Surah Ibrahim (Abraham ) 14 : 31

Overview (Verses 28 - 31)
 
This second part of the sūrah begins where the first ends. The first part outlined the purpose of the Prophet Muĥammad’s message, namely, “to bring forth all mankind, by their Lord’s leave, from darkness into the light.” (Verse 1) And it outlined the purpose of Moses’s message: “Lead your people out of darkness into the light, and remind them of the Days of God.” (Verse 5) He explained to them his message and reminded them of God’s favours and blessings. He also announced what God had promised them: “If you are grateful, I shall certainly give you more; but if you are ungrateful, then My punishment shall be severe indeed.” (Verse 7) He then related to them the history of prophets with communities who refused to believe them. In fact he began this narrative, but immediately disappeared to let the sūrah relate it with magnificent theatre, culminating in the scene where the unbelievers listen to Satan giving them a memorable lesson, which comes too late to be of any benefit.
 
Now the sūrah turns to the unbelievers among the Prophet Muĥammad’s community, who have been given a long reel showing the great episodes of history. These people have indeed been blessed with many favours granted to them by God. One such major favour is the fact that God sent them a messenger to bring them out of darkness into light, and to call on them to repent so that they might receive His forgiveness. But they reject God’s blessings, and deny His message. The second part of the sūrah starts then with an expression of amazement at such people who lead their communities to destruction, just like those before them who led their followers to hell.
 
It goes on to portray some of the aspects of God’s favours in one of the greatest scenes of the universe. It then provides an example of thanksgiving by Abraham. This example follows a clear order to the believers to offer prayers and be kind to people as an aspect of thanksgiving. They must do so before a day comes when wealth can no longer grow and no buying or selling can take place. As for the unbelievers, they are not just forgotten. They are given respite until a day comes when eyes are opened wide. God’s promise to His messengers will inevitably be fulfilled, no matter what the unbelievers scheme against them. All this indicates that the second part of the sūrah is in full harmony with the first, one complementing the other.
 
Bartering away God’s Blessings
 
This passage begins with drawing attention to a highly singular state of affairs: “Have you not seen those who have exchanged God’s blessings for unbelief and landed their people in the House of Perdition, hell, which they will have to endure? How vile a place to settle in! They set up false deities as equal to God, and so they lead people to stray from His path. Say: ‘Enjoy yourselves [in this life], for you will surely end up in hell.’“ (Verses 28-30)
 
These are people who have been granted God’s blessings in the form of a prophet sent to call on them to believe in God, and to lead them along the way to God’s forgiveness of their sins, and to a heavenly destiny. Yet they abandon all this and choose instead a state of unbelief. These, the Prophet is told, are the chiefs of his own people who follow the same practice as the elders or the chiefs of most communities. Thus by their singular exchange, they lead their communities to hell. Just as we have seen in the histories of past nations and communities mentioned earlier in the sūrah, they land their people in hell. It is a vile and ignominious abode.
 
The sūrah invites the Prophet, and every believer, to marvel at the curious behaviour of such people, particularly since they have seen what happened to earlier communities. All this has been portrayed for their benefit in this sūrah in a most vivid way, accounting for what took place between the unbelievers and the messengers sent to them. It was all shown to them as if it were taking place before their very eyes. In fact, the Qur’ān only portrays what is going to take place in the hereafter as if it is happening now, or just happened before our very eyes.
 
These people have exchanged God’s blessing of a messenger sent to them with disbelief. The messenger called on them to believe in God alone and to associate no partners with Him, but they abandoned all this, and “they set up false deities as equal to God, and so they lead people to stray from His path.” (Verse 30) They place their false deities in a position equal to that of God, and offer worship to them as they would offer it to Him. They submit to these false deities as they would submit to Him, and they attribute to them some of the attributes that belong only to God. They thus lead people astray from the only straight path leading to God, the only deity in the universe.
 
The chiefs or elders have deliberately misguided their own people, leading them astray by claiming that their false deities were equal to God. The fact, however, is that the faith based on God’s oneness represents a threat to the power and vested interests of tyrannical forces in every generation, not merely in this first period of jāhiliyyah when the Prophet preached his message. Whenever people turn away from the pure faith based on God’s oneness, whatever shape this may take, and assign their leadership to others, they revert to a state of un-Islam, or jāhiliyyah. In such a state, people surrender their own freedom and personality, follow their desires and implement laws enacted on the basis of their leaders’ desires instead of deriving them from God’s revelations. In such a situation the advocacy of God’s oneness becomes a threat to those chiefs and their interests. Hence, they try to avert this threat in every way open to them. In older forms of jāhiliyyah, this took the shape of adopting false deities, claiming that they were equal to God. In our present time, it takes the form of implementing man-made laws that permit what God has not permitted and prohibit what He has made lawful. Those who enact such laws are thus placed on an equal footing with God in the way people look at them and in everyday life as well.
 
Hence, the Prophet is instructed to say to such people that they may enjoy themselves in this life as they please, but that this enjoyment will last only for the limit God has determined. The eventual outcome is well known: “Say: ‘Enjoy yourselves [in this life], for you will surely end up in hell.’“ (Verse 30)
 
The Prophet is further instructed to leave these people alone, not to trouble himself with them any more. Instead he should address God’s servants who have accepted the faith. These are the people who will take heed when they are warned against evil. They accept God’s blessings and appreciate them, and will never exchange them for disbelief. The Prophet is to address these people and teach them how to be grateful for God’s blessings. They should express their gratitude through worship, obedience to God and kindness to His servants: “Tell My servants who have attained to faith that they should attend regularly to their prayers and spend [in My way], secretly and openly, out of the sustenance We provide for them, before a day shall come when there will be no trading and no friendship.” (Verse 31)
 
God commands His Messenger to say to those who have attained to faith that they should express their gratitude to God by establishing regular prayer, for prayer is the most express form of gratitude to God. They should also spend in charity out of the sustenance God provides for them, and make such spending both in secret and in public. Secret charity protects the dignity of the taker and enhances the virtue of the giver. This ensures that charity does not become a source of pride and arrogance. Charitable spending in public serves to demonstrate obedience to God’s orders, and provides a good example to others in the community. Both ways are left to the discretion and sensitivities of every believer.
 
The believers are told to spend on others now so that their balance which is preserved for them increases through gains they make by charitable spending. This they have to do before a day comes when there is no longer any possibility for wealth to grow, or friendship to bring any benefit. What is of benefit to people is only the good works they have already done, for their reward is stored: “Tell My servants who have attained to faith that they should attend regularly to their prayers and spend [in My way], secretly and openly, out of the sustenance We provide for them, before a day shall come when there will be no trading and no friendship.” (Verse 31)