they will be speechless, nor shall they be permitted to offer excuses. Woe on that Day to those who reject the truth! This is the Day of Judgement. We have assembled you all together with past generations. If now you have any strategy, use it against Me. Woe on that Day to those who reject the truth! (77: 29-40)
When a man is confronted with the horrors of the Hereafter, he will find himself helpless. At that time, those who were used to speaking in inexhaustible vocabularies in this world will be rendered speechless.
DESIRE
Desire can serve as a motive force.
But mindless yielding to desire
will lead to disaster.