We will continue with our study of Section Ya-Seen of the Qur’an where we last investigated the verses mentioning the separation of believers from the disbelievers. The verses are warning not to follow Satan’s whisperings and influence which pushes man away from reality and from worshiping God. I was encouraged to use reasoning to make sense of the universe, events that I experience in my life and not be carried away by false, non-realistic imaginary assumptions by which many people have been misled.
هَـٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
36:63 This is the Hell you are warned again and again.
This verse mentions hell fire that no human being can really bear. The Qur’an is severely warning us to prepare ourselves in this life in order not to go there. These kinds of warnings should not be taken as God’s wrath or anger, but they act as warnings to correct myself in my living right now. The warning shows that my Creator genuinely cares for me, He doesn’t want me to suffer from Hell fire and its torture.
The phrase “ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ” means in this context repetitions of the event. The structure of the phrase “تُوعَدُونَ” infers continuity as in repetition. We are continuously being warned as we need to be reminded continuously. Apart from the verbal warning, how about events in our existence? Have I ever received any warning about Hell in my life?
When I go in the wrong direction while doing something, I suffer the consequences. If I realize my mistake, then I would like to correct it and not repeat it again in my worldly concerns. These warnings mentioned in the verse are concerned with my spiritual life and they come to me continuously in my living to help me stay on the “straight path” which leads me to the right destination, Paradise. The previous verse mentioned that Satan continuously misleads people, so the Qur’an asks me to use reasoning. Whenever I do something contradicting the way that I am made, I feel pain and suffer. I feel this within my feelings that I am doing something wrong, and I also feel the pain of doing the wrong. I must understand that the main mission of Satan is to mislead us, go against the way we are created, i.e. not to take my existence and purpose seriously. Rather than thinking about something’s source of existence, attribute their existence to temporarily created things or not even think about it. The whisperings of Satan are presented as options: “you are growing by yourself; matter is changing by itself; things came into existence naturally; they are born and die within the accidentally occurring order of the universe”.
How do we know which understanding of existence is correct? One option that I have is to attribute the existence of each and every thing to the Creator of the universe who takes care of the whole universe. Whoever gave existence to the universe, gives existence to me in the perfect condition that I find myself in. Who is the source of existence of my being and the things in the universe that I am communicating with daily? Satan suggests not to think about it, you exist naturally, no one is operating on you. This unrealistic option which is based on only assumptions may seem easy to follow but what is the consequence of this? What happens when I reduce my existence or the things in the universe to accidental beings? All my feelings fall into despair, I expect full satisfaction and there is no satisfaction found in the universe. Where did I get this feeling of seeking satisfaction? Why am I given those feelings? These kinds of questions remain unanswered and unsatisfied.
Our feelings rebel against meaninglessness, purposelessness. The helpless, hopeless position of feelings gives me pain; this is how I am created. I seem to be enjoying something momentarily, but it disappears immediately. I am warned again and again in my feelings, being reminded of the consequence of the denial of reality, i.e. that I have been created, consciously chosen by my Conscious Creator. Whatever I am enjoying, including my existence and life, is a gift, a blessing from my Creator. When I deny this, my life suffers from complete despair from meaninglessness. If I continuously interpret things as natural beings, I may become accustomed with this continuous negligence and denial of the purpose of my existence. I must know that this familiarity does not make me forget about reality at all. At times, I encounter situations that profoundly affect me, prompting me to contemplate various challenges such as health, family, relationships, and business. These challenges often serve as wake-up calls, compelling us to confront our reality.There is also the creation of events labeled as “natural disasters” that warn us. It is occasionally that God’s Mercy visits us which is also out of Mercy. The warnings are continuously repeated to remind me of my reality while I am given life in this universe.
ٱصْلَوْهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
36:64 Enter it [Hell] today because of your having denied the truth.”
This verse is generally understood by scholars to take place in the hereafter. To confirm these kinds of verses, I must be able to experience this while living in this world so that I can understand that in the hereafter, this must definitely be true.
As soon as we deny the truth, do we find ourselves in Hell now? By interpreting myself in the wrong way, do I receive the message in my feelings that something is not going right in my life? Although it is very difficult to deny that there must be a Creator to this universe, I can only imagine what denial of this Creator would constitute. When one looks at the deniers, they appear to be fine in their living, they may be successful financially, not going through any suffering but seem to be happy with their existence. Human beings share common feelings, if I imagine living in this world as naturally existing, how would I feel? I may be having a nice time with friends having dinner but if I am a denier of my Creator, I will experience the pleasure momentarily. I am aware that the pleasure is immediately passing where I cannot hold onto anything that I am experiencing. At the very end, all my friends will leave me behind and I too will disappear from existence. I would feel the pain of unhappiness and despair. As soon as one denies the truth, one would find themselves in a hellish situation, a completely meaningless life, and be in despair in this world. If one keeps insisting that they would not accept the Creator of the universe, they will experience dissatisfaction within their feelings. When their body dies, their spirit will be left experiencing this hellish feeling. The Creator will say that: “I will give you a body in which your spirit will physically experience hellish feelings through this body.” That is called Hell. The warnings are prepared for us here in this world through two ways: our feelings and through the Revelation that we receive.
Those who have not received any Revelation would not have any idea of the next creation. They would only experience this hellish feeling within them and say that there is no other option but to go along with whatever their feelings informed them of. They will be responsible for being honest to their feelings, called spirit. However, those that have heard the news from Revelation and the prophetic message in a correct way know that they are denying the truth, their pain is severe according to the level of their denial. They know that some people are warning them not to put their spirit into a hellish position. The spirit doesn’t die and needs a body to operate where the body can either get pleasure or become the cause of pain for one. The Qur’an uses the word “مغضوب ” describing those who deserve God’s justice because although they know the Revelation and claim to follow it but are not really being honest in their treatment of the message. The word is usually translated as “wrath” but it has more to do with what one deserves as part of God’s justice. This feeling of despair when one is denying the Creator of the universe is forewarning of the eternal deprivation of the Mercy of God.
For example, if one has trained themselves in the field of Biology then that is what they educated themselves for, to become a doctor for example. Another may have been educated in math and science to become an engineer. The one who didn’t educate themselves in anything would have nothing to practice. Whatever future we are preparing ourselves for is going to be given to us at the end of the school of this universe. I must be careful to submit to the truth once I receive it and not be of the “مغضوب ”. The term “ٱلضَّآلِّينَ” means that they never pay attention to the message of the Revelation by reducing the existence of the universe to an imaginary concept. They try to explain the things within themselves or within the “cause and effect” relationship and explain their existence as “natural things”.
A serious question to consider is: Is it God who punishes us or are we throwing ourselves into Hell? Some people ask: “Does God punish His creatures? If He was going to give pain to them, why did He create them?” We must understand that God doesn’t punish anyone. How so? For example, a farmer got the land ready and planted corn seeds. What does God create for this farmer? He gets corn plants. Who decided them to be corn plants? The farmer chose to plant corn seeds and decided the result to be corn plants. Although the Creator of corn is God, the farmer is asking, requesting God to create corn out of His Mercy for him to harvest. However, if I choose to plant poisonous plants then I get them as a result. Is that God’s wrath? I am given warnings out of God’s Mercy not to choose the wrong options, but if I insist, I receive the results accordingly. I am the one who is choosing and deciding; God creates according to my choice. If I choose to deny God, I suffer from pain within me which is the outcome of my own choice. If I insist on denial of God, choose the wrong way then I am throwing myself into Hell, it is not God who is throwing me. I continuously receive warnings saying “do not go there” which are out of His compassion, I have no right to say God’s wrath, that He is angry with me.
Another simple example to understand this matter: If a person pokes out his eyes and this man will be created by God as a blind man. Is it God who created this man as a blind person out of His wrath or God kept His promise for whatever was asked by the person by obeying His orderly creation? If I follow His orderly creation, He will create. God is being a Just God by creating the consequences of our choices. We are the ones who choose to deprive ourselves of God’s Mercy by denying His Mercy.
The verse below helps us consolidate this understanding:
مَّنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِى لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌۭ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًۭا
17:15 “Whoever accepts guidance does so for his own good, whoever strays does so at his own peril. No soul will bear another’s burden, nor do We punish until We have sent a messenger.”
There may be some people who might have heard about religion, that there is a Creator. How about the details of religion, have they heard of it rightly or by some people who just claim to be a member of the religion of God and thus represent it with false impressions of the religion of God? Most of the new generation hear only the misrepresentation of religion particularly of Islam and teachings of the prophets. They rightfully reject this misrepresentation and do not get to hear the truth. For example, if someone presents a religion that supports terrorism, I will also reject it rightfully.