Quran Garden

Session 520

Chapter 3

Verse 188

Do not suppose those who rejoice in what they have done and love to be praised for what they have not done —do not suppose them saved from punishment, and there is a painful punishment for them.  (Chapter 3: Verse 188)

We continue with the people who "love to be praised for what they have not done." In the previous session, we discussed how praise, in and of itself, is encouraged as long as it is deserved and motivates people to do better.  We find a great example of how rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked builds healthy societies in the story of 'Dhul-Qarnayn.' God says,

They will ask you about Dhu'l-Qarnayn. Say: "I will tell you something about him.  We established his power in the land and gave him the means to achieve everything." (18:83-84)

Power and rule are not inherent to the ruler, king, or president.  Instead, it has to be "established" for him or her.  Allah is the true grantor of rule.  He says,

Say: "O God, Master of all dominion!  You give dominion to whom You will, and extract dominion from whom You will, and You honor whom You will, and abase whom You will; in Your hand is all good; surely You have full power over everything." (3:26)

A ruler with proper faith understands that he only reached this position because God allowed it, and God could take power away at any moment.  Such a leader would never be a tyrant because faith teaches him that he is not self-sufficient.  As for those who get drunk on power, we say: if you are a natural-born leader, look around and see if anyone held power forever.   

Allah also gave Dhu’l Qarnayn "the means to achieve everything."  Means come in two varieties: direct and indirect.  For example, if you put on nice clothes, it is an indirect means to look good.  Stop and think where the clothes came from: they were probably sown by a skilled tailor who bought the fabric from a textile factory that spun the cotton, who in turn, received a shipment of raw cotton from a farmer.  A few months ago, the farmer cultivated the soil, sowed the seeds, and irrigated it.  God says,

Consider the seeds you sow in the ground- Is it you who cause it to grow, or is it We Who make it grow? (56:63-64)

Do this exercise for any bounty you have; it will ultimately lead to a source outside of human control that has no cause except the Almighty.  This also applies to modern inventions.  Take the example of a light bulb.  It comes from a factory that sources glass from sand, plastic from oil, and copper from mines.  All raw materials had no human involvement and lead you to the Creator, the Most High.

All the means and the causes at our disposal are traced, their succession always ends with Allah.  What is our role?  God answers, "We established his power in the land and gave him the means to achieve everything, so he followed the means." In other words, Allah grants you everything and all you do is weave matter and mind together to achieve your goals.  

The story continues: When he reached the place where the sun sets, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and by it he found a people.  We said, "Dhul Qarnayn, You may either punish them, or treat them with kindness." (18:86).  The expression, "he reached the place where the sun sets," is only from the perspective of the observer.  At the beach, you see the sun setting into the sea, but if you sail to that spot, the sun keeps moving into the horizon because it never sets. 

Many people look at the phrase, "We said, 'Dhul Qarnayn, You may either punish them, or treat them with kindness'" as a choice to punish or to be kind and forgive those you were about to punish.  However, the precision and nuance of the text show us that God gave Dhul Qarnayn the authority to rule as he wished.  The wise leader understood this authorization and did not take it as a license to be a tyrant.  Instead, he said, "We shall punish those who have done evil."  He was fair and decided to punish the guilty and reward the righteous. 

It is crucial to understand that this isn't the punishment the wrongdoer deserves.  It is only a worldly penalty, so they would not persist in evil.  Later, God will punish them with the just and proper punishment.  He says, "And when they are returned to their Lord He will punish them with a dreadful punishment." Note that the initial worldly punishment was not described as dreadful, but the one in the Hereafter was.  Why?  We answer that worldly punishment is according to the capacity of humans and their justice system; many criminals escape it altogether.  But Allah's punishment is according to His power and justice.  May Allah have mercy on us. 

What about Dhul Qarnayn's attitude towards those who believed?  The verses continue, "While those who believed and did good deeds will have the best of rewards: we shall command them to do what is easy for them." (18:88)  Honor, reward, and ease for law-abiding citizens who do good in their jobs, and punishment for the transgressors: This is the foundation of a healthy and well-functioning society.  People will look and ask, what must I do to receive an award and recognition?  In such a society, the answer is always: hard and honest work.  Isn't that why everyone loves football?  If you score goals, you are honored; if you are not a team player, you are sent to the benches. 

An old adage goes: "Whoever does not thank people, does not thank God."  Faith and gratitude are deeply intertwined.  In order to inspire people to work hard, you must offer rewards and appreciation.  But there is a dangerous flip side: a boss who gives incentives and promotions, not to those who do their job well, but to employees who bring gossip, flattery, and act as "yes" men and women fosters an environment of corruption and laziness. 

This brings us back to the verse.  God says about those who "love to be praised for what they have not done:" "Do not suppose them saved from punishment, and there is a painful punishment for them." This verse forms the foundation of faith and the relationship between the ruler and the ruled and defines the proper relationship of the individual with himself and those around him.  It also reaffirms the appropriate consequences of good deeds and sins. 

You may fall into sin from time to time, and may even take pleasure in the act.  However, once the thrill passes, sincere regret is the only feeling of the faithful.  More importantly, there should be no insistence or persistence in sin.  Ibn Abbas narrated that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "There is no such thing as a major sin when there is repentance, and there is no such thing as a minor sin when there is insistence." So beware of taking pride in sin and seeking people's approval; otherwise, you will be gathered with those who will not be "saved from punishment, and there is a painful punishment for them" on the Day of Judgement.     

The word "saved" is translated from the Arabic مَفَازَة (Mafaza), which is the place where a person hopes for deliverance and victory.  The Arabs optimistically called the barren desert مَفَازَة (Mafaza.)  Perhaps a more proper name would have been 'condemned' or 'doomed' because those who enter it alone rarely return.  The name مَفَازَة (Mafaza) is meant to instill hope in the person lost in the desert and his awaiting family, but it is far from reality. 

The people who "rejoice in what they have done and love to be praised for what they have not done" are under a similar illusion that they are safe from punishment.  They think their victory in this world is the ultimate, and there will never come a time when they will be asked about their actions.  Allah reminds them in the next Aya of Al Imran:

The sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs to God; God has power over everything. (3:189)