We pick up the 18th verse of Surah 13. Ar Ra'd and understand the Divine promise for those who respond to the Divine call and those who do not:
لِلَّذِيۡنَ اسۡتَجَابُوۡا لِرَبِّهِمُ الۡحُسۡنٰىؕ وَالَّذِيۡنَ لَمۡ يَسۡتَجِيۡبُوۡا لَهٗ لَوۡ اَنَّ لَهُمۡ مَّا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ جَمِيۡعًا وَّمِثۡلَهٗ مَعَهٗ لَافۡتَدَوۡا بِهٖؕ اُولٰۤـئِكَ لَهُمۡ سُوۡۤءُ الۡحِسَابِ ۙ وَمَاۡوٰٮهُمۡ جَهَـنَّمُؕ وَبِئۡسَ الۡمِهَادُ
(13:18) There is good reward for those who respond to the call of their Lord. And those who do not respond to their Lord, (a time will come when) they shall offer all they have - even if they have all the riches of the world and the like of it besides to redeem themselves (from the chastisement of Allah). They will be subjected to a severe reckoning and Hell shall be their refuge. What a wretched resting place it is!
The verse contains two types of subjects: Those who respond to the Divine Call and those who do not. It will be seen that most part of the verse is about warning to those who do not heed to the Divine Call and have been warned of the consequences of their disbelief in the Lord of the entire universe. Let us try to understand the deep rooted meaning of this verse:
- Those Who Respond to Allah: The verse begins by referring to those who respond positively to Allah's call (i.e., follow His guidance and obey His commands). For such individuals, the best reward awaits them, which includes Allah’s pleasure, Paradise, and His infinite mercy.
- Those Who Do Not Respond: In contrast, the verse warns about those who reject or ignore Allah’s guidance. Even if they possessed all the wealth and riches in the world, they would not be able to ransom themselves on the Day of Judgment to escape punishment.
- The Worst Accountability: These people will face a severe and difficult accounting for their actions on the Day of Judgment. This refers to a detailed and harsh reckoning of their deeds.
- Their End is Hellfire: For those who rejected Allah's message, the verse ends with a grave warning: their ultimate destination is Hell, and it is described as a miserable and wretched resting place.
Lessons from the Verse:
- The verse contrasts the fate of the believers (those who respond to Allah) with that of the disbelievers (those who reject the message).
- It highlights the futility of worldly possessions in the Hereafter and the severity of rejecting divine guidance.
- The verse serves as a reminder to heed Allah’s call and follow His path to avoid the severe consequences in the Hereafter.
We learn from the Quran that the rebels of Allah shall have to render a reckoning, whereas there shall be a light reckoning from those who have been faithful and obedient to their Lord. In consideration of their loyal services, their cases will be dealt with leniently, and taking their general goodness into account many of their shortcomings will be forgiven.
That is whoever responds to Him will have a fine reward, and whoever turns away will face great suffering. So much so that the latter will want to offer the earth’s riches twice over, in order to release himself. But there is no chance of release. There is only an awful reckoning and a fitting abode in hell.
Here again the contrast is clear between those who respond to their Lord and those who do not. Between the rich reward and the awful reckoning, hell and its painful abode. This follows the same pattern of the sūrah in providing one contrasting image after another.
This is further amplified by a tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Aishah relates: I said, O Messenger of Allah, the most dreadful verse of the Quran is this: “Whoso shall commit an evil, he shall be punished for it. (Surah An- Nisa, Ayat 123).” The Prophet answered: O Aishah, don’t you know how Allah clears the accounts of His faithful and obedient servant. Whatever harm or trouble he receives in this world, even so much as the pricking of a thorn, is taken by Allah as atonement for one or the other of his sins. As regards to the Hereafter, everyone who shall be called upon to render an account of any sin, shall be punished for it. At this Aishah asked: Then what is meant by light reckoning in this verse: Whoso shall be given his “Book of Deeds” in his right hand, he will render a light reckoning? (Surah Al- Inshiqaq, Ayats 7-8). The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered: This means merely the presentation of his whole conduct, that is, all his deeds, good and bad, shall be presented before Allah but he shall not be called upon to clear the account of all his deeds; for the one who shall be called upon to clear the whole of his account, shall be totally ruined.
The same thing is happening even in this world. A master deals very leniently with his faithful and obedient servant and connives at his minor faults and even forgives his major faults in consideration of his meritorious services. On the other hand, if a servant is proved to be treacherous and dishonest, no consideration is given even to his services, and he is punished both for his minor and for major faults.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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