Translation
God has dominion over His creation, and He deploys preservers [Guardian Angels; see also 13:11] over you; when death comes to one of you, Our Messengers [Angels] cause his death, and they never fail. Then those who have died are brought back to God, their true Master. To Him belong all matters of judgment, and He is ever prompt in taking accountability. 337
Say: “Who removes the calamities of the land and the sea? You call upon God in humility and in secret: God, if You deliver us from this, we will commit to be grateful.” Say: “It is God Who saves you from this and every other distress; yet you ascribe divinity to others.” Say: “God has the power to send a torment from above or from under your feet or to confuse you with your mutual distrust and disagreements so much so that you suffer the violence of others.” See how We expound the realities and the messages so that you might understand. Your people call it [the message] a lie, whereas it is the truth. Say: “I am not responsible for you [my job is to convey the message]; for every prophecy there is a term set, and in time you will come to know.” 338
When you come across those who indulge in vain talk regarding Our message, do not engage until they move into some other discourse. Should you forget, then do not continue with such evil folks after you have realized your lapse. Those who are conscious of their responsibility [to God and to themselves] are not responsible for such evil folks except that they should continue to remind such folks so that they might attain consciousness as well. Such people who take guidance for mockery and sports and who are beguiled by the life of this world should continue to be reminded, lest an individual life come to nothing for its actions; such individual will have no friend nor an aid to intercede with God nor an offer of compensation, which will be accepted. It is these people who reduce life to nothing by what they do and by what earn; they will face extreme and unpleasant consequences and a chastisement from God that will be severe—all because of their persistent denial of truth. 339
Interpretation
337 These verses refer to matters that are hidden from our human sensory perceptions but are within the realm of our mental, intellectual, and spiritual experience and comprehension. We cannot see God, but He permeates all aspects of the created world, some of which we see and understand and others we do not understand but can make intelligent guess about to try to understand. Those are guesses or conjectures only and may not be the reality of what exists or how it functions. We have not seen Angels, but according to the Qur’an, they are with each and every one of us, assigned to aid us, record our deeds, and cause our death at the appropriate time, among many other functions that we are aware of or know about. In the realm of science and technology, we continue to uncover the physics, chemistry, and biology of things, living or otherwise, as if there is no end to the ever-unfolding mysteries of this universe and our own planet, which sustains life with the aid of the distant sun and has stockpiled and seasonally replenishes all that we need to exist. The existence of the Afterlife is also hidden from us, but our transient life on this planet will come to end, which we know for sure. In our Afterlife, we return to the Creator, we face the consequences of the choices we made during our life on earth, and we are judged by God, who is the most fair and generous Judge and a Master for mankind. Such beliefs are essential elements of faith (see also 2:3).
338 In our current world, natural calamities seem to be happening each year with increasing frequency—whether it is tornadoes or violent storms that come from above or earthquakes or volcanic eruptions that come from below (under our feet). The ever-increasing level of global warming, environmental pollution, and depletion of natural resources are threatening the very survival of our species. If that is not enough, mutual distrust; racial, ethnic, and religious discord; mental health epidemics; widespread lack of respect for human lives; and relentless development and use of weapons of mass destruction are causing more lives to be lost—a tragedy that is neither hidden from humanity nor from God. Unless we truly reengage with the purpose of life and our relationship with God, which also defines our relationships with one another—other humans and the natural world—we are on an ever-increasing path of violence and discord in this world. With God’s aid and genuine faith in humanity, nothing is impossible, whereas without God’s aid or our humility as human societies, we are making calamities for ourselves with ever-increasing dimensions that affect every aspect of our lives, including the balances in the natural world in which we live, breathe, drink, reproduce, walk, and pursue happiness.
339 In our age of instant communication, proliferation of social media, and fluidity of capital market, there is unfounded euphoria about our human condition. Yet the fundamental law of changes to human condition is what is inside the human mind and human spirit and not what is external to it. The tools and technology may affect the rate of change, but in no way will these define the direction of such change. That is the realm of our inner devotion to truth, justice, equal opportunity, relative value of human resources to capital resources, and our harmony with the Creator and the created world (see 13:11).
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REFLECTION
The true reality of our existence on this planet, our relationship with the Creator, our eventual return to God, the personal accountability that comes with this relationship, the acute awareness of our dependency on God for benefits that He provides and protection from calamities, the presence and role that Angels play in preserving our lives, documenting our activities and causing our death, and so on, are all matters of truth that cannot be directly seen but are within the realm of human cognition, perception, and spiritual awareness. Those who want to rely on physical science to prove such matters will be frustrated, since matters relating to the spirit cannot be defined and experienced in physical terms but can be hypothesized and deduced from our human experiences, inspirations, and aspirations.
ACTION
Proper discourse on such matters is an important element of our upbringing and human education that every individual and every society should undertake and continue to enhance. Despite a thousand years of spectacular rise and demonstration of such thirst for knowledge and wisdom by Muslims around the known world, which also inspired Europe and people of other faiths, Muslims over the last several centuries have regressed, a trend that needs to be reversed for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world.