Overview (Verses 43 - 48)

“If such be Our will, We may cause them to drown, with none to respond to their cries for help, and then they cannot be saved, unless it be by an act of mercy from Us, leaving them to enjoy life for a while.” (Verses 43-44) Large, heavy and carefully built as it may be, a ship in water is like a feather in the air: it can disappear and perish in a moment, unless it is protected by God’s grace. People who have crossed oceans, whether in a boat with sails or in a large vessel, appreciate the danger represented by the sea and the little protection there is, should a storm ensue. They recognize that only God’s grace provides protection in the midst of storms and currents that run over the sea, which is after all a creature controlled only by God’s caring hand. But all this applies ‘for a while,’ only until the time God has set arrives. What Opens Sealed Hearts Clear and inspiring as these signs are, people continue to pay little heed. Their hearts remain closed and they persist in ridicule and denial, hastening the end against which God’s messengers have warned them: When they are told: ‘Beware of that which lies before you and behind you, so that you may be graced with His mercy,’ [they pay no heed]. Every single sign that comes to them from their Lord do they ignore. And when they are told: ‘Give [in charity] out of what God has provided for you,’ the unbelievers say to those who believe: Are we to feed those whom God could have fed, had He so willed? Clearly, you are lost in error.’ They also ask: ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, if what you say be true?’ (Verses 45-48)
 
Although all these signs are enough to cause an open heart to shudder and bring it in line with the universe, the unbelievers will not see them for what they are, and even if they do see them, they still do not reflect on them. Because His grace is endless, God does not leave them to themselves. He sends them messengers to warn them and to call them to their Lord, the Creator of the universe. The messengers’ role is to alert people’s hearts so that they can see why they should be God- fearing, and to warn them against incurring God’s displeasure, pointing out its causes and teaching them how to avoid it. Signs are constantly given them in their lives, time after time, in addition to the signs that are available in the universe around them, but they choose to remain blind: “When they are told: Beware of that which lies before you and behind you, so that you may be graced with His mercy, [they pay no heed]. Every single sign that comes to them from their Lord do they ignore.” (Verses 45-46) If they are urged to be charitable and to give to the poor a portion of what God has provided for them, they say in ridicule: “Are we to feed those whom God could have fed, had He so willed?” (Verse 47) They would even be impolite in their reply to those calling on them to be charitable, saying: “Clearly, you are lost in error.” (Verse 47)
 
Viewing the matter in such a mechanical way betrays their ignorance of the law God has set for human life. It is God who feeds and provides for All the provisions that people receive on earth are created by Him. They cannot create any of that; indeed, they cannot create anything whatsoever. It is God’s will that people should have needs which they cannot attain to without hard work, such as planting the earth, extracting its raw material to manufacture things, transporting its produce from place to place, offering such produce in return for other products or for money, etc. It is also His will that people differ in their talents and abilities to ensure that everything needed to fulfil man’s task of building human life on earth is available. The accomplishment of this task not only needs talents and abilities that earn money and produce wealth; it also requires others that can meet different human needs, without earning money. This makes for a complex human society, in which people have different lots in a bustling world, and across generations. However, the resulting differences of the means available to different people does not lead to the ruination of life and society. In fact it is a by-product of life’s movement.
 
Therefore, Islam addresses the individual, requiring those who have plenty to relinquish a portion of their money, which is given to the poor to provide for their food and other needs. By doing so, Islam reforms a great many people, rich and poor alike. This portion is zakāt, which, by definition, implies purification. Islam makes it one of its acts of worship, and uses it to establish cordial and caring relations between the rich and the poor in the unique society it establishes.
 
Therefore, when those people, unable to see God’s wisdom, say, “are we to feed those whom God could have fed, had He so willed?” and when they speak arrogantly to those who ask them to be charitable, saying, “clearly, you are lost in error,” they betray their own ignorance. They are blind to the nature of God’s law, life’s movement and the reasons why God gave different talents and abilities to different people, with the result that they have different means. Islam puts in place a system that ensures fair opportunities for everyone. It then allows varied human activities, which are necessary for the fulfilment of man’s role on earth, to run their course. Furthermore, it deals with any negative side effects.
 
Finally the sūrah mentions their expressed doubts about God’s promise and their ridicule of the warnings given them: “They also ask: When will this promise be fulfilled, if what you say be true?” (Verse 48) God’s promise is not brought forward or delayed because of people’s pleas. With God everything has its definite measure; everything takes place at its appointed time and place, in accordance with His infinite wisdom. It is He who conducts the universe and all that happens in it according to a perfect system. The answer to this rude question is given in the form of a scene from the Day of Judgement, showing them what happens then, but not its timing.