Quran Speaks To You

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficient


In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed signs for men endowed with understanding, who remember Allah when they stand, sit and lie down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, you have not created all this in vain. Limitless is Your glory. Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire. Our Lord, him whom you shall commit to the fire, You will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them. Our Lord, we have heard the voice of one who calls to faith, ‘Believe in your Lord’, and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, then, our sins and efface our bad deeds and let us die with the righteous. Our Lord, grant us what you have promised us through your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the day of resurrection. Surely, you never fail to fulfill your promise.”


(The House of Imran, “Aal Imran” : 190-194) Commentary by Sayyid Qutb. Translated by A.A.Shamis and Adil Salahi


There are numerous signs in the universe and universal phenomena which are bound to confirm us in our belief in Allah. We note that reflection on these phenomena is coupled with the remembrance and worship of Allah in all situations. A reflection on Allah’s creation and the contemplation of the open book of the universe and the great wonders which Allah has placed in the universe as He regulates and organises it, is a definite act of worship and an essential part of remembering Allah. Had natural sciences which conduct their research into the universe, trying to discover its secrets and potentials – had these sciences been directed to the remembrance of the Creator of this universe and to appreciate and acknowledge His majesty and grace, they would have instantaneously become part of worship and prayer to the Creator. Human life would have benefited a great deal by these sciences and would have turned towards Allah.


The rebellious, materialistic trend which these sciences have followed, however, severs all links between the universe and its Creator, and severs the relationship which should have always existed between natural sciences and the eternal truth of the Divine Being. Scientific research, Allah’s great gift to man, thus becomes a curse which makes human life one of misery, worry and spiritual emptiness which weighs very heavily on man.


The second fact is that the signs that Allah has placed throughout the universe do not impart their inspiring messages except to hearts refined by worship and the remembrance of Allah. Those who remember Allah in all situations, when they stand, sit and lie down, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth and on the succession of day and night are indeed the very people whose hearts and minds are ready to appreciate the messages imparted by these universal phenomenon. They are the ones who reach beyond these messages to the divine method which ensures salvation. goodness and prosperity. On the other hand, those who confine themselves to the study of certain aspects and appearances, and discover the secrets of some universal laws, without any attempt to know the divine method of life, inevitably destroy not only life, but also themselves with the secrets they discover. They cannot escape the misery and worry which characterise their lives and they inevitably end up incurring Allah’s wrath and deserving His punishment.


The two facts are complementary and they are presented here in this way for men of understanding at the moment of reflection on universal phenomenon and giving the right response to them. It is a moment which represents clarity of heart and souls, an open mind ready to receive a message and an attitude of being prepared to give the right response and abide by the implications of the truth.
It is a moment of worship, which means that it is a moment of establishing relationship and receiving a message. It is no wonder, then, that man’s ability to appreciate universal messages at this moment is greatly enhanced, so that the mere reflection on the creations of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night is enough to reveal the truth about it and the fact that nothing of this has been created in vain. The immediate result of this attitude is embodied in these words: our Lord, you have not created all this in vain. Limitless is your glory. This is immediately followed by a psychological response to the inspiration of the universe: Guard us, then, against the torment of the fire. Our Lord, him whom you shall commit to the fire, you will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them.


What is the nature of the emotional relationship between the recognition of the truth behind the creation of the heavens and the earth and a succession of day and night and this apprehensive attitude which expresses fear from being thrown in hell? The recognition of the truth which is evident in the design of the universe and its phenomena means to those endowed with understanding that it is all made according to an elaborate plan and for a definite purpose, and that truth and justice will be maintained beyond man’s life on this planet. This inevitably means that whatever people do will be taken into reckoning, and that rewards will be administered. This leads to the conclusion that there is another life where the truth shall be established and justice will be administered.


This line of argument is both obvious and natural. The conclusion is formulated very rapidly in the minds of those people of understanding. Hence, the picture of the fire is immediately visualised in their minds and their foremost thought which accompanies their recognition of the truth is to pray to Allah to guard them against it. This shows a remarkable understanding of how thoughts and feelings are aroused in the minds and the hearts of people endowed with understanding. They express their feelings in their long supplication, apprehensive, urgent, and melodious, with fine rhythm. We need to pause a little here at this first feelings of fear which they express as they pray their Lord to guard them against the torment of hell. They say:


Our Lord, him whom you shall commit to the fire, you will have condemned to disgrace. The evildoers shall have none to help them. Their statement suggests that first and foremost, they fear the disgrace which will inevitably befall the people who are thrown in hell. They shiver at the sense of shame when they realize what sort of disgrace befalls such people. They stand ashamed in front of Allah, and they feel this shame to be more painful than the scourge of fire. It also expresses their strong feelings that there is no one to help them against Allah. The evildoers cannot call on anyone to help them.


We move on with this humble prayer: Our Lord, we have heard the voice of one who calls to faith, “Believe in your Lord” and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, then, our sins and efface our bad deeds and let us die with the righteous. These hearts are open. They only need to receive the message in order to respond to it. Their sensitive feelings are enhanced. The first thing which is impressed on their minds is the fact that they commit sins and may be guilty of disobedience. Hence, they turn to their Lord praying for forgiveness and for their bad deeds to be effaced. They also pray to be grouped with the righteous when they die.


The message of these verses also fits in with the message of the rest of the surah. The believers pray Allah to forgive them their sins so that they can win their continuous battle against desire and temptation. Without victory in this battle, no victory can be achieved in the more familiar military battle against the enemies of faith. The surah is a whole unit, with each part complementing the other, and with a complete harmonious message.


The last part of this prayer expresses hope, reliance on Allah and deriving strength from the believers’ unshakable trust that He always fulfills His promises: Our Lord, grant us what you have promised us through your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the day of resurrection. Surely, you never fail to fulfill your promise. They pray for the fulfillment of Allah’s promise conveyed to them by His messenger, expressing their absolute confidence that Allah never fails in his promise, and their hope to be spared disgrace on the day of resurrection. This last part relates to the first expression of apprehension at the beginning of this prayer, which shows their great sensitivity to this disgrace and the fact that they always remember it and mention it both at the beginning and at the end of their prayer. How sensitive and pious are these hearts and how strong their sense of shame in front of Allah is.


Taken as a whole, this prayer represents a genuine and profound response to the message which the universe and its signs and phenomena give to men whose hearts remain open and uncorrupted.
A brief word should be added about the artistic excellence in the way this prayer is phrased. We know that in every surah of the Qur’an, most of the verses maintain the same rhyme. It is not a rhyme which repeats the same sound, but a rhyme of rhythm. In this surah, the house of Imran, most of the 200 verses maintain a rhyme which is normally associated with the statement of facts. The rhyme is changed in two instances, the first occurs early in the surah and the second applies to these verses. In both instances, the verses concerned include a prayer to Allah. We note that the changes made for artistic beauty, because the rhyme adopted here, gives the verses a melodious effect which fits in with the atmosphere of prayer.


Moreover, the scene of reflection on the creation of the heavens and the earth and the succession of day and night is particularly suitable to a long, deliberate prayer which admits elongation and musical overtones. Thus, the scene itself is maintained for a longer period its message and effects on people’s minds and imaginations. Its effects, as it is expressed with humility, sincerity, apprehension and music is certainly profound on people’s hearts. The scene is prolonged by what the verses say and how they are said, which achieves a definite purpose of the Qur’anic style and adds to its artistic beauty.