كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ Kal-laa lau ta‘-lamuuna ‘ilmal-yaqiin!

This Surah is one of the most powerful and prophetic passages of the Qur’an, illuminating man’s unbounded greed in general, and more particularly, the tendencies which have come to dominate all human societies in our technological age. This verse highlights the greedily striving of mankind for an increase in benefits, be they tangible or intangible, real or illusory.

It denotes man’s obsessive striving for more and more comforts, more material goods, greater power over his fellow-men or over nature, and unceasing technological progress.

A passionate pursuit of such endeavours, to the exclusion of everything else, bars man from all spiritual insight and, hence, from the acceptance of any restrictions and inhibitions based on purely moral values - with the result that not only individuals but whole societies gradually lose all inner stability and thus, all chance of happiness.

It is warning man that this unrestrained pursuit of “economic growth” is bound to bring - and has, indeed, brought in our time - frustration, unhappiness and confusion, and man will lose all remnants of spiritual and religious orientation.

The occasion for the revelation of this Surah has been reported to be that the people of Bani Abde-Manaf, Bani Qusai and Ibne-Sahm Ibne Omar, got involved in a mutual contest of priding over each other, the strength, their number and the matter went to the extent of counting even the dead among them, to the sides and once when one of the parties fell short of one to win over the others, a grave was opened and the dead lying therein was counted. Then this Surah was revealed.

The last verse mentions the fact that man will be questioned about the bounties of God which has been granted to him.