Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 61

Overview (Verses 60 - 62)

Having emphasized that God’s knowledge includes everything in the universe, the sūrah cites one aspect of this absolute knowledge which relates to man himself, and another aspect which asserts God’s absolute power over everything in the universe: “It is He who causes you to be like the dead at night, and knows what you do in the daytime. He raises you again to life each day in order that a term set by Him be fulfilled. In the end, to Him you must return; and then He will tell you all that you have done.” (Verse 60) In a few simple words, this verse explains that all human life is in God’s hands, within His knowledge and subject to His will. This includes people’s sleep and awakening, death and resurrection, reckoning and judgement. The description follows the inimitable method of the Qur’ān in portraying everything vividly, alive. Thus it is able to touch people’s hearts with every image drawn and every movement described.
 
“It is He who causes you to be like the dead at night.” (Verse 60) It is then a form of death that occurs to people when they are overtaken by sleep. Their senses do not operate, their minds stop functioning and their consciousness stops. Human beings cannot yet discover the secret of what happens to them when they sleep, although they know its effects. This is, then, one of the numerous forms of ghayb that engulfs human life. As they sleep, human beings lose all their power, including their consciousness. They are in God’s hands, as they are certainly all the time. He alone can bring them back to life. How weak we are in comparison to Him.
 
“He knows what you do in the daytime.” (Verse 60) Whatever good or evil we do, and whatever our hands take or leave, is known to God. None of our movements is left out.
 
“He raises you again to life each day in order that a term set by Him be fulfilled.” (Verse 60) It is He who awakens you in the day from your slumber so that you complete the term He has appointed for each one of you. This covers the status of human beings within the range set by God. His will is inescapable.
 
“In the end, to Him you must return.” (Verse 60) You return to Him just like sheep coming back to their shepherd at the end of the day. “Then He will tell you all that you have done.” (Verse 60) This is when the record that includes everything is laid open. Absolute justice is then administered to all.
 
Although this is a short verse composed of a few words, it nonetheless includes a long sequence of scenes and images, statements of fact and wide-ranging connotations. Who other than God can produce such a style? What is miraculous if this is not a miracle? Yet those who reject the faith choose not to see it in its true colour. They demand instead a physical miracle despite the fact that this would inevitably be followed by God’s punishment, should they continue to reject Him afterwards. When All Efforts Are of No Avail
 
An important feature of Godhead is that which combines absolute power over all creation and a constant, alert watch. That which combines the predetermination of the life span of every individual, and our inescapable destiny with the final reckoning which is both prompt and unfailing. All this belongs to the realm of those imperceptibles which encompass human life. He alone holds sway over His servants. He sends forth guardians to watch over you until, when death approaches any one of you, Our messengers cause him to die. They leave no part of their duty unfulfilled. They are then brought back to God, their true Lord Supreme. Indeed, His alone is all judgement; and He is most swift in reckoning. (Verses 61-62)
 
“He alone holds sway over His servants.” (Verse 61) All power belongs to Him, and all creatures are subject to His power. In front of Him, they are powerless. In front of the Almighty, they are no more than submissive slaves. This is the truth confirmed by the realities of human life. Despite all the freedom of action they are given and the degree of knowledge they are allowed, and the ability instilled in them to fulfil the task assigned to them, their every breath is allowed them in accordance with a specific measure; their every action is subject to God’s power. Such is the basic law of human life which they cannot violate, although this law may manifest itself each time in accordance with a specific divine will. This even applies to every individual breath or action.
 
“He sends forth guardians to watch over you.” (Verse 61) The nature of those guardians is not mentioned here. Elsewhere in the Qur’ān, we are told that they are angels who record everything we do. The point here is to impart a feeling that there is a close supervision over everyone. No single person is left all alone, not even for a moment. Watchers count and record every word we say, every action we do and every movement we make. When we imagine this, we are at the height of our alertness.
 
“Until, when death approaches any one of you, Our messengers cause him to die. They leave no part of their duty unfulfilled.” (Verse 61) The same atmosphere is generated again by a different image. Every soul is left until a particular moment which always remains unknown to it, although it is specified by God. It can be neither advanced nor delayed. Every soul has an angel close at hand watching over it, counting its every breath, mindful of his task and never neglecting anything. He is a guardian angel. At the appointed moment, when the human soul is fully preoccupied with its affairs the guardian completes his task and the messenger delivers his message. As we think of this, we are bound to shiver as we feel that we are totally in the hands of a destiny which remains unknown to us. We realize that we could meet death at any moment.
 
“They are then brought back to God, their true Lord Supreme.” (Verse 62) He is indeed our true Lord, while all other deities are false. It is He who has originated us and given us our lives, keeping us all the time under His unfailing supervision. He then gathers us back to Him for final judgement: “Indeed, His alone is all judgement; and He is most swift in reckoning.” (Verse 62) It is He alone who reckons and judges. Both His judgement and reward are readily delivered. The reference to His speed here is meant to make us feel that we are not given even a short period of grace before we are held to account.
 
This sort of image which is outlined by the basic Islamic concept of life, death, resurrection, reckoning and reward, is sufficient to ensure that a Muslim acknowledges without hesitation God’s authority to rule over people’s lives on earth. The reckoning, reward and judgement in the hereafter are based on what people actually do in this life. People cannot be held to account for what they do here in this world unless they are given a law which details for them what is lawful and what is forbidden. This explains the need for a single authority over both this life and the life to come.
 
When a law other than that of God’s is enforced in this world, how can people be judged in the hereafter? According to the law they implemented here? Or according to the divine law which they did not implement?
 
Human beings must realize that God will hold them to account on the basis of His own law. They must be aware that if they do not conduct their lives and establish their relationships as well as their worship, according to God’s law, then this will be the first thing for which they have to account. They will be questioned why have they not chosen God as their Lord on earth, preferring instead to claim other deities? This means that they will have to account for denying God or associating partners with Him. This they do by following God’s law in matters of worship but adopting a different law in their social, political and economic systems as well as their interactions, dealings and relationships. We know that God forgives whomever He pleases, but only that which is short of associating partners with Him.