45. Al-Jathiyah Page 499 45. Al-Jathiyah بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ حٰمٓۚ Ha Meem تَنْزِیْلُ (The) revelation الْكِتٰبِ (of) the Book مِنَ (is) from اللّٰهِ Allah الْعَزِیْزِ the All-Mighty الْحَكِیْمِ the All-Wise اِنَّ Indeed فِی in السَّمٰوٰتِ the heavens وَ الْاَرْضِ and the earth لَاٰیٰتٍ surely (are) Signs لِّلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَؕ for the believers وَ فِیْ And in خَلْقِكُمْ your creation وَ مَا and what یَبُثُّ He disperses مِنْ of دَآبَّةٍ (the) moving creatures اٰیٰتٌ (are) Signs لِّقَوْمٍ for a people یُّوْقِنُوْنَۙ who are certain وَ اخْتِلَافِ And (in the) alternation الَّیْلِ (of) the night وَ النَّهَارِ and the day وَ مَاۤ and what اَنْزَلَ Allah sends down اللّٰهُ Allah sends down مِنَ from السَّمَآءِ the sky مِنْ of رِّزْقٍ (the) provision فَاَحْیَا and gives life بِهِ thereby الْاَرْضَ (to) the earth بَعْدَ after مَوْتِهَا its death وَ تَصْرِیْفِ and (in) directing of الرِّیٰحِ (the) winds اٰیٰتٌ (are) Signs لِّقَوْمٍ for a people یَّعْقِلُوْنَ who reason تِلْكَ These اٰیٰتُ (are the) Verses اللّٰهِ (of) Allah نَتْلُوْهَا We recite them عَلَیْكَ to you بِالْحَقِّ ۚ in truth فَبِاَیِّ Then in what حَدِیْثٍۭ statement بَعْدَ after اللّٰهِ Allah وَ اٰیٰتِهٖ and His Verses یُؤْمِنُوْنَ will they believe وَیْلٌ Woe لِّكُلِّ to every اَفَّاكٍ liar اَثِیْمٍۙ sinful یَّسْمَعُ Who hears اٰیٰتِ (the) Verses اللّٰهِ (of) Allah تُتْلٰی recited عَلَیْهِ to him ثُمَّ then یُصِرُّ persists مُسْتَكْبِرًا arrogantly كَاَنْ as if لَّمْ not یَسْمَعْهَا ۚ he heard them فَبَشِّرْهُ So give him tidings بِعَذَابٍ (of) a punishment اَلِیْمٍ painful وَ اِذَا And when عَلِمَ he knows مِنْ of اٰیٰتِنَا Our Verses شَیْـَٔا anything ِ۟اتَّخَذَهَا he takes them هُزُوًا ؕ (in) ridicule اُولٰٓىِٕكَ Those لَهُمْ for them عَذَابٌ (is) a punishment مُّهِیْنٌؕ humiliating مِنْ Before them وَّرَآىِٕهِمْ Before them جَهَنَّمُ ۚ (is) Hell وَ لَا and not یُغْنِیْ will avail عَنْهُمْ them مَّا what كَسَبُوْا they had earned شَیْـًٔا anything وَّ لَا and not مَا what اتَّخَذُوْا they had taken مِنْ besides دُوْنِ besides اللّٰهِ Allah اَوْلِیَآءَ ۚ (as) protectors وَ لَهُمْ And for them عَذَابٌ (is) a punishment عَظِیْمٌؕ great هٰذَا This هُدًی ۚ (is) guidance وَ الَّذِیْنَ And those who كَفَرُوْا disbelieve بِاٰیٰتِ in (the) Verses رَبِّهِمْ (of) their Lord لَهُمْ for them عَذَابٌ (is) a punishment مِّنْ of رِّجْزٍ filth اَلِیْمٌ۠ painful
(45:1) Ha'. Mim.
(45:2) This Book is a revelation from the Most Mighty, the Most Wise.1
(45:3) Behold, for those who believe2 there are (myriad) Signs in the heavens and the earth
(45:4) and in your own creation; and in the animals which He spreads out over the earth too there are Signs for those endowed with sure faith;3
(45:5) and in the succession of night and day,4 and in the provision5 that Allah sends down from the sky wherewith He gives life to the earth after it had been lifeless,6 and in the change of the winds:7 (in all these) there are Signs for people who use reason.
(45:6) These are Allah's Signs that We rehearse to you in Truth. In what kind of discourse after Allah and His Signs will they, then, believe?8
(45:7) Woe to every guilty impostor
(45:8) who hears Allah's Signs being rehearsed to him, and yet persists in his pride, as though he had not heard it.9 Announce to him, then, the tidings of a grievous chastisement.
(45:9) Whenever he comes to know anything of Our Signs, he makes them an object of jest.10 For such there awaits a humiliating chastisement.
(45:10) Hell is behind them.11 Their worldly earnings shall not avail them, nor those whom they took as protectors instead of Allah.12 An awesome chastisement lies in store for them.
(45:11) This (Qur'an) is the true guidance. Those who deny the Signs of their Lord shall suffer the torment of a woeful scourge.
1. This serves as a short prelude to the surah which alerts the addressees to the following two truths: (i) The Qur’an is not a product of the Prophet’s mind. Rather, it is being sent down to him by God. (ii) God Who has been revealing the Qur’an is Most Mighty and Most Wise. Since He is Most Mighty, one should not dare to defy Him. Moreover, God has perfect wisdom. This requires man to faithfully observe all His commands.
His wisdom rules out any lapse or mistake in His commands.
2. The manner in which the main theme is treated after this prelude makes it evident that the Makkan unbelievers’ objections to the Prophet's teachings underlie the main discourse. These unbelievers contended that they could not abandon their venerated gods only because of a single person’s call to do so. In response, they are told that the truth of Islam is endorsed by the signs scattered all over the universe. On reflection, they can note these signs even in their own selves and in the universe at large.
Itis beyond any shadow of doubt that the whole universe is the creation of the One True God, Who alone owns it, holds its reins and regulates it.
The unbelievers contended that their deities were partners in God’s Divinity. The Qur’an, on the contrary, emphatically tells them that there is no deity other than the One True God. The signs spread across the cosmos underscore the truth of monotheism and refute polytheism. As to the Qur’anic assertion that these signs are for believers signifies that though they are meant for everyone, they actually guide only believers to sound results. For those lost in negligence and error the existence of these signs is immaterial. For they live like animals, oblivious to all truth.
An insensitive person cannot, of course, feel or take note of anything.
3. As to those bent upon denying the truth or those who prefer to be mired in skepticism, they are beyond redemption. However, as for those who do not have such closed minds and who reflect on their own births, on their bodies, on the immense variety of species of animals scattered on earth, they will perceive the signs which will lead them to believe in God’s Oneness. (For further details, see also al-An‘am 6, nn. 25-27, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. II, pp. 229-30; al-Nahl 16, nn. 6-8, vol. IV, pp. 313-14; al-Hajj 22, nn. 5-9, vol. VI, pp. 7-11; al-Mu’minun 23, nn. 12- 13, vol. VI, pp. 87-8; al-Furqan 25, n. 69, vol. VIL, p. 33; al-Shu‘ara’ 26, nn. 57-9, vol. VIL, pp. 77-8; al-Naml 27, nn. 80-1, vol. VIL, pp. 174-6; al-Rum 30, nn. 25-32 and 79, vol. VIIL, pp. 88-93 and 114; al-Sajdah 32, nn. 14-18, vol. VIL pp. 163-6; Ya Sin 36: 71-3; al-Zumar 39: 6 and al-Mu’min 40, nn. 97-8 and 110 above.)
4. The alternation of day and night stands out as one of God’s signs in the sense that this alternation happens regularly. It is a sign insofar as day is bright whereas night is dark. Moreover, it is also a sign insofar as the duration of day keeps gradually receding until it equals the duration of night. Then again day’s duration begins to increase and night’s duration gradually recedes until the duration of the two becomes equal.
The variations between night and day and the wisdom underlying these variations indicate that only One True God is the Creator, Master and Ruler of the sun, the earth and all beings on earth. God also controls the sun and the moon. All this indicates as well that His control over day and night is characterized by immense wisdom. For He has put in place unalterable laws which have made the earth a fitting habitat for numerous life forms. (For further details, see Yunus 10, n. 65, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. IV, pp. 48-50; al-Naml 27, n. 104, vol. VIL pp. 187-8; al-Qasas 28, n. 92, vol. VIL, p. 243; Luqman 31: 29 and n. 50, vol. VIIL, p. 144; Ya Sin 36: 37 and n. 32, vol. IX, pp. 258-9.)
5. Sustenance, in this context, signifies rainfall, a Point clarified in the next verse.
6. For further elaboration, see al-Mu’minun 23, n. 17, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VI, p. 90; al-Furqan 25, nn. 62-5, vol. VII, pp. 30-1; al-Shu‘ara’ 26, n. 5, vol. VIL, p. 55; al-Naml 27, n. 73-4, vol. VIL, pp. 171-3; al-Rum 30, n. 35-73, vol. VIIL pp. 95-112 and Ya Sin 36, nn. 26-31, vol. IX, pp. 255-8.
7. The reference here is to the movement of the winds in different regions and on earth in different seasons which results in climatic changes.
God has provided air in such manner that it caters for the breathing of all creatures. The air around the earth also saves mankind from many calamities. Moreover, air is not restricted or uniform; it veers from hot to cold and from slow to gusty. At times it turns into storms. Sometimes it brings rain and at others, it drives away clouds. Moreover, the movement of the winds is not haphazard; this phenomenon is governed by a particular law which is characterized by order and purpose, indicating the perfect wisdom of the One Who devised this arrangement. The movement of winds is closely related with winter and summer which, change with the revolution of the earth around the sun. Moreover, it has its direct bearing on seasonal changes and the distribution of rainfall.
All these pieces of evidence clearly indicate that it was not the result of mere accident by some blind force of nature. Nor are there separate and independent regulators for the sun, the earth, winds, rainfall and the plant and animal kingdom. On the contrary, all of them have the same lord and master, the One True God Who is their Creator. Quite evidently, all these elaborate arrangements have been made for a definite purpose by the All-Wise God.
8. If the unbelievers refuse to profess faith even in the face of these weighty proofs of God’s existence and Oneness, nothing can direct them to accept faith. The Word of God is the final and ultimate source of guidance. All weighty arguments for persuading man to embrace faith are contained in it. One is free to reject them. However, this does not and cannot alter the ultimate reality.
9. There is a world of difference between he who studies God’s signs with an unprejudiced mind and seriously reflects over them and he who rejects them out of hand because of his deeply entrenched prejudice.
The former is not keen on clinging to unbelief. Rather, he is on a quest for truth and seeks to reach the point of total satisfaction. In such a case, some other signs may convince him of the Divine truth at a later date. In comparison, the latter is not moved by any sign. This because he has made up his mind not to believe. While the former is expected to embrace faith sooner or later, the latter group can never accept faith. These latter display the following three characteristics: (i) They are given to lies, hence truth does not appeal to them. (ii) They are given to wickedness. Therefore, they strongly resent those teachings that place moral restrictions upon them. (iii) They suffer from the delusion that they know everything, hence they do not need any guidance. Misled by these false notions, they do not pay any attention to God’s signs.
10. Not only do unbelievers mock a particular sign of God, but they are prone to dismissing all signs of God with contempt. For example, on coming to know some Qur’anic statement, they first seek to find some crookedness in it in order to reduce it to a butt of ridicule. They are also given to mocking the Prophet (peace be on him) and the Qur’an and never fail to play up what they consider to be the outlandish and ridiculous contents of the Qur’an.
11. Ward’ in Arabic applies to everything that is not visible, whether it is behind or in front of someone. Therefore, part of the verse may be translated thus: ‘Hell is behind them’. Taken in the former sense, the verse means that they are on their way to Hell, without realizing that they will soon land themselves in it. In its latter sense, it signifies that they disregard the Hereafter and are engrossed in mischief-making, without realizing that Hell is after them.
12. Wali is open to the following two meanings: (i) Such gods and goddesses, and living and dead leaders, about whom the polytheists believe have the power to rescue them so that they will not be punished by God, no matter how they conduct themselves. This because they believe that the intervention and intercession of their patrons will enable them to attain deliverance. (ii) This verse warns the unbelievers who unquestioningly obey and would do anything to please their tribal chiefs, leaders and rulers, even at the expense of displeasing God. They are warned that when their attitude lands them in Hell, their patrons will fail to come forward to save and defend them. (For further details, see al-Shira 42, n.6 above.) 13. Fora detailed account, see Banit Isra’il 17, n. 83, vol. V, p. 60; al-Rum 30, n. 69, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VIIL p. 111; Luqman 31, n.