THE PERFECT HARMONY OF THE UNIVERSE- AN OPEN SECRET FOR THOSE WHO SEEK THE TRUTH (Surah Al- Nazia’at -79)
The Surah opens with oaths sworn by the stars including the sun and the moon and the daily rising of the stars, their subsequent setting. The ascending or rising of the stars and their drowning or disappearance is indicating the completeness of this daily phenomenon. This all is an evidence of Allah’s planning and creativeness. “CONSIDER those (stars) that rise only to set” (Quran 79:1) “and move (in their orbits) with steady motion” (Quran 79:2), They are passing from constellation to constellation at different speeds, promptly executing Allah's Commands. “and float (through space) with floating serene” (Quran 79:3), “and yet overtake (one another) with swift overtaking” (Quran 79:4). This is apparently an allusion to the different speeds of the orbiting stars, as well as to the extent of their orbits in relation to one another (Asad,1980). “and thus they fulfil the (Creator's) behest!” (Quran 79:5). The affairs of the universe are conducted strictly and precisely in accordance to the Divine Will of the Creator. There’s no negligence or delay in the execution of His Command.
This all makes one realize the Almightiness
of Allah. After this the man has been told, so
as to tell him that what he regards as impossible, is not at all difficult for
Allah. Just a violent convulsion will
convulse this system of the world, followed by further convulsions enough to
cause the men to appear as living beings in the new world. So that one will
be subjected to His ultimate judgment. “(HENCE, think of) the Day when a violent
convulsion will convulse (the world)” (Quran 79:6), “to be
followed by further (convulsions)!” (Quran 79:7) “On that Day will (men's) hearts be throbbing” (Quran 79:8), “(and) their eyes downcast” (Quran
79:9). “(And yet,) some say, "What! Are we indeed to be restored to our former
state” (Quran 79:10). “even though we may have become (a heap of)
crumbling bones?"(Quran 79: 11).
On that day, the same people who were to deny the truth, will be fully awakened.
They would have their hearts throbbing, their eyes casted down and will be
struck with awe to find what they thought was impossible or farfetched. Their condition will be a combination of
worry, fear, humiliation and breakdown. They would feel this to be something
impossible after they have become crumbling bones; after the destruction of
their physical bodies, disintegration and decaying of their bones. And when the
trumpet will be blown, they will realize that their awakening does not take
them back to their life on earth, but to their second life- where all from
first to the last people will be standing before their Lord. At this point they
feel their great loss. They have not banked on such a return, and have not
prepared for it. Neither will they be given any opportunity to verify it. “(And) they add, "That, then, would be a return with loss!” (Quran 79:12) “(But,)
then, that (Last Hour) will be (upon them of a sudden, as if it were) but a
single accusing cry” (Quran 79:13) “and
then, lo, they will be fully awakened (to the truth)!” (Quran 79: 14).
Next is an
account of selection of Musa for tasking him a way to put an end to a
transgressor Pharaoh. This has remained the main function of every prophet to make the men aware of their
responsibilities towards their Lord. “Has the story of Moses ever come
within thy ken” (Quran
79:15). Beginning with a sudden call from
Allah i4n the twice hallowed valley. Apparently because the God’s voice was
heard in it and because Moses was raised there to prophet hood. This embodies a
secret of divinity and a secret of how Allah has made a man susceptible to His
call. “Lo! His
Sustainer called out to him in the twice-hallowed valley” (Quran 79: 16): "Go
unto Pharaoh - for, verily, he has transgressed all bounds of what is right”
(Quran 79:17) The message had to be conveyed in a
warm attitude asking him his desire of purifying his soul, depicting the
immeasurable grace of Allah. “and say (unto him), 'Art thou
desirous of attaining to purity?”(Quran 79:18). Only genuine
care can win a hardened heart. “(If so) then I shall guide thee
towards (a cognition of) thy Sustainer, so that (henceforth) thou wilt stand in
awe (of Him)”(Quran 79:19).
Since Allah is just, He does not punish or destroy anyone who has not yet
attained to the full awareness of existence of Allah and the real discernment between
what is morally right and wrong.
“And thereupon he
(went to Pharaoh and) made him aware of the great wonder (of Allah's grace)” (Quran 79: 20). Meaning that Moses
showed him the great wonder which was the guidance that Allah in His
measureless grace, offers even to the most recalcitrant sinner. However, Pharaoh was determined not to accept the truth or
submit to it. He was being deceived by his people’s ignorance of faith and
their submission to his authority. “But (Pharaoh) gave him the lie and
rebelliously rejected (all guidance)”(Quran 79:21), “and brusquely
turned his back (on Moses)”(Quran 79:22); He
summoned all his men and made a proclamation that he was the lord. “and then he gathered (his great ones), and called (unto his people)”
(Quran 79: 23), and said, "I am
your Lord All-Highest!" (Quran 79:24). Pharaoh's claim to
divine status was the cardinal sin whereby he had transgressed all bounds of
what was right. Against such intolerable insolence,
Allah seized him in exemplary punishment in this world utterly destroying all that Pharaoh and his
people had wrought, and all that they had built and
there is more to come in the Hereafter. “And thereupon God took him to task, (and made him) a warning
example in the life to come as well as in this world” (Quran 79:25). “In this, behold, there is a lesson indeed
for all who stand in awe (of God)” (Quran 79:26). Only those who know their true Lord and fear Him will
benefit from the lessons of Pharaoh’s history.
Resurrection is
merely a repetition of creation. Allah who has built heaven will find the
resurrection an easier proposition. It is He who has ‘built’ heaven. He reared
its ceiling high and proportioned it. “(O Men!) Are you more difficult to create than the heaven which He has
built?” (Quran 79:27). Knowledge of the
laws which govern the existence of the creatures in the sky above us
intensifies our feeling of the limitlessness of our world, of which human
knowledge has uncovered only a tiny part. These verses depict man's insignificance as compared with
the vastness and complexity of the whole God-created universe. “High
has He reared its vault and formed it in accordance with what it was meant to
be” (Quran 79:28) “and He has made dark its night and brought
forth its light of day” (Quran 79:29). And it’s He who darkened the night and extracted its
brightness. How darkness at night and light in the morning succeed each other
is recognized by all, but gets overlooked due to its familiarity. The Qur’an
reminds us of its permanent novelty. For it is repeated anew every day,
producing the same effects and reactions. The natural laws governing this
phenomenon are so precise and miraculous that they continue to impress and
astonish man as his knowledge increases. “And after that, the earth: wide has He spread its expanse” (Quran
79: 30), He
Spread out the earth the leveling of its surface so that it becomes easy to
walk on, brought out water (springs, rain water) from the earth. “and has caused its waters to come out of it, and its pastures” (Quran 79: 31), He brought forth
the pastures, all plants upon which man and animals feed, and which directly
and indirectly sustain life. “and has made the mountains firm” (Quran 79: 32). “(all this) as a means of livelihood for you
and your animals” (Quran 79:33). Setting the mountains firm is a result of
the final shaping of the surface of the earth. It is not by chance that heaven
was built in this fashion and the earth spread out to take its present shape.
Man’s existence, as Allah’s vicegerent, was taken into account. Indeed, human
life and progress depend on so many factors which operate in the universe, in
the solar system, and on the earth itself. All these factors must be made to
function in absolute harmony.
The duration of the present life is in accordance to the overall
planning of universe and human life, and has a precise and accurate measure,
will end at the time appointed –all in His Knowledge. “And so, when the great
overwhelming event (of, resurrection) comes to pass” (Quran 79:34) “On that Day
man will (clearly) remember all that he has ever wrought” (Quran 79:35). When the great
event takes place, it will ravage all and overwhelm all. At that moment man
will remember all that he has ever wrought. “and the blazing fire [of hell] will be laid open before all who (are
destined to) see it” (Quran 79:36). All the suffering in the hereafter
("hell") is the inevitable consequence of spiritual self-destruction
through deliberate wrongdoing.
The man might have been distracted by the
events and comforts of this life and he might have overlooked what he has done.
But he will recall it all then, when remembrance brings him nothing but sadness
and grief as he realizes what a miserable end he faces. “For, unto him who shall have transgressed the bounds of what is right”
(Quran 79:37), “and preferred the life
of this world (to the good of his soul)” (Quran 79: 38), “that blazing fire will truly be the goal!”
(Quran 79: 39).
Hell which is brought in sight of everybody on that great day will be a
transgressor’s dwelling place. Since consciousness of the Hereafter defines the
values and standards to be applied, he who prefers this present life suffers a
breakdown of values and standards resulting in his adoption of faulty standards
of behavior. “But unto
him who shall have stood in fear of his Sustainer's Presence, and held back his
inner self from base desires” (Quran 79: 40), “Paradise
will truly be the goal!” (Quran 79: 41). The one who fears to stand in front
of Allah and held back his inner self from base desires will not indulge in sin
and If he slips and commits a sin, in a moment of weakness, his fear of Allah
will lead him to repent and pray for forgiveness. Thus, he remains within the
area of obedience, and for him, paradise will be destined.
The pagan Arabs used to ask about the
arrival of day of judgment, upon hearing a description of its fearful events.
The knowledge of which rests with Allah alone. He is the One Who knows the
exact time of its occurrence? The prophet has no knowledge of it, he is sent
just to warn mankind and caution them to beware of the torment and punishment
of Allah. “They will ask thee (O Prophet) about the Last Hour, "When will it come to
pass?" (Quran 79:42)
“(But) how couldst thou tell anything
about it” (Quran 79:43) “(seeing
that) with thy Sustainer alone rests the beginning and the end (of all
knowledge) thereof?” (Quran 79:44). “Thou
art but (sent) to warn those who stand in awe of it” (Quran 79: 45). When people will
stand up from their graves to go to the place of gathering, they will feel that
the period of the worldly life was short. It will seem to them that it was no
longer than one evening. “On the Day when they behold it, (it
will seem to them) as if they had tarried (in this world) no longer than one
evening or (one night, ending with) its morn” (Quran 79: 46). The whole world,
its centuries and generations will shrink to nothing longer than a morning or
an evening in the sight of the very people who quarrel and fight for it,
preferring it to their share in the life to come. Yet for such passing
enjoyment they abandon the Hereafter and forego the certain prospect of
dwelling in paradise.
Though we are not aware of it, but this universe has continued to
function in perfect harmony for millions of years. And the One who created
everything; the sun, the stars, the earth, has decreed upon them the laws, by
which the natural order of all creation is functioning. This itself is a
conclusive proof of His existence and greatness. This nature all around, exists
for man, serving as a collection of signs exhibiting His power, so that the man
recognizes God as his Creator. It keeps on
revealing its secrets to those who seek for it and what one seeks is in fact
seeking him. One doesn’t have to ask for signs, the signs are all around, all
the time; one just needs to pay a heed. We don’t really realize but our consciousness is in a constant conversation with
the Universe.
And that is how all the answers that we seek outside, start coming from within
us. That is how the reality starts forming around us. Moreover, our consciousness
does skips ahead a few beats to help prepare us for what’s coming next, which
it then communicates to us through our intuition and other senses. Somehow in a
distracting world where we live, it’s not that simple. But the more anyone will
bring himself in flow with the universe, the more he be capable of improving his life on every level, in both the bigger ways
and the smaller ones. This is just because he would have recognized the Creator
and His creation. That is
simply how the nature keeps telling us that discovering the truth, learning the
truth and believing in the truth- all are possible. These are all His bounties to which somehow we all remain
neglectful. This will be however, for us for a certain length of time, at the
end of which we all be brought in front of Him, fully awakened to the truth and
standing in awe on the judgment day (El-Hadi, 2014).
There we all be judged fairly in
accordance to what we would have earned in this life, all with our free will.
Jannah and Jahannum will be the logical consequences of our own actions. Those
among us who would willingly commit wrong, would have done enough to be labeled
as the disbelievers. It would be purely one’s own fault. One will never be allowed
to put the blame on anyone else and one would be realizing it as well. But
those who would have exercised righteousness, would be rewarded with a state of
eternal goodness which will last forever. This reality of paradise is something
that the man might never understand till he actually enters it. We have just
been shown the glimpses of it in Quran, and the man has over the ages, tried to
describe it more in terms of its physicality. However, if it’s the height of
everything and anything that a man can perceive, then it’s actual reality must
include all emotional and psychological feelings of contentment, fulfillment
and harmony; a glimpse of which one might get at times in this life as well. No
doubt what one experiences in this life is too less and too tiny of what is
promised ahead. And that is how the
actual reality of Jannah surpasses our present ability of imagination (Najmeddine, 2019). It must be a perfect place where
the desires of the soul and the heart be fulfilled with nothing of wants,
needs, regrets and sorrows left. A kind of blessings, never seen, known, or
crossed the hearts before. If it’s beyond the longing of human heart which in
itself longs more and dreams more than the logical mind, it means that such a
delight is going to be essentially different to the life of this world, not
limited by logic or by what we know as “possible”. Rather it’s more like an
illogical thing that touches the heart, fulfills the desires and remains beyond
human comprehension. The situation there will be
completely different. In this world we get what we strive for, but there one will
get what one wills of. There we will simply need to will. We might will to get something, and we might will to meet
the God! The One who brought us into both the worlds. However, living in this
world and not knowing this reality is no doubt such a loss (Abdulsalam,2006).
This concept of
life after death is somehow common in all religions, determining and shaping
one’s way of looking at the life of this world. It makes one realize that the
life of this world is not the whole thing but the part of a bigger reality. But
this somewhat gets limited by our own senses that are not able to get us beyond
the material world.
References
Holy Quran. Surah Naziat. 79: ayah 1-46.
Asad, M. The Message of Quran. Surah Naziat.79. verse 1-46.
El-Hadi, N. 2014. Islam and the
Nature of the Universe. 2014 Islamway.net
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