THE ROMANS【Quran commentary】Surah 30 ar-Rum

Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan

1-5. At the time of the advent of Islam, there were…

At the time of the advent of Islam, there were two very great empires in the world – the Christian Roman Empire and the Zoroastrian Persian Empire. There were constant clashes between these two. In the year 603 A.D., Iran (Persia) attacked the Roman Empire, taking advantage of certain weaknesses in the latter. The Romans suffered defeat after defeat, so much so that by the year 616 A.D., a large part of the Roman Empire, including Jerusalem, had been captured by the Iranians. The Prophet received the prophethood in the year 610 A.D. and he started upon the task of explaining the Oneness of God in Makkah.

This was the period of the struggle between monotheism and polytheism in that city. The polytheists of Makkah, taking their cue from the events on the border, told the Muslims that their polytheist brothers, the fire-worshipping Zoroastrians, had defeated the possessors of the Book and brothers of the Muslims (namely, the Christians) and that in the same manner they (the polytheists of Makkah) would finally overwhelm the Muslims. At that time, completely against the prevailing trend, the Quran predicted that within ten years, the Romans would regain supremacy over the Iranians. Roman historians say that immediately thereafter the vanquished King of the Romans, Heraclius, started undergoing a mysterious change, so much so that in the year 623 A.D., he led a retaliatory attack on Iran.

In the year 624 A.D., he achieved a decisive victory over Iran. By the year 627 A.D., he had recovered all his occupied territories from the Iranians. Thus it was proved that the Quran was a revelation from God, as nobody else except God could have made such statements about the future so accurately. Moreover, these events indicate that victory or defeat are directly in the hands of God. It is according to His decision who gains and who loses power. The downfall of a nation and the rise of another nation, to all appearances seem to be ordinary, normal, worldly events, but appearances have an inner aspect to it.

Every event is caused by a number of angels of God, though they are not visible to ordinary human eyes. Similarly, there is an invisible aspect of the present, outward world and it is the world of the Hereafter.

6-10. Constant remembrance (through prayer, etc.) …

Constant remembrance (through prayer, etc.) and deep contemplation lead a man towards finding God. It is by profound thought that a man finds God. In the present world, God has scattered His signs everywhere?in the human environment, in the surrounding universe and also in the teachings of the Prophet. Those who give serious consideration to these signs of God will find God.

Argument in favour of God is God’s representative on earth. If rightful argument is presented to a man and he ignores it, it is as if he has ignored God Himself. For such people there is nothing before God except eternal deprivation.

11-18. The existence of a perfect and complete world…

The existence of a perfect and complete world is a definite proof of the First Creation. If the first creation was possible, why should the second creation not be possible? If one accepts the present world, but does not accept the Hereafter, it amounts to denying a natural corollary of a fact which one has oneself accepted as such.

‘The guilty’ refers to the influential people who led the campaign against the Truth, and who provided arguments in support of the denial of Truth. When the Doomsday explosion dislocates the system of the world, the guilty ones will suddenly realize that the supports of which they had been proud were without foundation. The words which, according to them, supplied uncontradictable arguments in favour of their stand, will all prove false. When they see conditions which are quite contrary to their expectations and which shatter their illusions, they will be dumbfounded.

On the Day of Judgement, human beings will be divided into two groups – one consisting of those who glorify God and offer praises to Him, and the other consisting of those who do quite the reverse. The people of the first group are those who realize God to such a degree that He becomes the sole topic of their conversation. A definite manifestation of this glorification of God and offering praises is the prayers offered five times a day. In this verse, the offering of praises ‘in the morning’ means the fajr.

The prayers of maghrib, and ‘isha are included in the words ‘in the evening’. Prayer at midday is called zuhr, while that of in the late afternoon is called ‘asr.

19-21. A wonderful miracle of the present world is…

A wonderful miracle of the present world is growth and development. Here, one finds an inert, non-growing material turning into a material which is capable of growing and increasing. Here, lifeless earth, in other words, earth’s elements, undergo a change and take the shape of moving and talking human beings. On account of this, human civilization has survived for thousands of years now. This change, and that too a well-organized, proportionate and harmonious change, would not be at all possible unless it were the work of an all-powerful God.

The fact is that if a man gives deep consideration to God’s creations, he will feel that the presence of God is reflected in everything.

22-24. The Universe in all the elements of its exist…

The Universe in all the elements of its existence is the sign of God. Its coming into existence from nothingness and the enormous variety found in it indicates His vast powers. The utmost meaningfulness in all things reflects His quality of mercy. The existence of destructive things like lightning acquaints us with how God takes punitive actions. The revival of greenery on earth after its being dry and barren demonstrates re-creation and resurrection.
All these are the signs of God. But these signs are only for those who lend their ears to the silent call of the Universe?for those who put their wisdom and their knowledge to the correct use.

25-27. In the vastness of space, the earth, the sun…

In the vastness of space, the earth, the sun, the planets and stars – all wonderfully rare phenomena – proclaim by their very existence that there exists a Maintainer at whose behest, they continue to function. If this Being were taken away from the cosmos even for a moment, the whole system would be scattered helter-skelter. In this world, even an ordinary aeroplane will be destroyed if the pilot loses control. Then, how can the huge system of the Universe be run without the control of a Controller?

Given the Great Power exhibited in the Universe by its Creator, it appears an easy task for Him to re-create or resurrect man after his death. In the light of the feat of the first creation, which is being performed in the universe at every moment, to accept the possibility of the second creation is just like accepting a proven fact. In the universe, God’s powers and His wisdom find expression at such a high level that attributing any remarkable feat to God on this basis is in no way a remote possibility.

28-29. If there is common property, all those who…

If there is common property, all those who share it have a right to it, and every partner has to think of the other partners. But, God’s position is not of this kind. God alone is the Lord of the entire Universe. The relation between God and His creatures is the same as that between master and servant on a larger scale, and not that of sharers of a property. Nobody gives his servant a status equal to that of himself. Similarly there is no one in the entire universe who enjoys a status equal to that of God. Lordship is for God, while for all other creatures there is only subjection. Apart from this, any other equation propounded will be based only on supposition and not on any real ground.

30-32. The true religion is one, and it has been re…

The true religion is one, and it has been revealed in its perfect form to every prophet. That religion is turning towards God, fear of God, worship of God and giving one’s attention to God with all one’s heart and soul. This is the religion of nature and it eternally pervades the inner soul of man. All prophets preached this one religion, but their followers in latter generations split it into many religions.

This results from the additions made by later generations to the original teachings of Prophets. Hair-splitting innovations in beliefs, new interpretations of religion with the changing times?all these things have created many religions out of one. When these additions are made people start laying more stress on them than on the original religion, due to which different groups set themselves up in opposition to each other. One group emphasizes one set of additions, while another group empasizes another set. At last a stage is reached when the followers of a single religion become divided up into many religious factions.

33-35. Under ordinary circumstances man finds…

Under ordinary circumstances man finds himself possessed of certain powers. Therefore, he assumes an air of arrogance. But, when critical conditions make him feel his helplessness, the veils are removed from his mind. At that time he is cut down to size, and realizing his helplessness, he starts calling upon God for help.

This is the psychological proof of the Oneness of God. In this way, the reality is mirrored in the personal experience of the individual. But man is so foolish that, as soon as the circumstances become favourable, he reverts to his neglectfulness and arrogance.

36-39. A believer considers that both difficulties…

A believer considers that both difficulties and ease come from God. Therefore, he turns towards God in good times and in bad. When in comfortable circumstances, he thanks God, and in adverse circumstances, he exercises patience. As opposed to this, one who denies the truth solely relies upon himself. So, when in easy circumstances, he is boastful. When his energies fail him, he is desperate, because he feels that he has reached the final limit. This is nature’s indication that the former type of mentality is the truly virtuous one, while the latter is improper and unworthy.

One sign of a believer is that he spends his wealth for the pleasure of God. So, he shares his wealth with other needy persons who may or may not be his relatives. He spends his wealth to reap the benefits of the Hereafter and not to earn profits in this world like a usurer.

A man’s creation, his being provided with the necessities of life day and night, his meeting death – all these events are so great that a universal power is required to bring them about. And no Being except the Creator of the Universe possesses such Universal powers. The fact is that the principle of the Oneness of God (monotheism) is its own proof and polytheism is its own contradiction.

40-42. If human beings adopt the one God as their…

If human beings adopt the one God as their object of worship, then everyone’s centre of attention is one. This creates an atmosphere of unity among human beings. On the contrary, if numerous entities are made objects of worship, and people individually worship different things, their attention becomes divided. Because of this, differences amounting to enmity develop between individuals and nations. The land, the sea and the atmosphere become fraught with discord.

The end result of man’s wrongdoing will appear after death. But the temporary result of man’s wrongdoing is shown in this world for the time being, purely to serve as an admonishment and a warning.

Man deviated from God’s scheme and completely ignored His creation plan, in that he single-mindedly pursued worldly comforts. He very soon realized that modern civilization, which he had thought would fulfill his limitless hidden desires and ambitions, was only a source of utter destruction and chaos.

The present global warming is an apt illustration of this point: the modern culture of consumerism and greed for more and more has given an immense boost toindustrialization, which has resulted in global climate change. Scientists now believe that the modern industrial age spells total catastrophe and that the world is careering head on to its doom. The damage is so severe and irreversible that, very soon, life on this earth will be impossible.

43-45. In the present world there is a mixture of…

In the present world there is a mixture of good and bad people. In the Hereafter these two types of people will be separated. On that day, God’s reward will be bestowed upon those who lived in this world entirely as men of God, and those whose interests were linked to any beings other than God will be eternally deprived of God’s blessings.

46-47. The blowing of a cool breeze before the start…

The blowing of a cool breeze before the start of the rains announces the fact that the God of this world is the most Kind and Merciful. Sailing across the seas is very important for the promotion of civilization. But, this is possible only when the winds blow within certain limits. Similarly, in the present age, the possibility of air travel is dependent upon the fact that God has arranged to maintain a layer of air on the surface of the earth and given human beings the knowledge of aerodynamics needed to design air worthy plans.

All these arrangements have been made with a view to ensuring that man lives in the world as a grateful subject of God. The prophets of God appeared in the world in order to draw the attention of the people to these facts. But, while some accepted them others rejected them. Then, God helped those who accepted them and destroyed the deniers. The same fate on a larger scale awaits these two categories of human beings in the life Hereafter.

48-53. When a man treads the path of Truth, he has…

When a man treads the path of Truth, he has frequently to face great difficulties, as happened with the Prophet and his companions in the early days. But, in that case, there was no question of anybody being disappointed. God is so merciful that, when a field under cultivation needs water, He moves the universal system and waters it. Naturally, He will certainly help those who tread His path. However, this help will be forthcoming only according to God’s plan. So, if there is some delay in the process, man should not be disappointed or disheartened.

The word of God is very clear and reasonable. But only those who study thi ngs indepth, who listen carefully, whose nature it is to accept things that address their mind, who adopt the path which they find to be right, will repose their faith in the word of God.

54-57. When a man is born, he is but a weak child…

When a man is born, he is but a weak child. Then after experiencing the strength of youth, followed by middle age, he again faces the weakness of old age. This means that a man’s strength is not his own. He receives it when it is given to him. It is in the power of the Giver to give when He likes and take away when He likes.

In the life of this world, man cares nothing for the Hereafter, because the Day of Judgement appears to be very far away. But, this is only due to his ignorance. When the Day of Judgement arrives, – the stage for the next world – he will feel as if he had lived in the previous world for only a moment.

58-60. The people of Makkah used to tell the Prophet…

The people of Makkah used to tell the Prophet, if he was really a prophet, he should perform a superhuman, supernatural miracle. But, this demand was not acceded to, because an exhibition of the paranormal was not expected to serve the real purpose. The real purpose of Islam was to ensure that people’s course of action changed, and such a change can be initiated only by bringing about a change in ways of thinking and not by stunning people with supernatural feats.

The Quran, therefore, lays the utmost emphasis on reasoning. It wants to change the minds of the people on the strength of arguments. It wants to make people capable of seeing things in the proper perspective and of forming correct opinions. In fact, the real problem of man is that he falls short of right thinking. If right thinking is not engendered in man, even after seeing wonderful feats and miracles, he will utter the same foolish words in the same mindless manner as he did earlier.

One’s heart being sealed means one’s not being capable of understanding things due to ignorance and wrong thinking. If an individual lacks the ability to form correct opinions, he can neither see things in their proper perspective nor learn fitting lessons from them.

A subject of God who comes forward with the pure call for Truth always has to face a discouraging reaction from the people. The dayee talks exclusively of the Hereafter, while people’s minds are engaged in solving worldly problems. For this reason, people look down upon him. They always try to defeat him in every way, so much so that an atmosphere is created in which the preacher’s words appear to be lacking in weight.

Such circumstances place the dayee in a situation of trial along with his addressees. At that time it becomes necessary for him not to lose his conviction. If, under the pressure of circumstances, he loses his conviction, he will start saying such things by way of compromise as may be important in the eyes of the general public, but which in the eyes of God will be of negligible importance.