Therefore, we must not feel rest assured of the Divine respites thus provided for us. “And never did We destroy a township, but it had a known decree.” Surah Al-Hijr – Verse 5 مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ اُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ 5. “No nation outstrips its term, nor can they postpone (it). Allah’s way of treatment has been such under all circumstances that He has sought to provide adequate respite for reconsideration by all and for their awakening.
He sends the means to inform all through causing painful disasters to happen, and enabling all to receive blessings one after the other. He does them both: He rewards, threatens, and He warns simultaneously so that each and everyone of the people is provided with the necessary ultimatum. However, as soon as this duration of respite expires, the unavoidable and decisive doom awaits them all.
📌The verse says: “No nation outstrips its term, nor can they postpone (it).” Notes to Be Considered One’s fate and the calamities which ensue are of two kinds: those which are certain to happen, and those which are not so. The deaths which are not certain to occur can be avoided by praying, giving away alms and spending in charity, and making donations as well as charitable acts. They can be altered. However, the deaths which are certain to occur are unchangeable.
Surah Al-Hijr – Verses 6 - 7 وَقَالُوا يَآ أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَـجْنُونٌ لَوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلآئِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ 6. “And they (unbelievers) said: ‘O’ you to whom the (Divine) Reminder has been sent down, you are surely insane;” 7. “If you are of the truthful ones, why do you not bring to us the angels?” The Arabic term /majnūn/ (insane) here does not signify ‘irrational’.
Rather, that means being overtaken by ‘Jinns’, as is the case with the word ‘demoniac’ which means possessed or influenced by demons or by the spirit of the demons. During the age of Ignorance, there was a widespread common belief that poets could compose poems because of the relationship they had with the ‘jinns’ or ‘fairies’.
In these two noble verses, cases of humiliation, ridicule, accusations, and hesitation or skepticism have been mentioned from the tongue of the pagans with respect to the Prophet (S). Employing the phrase ‘O you to whom’ instead of ‘O Prophet!’ exhibits a kind of humiliation. The Arabic term /ŏikr/ is some kind of ridicule when applied by the pagans considering the fact that they did not believe in revelations.