Surah Al-Hajj, Ayah 9

Clarifying the State of the Leaders of the Innovators and Those Who lead People astray

Allah has already told us about the ignorant imitators who are led astray:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَـدِلُ فِى اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيْطَـنٍ مَّرِيدٍ

(And among mankind is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge, and follows every rebellious Shaytan.) And here He tells us about those who call others to misguidance, the leaders of disbelief and innovation:

ومِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَـدِلُ فِى اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلاَ هُدًى وَلاَ كِتَـبٍ مُّنِيرٍ

(And among men is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge or guidance, or a Book giving light (from Allah).) meaning, with no correct rational thought, and no clear transmitted text; what they say is based only on their opinions and whims. Allah's saying,

ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ (Turning his side away - 22:5) The word عِطْفِ ` itf means ` side of the body', and the expression means ` to turn on one's side' - in other words ` to oppose'.

Man is doubtful about the life hereafter for the simple reason that he is unable to understand how a human being who is dead and gone can come back to life. He wonders how a dead universe can become a live universe. The reply to this question can be found in the structure of our present world itself. What is the present world? It is nothing but a change from one condition to another. What we call a ‘live’ existence is in fact the result of a change, a metamorphosis of a non-living existence. An analysis of the human body shows that it is composed of iron, carbon, calcium, salts, water, gases, etc. These compounds which comprise the human body are all lifeless. But these inanimate soul-less things convert into animate objects having souls and start moving about in the shape of human beings. In the case of human beings, therefore, when non-living things have initially taken the shape of living things, the assertion that, once again, non-living things will change into living things, is not at all surprising. Similarly, if one looks at the green vegetation growing on the earth, it will be seen that it is formed from a number of constituents found in the soil. All these constituents are initially devoid of the qualities found in vegetation. Yet this type of transformation takes place every day before our eyes. Then why should we have doubts about the recurrence of such a feasible event? The fact is that the coming into existence of the first world in itself proves the feasibility of the coming into existence of the second world. After experiencing one world, the understanding of a second world, rationally and logically, is not at all difficult.