Surah al-Mu'minun (The Believers ) 23 : 64

Overview (Verses 62 - 67)

Will They Not Reflect?
 
Islam ensures that its followers’ hearts are always alert. This is an alertness generated by faith right from the moment it settles in a person’s heart. It neither defies human power, nor is too hard for man to sustain. It is a question of sensitivity enhanced by a believer’s bond with God and his watchfulness in all situations, guarding against sin. It is perfectly within people’s power when the light of faith shines in their hearts: “We do not charge a soul with more than it can bear. We have a record that speaks the truth. None shall be wronged.” (Verse 62)
 
God has established people’s duties as He knows their inclinations and abilities. He will hold them to account on the basis of what they do within their ability. He neither charges them with what they cannot bear, nor dismisses any little thing they do. All their deeds are documented in a ‘record that speaks the truth,’ highlighting it in its full value. Needless to say, God is precise in His reckoning.
 
People, however, tend to overlook the truth because their hearts are not touched by its invigorating light. Hence, they remain preoccupied with petty concerns, lost in a perpetual maze. They are only awakened when faced with inevitable doom, looking at the suffering that awaits them and enduring a humiliatingly and strong reproach:
 
Nay, their hearts are blind to all this. But apart from all that, they have deeds which they will continue to commit. Then, when We shall have overwhelmed with suffering those of them that live in luxury, they cry out in belated supplication. [But they will be told:] Do not cry out this day, for from Us you shall receive no help. Time and again were My revelations recited to you, but every time you would turn about on your heels, revelling in your arrogance, and talking senselessly far into the night. (Verses 63-67)
 
Thus, the reason for their headlong pursuit of worldly affairs is nothing like being burdened with what they cannot bear. It is simply that their hearts are blinded, unable to see the truth as clearly stated in the Qur’ān. They are wont to follow a line different from the course charted by the Qur’ān: “They have deeds which they will continue to commit.” (Verse 63)
 
The sūrah then paints a picture of their being awakened by a sudden calamity: “When We shall have overwhelmed with suffering those of them that live in luxury, they cry out in belated supplication.” (Verse 64) People who live in luxury are indeed the ones who are most preoccupied with life’s comforts, totally oblivious to what lies ahead. Now they find themselves suddenly overtaken by suffering, and they cry out for mercy, making a passionate appeal for it to be lifted. It is a picture that contrasts with the life of luxury and arrogance they lead in this world. Hence, they receive a strong reproach: “Do not cry out this day, for from Us you shall receive no help.” (Verse 65) The scene is described as though it is taking place now. They are strongly reproached, made certain of having no support, and reminded of what they used to do in life: “Time and again were My revelations recited to you, but every time you would turn about on your heels, revelling in your arrogance, and talking senselessly far into the night.” (Verses 66-67) It is as though what was being recited was a danger or a calamity you needed to avoid. You were too proud to submit to the truth. Indeed, you compounded your insolence, adding insult to injury, speaking ill of the Prophet and his message, but you, nevertheless, are willing to spend hours in idle chit-chat.
 
It was common practice for them to use obscene language when they gathered in circles around the Ka`bah, close to the idols they worshipped. Now the Qur’ān paints for them a scene of when they are called to account for their indulgence, showing them raising their voices with cries for help. It is at this point that they are reminded of what they do now in their circles, as though both take place at the same time. This is a familiar method of the Qur’ān, frequently depicting the Day of Judgement as though it were actually occurring at that precise moment.
 
In their hostility towards the Prophet and with their disparaging remarks about him and the Qur’ān in their gatherings, the unbelievers represent an ignorant arrogance that is blinded to the truth. With such blind ignorance, the truth becomes the subject of derision and ridicule. Such people are encountered no matter what the time or place. Yet the state of ignorance that prevailed in Arabia at the time when the Islamic message was revealed serves as an example of similar past and future situations where ignorance prevails.