Surah Al-An'am, Ayah 135

If They Disobey, They Will Perish

Allah said,

وَرَبُّكَ

(And your Lord...), O Muhammad,

الْغَنِىُّ

(is Al-Ghani) Rich, free from needing His creatures in any way or form, while they stand in need of Him in all situations,

ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ

(full of mercy;) towards creation. Allah said in another Ayah,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Truly, Allah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind.) 2:143

إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ

(if He wills, He can destroy you.) if you defy His commandments,

وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِن بَعْدِكُم مَّا يَشَآءُ

(And in your place make whom He wills as your successors,) who behave obediently,

كَمَآ أَنشَأَكُمْ مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ

Commenting on this verse, Tafsir authority, Ibn Kathir pointed out that the exact words of the text here are: مَن تَكُونُ لَهُ عَاقِبَةُ الدَّارِ‌ (for whom is the ultimate abode) and not: عَاقِبَةُ الدَّارِاَلآخِرَۃِ‌ (the ultimate abode of Akhirah), that is, the suffix of 'Akhirah or Hereafter is not there. This tells us that, much earlier than the abode of Akhirah, the ultimate success falls to the lot of the righteous servants of Allah alone even within the present abode of the world. This stands proved from the life and times of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his blessed Companions ؓ . Not much time passed when all wielders of power and authority found themselves disgraced before them. Their countries were conquered at their hands. Within the period of prophethood, the whole Arabia came under his authority which soon extended to Yaman, Bahrain and the borders of Syria. Then, it was at the hands of his Khulafa' and the Sahabah that a major part of the known world of the time came under their aegis. Fullfilled stood the promise of Allah Ta` a1a: كَتَبَ اللَّـهُ لَأَغْلِبَنَّ أَنَا وَرُ‌سُلِي (Allah has written: I shall overcome, I, and My Messengers - 58:21). And again, it was said in another verse: إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ‌ رُ‌سُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْأَشْهَادُ ﴿51﴾ that is, ` We shall help Our Messengers, and those who have believed, in the present world, and on the Day of Qiyamah, when witnesses will stand to record their testimony on the reckoning of deeds - 40:51.'

In the life of this world we see that there is a difference between the status of one man and another. This difference is exactly in proportion to the efforts made and the struggle engaged in by each of them. A man’s wisdom, his diligence and accommodation of interests will determine the degree of his success in this life. The same state of affairs exists in the case of the Hereafter. In the Hereafter also, the award of status will relate exactly to the deeds performed by human beings in the world. A man has to spend time and money on the Hereafter also, just as he spends time and money on the world. In the matter of the Hereafter, too, he has to behave wisely, as he has been behaving in the world; he has to look after his interests and take care of delicate situations, just as he had been doing in the world. God, in whose hands lies the power of taking decisions in the Hereafter, is fully aware of the condition of each and every individual. It will not be difficult for Him to give everyone whatever he is entitled to. Through this world of trial which God has created, He has opened the door to immense and valuable possibilities for man, who by performing good deeds in the short temporary life of this world, can earn superlative rewards in the eternal life of the Hereafter. There is no benefit to God in this system. If the present generation does not accept God’s creation plan. He can raise in their place others who will accept His creation plan and enlist themselves in its support. Even the sands of the desert and the leaves of the trees can be raised by Him as His faithful subjects. In a world based entirely on Truth and Justice, the fact that freedom is enjoyed by tyrants and arrogant people as well as virtuous people, in itself proves that this freedom is not by way of reward but by way of trial. One who refuses to accept the Truth and still does not apparently lose anything, should not brag about his apparent good fortune, for this condition is purely temporary. Very soon the time will come when everything on the strength of which he behaved with arrogance, will be taken away from him. And he will be pushed towards eternal destruction, from which he will never be able to emerge, and where he will have the opportunity neither to perform good deeds nor to save himself from the final result of his misdeeds.