Surah Al-Anm, one of the Meccan chapters of the Holy Quran, centred on elucidating monotheism, resurrection, and the critique of polytheism and disbelief, calls mankind towards divine knowledge as a guiding light. Verse 94 of this Surah, with a clear and profound expression, portrays the existential reality of man before the Creator of existence. This writing, with a profound view on this verse, explores man's solitude in creation and his return to the Lord. Concepts such as renunciation of material possessions, severance of non-divine bonds, and the eternal value of benevolence are articulated with a lucid and dignified language to present the Quranic truth in a cohesive and spiritual framework.
وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فَرَادَىٰ كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكْتُمْ مَا خَوَّلْنَاكُمْ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ ۖ وَمَا نَرَىٰ مَعَكُمْ شُفَعَاءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّهُمْ فِيكُمْ شُرَكَاءُ ۚ لَقَدْ تَقَطَّعَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْكُمْ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ
And verily, you have come unto Us alone, just as We created you the first time, and you have left behind whatever We granted you, and We see not with you your intercessors whom you claimed to be partners with you. Indeed, the bonds between you have been severed, and that which you used to claim has vanished from you.
Surah Al-Anm, with a focus on reasoned argument concerning monotheism, resurrection, and critique of polytheism and disbelief, acts as a sagacious book, directing both intellect and heart towards truth. This Surah, with a logical and argumentative style, invites man to contemplate the origin and hereafter. Reason serves as a rope that draws man from the darkness of polytheism to the light of monotheism, and Surah Al-Anm entrusts this rope to the addressee with firmness and elegance.
The naming of the Surah as Al-Anm (meaning cattle) may not fully correspond to its profound and monotheistic content, as the essence of this Surah is the knowledge of monotheism and the elucidation of mans position before the Creator. This critique is not borne out of denial but from a desire to rediscover the truth of the Surah, so that its name may reflect its exalted content.
The Holy Quran in verse 94 of Surah Al-Anm, emphasising And verily, you have come unto Us alone, just as We created you the first time, reveals the truth of mans solitude at the moment of creation and his return to the Lord. Man, like a unique gem, enters the realm of existence alone. Even in rare cases such as twins, each individual has an independent identity and is ontologically created alone. This solitude is not a defect but a sign of the grandeur of creation that places every human as a singular entity before the Creator.
Death, like a mirror, manifests mans solitude once again. No one accompanies him at the moment of death; he neither shares his shroud with another nor his grave with a fellow. This truth acts as a reminder urging man to contemplate his impotence and absolute dependence on the Lord. Just as man is born alone, he also departs this world alone.
Verse 94, continuing from the preceding verse, addresses the fate of the wrongdoers on Resurrection Day. Those oppressors who adopted polytheism and disbelief in this world will appear before the Lord alone and helpless on the Day of Resurrection. This coherent context, like a chain, connects the Surahs verses and emphasises the dire consequences of oppression and misguidance.
The Holy Quran with the phrase and you have left behind whatever We granted you alludes to the impermanence of material possessions. On Resurrection Day, man abandons all that he had acquired and transferred in this world. These possessions, like a fleeting shadow, fade in the eternity of the hereafter and bring no benefit to man.
Throughout life, man often devotes all his efforts to amassing wealth, unaware that these possessions are like water squeezed in a fist, slipping through the fingers. On the Day of Resurrection, nothing of these material things remains, and man stands before the Lord with empty hands.
In the present age, attachment to materialism acts like chains preventing mans prosperity. This attachment is like dust on the mirror of the heart, obscuring mans existential truth and distancing him from divine knowledge. The Holy Quran, with a clear expression, invites man to liberate himself from these bonds.
The Holy Quran with the phrase and We see not with you your intercessors whom you claimed to be partners with you points to the futility of imaginary intercessors. Friends, relatives, and those to whom man was attached in this world are absent on Resurrection Day and provide no aid. This truth acts as a reminder that awakens man from the illusion of polytheism and non-divine dependencies.
The phrase Indeed, the bonds between you have been severed indicates the gradual and painful breaking of worldly connections. This severance is like meat being torn apart with pincers, a torment for those who placed their hearts in anything other than God. This simile depicts the intensity and anguish of separation from wrongful attachments.
The Holy Quran with the phrase and that which you used to claim has vanished from you refers to the disappearance of false illusions. What man presumed to be his helper (wealth, children, intercessors) is separated from him in the hereafter, leaving no trace. This truth invites man to reflect on the futility of non-divine attachments.
Contrary to material possessions and non-divine bonds, benevolences such as helping the needy, performing prayer with sincerity, and acquiring divine knowledge, remain with man like an enduring gem on Resurrection Day. These deeds, like a lamp in darkness, illuminate mans path and save him from loss.
Human relationships founded upon faith and for Gods sake are immune to severance and breaking. Marriages, kinships, and friendships based on faith, like deeply rooted trees, remain steadfast against the storms of this world and the hereafter.
Man is responsible for choosing his relationships. Even in connection with parents, the standard must be faith and piety. This responsibility is like a trust directing man towards divine choices.
Attachment to anything other than God is like building a house upon shifting sands, a folly leading to loss. Wealth, children, and even divine guardians, if relied upon in error, provide no aid on Resurrection Day. Only God, like a steadfast rock, is the true refuge for man.
At the moment of execution, nothing from possessions, children, or wealth benefits man. This example acts like a mirror reflecting the impermanence of the world and invites man to monotheism and righteous deeds.
Expecting from others is like leaning on a weak branch, a sign of weak faith. A religious scholar who lamented the absence of students during illness exemplifies this weakness. The believer, like a steadfast tree, relies solely on God and expects nothing from others.
The believer, like a shrewd explorer, by consecrating his relationships and actions to God, is preserved from severance and loss. This prudence depends on attachment to God and avoidance of non-divine dependencies.
The disbelievers, who turn away from divine signs, lose both this world and the hereafter. This loss is like falling into an endless abyss, the grim fate of those who attach their hearts to others besides God.
Severance, like meat being shredded with a butchers knife, is a painful torment that separates man from non-divine attachments. This simile depicts the intensity and agony of separation from the world.
The interpretation of verse 94 of Surah Al-Anm, like a luminous lamp, reveals the existential solitude of man in creation and resurrection. Man, who was created alone, returns alone to the Lord, leaving behind all possessions and non-divine bonds. Severance, the painful breaking of wrongful attachments, is a torment for the misguided, while divine benevolences, like an eternal gem, accompany the believer. This verse, with a clear expression, invites man towards practical monotheism, prudent wisdom, and avoidance of non-divine dependencies. Reflection on this truth guides man from the futility of the world to eternal reality.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
