Tafsir

The Life and the Death of the Believers and the Disbelievers are not Equal

Allah the Exalted states here that the believers and the disbelievers are never equal. Allah said in another Ayah,لاَ يَسْتَوِى أَصْحَـبُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ أَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمُ الْفَآئِزُونَ (Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise.

It is the dwellers of Paradise that will be successful.) (59:20) Allah said here,أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُواْ السَّيِّئَـتِ(Or do those who earn evil deeds think) those who commit and practice evil,أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ سَوَآءً مَّحْيَـهُمْ وَمَمَـتُهُمْ(that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous good deeds, in their life and their death) treat them equally in the present life of the world and in the Hereafterسَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ(Worst is the judgement that they make.) `worst is the thought that they have about Us and about Our justice, thinking that We will ever make the pious and the wicked equal in the Hereafter or this life.' At--Tabarani recorded that Shu`bah said that `Amr bin Murrah narrated that Abu Ad-Duha said that Masruq said that Tamim Ad-Dari once stood in voluntary prayer through the night until the morning only reciting this Ayah,أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُواْ السَّيِّئَـتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ(Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous good deeds) Allah said in reply:سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ(Worst is the judgement that they make.) Allah said,وَخَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ(And Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth,) meaning, in justice,وَلِتُجْزَى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ(in order that each person may be recompensed what he has earned, and they will not be wronged.) Allah the Exalted said,أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَـهَهُ هَوَاهُ(Have you seen him who takes his own lust as his god), who abides by his lust, and whatever his lust portrays as good he implements it, and whatever his lust portrays as evil, he abandons it!

Allah's statement,وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ(And Allah left him astray with knowledge, ) has two meanings. One of them is that Allah knew that this person deserves to be misguided, so He left him astray. The second meaning is that Allah led this person astray after knowledge reached him and the proof was established before him. The second meaning includes the first meaning, but not the opposite. Allah said,وَخَتَمَ عَلَى سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَى بَصَرِهِ غِشَـوَةً(and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight.) so he does not hear what benefits him, understands not what would lead him to the guidance and sees not the evidence with which he can be enlightened. This is why Allah said,فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّهِ أَفَلاَ تَذَكَّرُونَ(Who then will guide him after Allah Will you not then remember) Allah said in a similar Ayah,مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ (Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him; and He lets them wander blindly in their transgressions.) (7:186).

Commentaryمَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ ("Have you seen him who has taken his desires as his god...45:23) In other words, he who has made his selfish desires his object of worship. Obviously, no unbeliever claims that his desires are his object of worship. Keeping this in view, this verse of the Qur'an indicates that ` worship' actually means ` obedience'. Thus anyone who undertakes to obey someone against the obedience of Allah makes him the object of his worship instead of Allah. There are people who ignore what Allah has declared lawful and unlawful or what He has permitted and what has forbidden. People who do not care what Allah has forbidden and follow their whims and fancies, their desires are their god, in this sense, although they may not have uttered it by word of mouth. The same theme has been versified by an ` Arif:سودہ گشت از سجدہ راہ بُتَاں پیشانیم چند برخود تھمت دین مسلمانی نھم"My forehead has swollen by prostrating before the statues of beauty, although I claim to profess the religion of Islam."In this couplet, the poet has portrayed selfish desires as statues.

He who takes his desires as his leader and follows them is as good as their worshipper, that is why they have been described as their deities. Sayyidna Abu ` Umamah narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Of all the deities worshipped under the firmament of the earth, the most detestable one in the sight of Allah is hawa, that is, selfish desires. Sayyidna Shaddad Ibn ` Aws ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺٍ said: "A wise person is he who keeps his desires under control and works for life after death; and sinful is he who runs after his desires and yet expects the best in the Hereafter." Sayyidna Sahl Ibn ` Abdullah Tustari ؓ said: "Your ailment is your selfish desires. And if you oppose them, it will turn into your cure." (All these narratives have been adapted from Qurtubi).

أفرأيت -أيها الرسول- من اتخذ هواه إلهًا له، فلا يهوى شيئًا إلا فَعَله، وأضلَّه الله بعد بلوغ العلم إليه وقيام الحجة عليه، فلا يسمع مواعظ الله، ولا يعتبر بها، وطبع على قلبه، فلا يعقل به شيئًا، وجعل على بصره غطاء، فلا يبصر به حجج الله؟ فمن يوفقه لإصابة الحق والرشد بعد إضلال الله إياه؟ أفلا تذكرون -أيها الناس- فتعلموا أنَّ مَن فَعَل الله به ذلك فلن يهتدي أبدًا، ولن يجد لنفسه وليًا مرشدًا؟ والآية أصل في التحذير من أن يكون الهوى هو الباعث للمؤمنين على أعمالهم.

ثم قال [ تعالى ] ( أفرأيت من اتخذ إلهه هواه ) أي : إنما يأتمر بهواه ، فمهما رآه حسنا فعله ، ومهما رآه قبيحا تركه : وهذا قد يستدل به على المعتزلة في قولهم بالتحسين والتقبيح العقليين .وعن مالك فيما روي عنه من التفسير : لا يهوى شيئا إلا عبده .وقوله : ( وأضله الله على علم ) يحتمل قولين :أحدهما : وأضله الله لعلمه أنه يستحق ذلك . والآخر : وأضله الله بعد بلوغ العلم إليه ، وقيام الحجة عليه . والثاني يستلزم الأول ، ولا ينعكس .( وختم على سمعه وقلبه وجعل على بصره غشاوة ) أي : فلا يسمع ما ينفعه ، ولا يعي شيئا يهتدي به ، ولا يرى حجة يستضيء بها ; ولهذا قال : ( فمن يهديه من بعد الله أفلا تذكرون ) كقوله : ( من يضلل الله فلا هادي له ويذرهم في طغيانهم يعمهون ) [ الأعراف : 186 ] .