Surah Al-Anm, one of the Makkan chapters of the Holy Quran, centred upon the doctrine of monotheism and the critique of disbelief, invites humanity to contemplate the boundless power of God and the destiny of former peoples. Verse six of this Surah, expressed with profound and admonitory language, refers to the destruction of previous nations due to their sins and the creation of subsequent generations. This treatise, relying on the lectures of religious scholars, elucidates this verse and explores its theological, historical, and ethical dimensions with deep insight. The objective is to provide a comprehensive analysis that attends both to Divine omnipotence and justice, while guiding mankind towards piety and submission to the Truth.
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ أَمْكَنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّنْ لَكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ
Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them, whom We had firmly established upon the earth, more than We have established you? And We sent down the sky upon them in continuous rain and made rivers flow beneath them; then We destroyed them for their sins and raised up after them other generations.
The preceding verse (verse five of Surah Al-Anm) contains the phrase فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ, indicating a Divine threat, whereas verse six employs يَأْتِيهِمْ, transforming this threat into an assured reality. This linguistic shift signifies the inevitability of God's promises, as though God explicitly unveils His will. This certainty is not limited to a specific audience (as implied by يَأْتِيكُمْ) but encompasses all humankind, resembling a river that floods every shore.
Key point: The certainty of the Divine promise is a manifestation of His absolute power, before which no obstacle stands.
The phrase أَلَمْ يَرَوْا at the beginning of the verse is a rhetorical question that acts as a mirror, inviting the audience to reflect upon the history of past peoples. This query serves not only as a reproach against human heedlessness but also as a guiding light illuminating the path of moral lesson. God, through this question, summons humanity to reconsider the fate of destroyed nations and to derive wisdom from their destinies.
The expression كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا refers to the extensive scale of the annihilation of previous peoples. Here, كَمْ connotes multitude and countless numbers, akin to the stars of the sky that appear endless to the human eye. This vastness transcends familiar nations such as those of Noah or Abraham and alludes to thousands of tribes in unknown eras.
Key point: The term كَمْ in the verse points to the innumerable destroyed peoples beyond human knowledge.
Despite all its advances, humanity recognises only a limited number of peoples (approximately ten to twenty). God, by means of كَمْ, references nations concealed from human knowledge. This limitation is like a shore restricting the boundless ocean of Divine knowledge before human eyes. Even the ignorant Arabs of the pre-Islamic period, like modern man, were familiar only with a fraction of this history.
The verse, by the phrase أَمْكَنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّنْ لَكُمْ, indicates the power and resources God bestowed upon prior peoplesresources inconceivable to later generations. This empowerment is like a treasure buried deep within the earth, unknown to contemporary mankind. Such facilities may encompass sciences, technologies, or material and spiritual powers beyond current knowledge.
God states: وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ. These expressions refer to abundant blessings such as continuous rain and flowing rivers, which, like the lifeblood, sustained the lives of former peoples. Water flows as a spirit within the body of the earth; yet the sins of those peoples turned these blessings into a cause of punishment.
Key point: Divine blessings, like rain and rivers, signify His grace, but sin transforms such blessings into torment.
The phrase فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ indicates that the destruction of peoples was a direct consequence of their sins. This destruction is like a fruit that grows from the tree of sin. God acts not out of tyranny but justice, eradicating nations because of their deeds. This principle functions as an immutable law across all eras.
The principle كَمَا تَزْرَعْ تَحْصُدْ (as you sow, so shall you reap) is manifest in this verse. This law acts as a mirror reflecting human actions. God subjects Himself and mankind to this rule, as though wheat sown yields wheat and barley sown yields barley. This law illustrates Divine justice.
Key point: The law of cause and effect reveals Divine justice in relation to human deeds.
Humanity is limited in enforcing the law of cause and effect, whereas God, possessing infinite power, responds to good and evil everywhere and at all times. He declares: If you do evil in the desert, I will respond in the sea; if you do evil in the sea, I will respond in the desert. This metaphor resembles a breeze blowing across all realms of existence, leaving no deed hidden from Gods sight.
الإسلامُ هُوَ التسليمُ Islam is submission; submitting to God is like a shield protecting humans from sin and punishment. This submission entails acceptance of monotheism and obedience to Divine will, as though one surrenders oneself to the flow of a clear river to reach the shore of salvation.
Unlike humans, who resort to deceit in warfare, God acts nobly. He empowered nations with abundant blessings and then destroyed them due to their sins. This nobility resembles a sun that shines equally upon all but from which sinners deprive themselves of its light.
The verse alludes to unknown eras before Adam, during which peoples lived with immense capabilities. This history is like a book whose pages remain closed to contemporary humanity. Since Adam, human power has increased, yet God references peoples more powerful than modern humans.
The Quran states: وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (And you have been given but little knowledge). This verse acts as a window revealing the limitation of human knowledge vis--vis Divine infinite knowledge. Unknown ancient artefacts, such as metals found in Egyptian pyramids, testify to the existence of advanced civilisations beyond our current understanding.
Key point: The limitation of human knowledge calls for humility before Divine science.
Unlike inactive humans, God fulfils every promise He makes. This attribute is like a pillar sustaining the sky of Divine justice. God's promise, whether benevolent or adverse, is inevitable and unimpeded.
God shows no partiality in executing justice. He judges solely by human deeds, not status. This justice is like a scale that measures deeds with infinite precision and determines outcomes according to Divine wisdom.
Humans should fear themselves, not God, because it is their sin that activates Divine retribution. This fear acts as a mirror inviting humans to guard their actions, so as to escape the trap of sin and destruction.
God is Most Merciful and Most Compassionate; yet unlike parents who may show leniency towards their childrens faults, He executes justice with severity. He declares: من قاسم الجبارینم I am the distributor against the tyrants: most gracious to the good, and most severe to the wicked. This dual attribute functions as two wings maintaining the balance between Divine mercy and justice.
Key point: God is both Most Merciful and Distributer against the tyrants; His mercy and justice exist in perfect equilibrium.
A narrator recounts a story of a woman who wept over her sons punishment. Through intercession, her son was returned and peace was restored. This tale is like a flower blossoming in the garden of human kindness; however, Divine justice transcends such kindness and responds to sin without concession.
The term قرن in the verse does not merely denote a century but signifies a long epoch or a distinct group of people. This concept resembles a branch sprouting from the Divine tree of creation, illustrating the diversity of beings.
This verse invites humanity to innocence, for the fear of Divine justice serves as a lamp illuminating the path of piety. Nonetheless, human obstinacy prevents innocence, as though surrendering oneself to the darkness of sin before the Divine light.
Righteousness requires knowledge and power, yet humans are limited in both. God, possessing infinite knowledge and power, enforces justice. This limitation acts as a shadow over human capacities, prompting reliance upon God.
Verse six of Surah Al-Anm, with profound and admonitory language, invites humanity to contemplate Divine infinite power, justice, and the fate of past peoples. This verse acts as a mirror reflecting the history of creation, guiding mankind towards piety and submission. God created peoples endowed with exceptional facilities, but their sins, like a storm, led to their destruction. The law of cause and effect manifests Divine justice, and submission to God is the path to salvation. This Surah, centred on monotheism and the critique of disbelief, summons humanity to innocence and avoidance of sin.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi