Tafsir of Surah Yunus - Verse 24

The Parable of this Life

Allah the Almighty has set an example of the similitude of the life of this world, its glitter and the swiftness of its passage, likening it to the plant and vegetation that Allah brings out from the earth. This plant grows from the water that comes down from the sky. These plants are food for people, such as fruits and other different types and kinds of foods. Some other kinds are food for cattle such as clover plants (i.e. green fodder for the cattle) and herbage etc.

حَتَّى إِذَآ أَخَذَتِ الاٌّرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا

(until when the earth is clad in its adornments ,)

وَازَّيَّنَتْ

(and is beautified ) meaning, it became good by what grows on its hills such as blooming flowers of different shapes and colors.

وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَآ

(and its people think...) those who planted it and put it in the ground,

أَنَّهُمْ قَادِرُونَ عَلَيْهَآ

(that they have all the powers of disposal over it) to cultivate it and harvest it. But while they were in that frame of mind, a thunderbolt or a severe, cold storm came to it. It dried its leaves and spoiled its fruits. Allah said:

أَتَاهَآ أَمْرُنَا لَيْلاً أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَاهَا حَصِيدًا

(Our command reaches it by night or by day and We make it like a clean-mown harvest, ) it became dry after it was green and flourishing.

كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِالاٌّمْسِ

(as if it had not flourished yesterday!) as if nothing existed there before. Qatadah said: "As if it had not flourished; as if it was never blessed." Such are things after they perish, they are as if they had never existed. Similarly, the Hadith,

«يُؤْتَى بِأَنْعَمِ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا، فَيُغْمَسُ فِي النَّارِ غَمْسَةً، فَيُقَالُ لَهُ: هَلْ رَأَيْتَ خَيْرًا قَطُّ؟ هَلْ مَرَّ بِكَ نَعِيمٌ قَطُّ؟ فَيَقُولُ: لَا، وَيُؤْتَى بِأَشَدِّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَيُغْمَسُ فِي النَّعِيمِ غَمْسَةً، ثُمَّ يُقَالُ لَهُ: هَلْ رَأَيْتَ بُؤْسًا قَطُّ؟ فَيَقُولُ لَا»

(A person who led the most prosperous life in this world will be brought up and dipped once in the Fire. He will then be asked: `Have you ever found any good or comfort' He will reply: `No.' And a person who had experienced extreme adversity in this world will be brought up and dipped once in the bliss (of Paradise). Then he will be asked: 'Did you ever face any hardship or misery' He will reply: `No.') Allah said about those who were destroyed:

فَأَصْبَحُواْ فِى دِيَارِهِمْ جَـثِمِينَكَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْاْ فِيهَآ

(So they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes; as if they had never lived there.)11:67-68 Allah then said:

كَذلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الآيَـتِ

(Thus do We explain the Ayat. ..) We do explain the proofs, and evidences, in detail

لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

(for the people who reflect.) so they may take a lesson from this example in the swift vanishing of this world from its people while they are deceived by it. They would trust this world and its promises, and then it unexpectedly turns away from them. This world, in its nature, runs away from those who seek it but seeks those who run away from it. Allah mentioned the parable of this world and the plants of the earth in several Ayat in His Noble Book. He said in Surat Al-Kahf:

وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنْزَلْنَـهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الاٌّرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّياحُ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا

(And put forward to them the example of the life of this world: it is like the water (rain) which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, and becomes fresh and green. But (later) it becomes dry and broken pieces, which the winds scatter. And Allah is able to do everything.) (18:45) He also gave similar examples in both Surat Az-Zumar 39:21 and Surat Al-Hadid 57:20.

Invitation to the Everlasting Gifts that do not vanish

Allah said:

وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَى دَارِ السَّلاَمِ

(And Allah calls to the Abode of Peace) When Allah mentioned the swiftness of this world and its termination, He invited people to Paradise and encouraged them to seek it. He called it the Abode of Peace. It is the Abode of Peace because it is free from defects and miseries. So Allah said:

وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَى دَارِ السَّلاَمِ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

(Allah calls to the Home of Peace and guides whom He wills to the straight path.) It was narrated that Jabir bin `Abdullah said: "Allah's Messenger ﷺ came out one day and said to us:

«إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ كَأَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ عِنْدَ رَأْسِي، وَمِيكَائِيلَ عِنْدَ رِجْلَيَّ، يَقُولُ أَحَدُهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ: اضْرِبْ لَهُ مَثَلًا، فَقَالَ: اسْمَعْ، سَمِعَتْ أُذُنُكَ، وَاعْقِلْ، عَقَلَ قَلْبُكَ، إِنَّمَا مَثَلُكَ وَمَثَلُ أُمَّتِكَ كَمَثَلِ مَلِكٍ اتَّخَذَ دَارًا، ثُمَّ بَنَى فِيهَا بَيْتًا، ثُمَّ جَعَلَ فِيهَا مَأْدَبةً، ثُمَّ بَعَثَ رَسُولًا يَدْعُو النَّاسَ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَجَابَ الرَّسُولَ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَرَكَهُ، فَاللهُ الْمَلِكُ، وَالدَّارُ الْإِسْلَامُ، وَالْبَيْتُ الْجَنَّةُ، وَأَنْتَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ رَسُولٌ، فَمَنْ أَجَابَكَ دَخَلَ الْإِسْلَامَ، وَمَنْ دَخَلَ الْإِسْلَامَ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَمَنْ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ أَكَلَ مِنْهَا»

(I have seen in my sleep that it was as if Jibril was at my head and Mika'il at my leg. They were saying to each other: `Give an example for him.' He said: `Listen, your ear may listen. And fathom, your heart may fathom. The parable of you and your Ummah is that of a king who has built a house on his land. He arranged a banquet in it. Then he sent a messenger to invite the people to his food. Some accepted the invitation and others did not. Allah is the King and the land is Islam, the house is Paradise and you Muhammad are the Messenger. Whosoever responds to your call enters Islam. And whosoever enters Islam enters Paradise. And whosoever enters Paradise eats from it.) Ibn Jarir recorded this Hadith. It was also reported that Abu Ad-Darda' said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

«مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ طَلَعَتْ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ إِلَّا وَبِجَنْبَيْهَا مَلَكَانِ يُنَادِيَانِ يَسْمَعُهُ خَلْقُ اللهِ كُلُّهُمْ إِلَّا الثَّقَلَيْنِ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ هَلُمُّوا إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ، إِنَّ مَا قَلَّ وَكَفَى خَيْرٌ مِمَّا كَثُرَ وَأَلْهَى»

(Two angels descend every day in which the sun rises and say that which all Allah's creatures would hear except Jinn and humans: `O people! Come to your Lord! Anything little and sufficient is better than a lot but distractive.') And He sent this down in the Qur'an when He said:

وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَى دَارِ السَّلاَمِ

("Allah calls to the Abode of Peace".) Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir recorded this.

The warning given in verse 23: إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُم (your rebellion is, in fact, against your own-selves) tells us that the curse of injustice is certain and, much before matters are settled in the Hereafter, one who is guilty of doing injustice must suffer from its evil consequences in this world as well.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said: ` Allah Ta` ala hastens to repay mercy shown to relatives and favour done to people (whereby its blessings start becoming visible in this world, much before the Hereafter). And He also hastens to repay injustices done and relationships severed (in that its consequences have to be faced within the life of this world).' (Reported by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah with a hasan chain of narrators) In another Hadith narrated by Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, ` there are three sins the curse whereof falls on the sinner himself: Injustice, breach of trust and deception.' (Reported by Abu ash-Shaykh and Ibn Marduwayh in Tafsir) (See Mazhari)

The life of this world is for the purpose of putting man to the test. Therefore, here man has been given complete freedom and all sorts of opportunities. Apparently, a man is free to do whatever he likes and to shape his own future in whatever way he likes. But in the midst of these preoccupations, certain events unfold which teach lessons to thoughtful persons and which indicate the fact that all this is temporary and will very soon be taken away from them. One such example is that of green vegetation on the earth. When there is rain, the earth becomes lush green with different kinds of vegetation. Man is pleased with this; he starts thinking that things are completely under his control and very soon he will be the owner of a rich crop. Exactly at the same time, some calamity suddenly befalls him, for example, a tornado strikes, there is snowfall or there is a plague of locusts and in this way the whole crop is destroyed in a moment. The same is true of man’s life. Man is born with a fine body. The worldly factors are in his favour and he shapes for himself a very successful and glorious life. Now he develops confidence in himself; he thinks that his affairs are under his control. But one day, or one night, he suddenly meets with death. A person who considers himself powerful, suddenly finds himself in a condition of total helplessness and powerlessness. If man keeps this reality in view, he will never be arrogant in this world; he will never be guilty of oppression or injustice.