Al Islam

3384. Man is born with a pure and unsullied nature, with a natural tendency to do good, but he has also been given a large measure of freedom of will and action to mould himself as he chooses. He has been endowed with great natural powers and creative qualities to make unlimited moral progress and to rise spiritually so high as to become the mirror in which Divine attributes are reflected. But if he misuses God-given powers and attributes, he sinks lower than even beasts and brutes and becomes Devil incarnate as the next verse shows. Briefly, he is blessed with great potentialities for doing good and evil. (close)

4780. Commentary:

If "man" is taken to mean the whole mankind the verse signifies that good precedes evil. This is Islam’s main difference with the protagonists of the theory of man’s moral evolution, according to whom evil precedes good. If man is taken as an individual the verse means that God has bestowed upon man great natural faculties and powers and has revealed guidance in order that by making right use of them and following Divinely-revealed guidance he might reach the high destiny intended for him. (close)

c. 11:12; 41:9; 84:26. (close)

a. 11:12; 41:9; 84:26. (close)

3385. When man has been created to achieve a very high spiritual destiny and God had sent His Messengers such as Adam, Noah, Moses and the Holy Prophet, to help him achieve his great goal, and if he does not make proper use of his natural faculties and rejects the Divine Message and opposes God’s Messengers, he is punished, then, who can, with reason, deny that there is a Day of Judgment in this life and also in the Hereafter and that the commandments of God Who is the Best Judge cannot be defied with impunity and man’s actions will not go unrequited? (close)

4781. Important Words:

دین (judgement) is inf. noun from دان which means, he obeyed. دین means, judgement; religion; compulsion against will; righteousness; argument; plan, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that when man has been created to achieve a very high spiritual destiny and God sent His Messengers such as Adam, Noah, Moses and the Holy Prophet, to help him achieve his great goal and that if he does not make proper use of his natural faculties and rejects the Divine Message, opposing God’s Messengers he is punished, then, who can, with reason, deny that there is a Day of Judgement in this life and in the Hereafter, and that the commandments of God Who is the Best of Judges cannot be defied with impunity and man’s actions will not go unrequited. This is the simple explanation of this verse. But in view of the different significations of the word دین given under Important Words, the verse may also mean:

(1) How can the pagan Quraish, after having seen the evil end to which opponents of God’s Messengers always come, possibly hope that they will escape God’s judgement and will not be punished and the Holy Prophet will not succeed?

(2) When God has been revealing the Shari‘ah from time immemorial, then why do disbelievers find fault with the Holy Prophet, if he has brought a new Law?

(3) The disbelievers can advance no sane or solid argument against the claim of the Holy Prophet. Any charge or objection they raise against him equally applies to all Divine Messengers.

(4) In view of the innumerable signs shown in favour of the Holy Prophet, no plan or argument can succeed against him or can disprove his claim.

(5) No truly righteous man can reject the Holy Prophet.

(6) After having known the tragic end of the opponents of God’s Messengers who will dare say that he can compel the Holy Prophet to give up his mission? (close)