Salaam and welcome to another episode of our weekly series titled “Path towards Enlightenment” which is an endeavour to make you and us familiar with an easy and fluent explanation of God’s Final Scripture to all mankind, the holy Qur’an that was revealed to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

We continue from where we left you last week and here are Ayahs 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49 of Surah Najm:

“And that it is He who makes [men] laugh and makes [them] weep;

“And that it is He who brings death and gives life;

“And that it is He who created the mates; the male and the female;

“From a drop of (seminal) fluid when emitted;

“And that with Him lies the second genesis;

“And that it is He who enriches and grants possessions;

“And that it is He who is the Lord of Sirius.”

If you remember, in our explanation of the previous Ayahs of this Surah last Friday, we said God Almighty is the Pivot of the universe, and nothing belongs to us except what we strive for, whether good or bad, which means everyone enjoys the fruits of their efforts. Our duty is to fulfill our responsibilities without bothering about results, since no deed is perishable, and it is the immortality of deeds and the just system of reward and punishment that encourages believers to do good deeds.

The Ayahs that we recited to you now are a few examples of the Infinite Power of the Almighty Creator, the Originator of life and its course that ends in physical death, while the soul persists until resurrection for the final judgement. This means everything is in the Power of the Omnipotent Lord even laughing that arises from the felicity of the soul and weeping that stems from grief and sorrow, as well as life and death as two opposite existential phenomena. Among the wonders of creation that guarantee existence is the law of conjugality legislated by God Almighty to ensure the birth of males and females, as the key to survival. This is not in the hands of human beings, and if disturbed or removed, life will lose its vitality and will come to its end. The process of creation is through a trivial drop of semen emitted into the womb, which reflects the abjectness of the most intelligent creature, the human being, in contrast to the Greatness of God.

It is the responsibility of the Lord Most High to recreate, resurrect, and start the second genesis for the recompense reserved for our deeds in the Hereafter, whether good or bad, since it is He Who is the Source of whatever we possess. In other words, none except God is the Giver of wealth or poverty, on the basis of Divine Wisdom. As Ayah 49 specifies, it is He Who created the bright star Sirius and bestowed it intrinsic luminosity. This Ayah negates the belief of the star-worshippers and invites them to worship none but the Almighty Creator, since Sirius, which is the most resplendent star that usually appears in the late night hours before dawn, was imagined by the idol-worshippers of granting them either wealth or poverty.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. The source of everything, including our emotions, is God Almighty to Whom is our eventual return.
2. Among the wonders of creation that ensure progress and survival of all creatures, is the biological difference between males and females, which are mates to each other for the process of procreation.
3. Wealth and properties are not our own and are the gifts of God on the basis of Divine Wisdom to test our beliefs and determine our deeds.
4. The powers of nature and the celestial bodies have all been created by God Almighty, Who alone should be worshipped, rather than these objects.

Now let us listen to Ayahs 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55 of the same Surah:

“And that it is He who destroyed the former Aad;

“And Thamoud, sparing none (of them);

“And the people of Noah before that; indeed they were more unjust and rebellious;

“And He overthrew the town that was overturned (Sodom);

“Covering it with what covered it.

“Then which of the bounties of your Lord will you dispute?”

In these Ayahs the Almighty warns disbelievers and sinners of the consequences of their evil by referring to the miserable fate of some of the nations of the past, who were destroyed for their crimes against humanity. It means, in terms of Grace and Mercy, God Almighty is the Most Beneficent, while in terms of Wrath He is Severe of Recompense. He caused the destruction of the prehistoric nation of Aad for their rebellion against Divine values and also the people of Thamoud of whom none were spared, as well as the people of Prophet Noah and the people of Prophet Lot for their abominable sins.

The Aad had scoffed at the teachings of Prophet Houd and refused to give up their evil ways, while the Thamoud was the nation that was wiped out for their wicked ways and disobedience of the message of monotheism of Prophet Saleh. Before the destruction of these two nations, the All-Merciful Lord, after giving a lengthy respite to the people to whom Prophet Noah, exterminated them through a huge flood.

Ayahs 53 and 54 refer to the destruction of the town of Sodom (and also Gomorrah) for the unnatural homosexual ways of the people who mocked the invitation to virtue and the worship of God Almighty by Prophet Lot.

These Ayahs teach us the following points:

1. It is essential to study the accounts of the past nations in order to avoid their mistakes that brought destruction upon themselves.
2. Some of the sins and crimes against humanity are so grave that Divine Wrath descends upon such tyrants in the life of this mortal world itself, while the punishment in the Hereafter is all the more severe.
3. The All-Merciful Lord gives ample respite to His creatures for repentance and reform, but the intransigent disbelievers and sinners bring about their own destruction through rampant tyranny, oppression, and vices.

Now let us listen to Ayahs 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, and 62 which mark the end of Surah Najm:

“This is a Warner, [in the tradition] of the Warners of old.

“The Imminent [Hour] is near at hand.

“There is none that will unveil it beside Allah.

“Do you then wonder at this discourse?

“And laugh and not weep!

“While you remain heedless;”

“So prostrate yourselves to Allah and worship him.”

The main goal of all Prophets and the prime purpose of revelation of Heavenly Scriptures are to warn mankind of the consequences of evil by failing to properly use their God-given intellect, power of speech, and free will to choose between good and bad. Although the blessed Ayah seemingly focuses upon the Prophet of Islam as the last of the long line of Warners, it is addressed to mankind against entertaining doubts despite observing so many signs of Divine Omnipotence. We are not supposed to imagine that the Day of Resurrection is far away but we should know that it is imminent, and all mundane means and possessions may not decrease an iota of the afflictions of that Day that none can avert except God’s Grace and Mercy.

Ayah 59 is a rhetorical question than means to ask: Are you not affected by the Divine Discourse that points to the self-destruction brought upon themselves by some of the past nations? And do you deride the reality of the Day of Resurrection drawing near? It is strange you should be weeping out of awe and grief, instead of laughing without paying any heed. Death is near and it will transfer us to the next world. Why do people laugh instead of weeping over their state? Why do they ridicule the beliefs of the faithful?

The last Ayah of this Surah addresses all mankind saying that they should fall in prostration before God Almighty, the Creator and Fosterer of their existence and solely worship Him, since He is the only One deserving to be worshipped. Manmade idols, stars, the sun, the moon, and concupiscent desires do not deserve to be worshipped.

These Ayahs teach us that:

1. The Day of Judgment is imminent and near.
2. Means of salvation are here in this world itself through repentance, reform, and forgiveness, since there is no question of salvation in the Hereafter for those who die in the state of disbelief and unrepentant sins.
3. Weeping is not restricted to material affairs; the faithful and true believers are always humble before God, and despite their piety they weep for their slightest shortcoming and seek His forgiveness.
4. Prostration to God is among the best ways to overcome arrogance, pride, negligence, polytheism and atheism.

RM/AS/SS