Surah al-Anbiya' (The Prophets ) 21 : 49

Overview (Verses 48 - 50)
 
In this third passage the sūrah speaks about the communities that followed God’s messengers, but it is not exhaustive in this respect. Some are not mentioned at all. Some are given only a brief mention, while others are referred to in some detail. We see in these references how God takes care of His messengers and bestows His grace on them. We also see the fate of those who continued to accuse their messengers of being liars, even though clear proof was given to them. We are further given an idea of how God tests His messengers, at times with delightful pleasures and at others with much affliction, and how they pass these tests.
 
The wisdom behind sending human messengers is also clear in this passage. The oneness of the faith and the way to be followed by all messengers, at all times, is also clearly apparent. We feel that they belong to a single community, despite the fact that they lived at different times and in different places. All this testifies to the oneness of the Maker, the will behind all events, and the consistency of the overall law that governs and unites the universe. It directs us all to one end: namely, to serve the One God worthy of worship: “I am your only Lord. So, worship Me alone.” (Verse 92)
 
Guidance and Light for Moses
 
Indeed We vouchsafed to Moses and Aaron the standard by which to distinguish right from wrong, a guiding light and a reminder for the God-conscious who fear their Lord in their most secret thoughts, and are weary of the Last Hour. And this one, too, is a blessed reminder which We have bestowed from on high: will you, then, reject it? (Verses 48-50)
 
We saw earlier in the sūrah how the Arab unbelievers used to ridicule God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) on account of his being human. They also denied God’s revelations, describing them as sorcery, poetry or mere fabrication. Now the sūrah shows that sending human messengers is a consistent norm, and it proceeds to give examples of such. Furthermore, the fact that God bestows books on His messengers is not a strange occurrence. For Moses and Aaron were also given a book by Him. Their book is here called ‘al-Furqān’, which is the same description given to the Qur’ān. Thus, unity can be seen even in the names of these revealed books. All such books are revealed by God so as to serve as a standard distinguishing right from wrong, truth from falsehood, guidance from deviation. They also make clear the difference between ways of life. As such, each is a criterion for judgement. This is the quality which applies to both the Torah and the Qur’ān.
 
The Torah is also described as a ‘guiding light’ which dispels all the darkness that may engulf the human mind, leading to errant beliefs. It also dispels the darkness that leads people astray and the darkness of falsehood. In such types of darkness both reason and conscience may find themselves at a loss. Indeed, the human heart remains in darkness until the light of faith is kindled within it. Faith thus sets it aglow, clearly setting its approach, guiding it to the path that should be followed, so that confusion does not arise from divergent values and concepts.
 
The Torah is further described as ‘a reminder for the God-conscious’, reminding people of their true Lord, ensuring that they gain esteem and that they are always remembered by other people. In this respect, one only needs to ask what the status of the Children of Israel was before the revelation of the Torah! In essence they endured much humiliation under Pharaoh who slaughtered their male offspring, spared their women, and put them to hard labour and torture.
 
From among these God-conscious people, however, a certain group is singled out. These are the ones ‘who fear their Lord in their most secret thoughts’. (Verse 49) This is because those who fear God in their hearts when they have not seen Him, those who ‘are weary of the Last Hour’, working hard to prepare themselves for its arrival, are indeed the ones who benefit by the light and follow its guidance. To them, God’s book provides an important reminder. Hence, they always remember God, and they are often favourably mentioned by other people.
 
This is as far as Moses and Aaron are deliberated upon here. A brief reference to the Qur’ān follows: “And this one, too, is a blessed reminder which We have bestowed from on high.” (Verse 50) It is not a new invention. It is nothing to wonder about since reminders were frequently revealed from on high. They are then asked rhetorically: “Will you, then, reject it?” (Verse 50) How could you, and on what basis, since earlier messages were vouchsafed to God’s messengers in the past?
 
Having made this very brief reference to the two prophets, Moses and Aaron, as well as the book revealed to them, the sūrah now provides a detailed episode from the life of Abraham, the first grandfather of the Arabs. It was Abraham who built the Ka`bah in which the unbelievers now placed their idols and worshipped them. In fact he was the one who destroyed the idols worshipped by his own people. Hence, the sūrah portrays him standing up to idolatry and destroying its very symbols.