Surah Al-An'am, Ayah 40

The Idolators Call On Allah Alone During Torment and Distress

Allah states that He does what He wills with His creatures and none can resist His decision or avert what He decrees for them. He is the One Who has no partners, Who accepts the supplication from whomever He wills. Allah said,

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُكُم إِنْ أَتَـكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمْ السَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ

(Say: "Tell me if Allah's torment comes upon you, or the Hour comes upon you, would you then call upon any one other than Allah (Reply) if you are truthful!") This means, you -- disbelievers -- will not call other than Allah in this case, because you know that none except He is able to remove the affliction. Allah said,

إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ

(if you are truthful) by taking gods besides Him.

بَلْ إِيَّـهُ تَدْعُونَ فَيَكْشِفُ مَا تَدْعُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِنْ شَآءَ وَتَنسَوْنَ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ

(Nay! To Him alone you call, and, if He willed, He would remove that (distress) for which you call upon Him, and you forget at that time whatever partners you joined with Him (in worship)!) for in times of necessity, you only call on Allah and forget your idols and false deities. In another Ayah, Allah said;

وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الْضُّرُّ فِى الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلاَ إِيَّاهُ

(And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon besides Him vanish from you except Him (Allah)) 17:67. Allah said;

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلنَآ إِلَى أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَـهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَآءِ

(Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you. And We seized them with extreme poverty...) That is, loss of wealth and diminished provisions,

وَالضَّرَّآءِ

(and loss of health) various illnesses, diseases and pain,

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ

(so that they might believe with humility) and call Allah and supplicate to Him with humbleness and humility. Allah said;

فَلَوْلا إِذْ جَآءَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُواْ

(When Our torment reached them, why then did they not believe with humility) Meaning: Why do they not believe and humble themselves before Us when We test them with disaster'

وَلَـكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ

(But their hearts became hardened,) for their hearts are not soft or humble,

وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَـنُ مَا كَانُواّ يَعْمَلُونَ

(and Shaytan made fair-seeming to them that which they used to do. ) That is, Shirk, defiance and rebellion.

فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ

(So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded,) by ignoring and turning away from it,

فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ

(We opened to them the gates of everything,) Meaning: `We opened the gates of provisions for them from wherever they wished, so that We deceive them.' We seek refuge with Allah from such an end. This is why Allah said,

حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَآ أُوتُواْ

f(until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given,) such as wealth, children and provisions,

أَخَذْنَـهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُّبْلِسُونَ

(all of a sudden, We took them to punishment and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows.) They have no hope for any type of good thing. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "Whomever Allah gives provision and he thinks that Allah is not testing him, has no wisdom. Whomever has little provision and thinks that Allah will not look at (provide for) him, has no wisdom." He then recited the Ayah,

فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَآ أُوتُواْ أَخَذْنَـهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُّبْلِسُونَ

(So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows.) He added, "By the Lord of the Ka`bah! Allah deceived these people, when He gave them what they wished, and then they were punished." Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this statement.

The sixth verse (38): وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ (there is no creature moving …) tells us that, on the day of Qiyamah, animals will also be given life along with human beings. Following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، it has been reported by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Baihaqi that, on the day of Qiyamah, all animals, beasts and birds will also be given life once again. Such will be the measure of Divine justice that a horned animal which had hit the hornless one shall be subjected to retaliation, as would be the case with others too. And when all injustices have been vindicated, all of them would be commanded to become dust - and then, dust they shall become. This would be the time when the disbeliever will say: يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنتُ تُرَ‌ابًا [ 78:40] that is, ` would that I too were to become dust, and thus saved from the punishment of Hell!'.

If the brief import of these verses is expanded, it will be as follows: They ask us why extraordinary signs do not accompany the Prophet in order to establish that his message is truthful. God has the full power to present all types of signs. But the real question is not that of signs but of people’s ignorance. God’s countless signs are spread out here everywhere. When people are not able to learn anything from these existing signs, what advantage can they derive from the presentation of a new sign? The various types of animals moving about on the earth and the birds flying in the air are signs for you. What God requires of these living creatures is the same as He requires of you, and God has written down His requirements for all living creatures—for human beings in terms of Islamic law and for other creatures by way of their instincts. Creatures like birds and animals carry out God’s writ to the letter, but man is not prepared to accept God’s writ. Therefore, the question is not of signs but of blindness. What is the justification for man to adopt any religion other than the one adopted by all of God’s creatures? The fact is that those who are inclined to act properly do so without demanding any new signs and those who are not so inclined demand signs in spite of already being surrounded by innumerable signs. Such people are inevitably destined to be assembled on Doomsday and shown how all types of animals, having adopted the realistic approach, trod the path of God; it was human beings who deviated from it. The animal kingdom is synonymous with the world of nature. Animals are on the constant look-out for food but, in obtaining it, there is no persecution by one animal on another. Needs are satisfied but without selfishness. Even if one animal is troubled by another, there is no hostility or enmity. Among them tasks are performed, but there is no ambition to get the credit for them. Unlike animals, man is arrogant. He is not prepared to be regulated by God’s plan. God’s requirement of man is the same as that which is fulfilled by the animals. Then why is it necessary for man to demand a miracle? Are not there living signs in the shape of animals which provide an example of God’s methods and also corroborate for mankind the truth of the Prophet’s teachings?