The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran)

Commentary

(a) The real problem is that, being veiled from our eyes, life is not what it appears to be. People are concerned with saving themselves from ‘hell’ (the difficulties and problems of this world) and devote all their attention to attaining the ‘paradise’ of this world. But it would be wiser to aim for the Paradise of the next world and in so doing save oneself from the Hell of the next world. Wealth, property and the trappings of honour are things that everyone can see with his own eyes. That is why man relentlessly pursues these goals, exerting himself to the utmost, so as not to be deprived of them. But the actual human dilemma is the question of the Hereafter. This real problem has been screened from our eyes, because human beings have to be put to the test by God. However, God has His way of informing people of it. This is done by selecting His messengers from amongst men, so that they may make people aware of the realities beyond death. The real test of man is to discover the truth in the message of the preacher (da‘i) appointed by God. He may see the actual reality in a verbal message. He may hear the divine voice in the voice of a human being. God speaks through His messengers—human beings. Now man has to acknowledge a man like himself as one receiving the divine message. (a) Having faith implies not being obsessed with one’s own self. Such an obsession amounts to assigning the position of greatness to one’s own self rather than to God. A believer should not be engrossed in the world, as this would mean that he did not attach real importance to the Hereafter. A believer should eschew arrogance, miserliness, injustice, and even love for and deep attachment to anything other than God. He should instead adopt the ways of God-worship, humility, generosity and justice. This would show that he is sincere in his faith and that he has actually dedicated himself to God and the Hereafter. Failure to do so means that he is not sincere in his faith. In spite of a formal acceptance of faith, he would in fact be living in this world very much like the non-believers. The division into good and bad souls in the Hereafter will be based on reality rather than on ostentatious behaviour. We find that wicked people too have been given full freedom. But it is only so that they can reveal their entirely perverse nature (what lies within them). Yet, however hard they may try, they can never succeed in vanquishing the believers. They have the power to use their freedom only where they themselves are concerned, not against others.