Surah Yunus, Ayah 7

The Abode of Those Who deny the Hour is Hell-Fire

Allah describes the state of the wretched who disbelieved in the meeting with Allah on the Day of Resurrection and did not look forward to it, who were well-pleased with the life of this world and at rest in it. Al-Hasan said: "They adorned it and praised it until they were well pleased with it. Whereas they were heedless of Allah's signs in the universe, they did not contemplate them. They were also heedless of Allah's Laws, for they didn't abide by them. Their abode on the Day of Return is Fire, a reward for what they have earned in their worldly life from among their sins and crimes. That is beside their disbelief in Allah, His Messenger and the Last Day."

Commentary

In the previous verses, by mentioning the heavens and the earth and the Moon and the Sun, prominent manifestations of Allah's perfect power and wisdom, the belief in the Oneness of Allah and the Hereafter was proved eloquently. The first three of the present verses tell us that, despite such open signs and evidences spread out in this universe, human beings split up in two groups. One of the two groups was of those who paid just no heed to these Divine signs, failed to recognize their creator and master and failed to recognize even themselves. It never occurred to them that they were no animal like other animals. They never discovered that their Almighty Lord had blessed them with intelligence, reason and commonsense in a degree much higher than that of the animals. Their Lord had put the entire resources of Divine creation at their doorsteps. Everything was as if commissioned to serve them. This should have made them realize that there has to be something their Lord would want them to do, some duty or obligation or charge. If that had to be the case, they would have to ac-count for whatever they had been asked to do. And for this it would be necessary that there should be a day fixed for ultimate reckoning and recompense - known as the day of Qiyamah or al-Hashr (Doomsday, Resurrection) in the terminology of the Qur'an. But, such people did nothing like that, instead, preferred to live their lives at the level of common animals. In the first two verses, after giving the signs and marks of these people, the text mentions the punishment they would receive in the Hereafter. The first thing the text tells is that such people did not think that they would meet their Lord. They have forgotten all about the inevitability of their life in the Hereafter and have become pleased and content with their worldly life alone.

Then, they are sitting there, so satisfied and so content, as if they just do not have to go anywhere else from here. This, to them, was the end of the line and this was where they have to live forever. It never occurs to them that everyone has to bid farewell to this world. This is so open a truth that no one can go about doubting it. And when going away from here is certain, then, some preparation has to be made for the place one is going to.

And then, they are continuously heedless to Allah's verses and signs. Had they pondered over the marvel of the heavens and the earth and what was created in between them and, for that matter, over what was in the their own person, they would have understood the reality behind everything and they would have thus come out of their fatal negligence.

The punishment of people whose signs have been given above is the fire of Jahannam that waits for them in the Hereafter - and this punishment is nothing but the outcome of their own deeds.

How regrettable that the signs of disbelievers and deniers pin-pointed by the Qur'an are no different as far as our own present condition as Muslims is concerned. By looking at our way of life and the pattern of our activities and thoughts, no one can come to the conclusion that we have some other concern bothering us except the concerns of this world under our noses. Yet, despite all that, we sit comfortably believing that we are Muslims, as staunch and true as they come. The hard reality is that the kind of staunch and true Muslims our worthy forbears were has become unimaginable for us. They were the ones a look at whose faces would remind one of God and transmit unmistakably that they feared someone above them and their hearts throbbed with the concern of being accountable to Him. Not to say more about these wonderful people, even the Holy Prophet ﷺ despite being protected from sins (ma` sum مَعصُوم), lived his blessed life in that state. It appears in Shama'il al-Tirmidhi that the Holy Prophet ﷺ looked sad and concerned fairly often.

God has revealed the realities of the Hereafter by means of symbols. Similarly, in the present world, God reveals Himself in the form of arguments, and not as a tangible manifestation. So, we can find God only in the manner and shape in which He reveals Himself and not in any other form. In this world, God has offered mankind His guidance. But only those who are ready to follow it according to the godly plan, are destined to receive this guidance. Only those who are ready to understand the truth presented in the language of reason and accept it will be inspired to tread the right path. Those who do not bow down before true argument fail to bow down, as it were, before God; it is like not accepting God. Such people may expect nothing but Hell as their reward. In the heavens and on the earth, there are countless signs which become the elements of a lesson for those who are God-fearing. Fear, or apprehension, is a thing which makes a man serious. Unless a man is serious, he will not pay full attention to matters of importance and will not understand their various aspects. The whole universe is held together in a creative balance. This is a clear indication of the fact that the Lord of the universe is One who has absolute power over man. Similarly, the initial life which we are now experiencing provides clear proof of the fact that a second life is also possible. The appearance of material results in the present world and the non-appearance of moral results warrants the taking shape of another world where the moral results will be clearly in evidence. This is an unassailable truth, but this can be grasped only by one who looks at life in fear and apprehension.