11:24 Hud (Hud)

{ مَثَلُ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ } أي: فريق الأشقياء، وفريق السعداء. { كَالْأَعْمَى وَالْأَصَمِّ } هؤلاء الأشقياء، { وَالْبَصِيرِ وَالسَّمِيعِ } مثل السعداء. { هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا } لا يستوون مثلا، بل بينهما من الفرق ما لا يأتي عليه الوصف، { أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ } الأعمال، التي تنفعكم، فتفعلونها، والأعمال التي تضركم، فتتركونها.

فقال "مثل الفريقين" أي الذين وصفهم أولا بالشقاء والمؤمنين بالسعادة فأولئك كالأعمى والأصم وهؤلاء كالبصير والسميع فالكافر أعمى عن وجه الحق في الدنيا والآخرة لا يهتدي إلى خير ولا يعرفه أصم عن سماع الحجج فلا يسمع ما ينتفع به "ولو علم الله فيهم خيرا لأسمعهم" الآية وأما المؤمن ففطن ذكي لبيب بصير بالحق يميز بينه وبين الباطل فيتبع الخير ويترك الشر سميع للحجة يفرق بينها وبين الشبهة فلا يروج عليه باطل فهل يستوي هذا وهذا؟ "أفلا تذكرون" أفلا تعتبرون فتفرقون بين هؤلاء وهؤلاء كما قال في الآية الأخري "لا يستوي أصحاب النار وأصحاب الجنة أصحاب الجنة هم الفائزون" وكقوله "وما يستوي الأعمي والبصير ولا الظلمات ولا النور ولا الظل ولا الحور وما يستوي الأحياء ولا الأموات إن الله يسمع من يشاء وما أنت بمسمع من في القبور إن أنت إلا نذير إنا أرسلناك بالحق بشيرا ونذيرا وإن من أمة إلا خلا فيها نذير".

Rewarding the People of Faith

When Allah, the Exalted, mentioned the condition of the wretched, He also commended the people of delight (the believers). They are those who believe and work righteous deeds. Thus, their hearts believed and their limbs worked righteous deeds, both in statements and actions. This includes their performance of deeds of obedience and their abandonment of evils. In this way they are the inheritors of Gardens (of Paradise), which contain lofty rooms and seats arranged in rows. Therein they will find bunches of fruit near to them, elevated couches, fair and beautiful wives, various types of fruit, desired kinds of food and delicious drinks. They also will be allowed to see the Creator of the heavens and the earth and they will be in this state of pleasure forever. They will not die, nor will they grow old. They will not experience sickness, nor will they sleep. They will not have excrement, nor will they spit or snot. Their sweat will be the perfume of musk.

The Parable of the Believers and the Disbelievers

Then, Allah, the Exalted, makes a parable of the disbelievers and the believers. He says,

مَثَلُ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ

(The likeness of the two parties) This refers to those disbelievers whom Allah first described as wretched, and then those believers whom He described with delightfulness. The first group is like one who is blind and deaf, while the second group is like he who sees and hears. Thus, the disbeliever is blind from the truth in this life and in the Hereafter. He is not guided to goodness, nor does he recognize it. He is deaf from hearing the proofs, thus he does not hear that which would benefit him. As Allah says,

وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ

(Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen.)8:23 The believer is smart, bright and clever. He sees the truth and distinguishes between the truth and falsehood. Thus, he follows the good and abandons the evil. He hears and distinguishes between the proof and scepticism. Therefore, falsehood does not overcome him. Are these two types of people alike

أَفَلاَ تَذَكَّرُونَ

(Will you not then take heed) This statement means, "Will you not consider, so that you may distinguish between these two categories of people." This is as Allah mentions in another verse,

لاَ يَسْتَوِى أَصْحَـبُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ أَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمُ الْفَآئِزُونَ

(Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise. It is the dwellers of Paradise that will be successful.)59:20 Allah also says,

وَمَا يَسْتَوِى الاٌّعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ - وَلاَ الظُّلُمَاتُ وَلاَ النُّورُ - وَلاَ الظِّلُّ وَلاَ الْحَرُورُ - وَمَا يَسْتَوِى الاٌّحْيَآءُ وَلاَ الاٌّمْوَاتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِى الْقُبُورِ - إِنْ أَنتَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ - إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَـكَ بِالْحَقِّ بَشِيراً وَنَذِيراً وَإِن مِّنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلاَّ خَلاَ فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ

(Not alike are the blind and the seeing. Nor are (alike) darkness and light. Nor are (alike) the shade and the sun's heat. Nor are (alike) the living and the dead. Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves. You are only a warner. Verily, We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.)35:19-24

The likeness the description of the two parties the disbelievers and the believers is as the blind and the deaf this being the likeness of the disbeliever and the one who sees and the one who hears this being the likeness of the believer are they equal in likeness? No! Will you not then remember? tadhakkarūn the original tā’ of tatadhakkarūn has been assimilated with the dhāl will you not then be admonished?

The word: bayyinah (بینہ) appearing in this verse refers to the Qur'an. As for the meaning of ` shahid' (شاھِد evidence), statements of Tafsir authorities differ. The author of Bay-an a1-Qur'an takes ` shahid' to mean the miracle of the Qur'an that is present in the Qur'an as such. Thus, it comes to mean that those who adhere to the Qur'an, they already have a witness to the veracity of the Qur'an within it, that is, its miracle. Then, the other witness has already come in the form of Torah. Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had brought it as guidance and mercy for people. The reason is that the Torah confirms the truth of the Qur'an clearly.

In the second sentence, in order to stress that salvation, up to the Last Day, depends on faith in the Holy Prophet ﷺ it has been said that anyone from any religion or community of the world who refuses to have faith in him will have his abode in Jahannam.

The Sahih of Muslim reports on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, ` by the One in whose hands rests my life, any Jew or Christian who hears my call and still does not believe in the teachings I have brought, then, he or she will be of the people of Jahannam.'

This should remove the misunderstanding of those who regard the Jews and Christians or the adherents of other religions as being on haqq (the truth) on the basis of some outward deeds and consider these to be sufficient for salvation without having faith in the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur'an. This is an open clash with the present ayah of the Holy Qur'an, and the authentic ahadith. اَلعَیَاذ بِاللہ (Allah may save us from that! )

The likeness of the two groups is that of the blind and deaf and the seeing and hearing. Are they equal in likeness? The truly blind are those who do not have the eye of heedfulness to gaze on the signs of the hori- zons by way of inference, nor the heart of reflection to ponder the signs of the souls, nor the insight of the Haqiqah to see the unveilings of the unseen secrets with the light of perspicacity. The truly seeing are those who look with the knowledge of certainty at the marks giving witness to the acts, for Have they not gazed upon the dominion of the heavens and the earth? [7:185]. Again, with the eye of certainty they see the realities of the attributes, for Do they not ponder the Qur'an? [4:82]. Again, with the truth of certainty they see the majesty of the Essence, for Dost thou not see thy Lord? [25:45]. The knowledge of certainty relies on demonstration, the eye of certainty derives from clarity, and the truth of certainty is described by face-to-face vision. The knowledge of certainty belongs to the faithful, the eye of certainty belongs to the prophets, and the truth of certainty belongs to MuṣṬafā. This is why the world's folk have reports, and he has face-to-face vision. All the world is the shell, and he is the pearl. All the world is a hanger-on, and he is the goal. Were it not for you, O lustrous pearl, Adam would not have taken a breath in this ruined street.