Interpretation of Fortress 88 (The Overwhelming)
Surah Al-Ghashiyya (Part Two)
Having revealed to us the news about the Overwhelming Event, and having acquainted us with the states of both the people of misery and the people of blessings and happiness, the Almighty wanted to implant this in our spirits and establish these facts in our hearts. Therefore He sent us a group of Verses which tell us of His Grandeur and Magnificent Creation, so that we may think carefully of them in order to be guided to our Creator. If we do so, we will revere and appreciate Him and abide by His Words. This will lead us to happiness, which is Al’lah’s utmost Hope for His creatures because it will help us to attain His Satisfaction. God says:
Verse no. 17
17. “Would they not look at the camels, (and consider) how they are created;”
The ‘looking’ meant in this Verse is that which is associated with contemplation and appreciation, for humanity is distinguished from the animal kingdom by virtue of the ability to look at things in this way.
The animal looks, and the person also looks. However, the animal’s viewing of things is limited to their appearances. When an animal looks at something, it is unable to penetrate the images in order to recognize particularities. Nor does it pay heed to the way of creation. For example, when a bear sees a bunch of grapes, it sees it in a superficial look it does not think of how it arises from a hard woody vine, and then gradually grows. It does not contemplate the course of its bloom’s pollination, or how its taste changes from sour to sweet, or notice its coloration, which gives a sign of its maturation and whether it is becoming ready to be eaten, or not.
This bear does not ponder the arrangement of the course of the life of the grape, or of the leaves which surround it and help in its maturation, or any of the other factors which contribute to its preparation or production.
All that the bear does is to rush upon the grapevines and devour the fruit that hangs upon them, for all that it sees is something that can be eaten.
That is the difference between the human and the animal way of looking. Animals are thoughtless and unable to attain further knowledge of their Provider. They cannot perceive different aspects of His Majesty and Grandeur in the same way as humans.
The animal remains at one degree of knowledge and never exceeds it, and therefore it remains an animal.
Furthermore, people themselves differ from one another in their way of looking at things. The more a person thinks, the more appreciation they will feel towards their Creator and the more they will glorify Him.
If a person looks at things only externally, in the same way as the beasts, they will then be on the same level as the animals – or indeed, an even lower level.
God says: “Indeed the worst kind of all living creatures in Allah’s Sight are those who are (wilfully) deaf and dumb, who do not mind.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 8, Al-Anfal (Spoils of War), Verse 22
The Almighty invited those who opposed His Envoy to consider the camel so that they might esteem its creation and know more about their Creator.
Indeed, if a person meditates on a camel, they will sense that there is wisdom and precision in creation. This will acquaint them with the Great Creator and Wise Maker. For example:
A person is unable to put their luggage onto a camel’s back when it is standing up due to their short stature in comparison with the camel’s tall body. For this reason you can see that the camel sits on the ground, unlike any of the other animals which carry people’s luggage.
To help it to sit down, the camel is------ granted calluses on its chest and legs to prevent its body from leaning to one side and becoming unbalanced while it is trying to lower itself to the ground.
Also, if a camel’s hoofs were like a horse’s hoofs, a camel would not be able to stand up and support the heavy burden it carries, nor would its legs be able to hold fast in the ground while standing up or sitting down.
Meanwhile, its long and bending neck is the means by which it stands up and sits down. Its neck acts like the arm of a steelyard, whereas its head acts as its ovoid does.
A camel brings its head nearer to or further from its body to stabilize itself while it is standing or sitting.
If you observe the large round hoofs of this animal, you will perceive the Wisdom of God’s Creation. The size of these hoofs helps the camel to walk in the sand, as they help it to carry its heavy body.
If these hoofs were as small as those of the horse, the camel’s legs would not be able to bear the weight of its body, leading it to stumble and fall to the ground.
The camel’s hump helps with the stability of its body. Besides this, the camel uses it to store fat to support it as it walks through the desert. There are also some hollows in its belly where water can be stored for many days, which is why camels can tolerate a lack of food and water.
The points we have mentioned are not exhaustive, but make up only some of the many illustrations of the wisdom of creation which are demonstrated by this animal.
If you speculate on them deeply, you will deduct that there is a Great Creator, a Wise Disposer, and Omnipotent Steering.
The Almighty draws our attention to another sign when He says:
Verse no. 18
18. “And at the sky, how it is raised high;”
The “sky” is the ceiling which surrounds the earth on all sides, and which contains the sun, moon, stars, and powers of gravitation.
Oh human! Have you once asked yourself about how the sky could be raised above us with no pillars or walls to hold it in position?
Consider the bright stars whose dimensions are many thousand times larger than the dimensions of the earth!
How do they swim in space without chains or cables to join them to each other?
Think of the power of gravitation which attach the stars to each other and ensure they are firmly connected, despite the fact that there are thousands of light years between them!
Meditate, human, on heaven, and then ask yourself:
Did it make itself? Alternatively, must there be a Mighty Creator that has made it and raised it high?
Think of the stars. Is there not a Steering God that has arranged them?
Is there not a Provider that supplies them with light, power and existence? Otherwise, how would they continue to shine throughout the ages, without becoming extinct or lessening in light or power?
Verse no. 19
19. “And at the mountains, how they are set up;”
To be “set up” is to be raised and firmly put in place.
Let us wonder: who has put various kinds of soil, sand and stone within the mountains? Who has made the individual mountains as one huge mass, with connected pieces and atoms?
Who has raised them above the surface of the land and lifted them high into space?
Who has fixed them firmly in the land and made them stable, so that they do not move or shake in spite of the movement and revolution of the earth?
Should not you think of the mountains and their height and greatness?
Should not you glorify their Creator, Who has established them in this state and clothed them with such greatness?
Verse no. 20
20. “And at the earth, how it is spread out.”
Who has spread out this land for you, humanity?
Who has given it its level surface?
Who has laid out these layers of earth, one beside another, so that they would be suitable for cultivation and farming?
Who has created the soil for your sake and comprised it with different substances?
Who has arranged the springs of water and spread them through every village, every island and every country – nay, everywhere – so that He deprived none of His creation of this favor?
Who has supplied the earth with everything that you need in order to live?
Do these signs within the camel, in heaven, in the mountains and in the earth not bespeak of a Mighty Creator that has created you and obliged you with His Boons?
Should you not think of His Potency and Might?
Should you not appreciate His Kindness and Charity towards you, so that you will listen to His Words and abide by His Recommendations?
After He has sent down a group of Verses that lead us to the Creator of the earth and the heavens, the Almighty addressed His noble Envoy (cpth) by saying:
Verse no. 21
21. “Therefore you remind them (Oh Mohammad), for you are one to act only as a reminder.”
To “remind” someone is to let them see something or hear some word that makes them remember something else they knew before. For further illustration, here are some examples:
A mother may see a person that resembles her absent son. Seeing this will make her remember her son.
A man may pass by a hospital where he was once subject to surgery. Seeing the hospital will make him remember his operation.
Another person may hear somebody say a particular word, which may connect their spirit with a vision that they once saw in their sleep, but have completely forgotten. The images of the dream will then follow one another in sequence and they will remember the entire dream.
Had they not heard this word, which was related to a part of their dream, they would never have remembered this dream at all.
In this Verse the Almighty Allah gives orders to His noble Envoy (cpth) to remind people – that is to say, to bring into their minds – of the different kinds of His Creation which they can see before their eyes, such as the signs previously mentioned.
The reason for such a reminder is that God wants to urge people to think profoundly while they look at things, so that they will believe in the Grand Creator and appreciate His Grace and Charity.
However, what is generated by believing in the Creator?
I say that it generates a feeling of fear of disobeying God, leading people to believe in Doomsday, the day of accountability.
This belief makes a person surrender to their Creator and abide by His Orders. This is how one really becomes a Muslim. In Arabic, the word ‘Muslim’ means one who spiritually surrenders to their Creator. The spirit’s observance of God’s Commands makes it become pleased with its deeds and confident of God’s Satisfaction with it. Therefore, it draws nearer to Him in its communication with Him; it senses the Divine Compassion, Justice and Might, which was previously believed in an intellectual sense.
At this stage, it will remember what had previously been printed on its surface, and then will remember more and more as it ascends the ladders of sublimity. This all takes place by virtue of the noble Envoy (cpth).
Accordingly, people will not remember unless they look at creation time after time with an attitude of contemplation and speculation, and none will remember except those who repent.
Verse no. 22
22. “You have no domination over them,”
In fact, the human spirit is absolutely free. The Almighty Allah has granted it the freedom of choice, and therefore nobody can control it. That means that nobody can turn the spirit from its own thoughts.
If it does not voluntarily think of the signs of the universe until it is guided to its Great Creator, it will never feel awe or fear of disobeying Him, the Almighty. No one can have power over it to stop it from doing something, or to turn it away from its own attachments and concerns.
Inference:
This means that neither a Prophet nor an Envoy nor a scholar nor a leader is able to guide anyone unless they themselves willingly listen to and ponder Al’lah’s Verses themselves. This is always true, even if they were to continue reminding people for many hundreds of years.
God says: “You cannot guide whom you please: it is Allah Who guides those who will. He best knows those who lead themselves (to the right path).”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 28, Al-Qasas (Stories), Verse 56
If a person voluntarily sets to thinking with the purpose of seeking to be guided, they will certainly believe and become illuminated by God’s Light. However, if this is not their purpose, nobody will be able to guide them.
Nonetheless, the Almighty told His Envoy (cpth) how to behave with those who oppose Him. He says:
Verse no. 23
23. “Save those that turn away and disbelieve.”
Here, to “turn away” is to shun from Allah.
To “disbelieve” is to be ungrateful for the Graces of God. Undoubtedly, one who draws far from God is in danger because of their blindness and distance, and undoubtedly their disbelief will drive them to carry out bad actions.
Despite the fact that the Prophet (cpth) is unable to turn a person’s spirit away from its aberration, he is charged with preventing such a person from hurting other people. He must deter them, and even punish them.
This noble Verse explains the legality of fighting and the purpose of enslavement, offering a tribute to the Prophet (cpth), and all of the other ways to check the damage of the disbelievers and their corruption in the land.
Any rational person will take it upon themselves to be a guardian over their more ignorant sibling. They have the right to deal with them roughly out of their love for them and their interest in their sibling’s benefit.
Finally, the Almighty revealed the fate of the disbeliever after death in case they continued to insist on disbelief. God says:
Verse no. 24
24. “Allah will then inflict the greatest torment upon them.”
When they reach the other abode after their worldly life, they will suffer the greatest possible torment, which will be boundless in its intensity.
Verse no. 25
25. “Indeed, to Us is their return;”
The Almighty granted humanity the freedom of choice and then brought them to this world, allowing them to choose their own deeds as they saw fit. However, when they return to their Provider after death, He will take back that freedom of choice from them. He will then reciprocate and repay them in accordance with their spiritual state; that is, He will return good for good deeds and evil for evil ones.
Verse no. 26
26. “And then it is for Us to call them to account.”
”…to call them to account” is to give people what is theirs by right and to repay them for their deeds.
On Doomsday, the Almighty will repay every creature in full.
Allah will not wrong anybody by so much as an atom’s weight. You are sure to be rewarded for whatever deeds you may carry out.
God says: “Then, whoever has done an atom’s weight of good shall see it, and whoever has done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress, Az-Zilzal (The Earthquake), Verse 7-8
Praise be to Al'lah, the Provider of all worlds.
Self-Activity:
In order not to be one of those who look at things only a superficial look, not recognizing its realities, therefore I should contemplate and think deeply of all what I observe, even before eating fruits or any kind of food I should start by God’s name and contemplate its specifications and essences which God has created for my benefit and enjoyment, and if I see the Heavens, mountains, seas, trees and the woods, I have to contemplate and think deeply about these Godly signs (wonders) and appreciate their Almighty Creator and His Power. Finally I will believe in Him the Grand Creator, Merciful Provider and appreciate His Potency, Might, Grace and Charity toward us, therefore I should meditate and think deeply of all the cosmic signs, if I do so, they undoubtedly lead me to appreciate their Creator and Steering Provider.
Guidance and abidance:
Meditate an animal, other than the camels, in your surroundings, contemplate how the Almighty Al'lah created it and the perfection which is contained in its being, all its specifications and qualities which the Almighty has granted it in order to enable it to proceed its function in this life, If you speculate on them deeply and profoundly, you will deduct that there is a Great Creator, a Wise Omniscience Disposer.
Questions and Exercises:
1- Distigush the differences between the animal' looks, and the person' looks? Why does the Almighty God want human to speculate everything around him in the universe?
1- Explain the meaning of this Verse: “You cannot guide whom you please: it is Allah Who guides those who will. He best knows those who lead themselves (to the right path).”
2- Why does the Almighty God describe the torment of the hereafter as the ever greatest torment?
3- How could the human attain the true belief in the Day of Account?