Translation
Think of someone who was dead, and then We (God) brought him to life and gave him a light by which he is able to walk among people; is he the same as the one who is in darkness and has no light to come out? For those who deny the truth, their doings are made to appear good to them. Thus, We allow the leaders in every land to be its evildoers so that they plan in it; but their plan is against themselves, which they do not perceive. When a message (from God) comes to them, they say: “We will not believe until we are given the same message that God had given to His messengers.” But God knows best where to place His message. Humiliation and serious chastisement will come to these evildoers for what they scheme (against people and God).
Whomever God wills to guide, He opens up his heart to Islam (faith and goodness), and whomever He wills to leave in their errant ways, He constrains and restricts their breast as if he is rising up in sky. This is how God does not guide those who deny the truth. This guidance is the true guidance from your Sustainer—a straight path. God makes His message clear to those who mind. For such is the residence of peace with their Sustainer who is their Friend for what they do. 350
On the Day when We will gather them all and ask: “O assembly of Jinn (leaders of evildoers), you have diverted a great many among people,” their erstwhile friends among men will say: “Some of us have benefited from others (in our lives), and now we have come to the end of our terms, terms that you have fixed for us.” God will say: “Fire is where you will reside, except whom God wills; Your Sustainer is Wise and Knowing. This is how We make the evildoers befriend one another on the basis of what they do.” (God will address): “O community of Jinn and Men, did not My Messengers come to you giving you the Guidance and making you aware of this Day of Our meeting?” They will reply: “We bear witness against ourselves”; indeed, the life on earth deceived them and they will testify against themselves that they denied the truth. This is a norm from your Sustainer, Who does not destroy a town where its inhabitants are unaware. Each town is treated according to a measure of what they do. Your Sustainer God is not unaware of what they do. 351
Your Sustainer is Self-Sufficient, Full of Mercy. If He wills, He may remove you and make whom He wills to succeed you in a manner that He made you to succeed your predecessors. Whatever you have been promised [death, Day of Judgment, etc.] will surely take place; you cannot escape such an outcome. Say: “O my community, act as you are able, and I will do the same. You will soon come to know who will inherit the future, because the unjust will not succeed.”
Interpretation
350 God’s guidance is like a light that shows the way, whereas lack of guidance is like darkness that prevents us from making any movement, or, at worst, makes us do evil things without knowledge. Then there are corrupt and evil leaders who not only ignore such guidance but are driven by their inner evils (ego, lust, greed, love of this world, etc.), and their manufactured lies (claiming divinity; misguiding people to acts of injustice and oppression such as racism, ethnic cleansing, religious superiority, gender bias, terrorism, fake news, alternative facts, etc.) induce others to not only commit acts of evil and shamefulness but also entice and compel others to follow their path. It is our deliberate choices that we make to have faith and to do good, combined with God’s will, that help us stay the course—on the Straight Path—and give us true honor and dignity in this life and in the Afterlife.
351 God’s address to the assembly of Jinn and Men on the Day of Judgment is a reminder and a way to help visualize and be mindful that the results awaiting us come from what we do on this planet and in this life. Corrupt leaders in the community, business enterprises, and political systems will lead us down a path of disempowerment, economic disparity, political upheaval, and environmental degradation that we can witness already in our current human condition. While God will question those and take their accountability on the Day of Judgment, we as people of faith have to prove our worth by resisting such leaders and establishing alternative ways of creating and sustaining a better world.
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REFLECTION
Blaming others for our misfortunes or remaining aloof to the undesirable conditions of the world is no way to justify our presence in this world or the purpose of our lives as God intends. Deeper reflection, creating a vision for our community, our country, and our world that is steeped in faith and goodness for all, and striving to establish such a vison is the responsibility of every individual, every community and people of faith no matter where we are.
ACTION
We need to work within the system where it makes sense and in other cases build a consensus to envision and implement alternatives that offer the best that human beings can conceive and put into practice in all aspects of our community, financial, and political lives—to better the lives of each and every human being on this planet.