Surah Ibrahim, Ayah 15

Disbelieving Nations threaten Their Messengers with Expulsion

Allah narrates to us how the disbelieving nations threatened their Messengers, that being, expulsion from their land and banshiment. For instance, the people of Prophet Shu`ayb, peace be upon him, said to him and to those who believed in him,

لَنُخْرِجَنَّكَ يـشُعَيْبُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَكَ مِن قَرْيَتِنَآ

(We shall certainly drive you out from our town, O Shu`ayb, and those who have believed with you.) 7:88 The people of Prophet Lut, peace be upon him, said,

أَخْرِجُواْ ءَالَ لُوطٍ مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ

(Drive out the family of Lut from your city.) 27:56 Allah said about the idolators of Quraysh,

In the last verse here (8), it was said: قَالَ مُوسَىٰ إِن تَكْفُرُ‌وا أَنتُمْ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ جَمِيعًا (And Musa said, "If you are ungrateful, you and all those on earth, then, Allah is free of all needs, worthy of every praise.) " This was said by Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) to his people. He is telling them that should they or, for that matter, all inhabitants of the earth become ungrateful to Allah Ta’ ala, it is not going to cause any loss to Allah Ta’ ala. As for Him, He needs no praise or gratitude for Himself. He is Independent. He is beyond that. He is intrinsically Praised and deserving of praise. If you do not praise Him, the angels do, all of them, and so does every particle of this universe.

So, whatever good there is in gratitude, that is for you alone. There-fore, when you are asked to be grateful by Allah Ta’ ala, there is no gain for Him in doing so. In fact, it is His infinite mercy reaching out to you in your interest.

The religion adopted by the various communities was severely shaken by the call of the prophets. Those treated as great men by their people were reduced in status by the analysis of the prophets, and this angered them. They could not rebut the prophets’ arguments. However, thanks to the system prevailing at that time, they had great powers in their hands. In their superior position they decided that the prophets should be made homeless and landless. What could not be countered by arguments was opposed by power. When man is in possession of land, this possession is by way of a test and not as a right. If a man realizes that all these things are from God, which has been given to him as a test, he will develop a modest mentality. He will be afraid that what has been given by God may be taken away from him. But those neglectful of religion consider it as a personal right and this feeling makes them tyrannical and proud. When the call of the prophet reaches its conclusive stage, it means that the period of respite given to the addressee community as a test has come to an end. Thereafter, the world is completely changed for them. The things in which they had reposed their hopes and on which basis they had made boastful plans suddenly leave them. So much so, that a time comes when the land is wrested from them and given to others who are more deserving.