In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, Salaam and welcome to our weekly program "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Qur’an. We start from where we left you last Friday and here are ayahs 45 and 46 of Surah Ya Sin:

“And when they are told: ‘Beware of that which is before you and that which is behind you, so that you may receive [His] mercy.”

“And there came not to them any sign from among the signs of their Lord but that they disregarded it.”

Last week, in our explanation of the previous ayahs of Surah Yasin we reflected upon the Power and Glory of God Almighty in the creation of the universe, the orderly orbit of the heavenly bodies, including Planet Earth and its satellite the Moon, as well as the Sun and how days and nights are regulated with cyclic precision.

The ayahs that we have recited to you now refer to those who disregard the manifest signs of God in the world of creation and in their own selves, and yet to guide them to the straight and unwavering path right they are cautioned of the consequences and are invited towards divine mercy through proper reflection on what was behind and what is ahead. This is another example of the all-encompassing Mercy of God, Who gives ample respite to mankind and is ready to forgive the misdeeds of the past on condition of repentance and self-reform. Piety is the secret of receiving the mercy of Allah, Whose signs are all around us, yet the acknowledgement of these manifest signs of monotheism by the people is little.

In other words, the obstinate unbelievers, instead of paying attention to God the One and Only Creator of the wonderful universe and the invitation towards Him by the prophets, who after giving tidings of divine mercy have warned of divine wrath as well, deceive themselves by turning away from the path of guidance and salvation.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Signs of God’s Glory and Majesty are manifest in the world of creation, including our own selves, and needs proper reflection to acknowledge the truth.
2. Ways of receiving Divine Mercy are always open, unless one deprives himself/herself by drifting towards doom through wrongdoings and sins.

Now we listen to ayah 47 of Surah Ya Sin:

“When they are told, ‘Spend out of what Allah has provided you,’ the faithless say to the faithful, ‘Shall we feed [someone] whom Allah would have fed, had He wished? You are only in manifest error.”

This ayah refers to obstinacy of the unbelievers and their refusal to reflect on realities. One of God’s commands to the believers is spending on the needy and giving charity for the benefit of the have-nots. But some obstinate unbelievers contend: Why does God command you to give food and clothing to the needy? Why does not He do this? Maybe He does not want the needy to get satisfied?

It is clear such questions are the result of their failure to use their brains, since it is clear that everything is from God, and whether one is rich or poor, this is part of divine test and trial to test faith and its degrees.

In other words, when these deniers are told, “Come and take benefit from thes wealth which Allah has given to you and feed the hungry and the weak from what God has provided you,” they say, “If feeing them was a good deed, God would have fed them and would have given them food.”

Such logic is in fact fatalism, and sometimes, even some religious people are heard saying such irrational words. When money comes they say it is the result of their own labour and art or craft, but when this same wealth is lost or stolen, they say this has happened according to God’s Will.

The question arise: How is it that at the time of receiving it they did not see the Hand of God?

Therefore, both richness and poverty are Divine bounties. For the rich, it is by spending in the path of God to reduce the sufferings of fellow humans through acts of generosity that indeed bring Divine rewards, both in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. For the poor it is a test of faith, patience, forbearance and will power to abstain from wrongdoings and sins or self-indignation; and such persons are surely rewarded by God Who raises their ranks in the Hereafter.

Indeed, God has made the rich responsible for the welfare of the needy and the deprived, similar to a mother whose breasts before childbirth swell with milk for the powerless infant.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. If one realizes that whatever he/she has, are the bounties of God, in order to test faith and its degrees, it will be easier for such persons to donate part of their wealth for the welfare of the needy.
2. One of the signs of faith is charity, and the one who does not give to others is inflicted with disbelief.

Now we listen to ayahs 48 to 50 of Surah Ya Sin:

 “And they say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful?”

“They do not await but a single Cry that would seize them as they wrangle.”

“Then they will not be able to make any will, nor will they return to their folks.”

In continuation of the previous ayah which expressed the spirit of stubbornness of some disbelievers regarding the command of God, these ayahs say: these people also ridicule the Day of resurrection and say: You who do not know when the doomsday will come to pass, why do you constantly fear it and take care of your work? If it really is the Day of Resurrection, when will we wait for it to come?

This ayah is about the Hereafter and the Day of Resurrection in which the atheists and the unbelievers have no faith, and they question in a ridiculing manner: “When would this promise of Resurrection and Judgment come, as you claim.”

The promise of Resurrection along with its rewards and punishments has always been given by all the messengers of God. All of them drew the attention of the people towards eventual Resurrection after death and the end of the mortal world. The unbelievers think this is impossible and mock at the believers by saying: “When would this world of rewards and chastisement come up?”

The answer has been provided by the next two ayahs, which mean to say that knowing the time of the end of the world, followed by Resurrection, does not mean that it will not occur. For instance, those living in earthquake-prone areas do not know when the trembler will strike, but they know that quake is certain, so they are always prepared for it.

The end of the world is based on Divine Wisdom and happens when God wishes, It will happen so quickly that no one has the opportunity to return to his family or make any will.

In answer to the misconstrued logic of the unbelievers, the Holy Qur’an explicitly says the end of this world is not a complicated matter for Allah and it is not a difficult thing for Him, as is clear from ayah 49, which says:  They do not await but a single Cry that would seize them as they wrangle.”

This very single great heavenly Blast is enough to take the soul of every one of them immediately in any place and any state they are, and to change their material exiting lives, which contain disputations and constant quarrels, into a silent world, vacant from any sound and noise.

It has been narrated from the Prophet of Islam that this heavenly Blast occurs so suddenly that before that the two people who are bargaining and have spread a cloth can role it, the world will end, and there will be some people that, at that moment, have taken some food from the plate, but before it reaches their mouth the heavenly Blast comes and the world finishes. There will be some people who are busy mending a pool in order that they water their cattle, but before that the cattle become satiated the end occurs.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1.  We should always be prepared for the end and the Day of Resurrection, instead of trying to ridicule it.
2.  The end and the Resurrection is a Divine Promise that will definitely occur, while people are engaged in daily life.
3. On the Day of Resurrection, everyone will receive due reward or punishment, depending on one’s deeds.

AS/MG