Surah As-Saffat, Ayah 40

The Punishment of the Idolators and the Reward of the sincere Believers

Allah says, addressing the people:

إِنَّكُمْ لَذَآئِقُو الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمِ - وَمَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(Verily, you are going to taste the painful torment; and you will be requited nothing except for what you used to do.) Then He makes an exception in the case of His sincerely believing servants. This is like the Ayat:

وَالْعَصْرِ - إِنَّ الإِنسَـنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ

(By the Time. Verily, man is in loss, Except those who believe and do righteous deeds...) (103:1-3),

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ فِى أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ - ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَـهُ أَسْفَلَ سَـفِلِينَ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ

2. From verse 33: فَإِنَّهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ فِي الْعَذَابِ مُشْتَرِ‌كُونَ (So, this day, they will be sharers in the punishment.), we learn that should a certain person invite someone else to participate in what is impermissible and use his clout to coax him into sin, then, he will certainly incur the punishment of so inviting that person to sin. But, a person who accepts his invitation of his volition and choice, he too cannot be absolved from the sin of his deed. He cannot appear in the Hereafter and get away by saying that he was made to go astray by this or that person. Yes, if he has not committed sin by his volition and choice, instead, has done so under coercion, just to save his life, then, insha'Allah, it is hoped that he will be forgiven.

When they were told that there was nobody worth worshipping except God, they behaved haughtily. This does not mean that their haughty behaviour was directed against God. The majesty of God is too lofty to allow any individual to be so presumptuous. Their haughty behaviour, in fact, was aimed at His messenger. The leaders in whose name others indulged in polytheistic acts, were adversely affected by the Prophet’s call for belief in the oneness of God. On the one hand was the Prophet and on the other, the polytheistic leaders. Since the Prophet appeared to be of a lesser stature than the leaders, most people ignored him, considering him a person of little or no account. The force of argument was undoubtedly on the side of the Prophet, but apparent greatness seemed to reside in their leaders and history is replete with examples where the force of reason has proved ineffective in the face of apparent greatness.