Translation
We [God] know what they say pains you [O Prophet], but it is not you that they give the lie to; it is God’s message that these unjust people deny. God’s Messengers before you were similarly denied, and they faced patiently such denials and persecutions until God’s help came to them. God’s way of dealing with such situations does not change, as there have come to you the stories of some of these Messengers already.
If their denials are really unbearable for you, then perhaps you should seek an opening into the earth or a ladder to climb to the sky to try to bring them a sign [to accept your teachings], whereas, if God had willed, He would have certainly brought all of them to His guidance. Therefore, do not act in ignorance [of God’s ways]. 330 It is only those who pay attention who will accept the message. As for those who are dead, God will raise them so that they will return to Him.
They ask: “Why has his God not sent him a sign?” Say: “Surely God is able to send a sign.” But most of them are oblivious (to such signs)—there are no animals on earth nor birds that fly on two wings but that are creatures and communities like yourself. We have not neglected anything in the Book (the Qur’an). Eventually to your Sustainer all will be gathered. 331 Those who deny God’s message are like those who are deaf and dumb and (live) in darkness. Whom God wills, He leaves in their errant ways, and whom He wills, He puts them on the Straight Path.
Say: “What would you do if God’s displeasure were to affect you or you are faced with the hour of judgment? Would you call upon God or someone else? Let’s be truthful!” Yes, it is to Him that you supplicate, and He removes what you prayed for; you forget (in those hours) what other deities you subscribe to.
Interpretation
330 Here is lesson in life for the prophet as well as all of us, especially those of us who are impatient, judgmental, and want to set things to our ways without the due process of the law or social norm or God’s will. All prophets have faced persecution, ridicule, and animosity despite the sublime and grand vison they were preaching to mankind. Being the followers of such prophets and being people of faith, we have to exercise similar patience and persistence in the face of obstacles and not compromise our values of justice, ethics, and social norms. Unfortunately, many Muslims—and this applies to Christians, Jews, and others as well—commit acts of terror and unfairly treat people of other faiths and people of our own faith in ways that are unacceptable socially, ethically, and morally. On one hand, we have too many overly jealous religious people who have no patience with those who question their ways, while, on the other hand, there are people who have marginalized the value of faith in their lives, persistently devaluing the lives of those who wish to live their faith.
331 People throughout the ages and even today have demanded of prophets, saints, and their perceived spiritual leaders direct evidence of God through miracles or signs coming from the heavens. We know that the Prophet Jesus performed extraordinary acts of healing, walking on water, getting food from Heaven for his disciples, and so on. The stories of Moses turning his walking stick into a serpent and his people getting manna and salwa from Heaven are well documented and widely believed. The Prophet Mohammad also faced similar demands, but the Qur’an refused to give into such demands, one reason being that these demands were not well intended. Instead God in the Qur’an asks us to look at nature, the positioning of the sun and earth in the solar system, the properties of water as the source of all living beings on earth; the alternation of day and night; the cycle of rain and growth of vegetation; the extraordinary capability of the womb to initiate and sustain life until birth; seeds of all kinds that have memory, sensors, and actuators to germinate and grow; the birds that fly; animals that walk on four legs; milk that comes out of cows’ udders; and so on and so forth. Other signs were given in terms of how small groups of faithful were able to overcome obstacles from larger societies, how God made old enemies into friends, how God helped people mend their tribal ways and build universal human bonds, how events that appeared to be disadvantageous turned out to be of tremendous benefit and so on—all these are lessons from life in which there is an abundance of signs of Providence. These are the real signs and evidence of God’s presence and His everlasting love and mercy to mankind.
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REFLECTION
Faith is a continuous conversation between God and humanity, and life is a conduit for such enlightening conversation. To know God is to know ourselves; to see God is to see nature below the surface; to taste God is to taste a variety of fruits that we relish but did not make; to see God in action is to look at how a tiny mustard seed retains the encyclopedic know-how of creation, uses its microscopic sensors and actuators to sense water, soil, and sunlight and then germinate into a beautiful plant ready to photosynthesize and construct itself from light and nutrients from air and soil and produce the intense and beautiful flowers that then create the same seed from which it started its life. This tiny seed knows more about physics, chemistry, and how to follow God’s command as manifested in natural laws than any of us will ever know or fully appreciate. Who created the first mustard seed? Or, was it the first mustard plant? As the Qur’an says: “To God is the Beginning, and to God is the Ending.” (“The Night”, 92:13)
ACTION
For each one of us, no matter what our profession or passion is, there needs to be intense focus on how we function as individuals, what triggers our social instincts, and why harmony exists in nature to support life on this wonderful planet in the middle of a vast expanse of the universe. To truly appreciate God’s bounty and to be thankful, we have to mindful of our presence and our purpose!