10.

Sura Yunus (or The Jonah)

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

These are the Verses of the Book of Wisdom. Is it a queer matter for men
that God has sent inspiration to a man among themselves? – That warm mankind
of their danger, and give the good news to the Believers that they with their Lord,
reward for their good deeds. But the Unbelievers consider you just a sorcerer!
God’s Message shines forth through all nature and Creation. He is the One who
created the heavens and the earth in six days; – from the Throne of Authority, He
regulates and governs all things. No intercessor can plead with him, but with His
permission only: He is God your Lord! To Him is the ultimate return of mankind.
In His power is the process of creation and He will again resuscitate the
humankind on the Day of Reckoning; – to reward the righteous and to inflict
grievous Pnealty to those who rejected Him. It is His Command with which the
sun and the moon shines and that you know the time-period. Nothing God created
without any purpose. In all His creations in the heavens and the earth, there are
Signs for those who understand and fear their Lord. But those who have no faith
in Day and are pleased and satisfied with the life of the Present and those who do
not heed the Signs of their Lord; for them is Fire as their final abode because of
their evil. Those who believe and work righteousness, – their Lord will guide
them and will be in the Gardens of Bliss, – their cry will be “Glory to God” and
they will be greeted with, – “Peace”

Those who have no faith in the Hereafter, God leaves those to wander and
trespass in the distraction. When in distress, men cry to God, in all sort of
postures, for His help and mercy. But once God removes his troubles, he behaves
as if he never cried to his Lord. Thus the deeds of the transgressors seem fair in
their eyes! Some ancient generations disobey their apostles who were sent to their
with Clear Signs. Thus the sinners were repaid with their destruction. Then you
were made heirs in the land to see how you behave! When God’s Clear Signs are
rehearsed to those who do not believe in the Hereafter, they say to you (O
Muhammad), that either entirely change or even partially change, what you
rehearse to them, – then alone they would believe! Tell them you had no such a
right from your Lord. They call their Gods as their intercessors with God! Are
they informing God some which He is not aware? Glory to Him! He is above the
partners they ascribe to Him! They say that why a Sign is not sent down to the
Prophet. Tell them that the unseen is only for God to know: then wait and you too
to wait with them. All mankind was created one, and God’s Message to mankind
is in essence one – the Message of Unity and Truth. But then differences spranged
up between individuals. These differences could have settled but it was the Decree
of God – His Universal Will or Wisdom. In His finite Mercy He sent them
messengers and messages to suit their varing mentality, to test them by His gifts,
and stir them up to emulation in virtue and piety.
 When He gives men a taste of mercy after some adversity which had
inflicted them, behold! They start plotting against God’s revelations: Say to them
(O Prophet) that God is more swift in plotting and his messengers (angels) write
down that which they plot. It is He Who causes the ships, with favourable wind,
to sail on the seas and they rejoice the travel. Then comes the stormy wind. The
waves come ghushing to the ship and they think to be overwhelmed: they then cry
to God in sincere terms to show their gratitude if they are saved! But when God
turns away the impeding calamity from them they again transgress. O mankind!
Your insolence is against your own souls, – enjoy the pleasures of the life for the
time being; but be sure, in the end your return is to your Lord. He will show you
the truth of all that you did. The likeness of this world is just like rain which
produces different kinds of foods for men and for the animals alike. The owner
takes all the credit for his lush green fields and thinks that will last for ever! Then
comes some sort of natural calamity and destroys it as if it never flourished. Thus
God explains His Signs in detail for those who reflect upon these. Your Lord calls
you to the Home of Peace (i.e. higher spiritual life) where there is no fear, no
disappointment nor any sort of sorrow or anguish. They will abide their in forever.
But those who have earned evil their reward is also like evil: ignominy will cover
their faces and there will be no defender to releave them from the wrath of God.
They will be the Companion of Fire for ever. On the Day, they along with those
whom they joined with their Lord to account for their deeds. Their gods will say
that they neither knew nor told them to worship them; – and that God is witness to
their truth. On the Day, all the mankind will be brought before their Lord and
every soul will be accountable to its own deeds aforetime.

Know you not that it is He Who sustains and cherishes? Man is reminded
only two ordinary faculties – hearing and sight – as His gifts to mankind. It is He
Who brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living! Will they
not then show piety to Him? The disobedience to Him brings its own terrible
consequences on the disobedient. The Law, the Word, the Decree of God will be
carried on without any doubt; – the rebels of the Truth are woefully wrong and
have to face the consequencies of their rejection. Ask them (O Muhammad) that
could their gods give any guidance towards Truth? It is God Who gives guidance
to Truth; but most of them follow their fancy. Verily God is well aware of all what
they do. No one can produce book like Qur-an. It is a confirmation of revelations
that went before it and further explains the one true revelation which has been
inspired by One True Lord of the Worlds. Ask them (O Muhammad), to make just
one Sura like of the Qur-an if they say it is forged. The Message of God does not
only gives rules for our every-day conduct, but speaks of high matters of mystic
significance, which require elucidation: by instruction from teachers of great
spiritual experience; by experience from the actual facts of life; and by the final
fulfillment of the hopes and warnings which believers take on trust through their
Faith. The Unbelievers reject God’s Message simply because they cannot
understand it and without giving it even a chance of elucidation in any of these
ways. The wrong-doers always come to grief ultimately. But they are insolent that
they prejudge issues in their ignorance before they are decided. Your Lord knows
best those who are out for mischief.

If they charge you (O Muhammad) with falsehood, say to them: “My work
to me, and your’s to you; – you are free from responsibility for what I do, and I
for what you do; – and that you can not make deaf and blind to hear and see, more
over they have no understanding. God is not unjust to man, he is the man who
wrongs to his own souls. One day God will gather all human-kind together. Their
life on the earth will then appear to them as if it had been just a little part of their
little day; so also will appear any interval between their death and the call to
judgement. Assuredly those will be lost who denied the meeting with God and
refused to receive true guidance. To God is their return and ultimately He is the
witness to all that humans do on earth. Every people or generation or nation had
its Message or Messenger: God revealed Himself to it in some way or another. If
that Messenger was ignored or rejected, or His Message was twisted or misused,
the Day of Reckoning will come, when perfect justice will be done and whole
Truth revealed. The Unbelievers seems to be in a hurry for that Day. Tell them (O
Muhammad) that you have no power of harm or profit even for your own self
except by His Will. For everyone a fixed time or period is defined and that there
cannot be delay or advance in it! The mokery of Unbelievers will be turned into
panic when the wrath of God decends on them. It may be so suddently, by night or
by day, when they least expect it. Will they then say of any bit of it: “Let it be
hastened?” This will be the final doom, and they will themselves have brought it
on themselves! When it actually comes, their panic will be indescribable. “Is that
true?” say the Unbelievers. It is the very truth,” is the answer, “and nothing can
ward it off.”

They would give anything to escape the Penalty; but the hardest thing of
all for them is frankly to confess and repent, and, and so they conceal their sense
of shame and ignominy. The judgement between them will be with justice, and no
wrong will be done to them. Be sure whatever is in the heavens and the earth
belongs to God, He gives life and death, to Him you all have to return; – and that
His promise is assuredly true. O mankind! To you have come Guidance and
Mercy – a clear direction from your Lord – and a healing for the disease (evil
acts) in your hearts. God has sent down sustenance for you. But some of you have
forbiddened some and some unlawful on your own will! God has not permitted
you to do such a thing and falsely attribute to God! People who lie in Religion or
invent false worship, – have they any idea of the Day of Judgement, when they
will be called to account, and will has to answer for their deeds? God is most
kind, and gracious, and generous with His gifts of all kinds, material and spiritual.
But men do not understand, and are ungrateful in forgetting the Giver of all and
setting up false objects of worship and false standards of pride.

In whatever activity you might be or whatever the portion of the Scripture

you are reciting, God is a witness thereof. Nor is hidden from your Lord as minute
as an atom or anything biggest whatsoever on earth or in the heavens; – and that
everything is recorded in a clear Record. Behold! Verily on the friends of God
there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. Those who believe and constantly guard
against evil: for them are happy news in their present life and also in the
Hereafter; and that the Words of God could not be changed. Let not their speech
grieve you (O Muhammad). Lo! Power belongs wholly to God. He is the Hearer,
the Knower. To Him belong all the creatures in the and on earth. Those assign
partners to God, worship nothing but their own fancy and are the liars. It is He
Who has made for you Day and Night. Verily, in this are the Signs for those who
listen to His Message. They have ascribed a son to God. Glory to Him – He is
Self-Sufficient. Do not say anything about God of which you have no knowledge.
Those who invent a lie against God will never prosper. A little enjoyment in this
world! – and then, to the Lord is your final return. The rebels have then to taste
severest Penalty for their blaspheme.

Relate to them (O Muhammad) the story of Noah and his People. Noah’s
very life and preaching among his wicked people was a cause of offence to them.
But he feared nothing, trusted in God, delivered the message. He and his few
followers sailed to safety in an Ark and were made to inherit the land. Those who
rejected Noah were destroyed by a great Flood. There after new generations were
brought up. A number of apostles were sent to the people with Clear Signs for the
guidance of the people. But the hearts of the transgressors were sealed and they
rejected the apostles. With the passage of time, there came a period when Moses
and Aaron, with Clear Signs were sent to Pharaoh and his Chiefs. They were the
people in sin and in arrogance. They called the Truth as sorcery! They refused to
turn away from their ways and believes of their fathers; – blamed Moses and his
brother as hungry of power. Pharaoh then arranged a show between his sorcers on
one side and Moses (Signs) on the other. First the sorcerers threw their rods, the
rods became snakes by a trick of sorcery. But Moses miracles were greater than
any tricks of sorcery, and had real Truth behind them, – as God’s Words or
Commands have real power, while sorcerers, tricks only seem wonderful by
deceiving the eye.

None believed Moses except some children of his own people. This was
because of the fear of Pharaoh and his Chiefs, lest they should persecute them as
Pharaoh had power and was a transgressor. Moses admonished to his people that
if they really believed in God then only in Him they should put their trust and
submit their will to His. They said that in God they had put their trust and prayed
to Lord as not to make them a trial for those who practice oppression, – and
deliever them by His Mercy from those who had rejected Him. Moses and his
brother were inspired with Message to provide dwellings for the people in Egypt;
make their dwellings into places of worship; establish regular prayers; and give
Glad Tidings to those who believed. Moses prayed to God that ‘the wealth and
splendor of Pharaoh and his Chiefs had caused them to mislead people from
God’s Path; – turn their wealth into bitterness and harden their hearts until they
are subjected to the grievous Penalty’. The Lord accepted Mose’s prayer. Thus
Moses lead the Children of Israel across the sea safely; and Pharaoh and his hosts
who were chasing them were drowned in the sea. It was then Pharaoh acclaimed
that he believed in One God – that Whom the Children of Israel believed. But
then it was too late for him and the waters swallowed them. God made his body as
a Sign for the coming generations. Presumably his dead body was saved from the
sea and according to Egyptian customs, embalmed and kept in a pyramid. At
present it is in Cairo’s museum (Ramses III).

After many wanderings the Israelites were settled in prosperous land; and
supplied with spiritual guidance through the prophets. They should have known
better than to fall into disputes and schisms, but they did fall. Verily God will
judge amongst them, on the Day of Judgement. The Truth has come to you (O
Muhammad); and if they have any doubt in that, they may ask those who know
about their Book. Those who did not heed the warning and reject the Signs of
God, found to their cost that it was true, and they perished. Such contumacy in the
rejection of Truth only yields when the actual penalty is in sight. Belief then is
induced by irrestible facts: it is not efficacious as Faith. There had been only one
community in the ancient, that of People of Jonah, who were warned, believed,
repentance – the Penalty of ignomity was removed – was given a new lease of
glorious life. Had it been God’s Will all humans on earth would have believed!
Will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind against their will to believe? No
soul will believe except by the Will of God. Neither the Signs nor the Warners
would have any effect on these people. They should expect the same punishment
as on those who passed away. In the end God delievers His apostles and those
who believe. You have to wait and tell them to wait also.

Say to them (O Muhammad): ‘If you are in doubt, I worship not what you
worship, other than God! But I worship God – Who will take your souls at death:
I am commanded to be in the ranks of the Believers’. And (O Muhammad) set
your purpose resolutely for religion, cry not, besides God, to any, if God afflict,
none can remove it save Him; and if He desires any good none can repel it. And
He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Say to them (O Muhammad) that Truth
had reached them from their Lord, one who received guidance, it was for his own
soul; those who stray, it was their own loss; – and that the Prophet is not set over
them to arrange their affairs. You (O Muhammad) follow the inspiration sent to
you and be patient and constant, till God do decide: for He is the Best to decide.