Death in Quran (4) story of man’s existence

In one short verse, the Noble Quran analyses the whole story of man’s existence on this earth. It begins, by the will of Allah, with a state of death and ends with death, after which Allah will restore life again, and the ultimate return thereafter shall be to Him from whom life originated.

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How do you, disbelieve in Allah, in which state are you veiled from Him, when…

When you were dead, and He gave life to you

Why do you not see the proof of the Creator in His creation?

Then He will give you death after your term of life is completed and your lifespan ends,

Then He shall give life to you again, at the Resurrection, and then unto Him you will be returned! Whereupon He shall requite you according to your deeds

How can ye reject the faith in Allah?

The mysteries of life and death are in Allah’s hands.

When you die on this earth that is not the end.  You were of Him, and you must return to Him.  

Look around you and realize your own dignity; it is from Him.  

Giving Life after Death

The verse 2:28 addresses all humankind, denouncing their disbelief in Allah who gives life and takes it away,

“How can you reject Allah who has given you life after you were dead? He will cause you to die again then He will bring you back to life. To Him you shall return.

Denial or rejection of Allah after seeing all these manifest signs is certainly despicable and utterly unjustifiable. The Quran here faces humankind directly with facts they cannot deny or question. It refers to their life and the phases of human existence.

Allah brought man out of a state of death and gave him life. This transformation is a fact that cannot be ignored or denied, and can only be explained by acknowledging the creative power of Allah.

Life is not an illusion, but how has it come about?

Who has initiated this unique phenomenon we call life, which distinguishes the living from the dead in this world?

Life represents an extraordinary dimension that is the complete antithesis of death, but where does it originate?

Humankind has to face this question and answer it in a way that will satisfy man’s curiosity and put his heart and mind at rest. It is simply not enough to dismiss it or attribute life to anything other than a creative power that is itself very different from creation.

The immediate answer to this question is that life comes from Allah. Let those who dispute this come up with another answer.

The verse questions man’s denial of, and disbelief in, Allah “who has given you life after you were dead”.

How impertinent of man to reject Allah, the origin and the cause of life. It affirms that Allah “will cause you to die again”, a fact that is beyond dispute and of which we are constantly reminded.

It adds that “Allah will bring you back to life’’, which has been, and still is today, a matter for endless argument and debate. Yet, if people would only reflect on how man came to be in the first instance, there would be no reason for bewilderment or rejection of life after death.

“And to Him you shall return.” As it was from Him you have come, to Him you shall return, in total fulfilment of His will and purpose.

Thus, in one short verse, the whole book of life is opened and. closed. The whole story of man’s existence on this earth is reviewed. It begins, by the will of Allah, with a state of death and ends with death, after which Allah will restore life again, and the ultimate return thereafter shall be to Him from whom life originated. In this brief picture, we can visualize Allah’s awesome power and appreciate its deep impact on our hearts and minds.

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The verses 2:28 in different translations:

QARIB:

How can you disbelieve Allah? Did he not give you life when you were dead, and he will cause you to die and then restore you to life? Then you will return to him.

SHAKIR:

How do you deny Allah and you were dead and he gave you life? Again, he will cause you to die and again bring you to life, then you shall be brought back to him

PICKTHAL:

How disbelieve ye in Allah when ye were dead and he gave life to you! Then he will give you death, then life again, and then unto him ye will return.

YUSUFALI:

How can ye reject the faith in Allah?- seeing that ye were without life, and he gave you life; then will he cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to him will ye return.

They tried to Kill Muhammad but Allah protected Him

How Has Allah Protected His Prophet Muhammad?

Throughout his life, there were many attempts to kill or to hurt the last Prophet Muhammad.

None of such attempts succeeded; all have failed.

Although Muhammad was able to retaliate and strike back those who attempted to kill him, however, he  let all of them go.

 

In this article, two examples are given.

 

Example (1) The 80 men who wanted to kill Muhammad,

Anas (one of Muhammad’s Companions) reported that eighty men from Mecca came down a mountain intending to take on the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions by surprise and kill them.

However, Muhammad and his Companions captured them and spared their lives.

So Allah, exalted is He, revealed:

(And it is Allah Who has withheld men’s hands from you, and has withheld your hands from them, after He had made you victors over them).

 

‘Abdu Allah al-Muzani (one of Muhammad’s Companions) said:

“We were with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, at al-Hudaybiyyah (a place that is nearby Mecca by few kilometers) when eighty armed youths suddenly charged on us.

The Prophet, prayed against them, and Allah took away their sight.

We then bounced on them and seized them.

The Prophet Muhammad asked them:

‘Have you come under the protection of someone?

Has anyone given you a guarantee of safety?’

They said: ‘No!’

He let them go.

After which Allah, revealed

“And it is Allah Who has withheld men’s hands from you, and has withheld your hands from them…”

Verse 48:24

QARIB:

it was he who restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the hollow (al-Hudaybiyyah) of Mecca after he had given you victory over them. Allah sees the things you do.

SHAKIR:

and he it is who held back their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Mecca after he had given you victory over them; and Allah is seeing what you do

PICKTHAL:

and he it is who hath withheld men’s hands from you, and hath withheld your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca, after he had made you victors over them. Allah is seer of what ye do.

YUSUFALI:

and it is he who has restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makka, after that he gave you the victory over them. And Allah sees well all that ye do.

 

The meaning of the verse,

And it is Allah Who has withheld their hands of the people of Mecca from fighting you, and has withheld your hands from fighting them, in the valley of Mecca, at al-Hudaybiyyah, after He had made you victors over them: for eighty of them surrounded your camp in order to inflict losses upon you, but they were captured and taken to the Prophet, who pardoned them and set them free, and this resulted in the truce.

And Allah is ever Seer of what you do and of what they do, that is to say, He is ever possessed of this attribute.

 

Example (2) the woman who wanted to poison Muhammad

A Jewess came to the Prophet Muhammad with poisoned mutton and presented it as a gift. Muhammad took it and ate a little of it.

When the effects of the poison were felt by him, he called for her and asked her about that, whereupon she said: I had determined to kill you.

Thereupon he said: Allah will never give you the power to do it.

The narrator of this story said that the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad said:

We have to kill her?

But Muhammad said: No. Let her go.

Allah asks you (31) Are they requited according to their deeds?

When the oppressed disbelievers blame the arrogant disbelievers in the Hereafter!

What will Allah put on the necks of the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment?

When the lowly people curse the too proud disbelievers on the Day of Judgment

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In the Noble Quran, Allah is asking mankind some important questions.

It seems compulsory for the serious one who is looking for the truth to have a look at those questions and if possible to answer them.

Allah’ questions are many. In this series, these questions are chosen randomly.

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In verses 34:31-34 of the Noble Quran, Allah asks mankind this question:

Are they requited on the Day of Judgment aught save what they used to do in the life of this world?  The disbelievers will be brought up to stand before their Lord, restrained on the Day of Judgment, bandying arguments against one another.

Allah did not send a Messenger to the inhabitants of any township without its leaders saying, ‘Indeed we disbelieve in that Message with which you have been sent’

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Verses 34:31-34 give the question of this article and talk about it

Verse 34:31 says:

And those who disbelieve say, ‘we will not believe in this Quran, which Muhammad recite unto us nor do we believe in any of the Scriptures revealed before him: because they reject the truth. God, exalted be He, says of them: But if you were to see, O Muhammad, when the wrong-doers, the disbelievers, are brought up to stand before their Lord, restrained on the Day of Judgment, bandying arguments against one another. Those who were oppressed — the followers — will say to those who were arrogant — the leaders: ‘Had it not been for you, barring us from faith, we would have been believers’, in the Prophet.

In other words, how they cast the blame one to another; they argue with each other and curse one another; how those who were oppressed in the earth, these are the lowly among people say unto those who were proud, too proud to accept faith: i.e. the leaders: But for you, we should have been believers in Muhammad and in the Quran.

 

Verse 34:32 says:

Those who were arrogant, too proud to accept faith, i.e. the leader will say to those who were oppressed, i.e. the lowly people:

Did we drive you away; did we bar you from the guidance, from faith after it had come unto you?   Nay! Rather you were guilty’, of your own accord.

 

Verse 34:33 says:

Those who were oppressed, who are the lowly among people say unto those who were too proud their leaders:

Nay but (it was your) scheming night and day, i.e., all the time, it is what you said to us by day and night, (when you commanded us to disbelieve in Allah, when you told us to disbelieve in Muhammad and in the Quran and set up partners with Him’.

[This is like what the western media say all the time about Muhammad and the Quran; and the oppressed follow that media without reading the Quran!]

And they are filled with remorse, both the leaders and those who obeyed them when they behold the doom; and Allah will put shackles on the necks of those who disbelieved in Muhammad and in the Quran. Their hands were tied to their necks.

He says: Are they requited on the Day of Judgment aught save what they used to do in the life of this world?

 

Verse 34:34 says:

And Allah did not send a Warner (Messenger) to the inhabitants of any township without its affluent ones, its leaders, those enjoying life’s comforts, saying, ‘Indeed we disbelieve in that Message with which you have been sent’; Lo! We are disbelievers in that which ye bring unto us; we deny what you brought us.

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Verses 34:31-34 in different translations:

QARIB:

31) The unbelievers say: ‘we will not believe in this koran, nor in (the books) that were before it. ‘ if you could only see the harmdoers when they are brought before their lord! they will argue against each other. those who had been abased will say to those who were proud: ‘but for you, we would have been believers. ‘

32) Then, those who were proud will say to those who were abased, ‘was it we who barred you from the guidance after it had come to you? No, you yourselves were sinners. ‘

33) Those that were abased will say to those who were proud: ‘rather, it was scheming night and day, when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up equals to him. ‘ and they will regret in secret when they see the punishment and we put (iron) fetters on the necks of the unbelievers. shall they be recompensed except for what they were doing?

34) We never sent a Warner to a village except that those (who lived) in luxury said: ‘we disbelieve in the message you have been sent with! ‘

 

SHAKIR:

31) And those who disbelieve say: by no means will we believe in this Quran, nor in that which is before it; and could you see when the unjust shall be made to stand before their lord, bandying words one with another! Those who were reckoned weak shall say to those who were proud: had it not been for you we would certainly have been believers

32) Those who were proud shall say to those who were deemed weak: did we turn you away from the guidance after it had come to you? Nay, you (yourselves) were guilty

33) And those who were deemed weak shall say to those who were proud. Nay, (it was) planning by night and day when you told us to disbelieve in Allah and to set up likes with him. And they shall conceal regret when they shall see the punishment; and we will put shackles on the necks of those who disbelieved; they shall not be requited but what they did

34) And we never sent a Warner to a town but those who led lives in ease in it said: we are surely disbelievers in what you are sent with

 

PICKTHAL:

31) And those who disbelieve say: we believe not in this Quran nor in that which was before it; but oh, if thou couldst see, when the wrong-doers are brought up before their lord, how they cast the blame one to another; how those who were despised (in the earth) say unto those who were proud: but for you, we should have been believers.

32) Those who were proud say unto those who were despised: did we drive you away from the guidance after it had come unto you? Nay, but ye were guilty.

33) Those who were despised say unto those who were proud: nay but (it was your) scheming night and day, when ye commanded us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals unto him. And they are filled with remorse when they behold the doom; and we place carcans on the necks of those who disbelieved. Are they requited aught save what they used to do?

34) And we sent not unto any township a Warner, but its pampered ones declared: lo! we are disbelievers in that wherewith ye have been sent.

 

YUSUFALI:

31) The unbelievers say: “we shall neither believe in this scripture nor in (any) that (came) before it.” couldst thou but see when the wrong-doers will be made to stand before their lord, throwing back the word (of blame) on one another! those who had been despised will say to the arrogant ones: “had it not been for you, we should certainly have been believers!”

32) The arrogant ones will say to those who had been despised: “was it we who kept you back from guidance after it reached you? nay, rather, it was ye who transgressed.

33) Those who had been despised will say to the arrogant ones: “nay! It was a plot (of yours) by day and by night: behold! ye (constantly) ordered us to be ungrateful to Allah and to attribute equals to him!” they will declare (their) repentance when they see the penalty: we shall put yokes on the necks of the unbelievers: it would only be a requital for their (ill) deeds.

34) Never did we send a Warner to a population, but the wealthy ones among them said: “we believe not in the (message) with which ye have been sent.”

Allah does not love (22) the corrupters who light the fires of war

Who said: God’s hand is fettered’ and He cannot give

Allah’ hands are wide open and spread out in bounty for both the righteous and the sinner

Who wished to kill the Prophet Muhammad?

What nation likes to light the fires of war?

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We have seen that Allah does not love those:

1)    The disbelievers,

2)    The arrogant,

3)    Those who reject faith,

4)    The proud and the boastful,

5)    The swaggering braggart strutting in his steps,

6)    The harm doers,

7)    The vainglorious prideful boasters,

8)    Those that do wrong, the unjust,

9)    The impious and guilty,

10)The unfaithful and ungrateful,

11)The transgressors,

12)Those who exceed the limits,

13)The farthest who trespass beyond bounds,

14)The extravagant , Qaroun, Moses’ cousin and the alike and the mischief-maker.  

In this article, that Allah does not love the corrupters who light the fires of war.

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The meanings of the verse 5:64 of the Noble Quran:

Verse 5:64 says:

The Jews said, when their circumstances became straitened, on account of their denial of the Prophet Muhammad, after having been the wealthiest of people:

‘God’s hand is fettered’ and cannot give; withholding the sending forth of provision upon us.

This was their metaphor for niggardliness

May God be exalted above this!

God, exalted be He, says: Fettered be, withheld be, their hands, from the performance of good deeds, as an invocation against them;

And they are cursed for what they have said.

They neither do good acts nor spend in good causes (and they are accursed

Nay, but His hands are extended out wide; a hyperbole for the attribute of generosity.

Both His hands are spread out wide in bounty; His hands are wide open for both the righteous and the sinner; He bestowed as He will, if He wishes, He gives, and if He wishes, He withholds.

The use in the verse of the dual for “yad”, ‘hand’, is intended to imply abundance, since the utmost that an affluent person can give freely of his wealth is when he gives it with both hands.

He expends how He will, in giving abundantly or straitening, and there can be no objection to this.

And what has been revealed to you from your Lord, of the Quran, will surely increase many of them in insolence and disbelief, because of their very disbelief in it;

And We have cast between them enmity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection, and so every sect among them is opposed to the other.

Every time they light the fires of war, that is, for war against the Prophet Muhammad, God extinguishes them, that is, every time they desire it (war), He repels them.

In other words, whenever they unite to kill Muhammad out of disobedience, Allah extinguished it; Allah makes them disunite and oppose each other.

They cause corruption in the land through preventing people from Muhammad and by inviting to other than Allah.

And they hasten about the earth in corruption, that is,

They hasten about corrupting, through acts of disobedience,

And Allah does not love corrupters, meaning that He will punish them.

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Verse 5:64 in different translations

QARIB:

The Jews say: ‘the hand of Allah is chained. ‘their own hands are chained! and they are cursed for what they said! Rather, his hands are both outstretched, he spends as he will. that which Allah has sent down to you will surely increase the tyranny and disbelief of many of them. we have stirred among them enmity and hatred up until the day of resurrection. Whenever they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They spread corruption in the land, and Allah does not love those who corrupt.

SHAKIR:

And the Jews say: the hand of Allah is tied up! Their hands shall be shackled and they shall be cursed for what they say. nay, both his hands are spread out, he expends as he pleases; and what has been revealed to you from your lord will certainly make many of them increase in inordinacy and unbelief; and we have put enmity and hatred among them till the day of resurrection; whenever they kindle a fire for war Allah puts it out, and they strive to make mischief in the land; and Allah does not love the mischief-makers

PICKTHAL:

The Jews say: Allah’s hand is fettered. Their hands are fettered and they are accursed for saying so. Nay, but both his hands are spread out wide in bounty. He bestoweth as he will. that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy lord is certain to increase the contumacy and disbelief of many of them, and we have cast among them enmity and hatred till the day of resurrection. as often as they light a fire for war, Allah extinguisheth it. their effort is for corruption in the land, and Allah loveth not corrupters.

YUSUFALI:

The Jews say: “Allah’s hand is tied up.” be their hands tied up and be they accursed for the (blasphemy) they utter. nay, both his hands are widely outstretched: he giveth and spendeth (of his bounty) as he pleaseth. but the revelation that cometh to thee from Allah increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. amongst them we have placed enmity and hatred till the day of judgment. every time they kindle the fire of war, Allah doth extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth. and Allah loveth not those who do mischief.