Surah Yunus, one of the Meccan chapters of the Holy Qur'an, with eloquent and profound discourse, invites humanity to contemplate the divine signs and God's educational system. Verse 21 of this Surah, like a clear mirror, portrays the ungrateful behaviour of humans towards divine mercies following hardships, and with an expressive language, speaks of their cunning and arrogance in the face of God's signs. This writing, relying on the lectures of religious scholars, analyses this verse with precise and profound insight and presents its concepts in a coherent and scholarly framework. The aim is to elucidate the exalted meanings of the verse and to invite the audience towards gratitude, humility, and a return to pure monotheism, so that, like a guiding light, it illuminates the path of guidance.
وَإِذَآ أَذَقْنَا ٱلنَّاسَ رَحْمَةًۭ مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُمْ إِذَا لَهُم مَّكْرٌۭ فِىٓ ءَايَٰتِنَا ۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ أَسْرَعُ مَكْرًا ۚ إِنَّ رُسُلَنَا يَكْتُبُونَ مَا تَمْكُرُونَ
And when We grant mankind a mercy after adversity has touched them, behold, they devise cunning against Our signs. Say: God is swifter in cunning. Indeed, Our messengers record what you plot.
The noble verse, with wise expression, speaks of God's educational system in which a human, after enduring hardships and afflictions, tastes divine mercy. This mercy is like rain falling upon a thirsty land after a drought, bringing forth life. The term ns (mankind) in this verse refers to a group of humans who are still at a level beneath complete humanity and are influenced by animalistic instincts, refraining from gratitude for divine blessings. Instead of regarding mercy as a sign of God's boundless grace, they attribute it to themselves and stray from the path of guidance.
The Holy Quran continues in the verse by mentioning mankinds cunning against divine signs. This cunning is like a web woven by the ungrateful human to deceive himself and others. He turns divine mercy, which ought to be a mirror to perceive the grandeur of the Lord, into an instrument for self-glorification and false claims. These claims sometimes manifest as attributing blessings to ones own power and sometimes as statements such as access to the unseen or divinity. Such behaviour is indicative of deviation from monotheism and immersion in the mire of arrogance.
The verse, with a poignant and eloquent tone, proclaims that God is swifter in cunning. This expression acts as a sharp reminder to the proud human who imagines that with his deceptions he can escape the circle of divine wisdom. Divine cunning does not mean deception but rather wise planning that frustrates the plots of the ungrateful human. This part of the verse demonstrates the unparalleled greatness and power of God and invites humans to humility before His will.
The verse concludes by alluding to the meticulous supervision of divine messengers (angels) over human actions. These messengers, like precise scribes, record every cunning and ingratitude so that on the Day of Resurrection, humans are accountable for their behaviour. This supervision is a warning that no deed remains hidden from Gods sight, and every deceit ultimately returns to its perpetrators detriment.
The term ns in the Quran denotes a group of humans who have not yet transcended their animalistic instincts and are at a level below complete humanity. Like lost travellers, upon receiving divine mercy, instead of gratitude and humility, they resort to vanity and cunning. This behaviour is a sign of distancing from monotheism and neglect of the divine educational system that leads humans towards perfection.
A principal theme of the verse is the critique of the arrogance of those who attribute divine mercy to themselves and make false claims. These claims, like bubbles on water, are beautiful yet fragile, ultimately leading the individual to destruction. Statements such as I have accessed the unseen or I have become divine are signs of deviation from monotheism and immersion in self-adulation.
The divine educational system, like a wise gardener, balances hardship and mercy to guide humans towards growth and perfection. Hardships serve as a whip to awaken, and mercies as a breeze to soothe, designed to invite humans to gratitude and humility. However, the ingratitude of some frustrates this system and plunges them into the darkness of neglect.
Ungrateful humans misuse divine mercy, which ought to illuminate the path of guidance like a lamp, as a tool for self-glorification and cunning. This misuse, akin to stealing from a divine treasury, deprives the individual of blessings and traps them in vanity.
Gratitude and humility, like two wings, enable humans to soar towards divine proximity. A grateful person attributes divine blessings to God and, with humility, sees themselves as small before His grandeur. This behaviour not only distances humans from cunning and vanity but also guides them towards perfection and felicity.
Verse 21 of Surah Yunus follows earlier verses (19 and 20) that address human disputes and requests for divine signs. The ingratitude of humans towards divine mercy parallels the unreasonable demands of the polytheists for new signs, both indicating distance from monotheism and faith. This connection reflects the Qurans coherence in elucidating human behaviours and calling towards guidance.
Verse 21 of Surah Yunus, with wise and profound wording, speaks of human ingratitude towards divine mercy following hardships and condemns their cunning against God's signs. This verse, like a mirror, depicts the ungrateful behaviour of some humans who, instead of gratitude and humility, turn towards vanity and false claims. The lectures of religious scholars, elucidating the concept of ns and critiquing the misuse of divine mercy, invite humans to self-reflection and return to pure monotheism. This verse, with a clear warning, emphasises divine supervision and human accountability for actions and guides towards gratitude, humility, and submission to God. This writing, relying on these lectures, strives to present the verses concepts in a coherent and scholarly manner and encourages the audience to ponder these exalted meanings.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
