Surah Al-Hajj, Ayah 3

Condemnation of the Followers of the Shaytan

Allah condemns those who deny the Resurrection and who deny that Allah is able to restore life to the dead, those who turn away from that which Allah has revealed to His Prophets and, in their views -- denial and disbelief -- follow every rebellious Shaytan among men and Jinn. This is the state of the followers of innovation and misguidance, who turn away from the truth and follow falsehood, following the words of the leaders of misguidance who call people to follow innovation and their own desires and opinions. Allah says concerning them and their like,وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَـدِلُ فِى اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ

(And among mankind is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge,) meaning, without sound knowledge.

وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيْطَـنٍ مَّرِيدٍكُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ

(and follows every rebellious Shaytan. For him it is decreed.) Mujahid said, "This refers to that Shaytan." meaning that is a matter written in the decree.

أَنَّهُ مَن تَوَلاَّهُ

(that whosoever follows him,) and imitates him,

فَأَنَّهُ يُضِلُّهُ وَيَهْدِيهِ إِلَى عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ

(he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire.) means, he will mislead him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will drive him to the torment of the Fire, which is unbearably hot, painful and agonizing. As-Suddi reported that Abu Malik said, "This Ayah was revealed about An-Nadr bin Al-Harith. This was also the view of Ibn Jurayj.

Commentary

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّـهِ بِغَيْرِ‌ عِلْمٍ (And among men there is one who debates about Allah with no knowledge - 22:8.) This verse was revealed with particular reference to Nadr Ibn al-Harith, who was a very quarrelsome person. He claimed that the angels were Allah's daughters, and that the Qur'an was a storybook, which contained fables about people of bygone ages. He denied the Day of Judgment and the Resurrection of the dead. Although this verse relates to a particular person, its message applies to all who are in a similar situation, and practice such wickedness

This is a literal description of some of the horrors of Doomsday, a day which will throw people into such a state of sheer horror that the mother will forget the baby at her breast and the pregnant woman will miscarry. The earthquakes occurring in our present world give only a slight foretaste of the events of Doomsday. The onset of the great earthquake of Doomsday will make man forget everything he had considered important and due to which he had forgotten Doomsday—so much so that on that Day he will forget even his most cherished possessions and his near and dear ones.