of Nokounam (May His Sanctity Remain Untarnished) Session 908
The Holy Qur'an, akin to a pristine and boundless spring, presents profound knowledge to humanity through its clear and illuminating verses. Verse 151 of Surah Al-Imran stands as one of these gems of wisdom, articulating, with eloquent and thought-provoking expression, the divine confrontation with disbelief and polytheism. This verse, by emphasising the instillation of terror in the hearts of disbelievers due to baseless polytheism, not only provides a theological perspective but also delivers deep sociological and psychological messages for reflection on human behaviour and its connection to rationality and reasoning. In this treatise, a comprehensive and precise examination of this verse has been undertaken, aiming to elucidate its meanings and concepts with fluent language and a coherent structure. These reflections, of religious scholars, are arranged to preserve the core content with all its details while enhancing its scientific and literary richness through semantic linkages and supplementary explanations.
Verse 151 of Surah Al-Imran follows verses that describe the characteristics of the believers, their strengths and weaknesses, and the vicissitudes of their faith. This verse, by shifting its addressees from the believers to the disbelievers and polytheists, acts as a bridge displaying the confrontation between faith and disbelief. This contextual change functions like a mirror reflecting the encounter of two opposing dimensions of human existence: the realm of faith, adorned with divine light, and the realm of disbelief, immersed in the darkness of baseless polytheism.
From a theological standpoint, this verse clarifies God's position towards the disbelievers and unveils the divine wisdom and justice in responding to human actions. From a sociological perspective, this shift in tone and audience serves as a warning to non-faith communities whose behaviour towards believers will bear divine consequences. This message resonates like a tone echoing through the annals of history, inviting societies to reflect upon their deeds.
The noble verse commences with the term سَنُلْقِی (We will cast), where the presence of the letter "sin" (س) signifies divine tranquillity and patience in fulfilling His promises. This linguistic structure acts like a brush delicately painting divine wisdom and patience onto the canvas of the verses. In the Qur'anic language, "sin" sometimes denotes the near future and sometimes the distant future, yet invariably heralds the certainty of the divine promise's fulfilment. In this verse, the use of "sin" indicates that God does not hastily punish the disbelievers but determines the appropriate time to execute His promise with wise patience.
This tranquillity, from the perspective of Qur'anic linguistics, carries a profound message: unlike hasty humans, God judges and executes His will with calmness and wisdom. This concept aligns with theological theories regarding divine patience and justice, demonstrating that although divine promises may be delayed, their occurrence is inevitable.
سَنُلْقِی فِی قُلُوبِ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ بِمَا أَشْرَکُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ یَنْزِلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَی الظَّالِمِینَ
Translation: Soon We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they associate partners with Allah for which He has not sent down any authority, and their abode is the Fireand evil is the residence of the wrongdoers.
The phrase سَنُلْقِی فِی قُلُوبِ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ denotes casting fear and trembling into the hearts of the disbelievers. The word رُعْب here does not refer solely to apparent fear but to a profound instability within the spiritual and psychological realms that envelops the entire being of the individual. This fear acts like a storm that undermines the existential foundations of the disbeliever, rendering them powerless before divine grandeur.
From the perspective of social psychology, the instillation of terror can function as a mechanism of social control. This fear operates not only as a divine punishment but also as a tool for reforming or disciplining disbelieving communities. Theologically, this concept reflects God's boundless power to influence hearts and souls such that even without apparent causes, He can induce instability within the existence of disbelievers.
The Holy Qur'an presents the world as a system based on causes, where God, as the primary cause (Mubdi al-Asbab), holds control over all causes and effects. Nevertheless, sometimes God manifests His will directly, without apparent intermediary causes (non-causal action). The instillation of terror in this verse can occur through natural causes (such as war or disasters), supernatural causes (such as the influence of angels), or directly by God Himself. This flexibility within the divine system is like a river that at times flows through visible channels and at other times through hidden paths but always reaches its intended destination.
From the philosophy of religion perspective, this concept pertains to divine will and free agency in relation to natural laws. God, as the creator of causes, can act beyond them, and this ability signifies His infinite greatness and power. This view is consistent with the theological notion of God as the ultimate cause and emphasises that God is the absolute sovereign over all causes and effects.
The noble verse states the cause of divine wrath as: بِمَا أَشْرَکُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ یَنْزِلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا (because they associated partners with Allah for which He has not sent down any authority). Polytheism itself is a grave sin, but what aggravates this sin is the absence of any rationale or justification for it. This baselessness acts like a sinister shadow that casts the beliefs of disbelievers into darkness and distances them from the path of rationality and truth. From the Qur'anic perspective, baselessness is worse than polytheism and disbelief itself because it denotes the denial of reason and logic within the realm of religious beliefs.
From the philosophy of religion viewpoint, baseless polytheism means disregarding rationality in religious beliefs. This perspective aligns with rationalist theories, such as Kants view on the necessity of reason in ethics and religion. Sociologically, baselessness in beliefs can lead to intellectual fragmentation and weaken social cohesion, as societies without reasoning become prone to superstition and deviations.
The noble verse mentions the consequences of baseless
