Tafseer: The True State of Most People; They Deny That They Have Been Created With Any Real Purpose

Follow @AhleDhikr

Allaah, the Most High, says;

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَاعِبِينَ (38) مَا خَلَقْنَاهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (39)

"And We created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, for mere play. We created them not except with truth (i.e. to examine and test those who are obedient and those who are disobedient and then reward the obedient ones and punish the disobedient ones), but most of them know not."

[Dukhaan :38-39]

Imaam Abu Ja'far at-Tabaree [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said in his Tafseer about this Ayaah;

The meaning of the statement of Allaah, the Most High, is for us to be warned, the resurrection is real and that we will be reckoned. So He, the Most High, is saying here that He didn’t Create us in idle, as we have been created and we live due to His Will. We didn’t Create them without being tested, commanding them and making prohibitions for them. We didn’t Create them without Rewarding those who do good with good and Punishing those who do bad with bad. Rather, We have Created mankind to test them, testing them with commands and prohibitions.

"…that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done (i.e. punish them in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (i.e. Paradise)."

[Najm 53:31]

'But most of them know not…' meaning Allaah, the Most High, is saying that most of those non-Muslims, those who do Shirk with Allaah, don’t actually realize that Allaah created them, therefore they don’t actually fear Him or His Anger or His Punishment. They don’t seek the paths to goodness, so if they do an act of goodness or kindness, they don’t seek the Hereafter.

[Adapted from Tafseer at-Tabaree 22/41]

Al-Allaamah Taahir bin 'Ashoor [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said:

These Ayaat are a refutation of their saying;

"There is nothing but our first death, and we shall not be resurrected."

[Dukhaan 44:35]

Meaning, Allaah hasn’t Created the Heavens and the Earths in play or idleness, rather He has Created it in truth. Meaning, He has Created it with a wisdom, and the synchronism of the entire universe is a proof of this. Therefore, there is no doubt that Allaah has created everything within it so that we may be rewarded for the good that we do without anything being left out.

As is noticeable today, many people believe that we live our lives and we will not be reckoned or held to account for our deeds, so Allaah will not do any of this and that He has Created us as part of a huge game.

So these Aayaat rebukes those who thing we live life without being recompensed for our actions, because they believe that Al-Hakeem, the Most Wise, Created as a game. 

Rather Allaah, the Most High, Created us in truth, meaning there is a reason.

'With truth…' means for the purpose of doing deeds and saying statements, so it is binding that we live life, doing deeds and saying statements so that we are recompensed for them.  

So if we realize in ourselves that the One Who Created the Heavens and the Earths has creates us so that we will be recompensed for what we do, then we must act in accordance to this. Our actions must seek this cause.

'… but most of them know not…' this gives an explanation as to the true state of most people, they deny that they have been created with any real purpose, it's all a game to them.

[Adapted from At-Tahreer wa at-Tanweer (26/310-311)]