Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 191

(Ayah 191) ➊ {الَّذِيْنَ يَذْكُرُوْنَ اللّٰهَ …:} In the previous verse, it was mentioned that Allah is the Creator and Lord of everything; now the worship of Him alone is mentioned, meaning those {”أُوْلُوا الْاَلْبَابِ“} remember Allah in every state—with heart, tongue, and all other limbs—standing, sitting, and lying down. Even keeping Allah’s command in mind while earning a livelihood is His remembrance; not forgetting Him while sitting on the seat of justice is also remembrance; not letting the gaze become unrestrained is also His remembrance; being engaged in preparation for jihad for the elevation of Islam is also His remembrance. Unfortunately, Muslims have considered only prayer and tasbih and tahmid as remembrance, and the remembrance of Allah and the longing for meeting Him, with which the hearts of the Companions and Followers were illuminated and they used to seek death in the places of death, has been removed from their daily lives, whereas this remembrance, after the fundamental pillars of Islam, is superior to all other forms of remembrance. It is said: «اَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَآجِّ وَ عِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ الْيَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ وَ جٰهَدَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ لَا يَسْتَوٗنَ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ» [التوبۃ : ۱۹ ] “Have you made the giving of water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of Masjid al-Haram equal to the one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and strives in the way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah.” And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: [ مَوْقِفُ سَاعَةٍ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ قِيَامِ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ عِنْدَ الْحَجَرِ الْاَسْوَدِ ] “An hour in the path of Allah (jihad) is better than standing in prayer at the Black Stone on the Night of Decree.” [ابن حبان : ۴۶۰۳ و صححہ الألبانی، الصحیحۃ : ۴۵۸۴ ]

➋ {وَ يَتَفَكَّرُوْنَ فِيْ خَلْقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ:} That is, they reflect on the wisdom that Allah has placed in the creation of the heavens and the earth. If the sciences of astronomy and mathematics are studied from a religious perspective, then in general, they are included in worship.

➌ {رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هٰذَا بَاطِلًا:} That is, He did not create it without purpose, but the end of this world is in the next world, where there will be reckoning. (Muwaddih) In this is a refutation of materialists and atheists who consider the universe to be merely the result of coincidence, meaning that through reflection and contemplation, it becomes clear to them that this entire system of the universe was not created in vain, but behind it is the purpose that if a person lives in this world according to the commands of Allah, he will receive reward, and if he disobeys, he will suffer punishment in the Hereafter. Therefore, they keep praying to be protected from the Fire.

191. 1. In these ten verses, in the first verse, Allah Almighty has mentioned some signs of His power and might, and has said that these signs are indeed there, but for whom? For the people of intellect and understanding. This means that even after seeing these wonders of creation and the power of Allah, if a person does not attain the recognition of the Lord, then he is not among the people of understanding. But this tragedy is also very strange that in the Islamic world, the one who is considered an 'intellectual' is the one who is afflicted with doubt about Allah Almighty. In the second verse, the inclination of the people of understanding towards the remembrance of Allah and their reflection on the creation of the heavens and the earth is mentioned. As it is stated in the hadith that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Pray standing. If you cannot pray standing, then pray sitting. If you cannot pray sitting, then pray lying on your side." (صحیح بخاری کتاب الصلٰوۃ) In the next three verses, there are also prayers for forgiveness and for protection from disgrace on the Day of Resurrection.

Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides [190], and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth [191], (and cry out): "Our Lord! You have not created all this without purpose [192]. Glory be to You! So protect us from the punishment of the Fire."

[190] From this verse it is understood that the truly intelligent are only those people who, after reflecting upon this workshop of creation, reach the reality of Allah’s immense power and control. Then, as a result of this acknowledgment of reality, every fiber of their being becomes intoxicated with the love of Allah and begins to praise and glorify Him, and in every state they remember Allah and acknowledge His greatness. But those who, after reflecting upon this workshop of creation, reach the conclusion that this world is made of matter, and then this happened by chance, and then that happened by chance, and they consider this strong and coherent system of the universe to be merely the result of coincidences, they are by no means people of intellect. Because by chance, good may occur once in a while, but continuous good can never be produced by chance. As we see, every single thing in this universe is performing its duties with utmost excellence. Thus, in this verse and in other similar verses, there is a refutation of materialism and naturalism.

[191]
The Hereafter is a Requirement of Allah’s Justice:

By reflecting upon the system of this universe, it also becomes clear to the people of intellect that in this universe, man is the only creature who has been given intellect and discernment. Allah has also given him some powers of control and has created in him a moral sense. Therefore, it is completely against reason and wisdom that he should not be questioned about his worldly life, and that he should not be rewarded for good and punished for evil. Because we see that a person spends his whole life committing oppression and injustice, troubling people, and usurping their rights, but he does not receive any punishment in this world. Similarly, sometimes a pious and religious person spends his entire life enduring hardships and difficulties, living in poverty and distress, and never attains comfort. And this is against the justice of Allah Almighty. From this, a rational person is necessarily compelled to think that after this worldly life, there must be another life in which everyone can be recompensed for what they have done. In this way, they attain certainty in the life of the Hereafter and begin to seek refuge from Allah’s punishment.

[192]
The Universe and Materialism:

The opposite of falsehood is truth, and just as the word “truth” is broad in meaning, so too does “falsehood” have many meanings. For example, falsehood means a lie, a false statement, slander, futility, uselessness, purposelessness. In this verse, it is being stated that this universe was not created without purpose. As materialists, atheists, and naturalists believe that the elements of matter kept combining and each thing in the universe came into existence. When the particles of hydrogen combined, the sun was formed and it began to revolve on its own. Then a part separated from it and became the earth. When the earth began to revolve, a part separated from it and became the moon, and in this way, other planets came into existence, and through these coincidences, each thing in the universe was formed. Then a time will come when, just as everything in the universe came into being by chance, it will likewise be destroyed, and after destruction, the elements will begin to combine again, and this process will continue forever and ever. «وقس عليٰ هٰذا من الخرافات» Thus, in their view, this universe is merely a spectacle, a play of its various forms and coincidences.

Everything in the Universe is a Servant to Man:

On the contrary, Allah Almighty has stated that not only the entire universe, but not even a single thing in the universe has been created uselessly. Rather, everything has been created with a purpose. According to the clear statements of the Quran, the earth and all its things, the sun and the moon, and the stars have all been made for the service of man and are assigned to serve him. All kinds of physical needs of man are fulfilled from the earth. From the sun and its movement, day and night are produced, seasons are formed, and crops ripen. From the moon, light and coolness are obtained at night, and juice is produced in fruits. From the stars, we determine the times of night, obtain light, and receive guidance, and they are also an adornment of the sky. The same is the case with winds and clouds. Now see, if any one of these things were missing, it would be impossible for man to live, but if there were no humans in the universe, it would make no difference to the stability of these things. From this, it is clear that the purpose of this universe is the service of man, and probably this is the conscious and empowered creature who was created after all other things. Therefore, this universe is not purposeless, but has come into existence with a very important purpose, and Allah Almighty never creates anything without purpose; His Being is pure from this.

The Purpose of Man’s Creation:

Now the next question is, if all this is for man, then what is the purpose of man’s life? The answer to this Allah Almighty has given:

﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوْنِ﴾

That is, I have only created jinn and mankind so that they may worship Me. And the concept of worship is so broad and comprehensive that it includes the refutation of all kinds of shirk, the importance of tawheed, the law of reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell, in fact, the entire Shariah is included in it. The universe, the Creator of the universe, and the position of man in this universe—these are three things whose reality and correct determination people of intellect and understanding have been reflecting upon since the beginning of Adam. Then, whenever any scientist or philosopher began to think independently of divine revelation, most often his intellect stumbled.