Surah Al-’Anbiya’ – Verses 14 - 15 قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَآ...

Surah Al-’Anbiya’ – Verses 14 - 15 قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ فَمَا زَالَتْ تِلْكَ دَعْوَاهُمْ حَتَّي جَعَلْنَاهُمْ حَصِيداً خَامِدِينَ 14. “They said: ‘Oh woe to us! Verily we were unjust’.” 15. “And this their crying ceased not till We made them as reaped corn, extinct.” In any case they may be, they will be informed and aware when they reach this period.

Whatever they used to take joke formerly, they will see in the most serious form and reality in front of them, so that they shout and, as the verse says: “They said: ‘Oh woe to us! Verily we were unjust’.” But this compulsory wakefulness, which comes into being for everybody when they face with the earnest scenes of punishment, is worthless and is of no avail in changing their fate.

Therefore, the Qur’an adds through this verse: “And this their crying ceased not till We made them as reaped corn, extinct.” However, the Qur’anic term /hasid/, in the sense of ‘what is reaped’, means ‘harvested’. The Arabic word /xamid/ means ‘extinguished’. Surah Al-’Anbiya’ – Verses 16 - 17 وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمآءَ وَالاَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لاَعِبِينَ لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَتَّخِذَ لَهواً لاَتَّخَذْنَاهُ مِن لَدُنَّآ إِن كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ 16.

“And We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in play.” 17. “Had We intended that We should take amusement we would certainly have taken it from before Ourselves, if We would do (such a thing).” In view of the fact that the former verses illustrated this fact that the faithless transgressors did not consider any good for their creation except feasting and drinking, or, in fact, they imagined that the world might be aimless.

Here, in order to nullify this doctrine and to prove the existence of a worthy aim for the Divine creation of the whole world in general, and humankind in particular, the Qur’an says: “And We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in play.” This vast land, this high sky, and these various and lively creatures that are found in them, show that there have been an important purpose for their creation.

Yes, they have been created, on one side, to denote that there is a great Creator for them and they are simply some signs to His Grandeur. And, on the other side, they have been created to work as a reason for Resurrection. Otherwise, all these things were meaningless to be created for a few days of life.

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