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“O assembly of Jinn and men! Did not there come to you messengers from amongst you setting forth to you my signs and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours? They will say: ‘we bear witness against ourselves.’ It was the life of this world that deceived them. So against themselves will they bear witness that they rejected faith.”
(6:130, translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
The Quran is very emphatic about it’s purpose. Unless a person chooses to be deaf, there is no way possible that he/she can fail to realize that there is something significant about to happen. This event is so tremendous that everything in the heavens and the earth vibrates with anticipation of it. In order for man to realize the significance of this Day, Muhammad (S) stated that the angel Israfeel (AS) is awaiting very anxiously with his lips on the trumpet, ready to produce the sound that would usher in a new stage in the journey of man.
When the trumpet is blown, the heavens will be rent asunder, initiating the events that would culminate into a transformation of the world man sees around him. The Quranic metaphor to describe this rendering is powerful indeed. Allah says the heaven will be stripped bare, revealing a bright red hue as a result of the flames of hell burning in anticipation of the food that will provide more fuel for its fire.
“and when the skies are stripped bare, and when Hell is set ablaze…”
(Translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
This description permeated the very psyche of the pre-islamic Arabs, because the meat of a camel appears this color, once its skin has been stripped after slaughtering. Further, the stars will scatter because of this rendering, like the pearls which fall and roll on the ground aimlessly after the string of the necklace that held the pearls together, is broken.
“At the time [O People!] when the sky is rent asunder, and when the stars are scattered…”
(Translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
When the heavens follow the decree of their Lord by initiating this event, the earth will soon follow this cataclysm with it’s own submission to God. The earth that was like a camel in which a man rides smoothly in the desert will begin to grumble and shake vigorously as if it had seen a venomous snake. The mountains that hold the earth together will be thrown out of the ground. These ‘Eternal Ones’, as they were called by the Arabs, would be rent asunder like carded wool. If the most stable phenomenon are destroyed, what to say of those buildings that impress the skyline with their beauty and strength? In Surah Zilzal, Allah, the Almighty, states that the earth will start casting out its burdens.
“[They should remember the Day] when the earth is shaken the way it should be shaken, and it casts forth its burdens.”
(Translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
It seems that the earth that man stands on will no longer be able to tolerate the injustices that were being committed on its shoulders. It seems as if the earth, in a state of torment, because it has been carrying for thousands of years a creature that in its lust for power and wealth destroys life, cannot remain silent anymore. As Javed Ghamidi, describing these burdens, states:
“Here, the foremost connotation of the word `burden’ is the dead who lie buried in the earth, who will be thrown overboard on the Day of Judgement. But, since the word also has a general denotion therefore, it can also imply the buried riches and treasures as well as any traces of the offences committed by criminals, which they had hidden beneath the earth.”
(Translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
The Quran than proceeds in this surah:
“And man shall cry out: `what is the matter with her?’ On that Day, she will narrate all her story at the intimation of your Lord.”
(Translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
She will begin to tell her story to her Lord, because the Lord will inspire her to speak. Allah will address ALL grievances. As Javed Ghamidi has said:
“Whatever a person does in this world, is either done upon or beneath the earth. As such it must be regarded as the greatest witness to all his deeds. It is clear that the earth will rehearse everyone’s record at the behest of God only. Whatever will happen will happen because the Almighty had ordered it and all will be compelled to obey him.”
(Translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
According to Surah Takwir, when these events happen on that particular Day, men will abandon their camels that are ten-months pregnant. Men will forget about even their most prized possessions on that Day. One should not fail realize that it is usually the lust for wealth that men committed atrocities in the first place. Yet, it is the first thing that is mentioned by Allah that men will forget. How loyal this creature is…
The wild beasts will come together forgetting their enmities. Think about it for a moment. It is within the very NATURE of a tiger to kill a dear, but the events of this Day would be so profound that even the nature of any animal will submit to it. The cataclysm would not be confined to the land, but the seas as well. They will burst forth fulfilling the role that was destined for them on this Day.
All of these events are for ONE purpose, and one purpose alone.
Surah Takwir, after relating this events, states:
“then [O people! each one of you] will know what he has brought forward.”
(Translation Shehzad Saleem, www.monthly-renaissance.com)
Man is the CENTER of the universe. Even the angels were ordered to bow down before man. The angels fulfill the decrees of their Lord throughout the universe, and this prostration was symbolic that actions of men permeate the universe through and through. Certain COSMIC events happen that are ultimately tied to the destiny of man. The earth that one lives on is a stage in which the audience is beyond anything imagined in this world. Angels are witnessing this drama unfold, as well as the beats on earth and birds in the heavens.
In Islam, actions are of profound significance, even if man chooses to be heedless of them. One cannot escape the deeds of what one has done and psychology teaches that acts shape personality even sub-consciously. Ali (R) stated that one dishonorable act can ruin a thousand years of good deeds. Men indeed shape their judgements about others through their actions.
This is what Islam is about. It is not about sectarian conflicts, nor is the message that thousands of Prophets have carried to various corners of the world a political, social, or economic ideology. Politics and economics submit to Islam, and Islam submits to nothing. In fact, every single obligation of religion is meant to keep this universal event in view. When man stands with his arms folded in devotion to God Almighty, he states before the Lord of the vastness of the Worlds, that Allah is the Master of the Day of Judgement. Guidance is than sought with respect to this event. Prayer is NOT a ritual, but it is an AFFIRMATION of the phenomenon of the Day of Judgement, i.e. the reality of man’s purpose. As Iqbal would say to the effect, in every Qiyam, lies resurrection.
When man prays, he reads portions of the Quran which are meant to serve as reminders and lessons of instruction on how man should act. The call of adhan initiates this microcosm of the Last Day, and it is a time of self-introspection.
If prayer does not rectify behavior according to ibn Abbass (R), it increases nothing for man except loss. People can pray continuosly, 10, 20, 30, 40 rakaah a night, but without an understanding of what is being recited and why it is being recited, the benefit for man is little. Muhammad (S) intended to protect man from this situation. He (S) stated that the things that Allah loves best is a deed, even SMALL, done continually. He forbade his followers from standing in prayer, such that they would not realize what they were saying. One time a certain female Sahabah (R) tied herself in such a way that she would prevent herself from falling asleep, and he (S) untied the rope and told his followers to sleep if feeling tired. He (S) stated that one should not come to the masjid running, and that men should come calm, and collected so the state of awareness if strong. If the call to adhan is made, and their is food on the table, Mustapha (S) told men to finish their food. Can men concentrate fully on an growling stomach? THESE ARE NOT RULES, because Islam is not about rules. These acts become rules when the spirit of religion is lost. These acts become the wrangling of scholars when the spirit of religion is lost.
The Quran states emphatically that:
“Those who forgot God, God caused them to forget their own self.”
Men become like cattle when they do not realize their purpose, and their actions lose significance in the universal scheme when this realization fades. Allah states that he multiplies a good deed upto 700 times if the intention is pure. A human being should always realize that a deed can impact life in so many ways that men would stand in awe at the results. Blessings unfold in one’s life, and contentment settles in one’s heart. Unless the principles of belief are internalized, religion becomes mysticism, dogma, sectarianism, and every other man-made garbage that has found some place in this world. If the realization is present:
“God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth.”
Everything begins to make sense.
The Quran is not a COMPLEX book like the works of philosophers. But one should not mistake this lack of complexity as an affirmation that the Book is not profound. This would be a mistake of a huge magnitude. Allah, glorious is He, states that He has explained the truth in many different ways so that man takes heed.
To Allah, it is about the INTERNALIZATION OF THE IDEA so that men may transform their conduct.
One must look back at history and compare the impact philosophers made on the world in transforming societies to more noble ideals with that of the impact of Prophets and sages of old. The track-record of the former consists of mainly rendering men into more and more confusion, while the latter, reforming based upon CLEAR SIGHT, shook the foundations of the old order and established new ones. In fact, Prophets were the MOST CREATIVE of men.
This is the essence of religion for man, and this is what it is all about. As Iqbal states:
“This our world”, they asked of me,
“Isn´t congenial to thee?”
“Nay”, I answered; and they cried,
“Break and strew it far and wide!”
(translated by Ahmed Afzaal)
Without this realization, Islam, as taught by all Prophets, is DEAD.