Surah Az-Zumar, Ayah 43

There is no Intercession except with Allah, and how the Idolators are filled with Disgust when Allah

Allah condemns the idolators for taking intercessors besides Allah, namely the idols and false gods whom they have taken on the basis of their own whims, with no evidence or proof. These idols are not able to do anything; they have no minds with which to think, and they cannot hear or see. They are inanimate and are much worse off than animals. Then Allah says: `Say -- O Muhammad -- to these people who claim that those whom they have taken as intercessors with Allah, that intercession is of no avail except for the one with whom Allah is pleased and to whom He has granted permission to intercede. The whole matter rests with Him.'

مَن ذَا الَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ

(Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission) (2:255).

لَّهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ

(His is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth.) means, He is the One Who is in control of all that.

ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

(Then to Him you shall be brought back.) means, `on the Day of Resurrection, then He will judge between you with His justice, and He will reward or punish each person according to his deeds.' Then Allah condemns the idolators further:

وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ

(And when Allah Alone is mentioned) means, when it is said there is no (true) God except Allah Alone,

اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ

(the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust) Mujahid said, "Their hearts are filled with disgust means they recoil in horror." This is like the Ayah:

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ

(Truly, when it was said to them: "La ilaha illa Allah," they puffed themselves up with pride.) (37:35) which means, they were too proud to follow it. Their hearts could not accept anything good, and whoever cannot accept good will accept evil. Allah says:

وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ الَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ

(and when those besides Him are mentioned,) meaning, the idols and false gods -- this was the view of Mujahid --

إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

(behold, they rejoice!) means, they feel happy.

Commentary

The time to sleep and the time to die: How is the soul exacted and what is the difference between the two

In verse 42, it was said: اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا (Allah fully takes away the souls [ of the people ] at the time of their death, and [ of ] those who do not die, in their sleep.). The word: تَوَفَّی (tawaffa) literally means to receive, to take back, exact. In this verse, Allah Ta’ ala has stated very clearly and emphatically that the spirits or souls (arwah) of living beings are under the free will and discretionary dispensation of Allah Ta’ ala at all times and under all conditions. He can seize, exact and take them back at will. And there is at least one manifestation of this absolutely autonomous dispensation that every living being sees and feels everyday when, once asleep, the ruh (spirit, soul) of a person is, so to say, taken away from the body, then, returned on rising from sleep, and ultimately, one such time is bound to come when this ruh stands seized, absolutely and conclusively, following which, this will never be returned.

While sleeping a man loses consciousness. In this sense, sleep is similar to death. When he wakes up from sleep, he regains consciousness. This is a foretaste of resurrection after death. Through this system of nature, a man is shown today itself in an elementary manner how he will die and how he will rise up again. If he gives serious consideration to this matter, he will find in this very mundane event a great lesson of the Hereafter.