Surah Al-'Ankabut, Ayah 68

The Blessing of the Sanctuary Here

Allah reminds Quraysh how He blessed them by granting them access to His sanctuary which He has made (open) to (all) men, the dweller in it and the visitor from the country are equal there, and whoever enters it is safe, because he is in a place of great security, although the Arabs of the desert round about used to ambush and raid one another and kill one another. As Allah says:

لإِيلَـفِ قُرَيْشٍ - إِيلَـفِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَآءِ وَالصَّيْفِ - فَلْيَعْبُدُواْ رَبَّ هَـذَا الْبَيْتِ - الَّذِى أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَءَامَنَهُم مِّنْ خوْفٍ

(For the protection of the Quraysh. The caravans to set forth safe in winter and in summer. So let them worship the Lord of this House. Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear.) (106:1-4)

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ‌وْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَ‌مًا آمِنًا (Did they not see that We have made a peaceful sanctuary حَرَم[ haram ] - 67). In the preceding verses it was described that the deeds and actions of the infidels were foolish and irrational. On the one hand, they accept Allah as the sole Creator and master of everything, and on the other they associate their self-chiseled idols with Him. Then, it is not that they just believe Him to be the sole Creator of everything, but they know well that it is only He who brings them out safely from all types of calamities. But after achieving deliverance, they get involved again in associating their idols with Him.

The real reason for a man going astray is that he is so completely engrossed in the glamour and problems of the world that he cannot rise above them and think independently. In order to arrive at the Truth, one has to raise oneself above external and superficial appearances. Most of the people cannot do so, and that is why they do not find the Truth. In the world, time and again, man has experiences which remind him of his helplessness. At that time all his conditioning fall away from him and the real and natural man in him is awakened. But as soon as conditions return again to normal, he becomes as neglectful and arrogant as before. Among these crucial experiences is that of a voyage, which is mentioned in the verse. Man should know that the chance to exercise freedom is given to him during this life for only a few days. After death, he will have to face a completely new world with a completely different set of problems.