The Unity of God manifesting in the objects of the Universe and its working, Polytheists, and the punishment to them.

Al-Baqarah Verses 164 - 167

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ مَاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

“Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day and (in) the ships that sail in the sea with what profiteth mankind and (in) the water which God sendeth down from the skies and enliveneth therewith the earth after its death and scattereth therein of (every kind of) animal, and in the changing of the winds and the clouds controlled for service between the heavens and the earth, surely there are signs for (the guidance of) people who understand” (2:164).

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْدَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ

“And yet of men there are some who take unto themselves equals to God besides Him and love them as the love for God; But the Believers are stauncher in (their) love for God; And if only those who are unjust could see (what they will realise) when they behold the torment, that unto God belongeth all power and verily God is severe in punishing” (2:165).

إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبَابُ

“When would those who were followed renounce them that followed them, and they would see the torment and the ties between them are cut asunder” (2:166).

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُوا مِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ

And those who followed shall say, “O’ were there for us a return (to the world’) then we would renounce them even as they have renounced us;” Thus, will God show them their deeds (which shall be the cause of) intense regrets for them; and they shall not get out of the (Hell) fire” (2:167).

Commentary

Verse 164

The native uniformity and the perfect and the never disturbed harmony in the working of the universe, loudly and most eloquently suggests and clearly manifests the Unity of the Creator and the unchallengeable or unquestionable supremacy of its Single Master or Lord. Man is exhorted to reflect over the creation and realize the divine unity in the midst of the diversity and the manifoldness of the innumerable objects in the heavens and the earth and in the forces of nature and the perfectly harmonious working of the natural phenomena. The uniformity and the harmony in the objects and the working of the universe is constantly referred to in the Holy Qur’an as a sign of the Unity of the Maker. (A.P.)

Another point to be noted here is the logical method adopted by the Holy Qur’an, to prove and reason out the existence of God i.e., the important part to be played by sound reasoning in the establishment of the edifice of the Islamic faith, as the Seventh Holy Imam Musa Ibn Ja’far pointed out in his conversation with his well-known and the celebrated disciple Hisham Ibn Al-Hakam that this and other Qur’anic passages of similar nature confirm the importance of reasoning in establishing the first and foremost article of faith Islam, as the existence and the Unity of God. The Holy Imam says that no argument can be complete without reasoning and said, ‘Verily God perfected His arguments with reasoning and assisted His apostles with miracles and proved His Lordship (Rububiyah) with His signs.’

The sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad tells us about the part to be played by reasoning, and its limitations and that reasoning is the only means and proof between man and God, and the means and proof between God and man is the Prophet. God has two proofs the Internal and the External. The Internal is Reasoning and the External, the Pro­phet. There is no use of the External Proof (the Prophet) if there is not the Internal one (Reasoning). This shows that man in his mental movement towards God has no other means save the sound logical reasoning. Of course, after reaching the final stage of the realisation of His Existence and His Unity, then the means between him and the Absolute becomes the divine revelation.

However, the basis is reasoning. There may be doctrines and assertions beyond the grasp of our limited reasoning but there should be no doctrine or any religious assertion contradictory to sound reasoning. (A.P.)

Verse 165

The objects associated with God in His matchless position are not only idols but also the religious leaders of the polytheists. This is made clear by the following verses. The Arabic term ‘like the love of God’ means as much as they would otherwise love God. Their love of their idols and their religious leaders whom they associate with God is so in­tense that they get wildly furious when their idols or their religious leaders are attacked. This quality is found also among the followers of the false, and self-assumed religious leaders among the Muslims who for their lust for power, authority, and enjoyment in this worldly life, somehow or other assumed sway over the peoples’ destiny. Some such selfish tyrants captured the political field and became rulers of states and some gained sway over the realms of religious leadership.

The truly faithful ones, love not only the genuine leaders of the religion but also everything that God loves, for everything they love is only to please God. Even their own family and issues, they love because it is their duty to do it as prescribed by the Lord.

The point which impresses here is that one should love or hate anything or anyone, only for the sake of God (i.e. love for the sake of God and hate for the sake of God). This is the watchword of the Shi’a School of thought i.e. love godliness wherever it is found and hate ungodliness be it in anyone, irrespective of the rank the individual may profess to belong. Love for God’s sake termed ‘Tawalla’ and the hatred for the sake of God, is termed ‘Tabarra’.

Verse 166

This verse gives out the fate of the false religious leaders and their followers, on the day of judgment i.e. the mutual renouncement of the false leaders and their foolish followers which will take place.

Verse 167

The Ahmadi commentator interprets the torment with which the polytheists will be requitted as intense regrets and avoids the chastisement with fire interpreting the fire which shall be the physical suffering for their evils, as a mere mental feeling and this reduces the gravity of the punishment mentioned.

This view clearly indicates that the individuals in the next life i.e., the life after death, will be conscious of their deeds in this life and feel sorry and repentant for their deeds and will aspire to return to this life to redress their shortcomings which desire will not be granted and instead, they will remain condemned to the fire. The continuity of the human consciousness and memory after death as referred to here, is also referred to in several other verses and this dismisses the idea that Qur’an advocates the idea of the transmigration of the souls. (A.P.)