Overview (Verses 41 - 44)

From Darkness into Light
 
The sūrah goes on to establish this last meaning in the hearts of believers, keeping alive their relation with God who ordained whatever He willed for His Messenger and chose for the Muslim community what brought about their every good, replacing the darkness with light:
 
Believers! Remember God always, and glorify Him morning and evening. It is He who bestows His blessings upon you, with His angels, so that He might take you out of the depths of darkness into the light. He is truly merciful to the believers. On the day when they meet Him, they will he greeted with ‘Peace; and He will have prepared for them a most generous reward. (Verses 41-44)
 
Remembering God means that one’s heart is alive to God’s remembrance, not the mere mention of His name. One should always be careful in whatever one does so as to remain within what God permits. To attend regularly to prayer is part of remembering God. In fact there are many aĥādīth and reports that almost equate God’s remembrance with attending to prayer. The Prophet is quoted as saying: “If a man wakes his wife up at night and they offer two rak`ahs of night prayer, they will be considered that night as among those who remember God always.” [Related by Abū Dāwūd, Al-Nasā’ī and Ibn Mājah.]
 
God’s remembrance though is broader than prayer. It includes every way in which a person is fully conscious of his Lord, whether his tongue moves to mention Him or not. What we are referring to here is a consciousness that motivates to action. A human heart remains lost or perplexed until it establishes its link with God, remembering Him and feeling secure in His care. It then knows the way to follow, the method to implement, and how to go about all this. It is for this reason that the Qur’ān and the Sunnah repeatedly urge people to remember God. The Qur’ān often links this to different times and situations in which man finds himself, so that these serve as reminders for him not to neglect this duty: “Believers! Remember God always, and glorify Him morning and evening.” (Verses 41-42)
 
The early morning and the end of the day have much that urges human hearts to maintain their ties with God, who changes times and situations, without ever changing Himself. Yet everything else changes and disappears.
 
At the same time, people are reminded of God’s grace and the care He takes of His creation and the favours He bestows on them. Yet He is in no need of them while they need His care and blessings: “It is He who bestows His blessings upon you, with His angels, so that He might take you out of the depths of darkness into the light. He is truly merciful to the believers.” (Verse 43)
 
All glory to God who bestows great favours and doubles them over and over again. Yet He also remembers His weak servants who have no real power of their own and whose life is only transitory. He remembers them, taking care of them and blessing them together with His angels. When He mentions them in good terms among those on high, the entire universe echoes their mention, as the Prophet states: “God says: Whoever of My servants mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and whoever mentions Me in the presence of a group, I mention him in the presence of a better group.” [Related by al-Bukhārī.] This is indeed profound. One can hardly imagine it, when one knows that the whole earth with all the creatures living on and in it is no more than a tiny particle in relation to the great galaxies of the universe. Yet all these galaxies and what they contain of creatures are no more than a portion of the universe which God has willed to exist, saying to it, ‘Be,’ and it came into being.
 
“It is He who bestows His blessings upon you, with His angels, so that He might take you out of the depths of darkness into the light.” (Verse 43) God’s light is one, comprehensive, continuous. What does not belong to it is darkness, which differs and has several depths. If people stray from God’s light, they have only darkness to live in. Nothing can save them or bring them out of this darkness except God’s light that enlightens hearts and minds, filling souls and guiding them to what suits their nature. The grace God bestows on them and the angels’ blessings and prayers for them are what takes them out of the darkness into the light. This is what happens to them when their hearts open up to faith: “He is truly merciful to the believers.” (Verse 43)
 
Such is their situation in t his life, when they need to work. As for their situation in the life to come, when reward is administered, God’s grace continues to be with them. They are received there warmly, given honour and rich reward: “On the day when they meet Him, they will be greeted with ‘Peace; and He will have prepared for them a most generous reward.” (Verse 44) They have a peace that contrasts with fear, tiring effort and hard work. It is a greeting from God, brought to them by the angels who enter from every door o deliver the message given to them from on high. This comes in addition to the noble reward God has in store for them. Such is their Lord who legislates and chooses what is best for them. Who would not prefer His choice?