Surah Az-Zumar, Ayah 30

The Parable of Shirk

وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِى هَـذَا الْقُرْءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ

(And indeed We have put forth for men, in this Qur'an every kind of parable) means, `We have explained things to mankind in it the Qur'an by setting forth examples and parables.'

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

(in order that they may remember.) Because parables bring the meaning closer to people's minds. As Allah says:

ضَرَبَ لَكُمْ مَّثَلاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ

(He sets forth for you a parable from yourselves) (30:28). meaning, `so that you may learn it from yourselves.' And Allah says:

وَتِلْكَ الاٌّمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَآ إِلاَّ الْعَـلِمُونَ

Commentary

In verse 30, it was said: إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ (Verily, you are to die and they are to die). The word: مَيِّتٌ (mayyit) with a doubling sound on the letter: اَلیاء (al-ya) denotes someone who will die in the future and مَیت (mait) with the letter al-ya' remaining quiescent, someone who has died. In this verse, the address is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and it is being said to him that he too is to die and so are his friends and foes, who will also die. The objective behind the statement is to alert and persuade everyone to be concerned about the Hereafter and be ready to do everything necessary to achieve this goal. Then, as an inter-related side of the subject, the purpose is also to make it very clear that the Holy Prophet ﷺ too, despite being the most sublime among the creation and the foremost among prophets, is not exempted from death, so that people would not differ about this matter after his passing away from this mortal world (from al-Qurtubi).

Man always tries to save his face from injuries, but the punishment of Doomsday will so encompass man that it will not be possible for him to save any part of his body. In fact he will stand before the ineluctable punishment, as if using his face as a shield against it. In the eyes of God, the greatest crime a man can commit is not to admit to the Truth when it reveals itself to him. Such people can never escape the scourge of God.