“Whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed, he will have a life of great hardship”

“Whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed, he will have a life of great hardship”

[Par-16, Surah Kahf, Ayah 75 to Surah Taha, Ayah 135]

By: Mufti Jaseemuddin Qasmi
Coordinator Online Darul Ifta & Lecturer at MMERC, Mumbai

Journey of Prophet Musa (as) with Prophet Khidr
Part 16begins with the story of Prophet Musa (as) and Prophet Khidr (as). This story continues up to ayah 82. When Prophet Musa (as) objected to the killing of the boy.

Khidr said, “Did I not tell you that you would never be able to have patience with me?” (Musa) said, “If I should ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me as a companion. You have obtained from me enough excuse.” So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so Khidr (as) restored it. (Mosa) said, “If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment.”

It means that although the townspeople had refused to offer any hospitality, it was permissible to take a rightful wage from them for repairing that wall, and from that payment our food could also have been arranged.

After the third objection, He said, “This is the parting between you and me; I shall now tell you the interpretation of the matters you could not bear patiently.”

“As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every (good) ship by force.”

“And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and good conduct.

“And in respect of the wall – it belonged to two orphan boys of the city, and beneath it was their treasure, and their father was a virtuous man; therefore your Lord willed that they should reach their maturity and extract their treasure; by the mercy of your Lord; and I have not done this at my own command; this is the interpretation of the matters you could not patiently bear.”

Prophet Khidr (as) damaged the boat without permission and similarly killed an innocent minor. Apparently, according to the Shariah, these actions were wrong. The question arises: why did Prophet Khidr (as) do such things? The answer is that whatever events take place in this universe—whether they seem good or bad in our eyes—are connected to a realm that is hidden from our sight, which is termed in Islamic terminology as ‘Ālam al-Takwīn (the world of Divine decree). This realm is directly controlled by Allah Almighty’s wisdom and His decrees of Takween.

For example, when Allah Almighty has decreed that a certain person’s time of death has come, then the Angel of Death is sent to seize the soul of that person. When the Angel, in obedience to Allah’s decree, causes someone’s death, he is not committing any crime; rather, he is simply carrying out the command of Allah. In the same way, Allah Almighty had made Prophet Khidras), like the angels, a messenger of ‘Ālam al-Takwīn. Whatever he did, he did so by Allah’s decree of Takween. And when Prophet Musa (as) raised objections, those objections were also correct—but only in accordance with the knowledge of Shariah.

The Story of Dhul-Qarnain
The polytheists asked the Messenger of Allah (saws) three questions. One of them was: tell us about the man who traveled across the entire world from the East to the West. Through revelation, Allah Almighty informed the Prophet (saws) that it was Dhul-Qarnain. Most researchers of the present age are inclined to believe that he was Cyrus, the king of Persia, who freed the Children of Israel from the exile of Babylon and resettled them in Palestine. The Qur’an tells us only this much: that he undertook three long journeys—the first to the farthest western lands, the second to the farthest eastern lands, and the third to the farthest northern regions.

From ayah 84 to 86 in Surah Kahf, Allah says, “Indeed We gave him authority in the land and bestowed him the means of everything. So he followed a way. Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it (as if) setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. Allah said, “O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish (them) or else choose kindness for them.”

Dhul-Qarnain had reached such a place in the west that beyond it there was no further settlement, and as far as the eye could see, there was only the sea. The sea appeared like a dark, swampy spring, and at sunset, it seemed to the observer as though the sun was sinking into a spring resembling a marsh. In that region, disbelievers were settled, and Dhul-Qarnain conquered them. Allah Almighty said to him that if he wished, he could treat them as other conquerors did—by carrying out a massacre and inflicting hardship upon them—or, if he wished, he could treat them kindly. By declaring the second option as better, Allah indicated that this was the preferable way.

As for Dhul-Qarnain, it is not certain whether he was a prophet or not. If he was not a prophet, then this message must have been conveyed to him through a Prophet of that time, and it is also possible that instead of revelation (wahi), it was placed into his heart through inspiration (ilham). (And Allah knows best.)

The essence of Dhul-Qarnain’s reply is that he would invite them to the straight path. Those who do not accept this call and commit wrongdoing, he would punish them. But those who accept the call, embrace faith, and adopt righteous deeds— he would treat them with ease and kindness.

Ayahs 89 and 90 say, “Then he followed a way. Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising upon a people for whom We had not made any shelter from it.”

This refers to the second journey of Dhul-Qarnain. In this journey, he reached the farthest eastern settlement of the world. There lived some uncivilized people who had no practice of building houses or putting up roofs. They all lived in the open fields, and therefore had no shelter to protect themselves from the sun.

Who were Yajooj(Gog) and Majooj (Magog)
Ayahs 92 and 93 speak, “Then he followed a way. Until, when he reached [a pass] between two mountains, he found beside them a people who could hardly understand (his) speech.”

This was the third journey of Dhul-Qarnain. The Qur’an has not specified the direction of this journey, but most commentators believe that it was towards the farthest northern populated region of the world. The people there had a completely different language, and perhaps even their appearance was such that they did not seem to display signs of understanding. The conversation that took place with them afterward was either through a translator or by means of gestures.

Ayah 94 of Surah Kahf says, ‘They said, “O Dhul-Qarnain, indeed Gog and Magog are doing corruption in the land. So Can we pay you, to build between us and them a wall?’”

Yajooj and Majooj were two barbaric tribes who lived behind those mountains. From time to time, they would come through the mountain pass into the region and spread bloodshed and destruction. The people of the area were greatly troubled by them. When they saw that Dhul-Qarnain possessed great resources, they requested him to build a wall across the pass between the mountains, so that, the way of Yajooj and Majooj would be blocked and they could not come to cause Chaos. Dhul-Qarnayn replied, ‘If you help me with your manpower, I will build this wall without taking any payment.’

So Dhul-Qarnain first placed large sheets of iron between the mountains, filling up the pass. Then he heated those sheets with fire and poured molten copper over them, so that, it settled into the gaps of the sheets, thus making the wall extremely strong. Consequently, Yajooj and Majooj were neither able to scale it, nor could they pierce through it.

Dhul-Qarnain said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord (that He granted me the ability to construct such a wall). But when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will level it to the ground, and the promise of my Lord is surely true.’”

 From the Qur’an it is not known with certainty that this wall will remain standing until the Day of Judgment; rather, it is also possible that it may collapse before that. Accordingly, some scholars have expressed the view that this wall was built in the region of Dagestan in Russia, at a place called Derbent, and that it has now been destroyed.

Different violent big group of Yajooj and Majooj have, at various times in history, attacked civilized populations, and upon entering those developed areas, they themselves gradually became civilized. However, their final surge will take place shortly before the Day of Judgment.

Further, the Qur’an mentions the horrors of the Day of Judgment, the false beliefs of the polytheists, the punishment for disbelief, and the better reward for the believers.

Ayah 109 says, “Say, “If the sea became ink to write  the Words of my Lord, the sea would indeed ocean would be exhausted  and the Words of my Lord would never come to an end – even if we bring another like it for help.”

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The Event of the Birth of Prophet ‘Isa (as)

Here begins Surah Maryam. This Surah is Makkan and consists of 98 ayahs. The primary purpose of this Surah is to clarify the correct beliefs regarding Prophet ‘Isa (as) and his mother, Maryam (as), and to refute the false claims of the Christians concerning them.

Up to ayah 15 of Surah Maryam, it is mentioned that Prophet Zakariyya (as) was granted a child in the form of Yahya (as), and then some of the qualities of Prophet Yahya are described—that even in childhood he was granted wisdom, that he was compassionate, pure, God-fearing, and obedient to his parents.

After this, up to ayah 35, the incident of Prophet ‘Isa (as) is mentioned, particularly his birth. When Maryam (as) was about thirteen or fifteen years old, she experienced her first menstruation. Out of modesty, she went east side of Bayt al-Maqdis to bathe in seclusion, and there a handsome man suddenly appeared before her. Maryam became frightened and said, ‘Fear Allah and go away from here!’ He replied, ‘I am an angel of Allah, and I have come to give you glad tidings of a son.’ Maryam said, ‘No man has ever touched me, so how can this be possible?’ The angel responded, ‘This is easy for Allah.’”

Then, due to the angel’s blowing, she conceived. Moving ahead, from ayah 21 of Surah Maryam, it is mentioned: ‘And when the time for delivery came, she went away to a remote and secluded place. In the pains of childbirth, distressed, she came to a date-palm tree and said, “If only I had died before this, and been long forgotten.” At that moment, a voice called out to her from below: ‘Do not grieve; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. And shake the trunk of the date-palm, it will drop fresh dates upon you. So eat and drink and be comforted. And if you see any person, then (by gesture) say: Indeed, I have vowed a fast (of silence) to the Most Merciful, so today I will not speak to any human being.’

Then she came to her people carrying the child. They said, ‘O Maryam! You have certainly done a dreadful thing. O sister of Harun! Your father was not a wicked man, nor was your mother unchaste.’ At this, Maryam pointed towards the baby. They said, ‘How can we speak to one who is a child in the cradle?’

The child spoke, saying: ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet.’

Then, Surah Maryam from ayah 40 to 50, talks about prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (as). He tried to prevent his father, Azar, from idol worship. After that, this surah talks about Musa (as), Harun (as), Isma‘il (as), and Idris (as) briefly.

Ayah 71 says, “And there is none of you but he will pass through it (hell).

This refers to the Bridge of Sirat, which is built over Hell. The righteous people will pass over this bridge without experiencing the slightest harm from Hell, while the disbelievers and evildoers will fall headlong from this bridge into Hell. Then, those who have even the smallest particle of faith in their hearts will, after receiving punishment for their deeds, be taken out of Hell. But those who have not even atom’s weight of faith in their hearts will remain in Hell forever. In ayah 86 it is stated: ‘And the criminals will be driven to Hell, thirsty like cattle.’”

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Surah Taha begins from here. It is Makkan surah and it consists of 135 ayahs. It was by listening to this very Surah that ʿUmar (ra) embraced Islam. In this Surah, from ayah 9 to 98, the detailed story of Prophet Musa (as) and his people the Children of Israel, has been narrated. Some parts of this account have already been mentioned earlier, while others will be narrated later in different Surahs as well.

In ayah 114, Allah says, “…(O prophet) Say, My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.”

By instructing the beloved Prophet (saws) to supplicate for advancement in knowledge, this reality has been made clear — that knowledge is like an ocean without shores, and a person should never become content with any level of knowledge. Rather, one must constantly strive and pray for progress in knowledge.

From ayah 115 to 123, the story of Prophet Adam (as) is mentioned, which has already appeared in the first part.

In ayah 124, Allah says: “And whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed, he will have a life of great hardship, and We shall raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection.”

When they will be raised from the grave and brought towards the Gathering (Hashr), at that time they will be blind, but later they will be given back their sight.

In ayah 132 Allah says, “And enjoin prayer upon your family and be steadfast therein. We do not ask any sustenance from you; We will provide you sustenance; and the excellent result is for piety.”