The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Al-fatir
Commentary : Verse 14
(14) إِن تَدْعُوهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُوا دُعَآءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمْ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ وَلاَ يُنَبّـِئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍ
14.“If you call upon them, they will not hear your prayer; and even if they heard, they would not answer you; and on the Day of judgment they will deny your partnership; and none can inform you like (the One Who is) aware.”
Commentary:
On the Day of Hereafter, the naughty objects of worship will repudiate and hate the polytheists. They will say to them that you polytheists did not use to worship them (the idols) but you were the servants of your own conjectures and your low desires.
Man reaches a point where he leaves out the invitation of Allah, the Hearer, the Responder, “… Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer) …” and goes to some dumb, blind and useless solid bodies. That is why addressing the polytheists, the Holy Qur’a-n says:
“If you call upon them, they will not hear your prayer; …”
They do not answer you, because they are but some pieces of stone and wood which are inanimate bodies and have no sense. And supposing they were able to hear your moan, invocation, and persistence they would never have the ability of answering to your needs. The verse continues saying:
“… and even if they heard, they would not answer you; …”
It became clear that they do not own any benefit and harm even as much as the thin skin of a date-stone in the world of existence, yet how do you expect them to do something for you or to solve a problem?
Moreover, this fact is higher than that:
“… and on the Day of judgment they will deny your partnership; …”
They will say: O’ Lord! these did not worship us, but they, in fact, worshipped their own carnal desire.
This witness is done by non-verbal language that whoever looks at idols he hears this statement from them by the ear of his conscience. Or the same Lord Who on that Day makes the man’s limbs, organs, and skin of the body speak, will order them to talk and they will bear witness that these deviated polytheists used to worship, in fact, their own conjectures and carnal desires.
This holy verse is similar to the content of verse 28 in Sura Yu-nus, No. 10 which says: “And the Day We shall muster them all, then We shall say to those who associated others (with Us): ‘Get you to your place! You and your associates’, then We shall set a space between them, and their associates shall say: ‘It was not us (indeed) that you used to worship!’ ”
For more emphasis, at the end of the verse the Holy Qur’a-n says:
“… and none can inform you like (the One Who is) aware.”
A Notable Point:
Through the commentary of the previous verses, it became clear that the purpose of the sentence: “If you call upon them, they will not hear your prayer, …”, mentioned in the verse under discussion, is idols which have neither a hearing ear to listen to the demands of their worshippers, nor if they had, they would not be able to solve any problem, nor do they possess anything and any authority.
But in order to cease the communication of the Muslims with the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.) and the great leaders by the way of seeking supplicating and intercession, some outwardly Muslims have taken hold of this verse and the like of it and have said that all those whom you call besides Allah, even the prophets, do not hear your word and if they heard they would not answer. Or they have seized Sura Al-’A‘ra-f, No. 7, verse 197 which says: “And those whom you call upon other than Him can neither help you, nor help themselves.”, and the like.
Thus, they negate any supplicating to the souls of prophets and the Imams and count it contrast to Monotheism. While a simple glance over the verses which are before these verses and after them are sufficient to perceive this fact that the purpose of the verse is idols, because the words in all these verses are about idols; the words are about the pieces of stone and wood that they considered as the partners of Allah. And they believed in a power for them in the face of the Power of Allah.
But who is the one who does not know that the Divine prophets and the friends of Allah are like the martyrs in the cause of Allah about whose life the Qur’a-n explicitly speaks, saying that they have the purgatory life, and we know that in the purgatory life the activity of the soul is vaster and more expanded, because it has been delivered from the worldly needs and material curtains. This is from one side.
On the other side, no doubt, supplicating to these pure souls does not mean that we have considered any independence for them against Allah, but the aim is that we get help from their honour and their position with Allah, and that we seek help from the reverence and greatness they have in the Court of Allah, and this is the exact Unity and servitude of Allah.
Therefore, as the Qur’a-n explicitly says in the subject of intercession, they intercede only by the leave and command of Allah: “… Who is it that can intercede with Him save by His leave? …” [^1] Also, supplicating to them is from this way and of this kind.
Who can reject the clear verses of supplicating? Or may he imagine this act as polytheism and stands against the Qur’a-n and claims Monotheism? They are but some proud ignorant persons who bring these subjects forth to create separation between Muslims.
We study in the biography of the companions of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) that for their difficulties they used to go beside the tomb of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and resorted and sought help from his pure soul in the Presence of God.
As Biyhaqi-, the famous traditionist of the Sunnites, Narrates that there happened a draught and famine at the time of the second Kalif. Then Bila-l, accompanied with a group of Companions of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), went beside the Prophet’s grave, and said such: “O’ Messenger of Allah! Seek rain for your Ummah … for verily they have annihilated.” [^2]
Some of the commentators of the Sunnites, like ’A-lu-si-, have narrated many traditions in this regard. After a discussion and strictness concerning these traditions, at last he says:
“Next to all these statements, I do not see any hinder in resorting to Allah by the rank of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) whether at the time of his life and after his death.” Then he also adds the names of some others who have a rank with Allah and confesses to the admissibility of resorting to them. (Rauh-ul-Ma‘a-li-)
[^1] Sura Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 255
[^2] Kita-b-ut-Taqas)s)ul 'ila- Haghighat-it-Tawassul.
Section 3 : Every people on earth had a Warner Commentary : Verse 15
If Allah wills He will take of any people He pleases and bring a new generation of His Own choice – None shall bear the burden of another – Alike cannot be the blind and the seeing, darkness and light, shade and heat or the living and the dead – There is no people which had not a Warner, thus every people on earth had a Warner
(15) يَآ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَآءُ اِلَي اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ
- “O people! You are the needy unto Allah; and Allah (alone) is He Who is the Self-Sufficient, the Praised.”
Commentary:
None is there to be free from want from Allah (s.w.t.), and all beings are needy, but since Man disobeys, he should be controlled.
Following to the emphasized invitation to Monotheism and struggle against all kinds of polytheism and idolatry mentioned in the previous verses, this misconception may appear in some individuals that what is the need of Allah to our worshipping that He persists on it and emphasizes it so much? Therefore, in order to state this fact that it is we who are in need of his worship, and He is not in need of our worship, in this verse the Qur’a-n says:
“O people! You are the needy unto Allah; and Allah (alone) is He Who is the Self-Sufficient, the Praised.”
What a worthy and important statement it is that makes clear our situation in the scene of the world of existence before the One Who has given us our existence! The verse opens many puzzles in this regard and answers to a great deal of questions.
Yes, the One really free from need and Self-Subsistent in the whole world of existence is He Who is Allah. All human beings, or it is better to say all beings are thoroughly needy and they are dependant to that Independent Existence that if their relation is ceased from Him, even for a moment, they are nothing.
Therefore, none should bow and submit to other than Him, and demand other than Him to provide his needs, because they all are in need of Him, too. Even dignifying the Divine prophets and leaders of the Truth is for the sake that they are His messengers and His deputies and they absolutely have no independence from themselves. Thus He is both Self-Sufficient and Praised, that is, in the meantime that He is Self-Sufficient, He is so generous and kind that He is worthy of any sort of praise and gratitude; and also, in the mid-time that He is gracious and kind to the servants, He is Self-Sufficient of all.
Being attentive to this fact produces two positive effects on the believing persons. From one side, it causes them to come down from the horse of pride, selfishness, and disobedience, and warns them that they have not anything from themselves to boast for it, and whatever they have they are the deposits of Allah with them. And on the other side, they should not ask their needs from other than Allah, and they do not put the yoke of servitude of other than Him on their necks. They must deliver themselves from all possessions so that all others become servants of theirs.
By this kind of concept and theology, whatever the true believers see in the world they know them from His source, and no means may cause them to be neglectful from the cause of causes.