Surah al-Shuara' [ The Poets ] , 26...Of Prophets Abraham, Noah and Hud, United States of America and United States of Europe

Surah al Shuara', full recitation, by Shaykh Mishari Rashid al-Afasy,

[  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1wKOBrNVBg ]



As we read the story of prophet Abraham, we can clearly see how simple and straightforward were the teachings imparted to him by God. The more one reads the philosophers' attempts in trying to explain and understand life and existence, the more one is struck and impressed by the simplicity of the divinely- revealed religious belief. Listen to how Abraham expresses his faith in God:

He who created me, and He doth guide me, (78) And He who feedeth me and watereth me. (79) And when I sicken, then He healeth me, (80) And Who causeth me to die, then giveth me life (again), (81)And Who, I ardently hope, will forgive me my sin on the Day of Judgment. (82)

AS pointed out on several occasions, the establishment of 'tawhid ' as a fundamental foundation of human life has been a common denominator for the missions of all prophets. Prophet Muhammad was the rightful heir to Abraham's legacy. Some of the communities which refused to believe in the concept of 'tawhid' professed that they only worshiped idols in order to bring them closer to God. They recognize the existence of a master God but in reality saw minor gods as link to Him. The only problem with this kind of belief was that the differentiation would soon disappear and all the gods become equal. In this part of Abraham's story we read the following:

And they will say, when they are quarrelling therein: (96) By Allah, of a truth we were in error manifest (97) When we made you equal with the Lord of the Worlds. (98) It was but the guilty who misled us. (99) Now we have no intercessors (100) Nor any loving friend. (101) 

A feature of contemporary civilization is that it marginalizes God and drives people away from Him and into the arms of materialism and agnosticism.

We note that the story of Abraham follows on from the story of Moses and precede that of Noah because the chronological order is not important in this context. In the story of Noah, attention is drawn to the demeaning and degrading treatment which the rich and the strong mete out to the poor and weak. This tells us that discrimination and class distinction in society have been known since the dawn of human history. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that it is the poor, and the under-priveleged, and the weak who are the first social groups to come to the support of the prophets and Messengers. What they seek is justice and equality and the restoration of their dignity and self pride. Noah was told:

They said: Shall we put faith in thee, when the lowest (of the people) follow thee? (111) He said: And what knowledge have I of what they may have been doing (in the past)? (112) Lo! their reckoning is my Lord's concern, if ye but knew; (113) And I am not (here) to repulse believers. (114) I am only a plain warner. (115) 

The idolators of Makkah made a similar objections to Muhammad but he rebutted them and God instructed him that, "  Repel not those who call upon their Lord at morn and evening, seeking His Countenance. Thou art not accountable for them in aught, nor are they accountable for thee in aught, that thou shouldst repel them and be of the wrong-doers. "(suarah al-An'am: 52) . Elsewhere in the Qur'an this affinity in attitude between the unbelievers is highlighted: "Have they handed down (the saying) as an heirloom one unto another? Nay, but they are froward folk.  So withdraw from them (O Muhammad), for thou art in no wise blameworthy, "adh-Dariyat 53-54). However the history of religion is not a simple conflict between the rich and the poor, for both the rich as well as the poor, supported Muhammad when he called them to the faith and embraced Islam. Moreover, they would all stand side by side  during the prayer and equally happy to accept the tribulations they collectively had to face .

Perhaps no community has as much in common with contemporary civilization as the Ad' and Thamud. The Ad' were a nation of giant-like people, endowed with a strong and imposing physique. They were also very clever and resourceful. Their power and material superiority led them to believe that they were invincible. They lived extravagantly , spent their wealth lavishly, gave no consideration to weaker communities or individuals, and exercised power with complete arrogance and insolence, thinking that no force in the world could stand in their way. Prophet Hud was sent to them by God and is quoted here as saying:

"Build ye on every high place a monument for vain delight? (128) And seek ye out strongholds, that haply ye may last for ever? (129) And if ye seize by force, seize ye as tyrants? (130) Rather keep your duty to Allah, and obey me. "(131)

They had constructed splendid buildings as symbols of their vanity and power, and although construction and building are in themselves not a crime,- indeed, rather the reverse, for they are commendable activities- what was being condemned here was the extravagance and wastage of the wealth and resources involved, especially when these edifices and monuments were erected for nothing other than ostentation and vainglory. These same features are only too conspicuous in the greed-motivated, lust-driven Western civilization of today which is beset by consumerism, narcisissism, and arrogance. Whenever the United States of America or Europe went to war against weaker nations they played havoc with their culture, history, and resources, totally ignoring all considerations of humanity, justice, and respect of human rights. It was this ungodly attitude which has incurred God's wrath upon Ad', Thamud and their likes.


" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1998 ]




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