Translation
Remind them with this revelation, those who recognize that they will be gathered in front of their Sustainer—where they will have no protector and no one to intercede on their behalf—perhaps this will make them mindful of their responsibility. And do not drive away from you those who call upon God daily in the morning and in the evening seeking God’s blessings. You are in no way accountable for them, nor are they accountable for you. Should you ignore them [in favor of others], then you will become one of those who are unjust. It is this way that God tries some of them against others when they say: “Are these the people whom God had favored over us?” Do they not know that God is the best in knowing who truly is grateful? 334
When those who accept Our [God’s] messages come to you, say: “Peace. Your Sustainer has willed upon Himself Mercy; therefore, if any among you does evil in ignorance and then turns away from it and lives righteously, he will find God full of Mercy and Forgiveness.” 335
Say: “I am forbidden to worship anyone you call upon besides God Almighty. I cannot follow your conjectures; otherwise I will lose the way and will not be among those who are guided.” Say: “I am firmly rooted on evidence [of truth] from my Sustainer, and you call it a lie. It is not in my power to fulfill what you ask for in haste. Judgment and decision belong to God alone. He expounds the truth, and He is the best to decide (between truth and falsehood).” Say: “If I were empowered to fulfill your demands, the matter would be settled already between you and me. But it is God Who knows who does evil (and will settle the matter on His own terms). With Him is the knowledge of what is unknown—none knows but He. He knows what is in the land and what is in the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows, nor is there a grain in the deep darkness of the earth or a thing green or dry; all are clearly defined and documented. He is the One Who takes your soul away as you sleep at night, and He knows what you accomplish during the day. He lets you rise each day so that your appointed term for life can be completed. Eventually all of you will gather back to God, and He will inform you of the end results of your lifelong pursuits.” 336
Interpretation
334 Those who are politically or financially more prominent in society and can demand more attention are contrasted with those who are socially conscious, are driven by faith in God, and wish to do good. The Prophet Mohammad was a magnet for people of all classes—socially prominent, intellectually driven, courageous, poor but noble in their aspirations; the seekers of truth and justice, those who are slaves but dignified human beings, women of stature, women subject to social injustice and so on and so forth. Certain individuals such as tribal leaders, moneyed individuals, and people with a false sense of pride and privileges were annoyed by the presence of people whom they considered not their equal when they were with the Prophet. Such demand and arrogance were noted by God, and He clearly instructed the prophet not to lend ear to such demands and to treat everyone equally. He is even cautioned that should he listen to such demands and shift his attention away from a certain group of people, he would be guilty of injustice to his fellow human beings and fail in this role as the Messenger from God. Such an attitude from certain individuals is also considered a trial from God when they fail to understand how God values human positions and human conditions.
335 This is a fundamental posit from God—that all human beings, irrespective of their past conditions, should feel comfortable to approach God for mercy and forgiveness. In this way God is also reminding the prophet to do the same—that is, his door remains open for everyone who wishes to seek the truth and be just even though in the past he or she may have been anything but. The general proposition is that anyone who has done evil or opposed the truth out of ignorance (not deliberately and repeatedly), mends his or her ways, and demonstrates righteous inclinations and behaviors should receive forgiveness and mercy from God. Similarly, the Prophet should give attention to such individuals. This is a lesson and an instruction that should not be lost in our social interactions and the way we treat one another.
336 Faith in God calls for not only a deeper awareness of ourselves and our human condition but also for a fuller acknowledgment of the God’s infinite capacity to know our own condition better than we do and to know the details of His created world. Giving examples of things as mundane as the falling of a leaf, a small grain lost in the soil, who is alive and who is dead, or the whereabouts of everyone’s soul are powerful reminders of how God cares for His creations. The current advancements in technology whereby we have developed unprecedented and widespread ability to deploy sensors and use mobile devices and massive computing powers to capture and track data, information, movement, identity, weather, temperature, and so on provide us with a glimpse of what God has enabled us to do to date and what He has kept for Himself. All our capabilities and enhanced abilities should result in the betterment of the human condition and achieving our human purpose within the span of our lifetime on this planet; failure to do so will prove our negligence and dereliction of duty to one another and to God, the Creator. Such failures have serious causal and moral consequences in this life and in the Afterlife (see also 39:42).
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REFLECTION
Personal accountability is paramount in the Islamic concept of God consciousness and social consciousness and should be the norm for all people of faith and goodness. Accountability toward others—that is, commitment to serving the larger community is as important as accountability to oneself. By the same token, we also are accountable for what we do and not what others do.
ACTION
We should solidify our faith and our commitment to do good and not get overly consumed or distraught when larger society or others fail to do the same. This is to preserve our sense of sanity, patience, and moral clarity so that in our haste or impatience or ignorance, we do not commit acts of excess that are counterproductive and wrong.