32.

Sura Sajda (or Adoration)

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

This is the revelation of the Book (Qur-an) from the Lord of the
Worlds. It is the Truth, an admonishing for people to whom no warner had
ever come earlier. There should not be any doubt about the Book. It is God
who has created the heavens and the earth and all that between them in six
days. Then He mounted on the Throne (of authority). All the affairs, from the
heavens to the earth are decided by Him alone and is Knower of all the things
whether hidden or open. Every one of you have to be answerable to Him on
the Day of reckoning. This Day shall be equal to one thousand years according
to your earthly account. Such is He, the Mighty the Merciful, who has created
everything most good (beautiful, in propor proportions, adapted to the
functions it has to perform, no evil and disorder, etc.). He began the creation
of man from clay. Then his reproduction is through the sperm of semen – a
quintessence, but despicable liquid. He then fashioned him in due proportions,
breathed into him something of His spirit and gave him the faculties of
hearing, sight, feeling and understanding. Yet with all these gifts, what thanks
does ungenerate or corrupted man give to God? The unbelievers deny
dogmatically that there can be a future life and on the Day they will be
produced before their Lord for the accountability! Say to them (O
Muhammad) that the Angel of Death will definitely visit them and take their
souls out of their bodies. Thus, they will return back to their Lord (if we
believe in a soul at all – the very foundation of Religion – we must believe in a
Future, without which the soul has no meaning).

On the Day you (O Muhammad) will see them before their Lord with
their heads down and wish to be send back to the earth to do the righteous
deeds as now they have seen the Truth. If your Lord had so desired every soul
would have received true guidance. But the Word from your Lord has to be
true that: I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together. So, now taste the
requital of your evil deeds and bear the Penalty of Eternity which you refused
to recognize and forgot God. Now He forgets you. Those who believe in God’s
revelations, who when recited to them fall down prostrate, hymn the praises of
their Lord, are humble with no pride in them, give up their beds to call on their
Lord (Tahajjud Prayer) in fear and hope, spend in charity out of sustenance
which He has bestowed on them, are the ones who shall be in the hospitable
Gardens of delight which no eye has seen. This will be their reward – reserved
for them – for their righteous deeds. Could then be a believer and a rebellious
(unbelievers) be equal? No – they are not equal. And for those who do evil,
shall eternally taste Penalty of the Blazing Fire in the Hereafter. But before
that, there is minor Penalty for them which shall be in this very life (may be in
some kind of misfortune, or it may be in the pangs of a tortured conscience or
secret sorrow.) But this minor Penalty may be in realty a mercy, as it gives
them a chance of repentance and amendment. Who could be more guilty who
is admonished by the Signs of God, but turns away from it. Certainly, such
transgressor shall be subjected to due retribution.

No doubt, in the past, Book (Torah) was given to Moses to guide his
people (the Children of Israel) in all the practical affairs of their life (Code of
Conduct). God appointed, from among them Leaders (Judges, Prophets, and
Kings), giving guidance as long as people continued in Faith and Contancy.
But when that condition ceased, God’s grace was withdrawn, and the people
broke up into wrangling sects and practically suffered national annihilation. If
a nation gone astray could only learn from the history of earlier nations that
were destroyed for their evil! They could see the vistages of them in their daily
goings to and fro (the Jews could see vestiges of the Philistines, Amalekites,
etc., in Palestine, and the pagan Arabs, of the Ad and Thamud in Arabia).
Certainly, in that are Signs for them to listen and take heed. Do they not see
lead water to the barren land and bring up crops and whereof mankind and the
cattle eat? Have they not the vision to realize this? The Unbelievers say: “If all
this which you (O Muhammad) say is true, then tell us when this final
restoration of Realities, Life, and true Values will come about?” The answer is:
“If you mean that you will postpone your repentance and reform till then, it
will be of no use: it will be too late for repentance, and no respite will be
granted to them: this is the Respite, and this is your chance. So trun away from
the Unbelievers and wait (O Muhammad): they too are waiting.