Reading the Quran Here and Now: Chapter Muddaththir – Part 5

74:16 “No! He is knowingly, stubbornly hostile to our messages.”

• The one who denies the truth knows that s/he is denying the truth. That is, we are given the freewill to either confirm or reject the truth.
• The truth is the realization of being impotent, needy and not having the power to give existence to anything, including our own being and qualities.
• If we were not provided with the options to choose, then we would not have been given consciousness.
• Use your consciousness for its purpose and make rational decision.

74:17 “Rather, I will inflict him an increasingly overwhelming torment.”

• The order of the universe is set in a way that makes us realize our mistakes. Then the choice is ours to either submit or reject the truth. The teachings of the Quran let us know about the way the order of the universe is set. When we confirm such order through our observation, then we are on our way to confirming the message of the Quran i.e. this message is the Speech of the One that creates the universe.
• The more one chooses to go against his/her innate nature, the more s/he is vulnerable to experiencing the unavoidable pain and suffering. The pain and suffering is not only in physical form but more so in terms of not being satisfied in your existence. The nagging question is always: Why am I given existence if I am subject to death here?

74:18 “[The denier] reflects and meditates [as to how to disprove the messages].”

• The message of the Quran is plain and simple:

1. Nothing has the power to give existence to anything in this universe, there must be an Absolute Source (not of the nature of this universe) giving existence to everything (lailaha illallah)
2. The universe is transient and your being here is not permanent. There must be another type of existence where one can experience permanence. (news of the hereafter)

• The one who does not want to submit to the truth tries to find ways to nullify the news of the existence of an Absolute Source and the hereafter.
• The one who submits to the truth does so after confirming the news of the Quran through his own observation and gatherings of evidences from the universe.

74:19 “And then he destroys himself the way he meditates.”

• The one who does not submit to the truth will never be satisfied in his/her existence. That is, if you deny the truth, then you call for your own destruction.
• All that is required of you is to make analysis from your experiences, observations and investigation of your being and this universe. Then, come to a rational conclusion confirming lailaha.

74:20 “Surely he destroys himself the way he meditates.”

• Again, if you choose the wrong option, then the way the order in creation is set will make you realize that you are choosing the wrong option. Example: if you cut yourself with a knife, you get hurt.
• If you do not deviate from the wrong option, you will keep destroying yourself.
• The wrong option is contradicting your human reality. Your human reality yearns to know the following: “who I am and who my Lord is?”

74:21 “And then he looks [around for new arguments].”

• Since the one who denies is not satisfied with his not submitting to the truth (because the nagging question as mentioned earlier does not go away), he keeps going on in his quest of finding evidences to prove his denial to be convincing.
• This type of journey is such a waste of time where one keeps destroying his/her human qualities.

74:22 “Then he frowns and becomes bad tempered.”

• As a result of denying the truth, one develops a personality that contradicts his/her true innate human nature. That is, when something agitates or aggravates you, then there is something wrong in the way you understand your existence.
• The purpose of your existence is to get to know who you are and who your Lord is. Only after establishing this base within yourself can you believe in an Absolute Source (i.e. Creator of the whole universe).
• Belief has endless layers depending on how much one has trained his/her capacity of understanding the truth and confirming an Absolute Source.
• The one who submits to the truth confirms at different level of comprehending the Absolute Source. That is what makes the belief process an ever ending journey.

74:23 “And he turns away in scornful pride.”

• In denial, you pretend to have found the truth, and the truth for you is that existence is meaningless.
• In denial, you pretend to have reached the end goal of knowing the purpose of your existence, which is to enjoy the life until you die and disappear from the existence totally.
• In denial, you can no longer listen to your deeper inner self because you are occupying yourself with counter arguments to deny the truth. As a result, you are proud with choosing the path to denial and you look down upon the ones who believe as if death for you is the end of existence.