6. Al-An'aam

Those who deny the resurrection on the Day of Rising, and regard standing before Allah to be farfetched, are in utter loss. Until, when the Hour comes upon them suddenly without any prior knowledge, they will say, because of extreme regret: Alas for us and what disappointment, due to our having been neglectful of Allah by disbelieving Him and not preparing for the Day of Rising. They will carry their evil actions on their backs. How terrible are those evil actions that they carry!

The life of the world that you incline towards is nothing but a play and deception for a person who does not perform actions to please Allah. The home of the Afterlife is better for those who are mindful of Allah: doing what He has instructed them to do (such as having faith and following Him) and avoiding what He has prohibited (such as associating partners with Him and committing sin). Do you, idolaters, not understand this, so that you can believe and do good actions?

I know that their outer denial of you, O Messenger, upsets you. Know that inside they do not deny you, because they know your truthfulness and honesty. Instead, they are people who do wrong because of their rejection of Allah’s words and they therefore dislike what you have brought and deny it on the outside.

Do not think that such a denial is only in relation to what you have brought. Messengers before you were also denied and harmed by their communities, but they faced this with patience in their calling towards Allah and striving in His path until help came to them from Allah. No one can hold back the help that Allah has written and promised to His messengers. Information about the messengers before you and the difficulties they faced in their communities, and information about the help that Allah gave them by destroying their enemies, has come to you, O Messenger.

If their denial and turning away from the truth you have brought is difficult for you, O Messenger, then see if you can find a tunnel into the ground or a ladder into the sky so that you may bring them more proof in addition to what I have already given you. If Allah willed to guide them to the guidance that you brought, He would have done so. However, He has not willed this because of His wisdom. So do not be among those who are ignorant of this and lose yourself in regret over their denial.

Only those who listen to the speech and understand it will respond to what you have brought. The disbelievers are dead and worthless because their hearts have died. Allah will raise the dead on the Day of Rising and then they will be returned to Him for Him to repay their actions.

The idolaters make stubborn demands and delay acceptance of faith, and say: Why has no extraordinary sign been sent down to Muhammad as a proof from His Lord about the truth of what he has brought? Say, O Messenger: Allah is able to send down a sign as you wish, but most of these idolaters, who demand that a sign be sent down, do not know that signs are only sent down in accordance with Allah’s wisdom and not according to their demands. If He was to send it down and they still did not believe, then He would destroy them.

There is no animal on earth or any bird flying in the sky except that they are species like you, O children of Adam, with respect to their creation and provision. I have not left out anything in the Preserved Tablet. The knowledge of all of them is with Allah. Then they will all be gathered to their Lord on the Day of Rising for the final decision and each will be recompensed according to what they deserve.

Say, O Messenger, to these idolaters: Tell me, if a punishment from Allah comes to you or if the Hour that you have been promised comes to you, will you call on anyone besides Allah at that time to remove the calamity and difficulty that has come upon you? This is if you are truthful that those whom you worship can bring benefit and remove harm.