Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 158

(Ayah 158) ➊ {هَلْ يَنْظُرُوْنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ تَاْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُ: } The proofs of Islam being the truth had become completely clear to the disbelievers, but they kept demanding such things to be shown merely to silence (the Prophet), which are impossible to be shown in this world, because after their coming, the opportunity to believe in the unseen by one's own choice would no longer remain, nor would anyone have the ability to not believe after their coming, but at that time, believing would be of no benefit. These demands have been mentioned at several places in the Qur'an, as in Surah Bani Isra'il (90 to 93), where nine demands are presented together, among which the most insolent demand was to bring Allah Himself and the angels before them «اَوْ تَاْتِيَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِ قَبِيْلًا» [ بنی إسرائیل : ۹۲ ] "Or you bring Allah and the angels before us." This demand is also mentioned in Surah Al-Furqan, as He said: «لَوْ لَاۤ اُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُ اَوْ نَرٰى رَبَّنَا» [ الفرقان : ۲۱ ] "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or (why) do we not see our Lord?" At this place, Allah says that the proof has been completed for them, that is: «فَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ وَ هُدًى وَّ رَحْمَةٌ » [ الأنعام : ۱۵۷ ] Now, neither do they need any more proof nor is it their demand, now what else are they waiting for except that the angels come to them, or your Lord Himself comes, or a sign from your Lord comes. But if the angels come, they will come with death or punishment, then where will there be any respite for faith? As He said: «مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةَ اِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَ مَا كَانُوْۤا اِذًا مُّنْظَرِيْنَ» [ الحجر : ۸ ] "We do not send down the angels except with the truth, and then they (the people) would not be given respite." And Allah will come on the Day of Resurrection for judgment with the angels: «كَلَّاۤ اِذَا دُكَّتِ الْاَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا(21) وَّ جَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَ الْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا» [ الفجر: ۲۱، ۲۲ ] "No! When the earth is pounded to powder and your Lord comes and the angels, rank upon rank." Then the matter of the world will be finished, He said: «هَلْ يَنْظُرُوْنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ يَّاْتِيَهُمُ اللّٰهُ فِيْ ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ الْغَمَامِ وَ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُ وَ قُضِيَ الْاَمْرُ » [ البقرۃ : ۲۱۰ ] "What are they waiting for except that Allah comes to them in canopies of clouds and the angels (as well), and the matter is decided." And by some of the signs of your Lord are meant special signs, the details of which are coming ahead.

➋ Some people deny the coming of Allah on the Day of Resurrection and say that the question of Allah coming does not arise. By Allah's coming, they mean the coming of His command or punishment. These people also deny that Allah, after creating the heavens and the earth, rose above the Throne, and also deny His descending to the lowest heaven, rather, they do not even accept the Throne. In Surah Al-Haqqah (17), it is mentioned that on the Day of Resurrection, eight angels will bear the Throne of Allah. Here, being unable to answer, they say that this is from the mutashabihat (ambiguous matters), but still do not accept Allah's coming. O servants of Allah! You have considered Allah even more incapable than yourselves, that you can go wherever you wish by your own will, but for Allah, you do not accept that He can come and go by His own will. All this is the result of being influenced by Greek philosophy and their concepts about God. According to the Qur'an and Hadith, our belief is that Allah is above the Throne, descends to the lowest heaven every night, will come to the earth on the Day of Resurrection, and the earth will be illuminated by His light, but His coming is not like that of the creation, rather, it is as befits His majesty.

➌ {اَوْ يَاْتِيَ بَعْضُ اٰيٰتِ رَبِّكَ:} According to authentic hadiths, this refers to some signs that will appear near the Day of Resurrection, among which the first sign to appear will be the rising of the sun from the west. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from its west. When the people see it, all who are on the earth will believe, so that will be the time when no soul will benefit from its faith if it had not believed before." [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب «لا ينفع نفسا إيمانها» : ۴۶۳۵ ] Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When three signs appear, no soul will benefit from its faith if it had not believed before, or earned some good in its faith: the rising of the sun from the west, the coming of the Dajjal, and the emergence of the Beast from the earth." [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب بیان الزمن الذی لا یقبل فیہ الإیمان : ۱۵۸ ] Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Among the signs of the Hour, the first to appear will be the rising of the sun from the west and the emergence of a Beast from the earth before the people at midday. Whichever of the two happens first, the other will soon follow." [ مسلم، الفتن، باب فی خروج الدجال و مکثہ فی الأرض……:۲۹۴۱ ]

The mention of this Beast is also in Surah An-Naml (82). It appears that what is meant is any major sign of the Hour after which free will will end, and there will be no option except to believe and repent, but most of the believers lean towards the rising of the sun from the west, as our teacher Maulana Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared only this as authentic.

➍ {يَوْمَ يَاْتِيْ بَعْضُ اٰيٰتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنْفَعُ …… :} At-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the meaning of the verse is that any disbeliever who did not believe before the rising of the sun from the west, his believing after its rising will not benefit him, and any believer who did not do righteous deeds before the rising, his deeds after the rising will not benefit him, because at that time, the ruling on faith and deeds is like that of a person who believes or does deeds at the time of death's rattle, while that is of no benefit, as Allah said: «فَلَمْ يَكُ يَنْفَعُهُمْ اِيْمَانُهُمْ لَمَّا رَاَوْا بَاْسَنَا » [ المؤمن : ۸۵ ] "But their faith was of no benefit to them when they saw Our punishment." And as is established in the authentic hadith, Allah accepts the repentance of the servant until his death rattle begins. (Tirmidhi: 3537) And Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said that when the disbeliever believes on that day, it will not be accepted from him, but whoever was a believer before that, if his deeds are correct, he will be upon great good, and if not, and he repents at that time, his repentance will not be accepted, as is understood from the hadiths, and this will be the meaning of « أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَاخَيْرًا», that is, his righteous deed will not be accepted at that time if he was not among those who did it before.

➎ { قُلِ انْتَظِرُوْۤا اِنَّا مُنْتَظِرُوْنَ:} There is a severe warning for those who delay in believing and abandoning disobedience. See Surah Muhammad (18) and Surah Al-Mu'min (84, 85).

158. 1 Through the revelation of the Noble Quran and the messengership of Muhammad, We have established the proof. If even now they do not desist from their misguidance, then are they waiting for the angels to come to them, that is, to seize their souls—will they believe at that time? Or for your Lord to come to them, meaning the Day of Resurrection is established and they are presented before Allah? Will they believe at that time? Or for a great sign from your Lord to come, such as the sun rising from the west instead of the east near the Day of Resurrection—will they believe after seeing such a great sign? In the next sentence, it is clarified that if they are waiting for this, they are displaying great foolishness. Because after the appearance of a great sign, the faith of a disbeliever and the repentance of a sinful and wicked person will not be accepted. It is Sahih hadith that the Prophet ﷺ said that the Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west instead of the east. When this happens and people see it rising from the west, all will believe. Then he ﷺ recited this verse: لاینفع نفسا ایمانھا لم تکن اٰمنت من قبل. That is, at that time, faith will not benefit anyone who had not believed before.

158. 2 That is, the faith of the disbeliever will not be beneficial, meaning it will not be accepted.

158. 3 This means that if a sinful believer repents from sins at that time, that repentance will not be accepted, and after that, righteous deeds will not be accepted. As the ahadith also indicate this.

Are they waiting for anything except that the angels should come to them, or your Lord should come, or some sign of your Lord should come? On the day when a sign of your Lord comes, no soul will benefit from its faith if it had not believed before, or had not earned some good through its faith. Say, “Wait, for we too are waiting.”

[181] Whether it is an angel or the Lord Himself, an ordinary human being cannot bear to witness them. In such cases, immediate death would occur, and faith at the time of death is not accepted. And if a person witnesses such a tangible miracle that compels him to believe, then such coerced faith is also not acceptable, because in such situations, faith in the unseen no longer remains, and the benefit lies in faith in the unseen. Everyone believes in something that is present and seen with their own eyes. When the veil is lifted from reality, then what is the meaning of faith? Therefore, after seeing something certain or a definite sign, there is no benefit in believing in it, as is made clear by the following hadiths:
1.
The Rising of the Sun from the West:

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Prophet ﷺ said, "The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west. Then, when people see the sun rising from the west, all of them will believe. But at that time, believing will be of no benefit." Then he recited this verse: [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Prophet ﷺ said, "When three things appear, believing will not benefit anyone who had not believed before: the Dajjal, the Beast of the Earth, and the rising of the sun from the west." [ترمذي۔ ابواب التفسير] And one reason why faith at the time of death is of no benefit is that salvation depends on two things: faith and righteous deeds. In other words, the confirmation of verbal declaration of faith can only be done through righteous deeds. And the dying person does not get the time to act, therefore, believing at the time of death is of no benefit.