First we start with ayahs 12 to 14 of Surah Saad:

7. کذّبتْ قبْلهمْ قوْم نوحٍ وعادٌ وفرْعوْن ذو الْأوْتاد ‎
8. ‏ وثمود وقوْم لوطٍ وأصْحاب الْأیْکة ۚ أولٰئک الْأحْزاب
9. إن کلٌّ إلّا کذّب الرّسل فحقّ عقاب

“Before them Noah’s people belied [their prophet] and [so did the people of] ʿĀd, and Pharaoh, the Impaler [of his victims];”

“And Thamūd, and the people of Lot, and the inhabitants of Aykah: those were the factions.”

“Each of them did not but belie the prophets; so My retribution became due [against them].”

In our last episode of the Path towards Enlightenment, a fortnight ago, we focused on the absurdity of the pagan Arabs of Mecca and their refusal to accept rationality of the message of Islam preached by Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). We also said the groups and factions opposing truth are ultimately bound to fail, although they seem to have power and wealth. The ayahs of the holy Qur’an warned the pagan Arabs of their defeat in the near future.

Thus, after dismissing the pagan Arabs as a small army out of the ‘defeated factions’, the ayahs which we recited to you now recall the fate of a group of the parties who had belied the Prophets of God in the past and were afflicted with a terrible punishment. The ayahs mean to tell the Prophet that these pagan Arabs are not the first group to stand against truth, so inform them of the fate that befell the arrogant, wealthy and powerful nations of the past when they belied the Prophets sent to them by God.

The purpose of revelation of these ayahs is to arouse the conscience of the pagan Arabs so that they take a lesson by reflecting on the fate that befell six of the disbelieving, sinful and unrepentant nations of the past, who had denied the messages of the Prophets sent to them. These six groups out of parties of Ignorant and idolaters who opposed against the prophets are: The people of Mesopotamia to whom Prophet Noah was sent; the people of Aad in southern Arabia amongst whom Prophet Houd was raised; the tyrannical Pharaoh of Egypt to whom God sent the Prophets Moses and Aaron; the people of Thamoud in northern Arabia who belied Prophet Saleh; the people of Levant to whom Prophet Lot was sent; and the dwellers of the thicket in northeastern Arabia who belied Prophet Shu‘ayb.

These erring groups spared no efforts to belie, hurt, and vex the Prophets and the believers, but finally, the Divine punishment struck them. The people of Noah were destroyed by means of the Great Deluge; the people of Aad by a fierce poisonous wind; the Pharaoh and his hordes sank in the waters; the people of Thamoud died by heavenly blast; the people of Lot by a horrible earthquake accompanied with the rain of heavenly pebbles; and the people of Shu‘ayb were destroyed by an annihilating thunderbolt which came down from a cloud. So terrible was their fate that there remained no trace of them.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Though the holy Qur’an is not a book of history, it focuses on the accounts of the past in order to draw our attention towards the fate suffered by the previous nations, in order to arouse our conscience.
2.  
3. Any person, however great in wealth and power, is utterly powerless against Divine Will.
4. Obstinacy towards righteousness leads to utter humiliation.

Now we listen to ayahs 15 and 16 of Surah Saad:

7. وما ینظر هٰؤلاء إلّا صیْحةً واحدةً مّا لها من فواقٍ ‎
8.  وقالوا ربّنا عجّل لّنا قطّنا قبْل یوْم الْحساب 

“These do not await but a single Cry which will not grant any respite.”

“They say, ‘Our Lord! Hasten on for us our share before the Day of Reckoning.”

In continuation, these two ayahs mean to say that these pagan Arabs by their rejection and denial of the Divine revelations, and their undue accusations of the Prophet, persist in obstinacy, idolatry, cruelty, and corruption, as if they await the Divine punishment of a single blast that would abruptly end their life, without giving them any respite.

The next ayah is a reference to the foolish remarks of the pagans who mockingly wish for divine punishment before the Day of Reckoning. The ayah means to say that it is the habit of the blind hearted haughty unbelievers to say why had God delayed the portion of their punishment.

Amongst the nations of the past, such kind of self-loving feeble-minded persons also existed, but when Divine wrath finally struck, no one could help either them or their animals, because these sinners neither believed in God nor the resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgement.

The behaviour of the pagan Arabs towards the Prophet of Islam was similar.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Only the arrogant fools mock at Divine Wrath and say we want to see God’s punishment without realizing that the message of the Prophet and his presence in their midst is part of the Almighty Creator’s Mercy.
2. It is lack of faith, coupled with ignorance and arrogance that makes the atheists, the polytheists, and the unrepentant sinners, ridicule religion and the believers.
3. Repentance is possible before the retribution, but when the retribution comes, no repentance will be accepted.

7. اصْبرْ علىٰ ما یقولون واذْکرْ عبْدنا داوود ذا الْأیْد ۖ إنّه أوّابٌ ‎
8. إنّا سخّرْنا الْجبال معه یسبّحْن بالْعشیّ والْإشْراق ‎
9. ‏ والطّیْر محْشورةً ۖ کلٌّ لّه أوّابٌ ‎

“Be patient over what they say, and remember Our servant, David, [the man] of strength. Indeed he was a penitent [soul].”

“Indeed We disposed the mountains to glorify [Allah] with him at evening and dawn;”

“And the birds [as well], mustered [in flocks], all echoing him [in a chorus];”

“We made his kingdom firm and gave him wisdom and conclusive speech.”

God Almighty asks the Prophet of Islam to be patient in the face of the obstinacy and insults of the pagan Arabs by relating to him the account of Prophet David, who despite being a king and head of a powerful government, was not safe from the bitter language of the people.

It means the requisite of leadership is tolerance and patience in the face of the bitter words of others. David used to turn to Allah very much in all affairs of his life. This constant attention was the cause of his power. God even made mountains and birds subservient to him, in order to show that when His favour comes to someone, the mass of enemies can do nothing. But this great prophet-king, with all his apparent forces, was not secure from the people’s sarcasm.

From the point of political power, David had a powerful government so that he could stand with full power against the enemies. And from the point of spiritual and ethical power and the strength of worship, it was such that he was vigilant and pious person, spending a great part of the night in worshipping Allah, and half of the days of the year he used to fast.

God thus bestowed upon him a kingdom, along with wisdom and eloquent speech.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. The mockery and propaganda of the enemies against the righteous, makes believers more firm in resolve.
2. Believers should not show weakness because of the ridicule of the enemies, but they must stand up against them.
3. The power of government is tempting and dangerous, unless one is constantly cognizant of God and His bounties.
4. Unbelievers, though obstinate and do not bow before God, must know that all beings, including humans and animals, are praising God.
5. If a person becomes a true servant of God, the entire creation will also be in harmony with him.