Honoring the Children of Adam
Allah has honored the children of Adam tangibly and intangibly. He saves them from the dangers of seas and lands, preserves their honor, protects their rights, and subjugates all that is on the earth and heavens for them. Indeed, no created being enjoys the honor Allah has bestowed on the children of Adam.
(Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam, provided them with transport on the land and the sea, given them tasty sustenance, and favored them greatly over many of those We have created.
Mention the Day when We shall call every group with their leader. Then whoever will be given his record in his right hand - those will read their records, and will not be wronged in the least.
Whoever has been blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter, and greatly far from the right path.)
[Quran Surah al-Isra: 70-72]
Relationship with Previous Part
After Allah mentioned some of His bounties on the children of Adam, He, Exalted is He, has mentioned that He has honored and favored them over many of His creatures. Then Allah, Exalted is He, has mentioned how their conditions will be in the Hereafter.
Tafsir
(Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam, provided them with transport on the land and the sea, given them tasty sustenance, and favored them greatly over many of those We have created.) [70]
Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam. We have subjugated all that in the universe for them. We have subjugated animals to carry them on the land, and ships to carry them on the sea. Moreover, We have given them tasty sustenance, and favored them greatly over many created beings.
(Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam…)
Some aspects of the honoring of Allah to the children of Adam include the following:
- Allah has created man in the best form. Allah says, interpretation of meaning, (Indeed, We have created man in the best form) [Q 95:4]
- Allah has distinguished man with intellect, utterance, and various faculties, which enable him to be responsible for fulfilling Allah’s obligations on him.
- Allah has subjugated many of His creatures for serving man.
(…provided them with transport on the land and the sea…)
Allah, the Omnipotence, has provided man with means of transportation on earth, e.g. animals, trains, and cars. He also has given them means of transportation to travel on the sea, such as ships.
(…given them tasty sustenance…)
Allah, out of His bounty, has given man various kinds of tasty sustenance without which he cannot live.
(…and favored them greatly over many of those We have created.)
Allah has favored human beings greatly over many other creatures.
Some scholars believe that there is a difference between honoring and favoring, and among them is Imam Fakhar ad-Dayn ar-Razy. He said, ‘In the beginning of the ayah, Allah says, (Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam.), and at the end of the ayah, Allah says, (…and favored them greatly over many of those We have created.). There must be a difference between honoring and favoring; otherwise, there will be repetition. The most plausible interpretation is that Allah has favored man over all animals with natural dispositions, e.g. intellect, utterance, stature, etc. Then Allah has enabled man by means of the intellect and understanding to acquire sound belief and morals.’
After clarifying people’s conditions in this world, the ayat mention their circumstances in the Hereafter.
(Mention the Day when We shall call every group with their leader. Then whoever will be given his record in his right hand - those will read their records, and will not be wronged in the least.)[71]
O Messenger! Mention to the people about the Day of Judgment. On that day, We will call every group with their leader, whom they used to follow in the worldly life. The righteous believers will be given the records of their deeds in their right hands. They will read them happily, when they find out what has been written therein. They will be rewarded for their righteous deeds and will not be wronged in the least.
In the Arabic version, ‘fateela,’ translated as ‘in the least’ is used to refer to the fact that the reward of the righteous believers will never be decreased even a small part equals to the very thin fiber, called ‘fateel’ found in the side of a date seed.
Then the ayat mention the evil end of the evil doers.
(Whoever has been blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter, and greatly far from the right path.) [72]
Blindness in this ayah refers to heedlessness of the heart, not blindness of the eyes. In another ayah, Allah says, interpretation of meaning:
(Have they not travelled on earth so that they would have reasons that understand, or ears that attentively hear? Indeed, the eyes do not become blind, but the hearts within the breasts become blind.)[Q 22: 46]
Whoever has a heedless heart in the worldly life, favoring disbelief in Allah over believing in Him will be extremely heedless in the Hereafter and greatly far from knowing the right path. That is because he had the opportunity to reform his way and obey Allah in the worldly life, but he insisted on disbelief and following the path of misguidance. As for the Hereafter, he cannot reform what he missed in the worldly life.
In other words, the person, who deliberately refuses to observe proofs, denoting the Oneness of Allah in the worldly life, will be blind in the Hereafter and will not know the right path, leading to salvation.
Learned Lessons
• Allah has honored the children of Adam and favored them over many of His creatures. He has honored them with creating them in the best form, distinguishing them with intellect and understanding, giving them means of transportation on the land and the sea, and providing them with tasty sustenance.
• On the Day of Judgment, every person will receive and read the record of his deeds wherein all his committed deeds and uttered statements in the worldly life are written.
• Those who receive the record of their deeds in their right hands will be happy and will be immensely rewarded.
• Real blindness in the worldly life is not blindness of the eyes; rather, it is heedlessness of the hearts so that they cannot observe evidence denoting the Oneness of Allah.
• The disobedient will fail to recognize the right path on the Day of Judgment, just as they failed to follow it in the worldly life.
No comments:
Post a Comment