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 AD 610 and 632. It is a book that brings glad tidings to humankind, 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 KhanTHE INEVITABLE HOUR
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Inevitable Hour! What is the Inevitable Hour? And what will make
you realize what the Inevitable Hour is? The tribes of Thamud and ‘Ad
denied that disaster would strike them: the Thamud were destroyed by
a terrible storm of thunder and lightning; and the ‘Ad were destroyed
by a furious wind which God let loose against them for seven nights
and eight days unremittingly, so that you could have seen its people
lying prostrate as though they were the hollow trunks of palm-trees
which had fallen down. Do you see any vestige left of them now?
Pharaoh and those before him and the inhabitants of the overthrown
cities persistently committed grave sins. They defied their Lord’s
messenger, so He seized them with an ever-tightening grip. But We
bore you away in the Ark, when the waters rose high, so that We might
make it a reminder for you and so that attentive ears might retain it.
(69: 1-12)
Some deny the Hereafter openly, while there are others who may not explicitly deny the Hereafter, but who in their heart of hearts attach importance solely to worldly affairs. That is why there is no difference between the way of life of these people and that of those who make open denials. In essence, these two groups are the same. In the eyes of God, both of them are rejecters of the Hereafter—one group rejecting it by word of mouth and the other doing so in practice.
When a single blast is blown on the trumpet, and the earth and the mountains are lifted up and then crushed with a single blow, on that Day the Great Event will come to pass. And the sky will be rent asunder, for on that Day it will be so frail. The angels will appear by its sides and, on that Day, eight [angels] will bear your Lord’s throne above them. On that Day you will be brought to judgement and none of your secrets will remain hidden. (69: 13-18)
In accordance with the law of God, all such people are going to face destruction. In the days of the prophets, this destruction was made manifest in the present world, as for their successors it will become a reality in the Hereafter.
The present world has been made with a view to putting human beings to the test. When the period of testing is over, this world will be demolished and a new world fashioned to meet new requirements will be made. The majesty of God at present reveals itself indirectly, but at that time the Majesty of God will be directly manifested.