Surah An-Naml (27) — Ayah 62

(Ayah 62) ➊ { اَمَّنْ يُّجِيْبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ …:} Previously, there was mention of things found in the horizons, which even the polytheists acknowledge are only under Allah Almighty’s control. Now, there is mention of some things found within the human being himself. The first of these is: are your gods better, or that Pure Being, that when all supports fail and your helplessness and destitution reach their utmost limit, you involuntarily call upon Him, and He hears your cry and accepts it? Clearly, their only answer to this is nothing but: certainly, He is better. The polytheists of Arabia themselves knew and acknowledged that the One who removes calamity is, in reality, only Allah, and this is not limited to the polytheists of Arabia alone, but generally, this is the case with polytheists all over the world, because this matter has been placed in human nature. Even the atheists of Russia, who deny Allah Almighty and have formally launched campaigns against the existence of Allah and His worship, when during the last world war the German armies besieged them severely, they too felt the need to call upon Allah Almighty. Therefore, the Noble Qur’an reminds that when a difficult time befalls you, you begin to call upon Allah Almighty, but when that time passes, you begin to associate others with Allah. See Surah Al-An’am (40, 41), Yunus (21, 22), An-Nahl (53 to 55), and Bani Isra’il (67). This was the state of the polytheists and deniers, but it is astonishing about the Muslims of our time who claim monotheism, yet even in calamity do not call upon Allah, but instead chant slogans like: “O Messenger of Allah! O Ghaus-e-Azam! O Muinuddin Ajmeri! Save the boat!”

➋ { وَ يَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ الْاَرْضِ:} Making you successors on the earth is in two ways: one is that He brings you into the earth generation after generation. If He had created everyone at the same time, the earth would have become cramped, the system of relationships and connections could not have been established, and everyone would have been undermining each other in the struggle to survive. Then either everyone would have had to live on earth for centuries, where no happiness is pure, or within a few years, this process of population on earth would have reached its end. The second way of making you successors on the earth is that He grants you sovereignty on the earth one after another.

➌ { قَلِيْلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُوْنَ: ’’ قَلِيْلًا ‘‘} means “very little.” With the emphasis of {’’ مَا ‘‘}, the meaning becomes “very, very little.” That is, if you had truly taken heed, you would not have associated partners with Allah.

62-1. That is, He is the same Allah who is called upon in times of hardship and in whom hopes are placed during times of distress; it is to Him that people turn, and He alone removes evil. For further details, see سورة الا سراء.67 and سورة النمل.53

62-2. That is, to create one community after another, one nation after another, and one generation after another. Otherwise, if He had brought all into existence at the same time, the earth would have complained of being too crowded, difficulties would have arisen in sustenance, and everyone would have been preoccupied with pulling each other down. That is, creating humans one after another and making one the successor of another—this too is His perfect mercy.

62. Who is it [65] that responds to the distressed one when he calls upon Him, and removes his suffering, and makes you successors [66] on the earth? Is there any god with Allah? Little is it that you reflect.

[65]
Calling Upon Allah Alone in Difficult Times:

This question was asked because the polytheists of Makkah knew very well that when a person’s life is at stake, their deities are of no use. Therefore, in such critical times, they would call upon Allah alone for help and deliverance. (For explanation, see the footnote of verse 41 of Surah Al-An’am) And the question being asked of them is: when you see no way of saving yourselves and at that time you call upon Allah alone for deliverance, and He removes your distress—at that moment, neither any stone idol nor any other deity can remove it—then why do you associate them as partners or equals with Allah in His worship?

[66] This sentence has two meanings. One is that after one generation or lineage, another generation or lineage becomes its successor; you became the successors of your forefathers, and your children will become your successors, and this process has continued and will continue in this way. The second meaning is that He grants you authority and power on the earth, and after you, this authority will be transferred to someone else, and this process is ongoing and will continue in this manner.