Surah Al-Arf, a gem of the Holy Quran, with profound and meaningful verses, calls humanity towards monotheism, obedience to revelation, and contemplation upon the fate of previous nations. This Surah, by clarifying the reciprocal responsibilities of prophets and their communities, serves as a warning to contemporary humanity to avoid negligence and disobedience. In this treatise, relying on the opening verses of Surah Al-Arf and reflecting on the behaviours of prophets and their peoples, deep Quranic concepts are examined alongside a critique of certain historical distortions and irrational behaviours. This work, with a comprehensive and precise approach, endeavours to convey divine messages in a clear and dignified manner, as though it is a mirror reflecting the truth, enabling humanity to recognise itself and its responsibilities.
The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Arf invites humanity to follow the divine revelation and warns against adherence to protectors other than God. This call is not merely a divine command but a roadmap for liberation from misery and destruction.
Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord and do not follow protectors other than Him. How little you remember!
This verse, like a glowing torch, illuminates the path to felicity. The term follow in this context signifies practical obedience to divine instructions, as if the human being, by accepting revelation, connects themselves to the pure spring of truth. Avoidance of non-divine protectors emphasises practical monotheism, since any guardianship other than God leads humanity towards darkness and misguidance. The phrase How little you remember is a bitter admonition to human heedlessness, which like a lost caravan in the desert, strays far from its destination.
The Holy Quran, by referring to the fate of previous peoples, delivers a profound warning to contemporary humanity. Divine punishment, like a roaring flood, has swept over sinful nations during periods of negligence.
And how many a town We destroyed, and Our punishment came to it by night or while they were at noon resting.
This verse, like an engraving upon stone, depicts the fate of peoples submerged in their negligence. Divine punishment descended at moments of unawareness, such as night or the midday nap, to signify that heedlessness is the gateway to destruction. The selection of these times is a caution to humanity to remain awake and ready to answer to the Creator. This concept resonates profoundly with the verse Rise at night, except for a little (Al-Muzzammil: 2), which recommends night vigil for worship, opposing heedlessness that leads to ruin.
The sinful nations, upon the arrival of punishment, admit their wrongdoings, yet this admission is like a cry in the windfruitless.
And their call when Our punishment came to them was only that they said, Indeed, we were wrongdoers.
This confession is a sign of belated awakening, as though one recognises their error only at the brink of death. This concept aligns with the verse And repentance is not accepted of those who do evil deeds until death comes to one of them (An-Nis: 18), which regards repentance at the moment of death as futile. Wrongdoing in this context includes disobedience to God, harm to society, and disrespect towards religion and prophets. Some, ironically, reduce sin to superficial issues such as hijab, whereas true injustice roots in neglecting the truth of religion and divine responsibilities.
The Holy Quran explicitly elucidates the system of divine accountability. God questions both nations and prophets about their conduct.
We will surely question those to whom [the messengers] were sent, and We will surely question the messengers.
This verse, like a just scale, illustrates reciprocal responsibility. Nations are asked what they did with the divine revelation, and prophets are asked how they fulfilled their mission. This interrogation reflects divine justice, where no one is exempt from accountability. The emphasis on surely (lanasalanna) indicates the certainty of this questioning, as if God has recorded every deed with the pen of justice.
With His infinite knowledge, God reports the deeds of all, and nothing is hidden from His sight.
Then We will surely relate to them with knowledge, and We were not absent.
The phrase with knowledge (biilmin) indicates Gods boundless knowledge, which, like an endless ocean, encompasses every detail of actions. We were not absent signifies Gods perpetual presence, consistent with the verse And He is with you wherever you are (Al-Hadid: 4). This presence invites humanity to reflect upon their deeds, as if each moment is under Gods penetrating gaze.
The Holy Quran in Surah Taha refers to Moses behaviour towards Aaron, when in a moment of anger, he grasped the beard and head of his elder brother and prophet.
[Moses] said, O Aaron, what prevented you when you saw them going astray to follow me? Did you disobey my command? He said, O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or by my head.
This behaviour indicates the humanity of the prophets. Moses anger stems from his religious zeal against the peoples misguidance (worshipping the golden calf of Samiri), but his reaction, which involved grabbing Aarons beard and head, is criticised as irrational. Aarons response, like a gentle breeze, calls for composure and reason. This story serves as a mirror reflecting the humanity of the prophets and the possibility of human error in their conduct.
Certain narrations, lacking reliable documentation, have led to the distortion of the character of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Imams (AS). For instance, rumours about the number of Imam Hasans (AS) wives or accusations against Ja
