Overview (Verses 33 - 34)

The Lure of Comfortable Living
 
Drawing on the great danger presented by a stormy sea and how it puts things into perspective, the sūrah then reminds them of an even greater danger, in comparison with which the danger of the sea appears ever so small. This is the danger of the day when all relations are severed, parents and children are separated and preoccupied with their own positions; when each soul stands on its own, without support, unable to call upon anyone for help: Mankind! Fear your Lord and fear a day when no parent will be of any avail to his child, nor any child will in the least avail his parents! God’s promise is most certainly true. Let not, then, the life of this world delude you, and let not deceptive thoughts about God delude you. (Verse 33)
 
The horror described here is psychological, measured by its effect on hearts and souls. Nothing severs blood relations and ties between parent and child, and nothing makes everyone preoccupied solely with their own positions unless it be a fear totally unknown to people. The call to fear God, therefore, comes here at the right time, when people are ready to respond. The issue of the hereafter is presented against the background of such great horror so that hearts will listen.
 
“God’s promise is most certainly true.” (Verse 33) It will never fail. There can be no avoidance of this very difficult situation. No one can escape the accurate reckoning and the fair reward, when none can avail another of anything.
 
“Let not, then, the life of this world delude you.” (Verse 33) It is full of lure, luxury and comfort, but it is limited in duration, and it is only a test to determine the eventual reward. “And let not deceptive thoughts about God delude you.” (Verse 33) Let no comfort, work, or interest delude you. Above all, let no devil tempt you, for there are many devils, such as money, science, life, power, authority, desire, fancy and passion. Each has its own lure and temptation which can be very deluding. Fear of God and remembrance of the Day of Judgement, however, should be enough to protect believers from all such temptations.
 
Knowledge Absolute
 
At the end of this fourth presentation, which completes the sūrah, a final note is given, one which is both powerful and awesome. It describes God’s perfect and comprehensive knowledge contrasting this with our own limited, human knowledge. It states the question discussed throughout the sūrah, in its four sections, and presents all this in one of the most wonderful images drawn in the Qur’ān: Indeed with God alone rests the knowledge of when the Last Hour will come; and He it is who sends down rain; and He knows what the wombs contain; whereas no one knows what they will earn tomorrow, and no one knows in what land they will die. God alone is omniscient and takes cognisance of all things. (Verse 34)
 
God Almighty has chosen to keep the knowledge of the Last Hour to Himself; none knows it other than Him. Thus people will always remain cautious, expecting its arrival at any time, trying to be ready for it. They know that there is no time to lose in preparing for its arrival.
 
It is God who sends down rain in accordance with His wisdom, and in the measure He chooses. People may know by experience and measurement that rain is due, but they cannot create the conditions that bring rain about. The Qur’ānic statement makes clear that it is God who sends down the rain, as it is He who initiates the universal conditions that form and regulate it. Thus, what is exclusive to God in this respect is the ability to send down the rain, as is made clear in the text. Scholars who have included rain among matters that belong exclusively to God’s knowledge are mistaken. Yet God’s knowledge is true, complete, comprehensive and permanent in all matters. It is not liable to increase or decrease.
 
“He knows what the wombs contain.” (Verse 34) This is exclusive knowledge similar to that of the Last Hour. It is God alone who knows, with absolute certainty, what wombs contain at every moment and in every stage, how they swell or shrink, what type of foetus, even when it has no shape, form or size. He knows whether it is a male or a female, even at the moment when no one can have any knowledge of this, at the time when the female egg is fertilized. He further knows the features the foetus will have, its characteristics and future abilities. All this is part of God’s exclusive knowledge.
 
“Whereas no one knows what they will earn tomorrow.” (Verse 34) No one knows what will happen to them tomorrow: good or bad, benefit or harm, ease or hardship, health or sickness, obedience to God or disobedience. ‘Earning’ is far more general than material gain. It applies to everything that happens to a person tomorrow, which is kept hidden under thick covers. People may try to discover this, but they will always fail, remaining unable to discern anything beyond those covers.
 
Similarly, “No one knows in what land they will die.” (Verse 34) Such knowledge is kept behind thick blinds which cannot be penetrated by hearing or seeing.
 
As human beings we stand before these covers acknowledging our weakness and limited knowledge. Thus, the arrogance of assumed, penetrative knowledge is thus seen for what it is. We realize that, compared with what is withheld from us, our knowledge is indeed limited. Even when human knowledge achieves all that it can, there remains a great deal about which we do not know. We will always remain blind to what happens tomorrow, or even in the next moment. With such realization, humans should reduce their arrogance and submit to God.
 
The sūrah presents these highly effective notes against an expansive backdrop of time and place, the present, the near future, the great realm that lies beyond our perceptions, our thoughts and imaginations. This background includes the Last Hour that seems so distant, rain which originates far away, wombs and their hidden contents, what is earned tomorrow which is close in time yet remains unknown, and our place of death and burial which is driven away in our thoughts. Although the background is expansive, the Qur’ānic style gathers it from its broad perspective so that it comes close and points to God’s hidden knowledge. Thus we stand as though we try to look through a peephole, but find it blocked. Should even a tiny opening be made in it, what is behind is in the same position as what is before it. It remains closed to man because it is beyond human ability and knowledge. It continues to belong exclusively to God. None knows anything about it except by His permission and according to the measure He determines. “God alone is omniscient and takes cognisance of all things.” (Verse 34)
 
Thus the sūrah concludes and we feel that it has taken us on a very long journey to distant worlds and horizons. Our hearts return in a slow move after traversing such great distances. Our minds are heavy with thought and reflection on what we have seen of worlds beyond worlds. Yet it is a sūrah made of just 34 verses. All glory belongs to God, the Creator of hearts. He has bestowed this Qur’ān on us which heals hearts, provides guidance and brings mercy to believers.