Quran Garden

What if a verse revealed 1,400 years ago spoke about realities scientists are still uncovering today?  Join us in today's Tafsir as we explore powerful verses that bridge faith and scientific discovery, reminding us that divine knowledge is absolute and that every deed, no matter how small, truly counts.

Session 614

Chapter 4

Verse 40

a continuation

God does not wrong anyone by as much as the weight of a speck: And if it's a good deed, He multiplies it and gives a mighty wage direct from Him. (Chapter 4: verse 40)

Allah revealed this verse at a time when humans had no instrument to measure a speck.  We now live in a time where scientists can measure not only atoms, but also subatomic particles.  Particle colliders smash protons together at near-light speed, which creates a shower of scattering new particles.  Detectors trace the curved paths of charged particles in a magnetic field, where tighter curves mean lower momentum, like how a light car can turn sharper than a heavy truck.  Other instruments measure each particle's total energy and speed.  Scientists combine momentum and energy using Einstein's formula to calculate the particle's true rest mass.

The word speck is translated from the Arabic origin Thar-ra, the same word we use today for the atom.  There are those whose goal is to find fault in Islam and God's Book, searching for any opportunity to question its perfection.  They point to the verse,

God does not wrong anyone by as much as the weight of a speck.

They are quick to criticize Islam, saying the speck -or even the Thar-ra atom- is the smallest object God knows, and now, we humans found subatomic particles, so Islam and the Quran are wrong.  We answer: You focused on a single verse and ignored many others.  The Qur'an was revealed as a timeless miracle, meant to resonate with all societies from the time of Muhammad, peace be upon him, until the Day of Judgment. 

In His infinite wisdom, Allah made the Qur'an an enduring miracle, a timeless guide that continues to unveil profound truths about existence and the universe.  Its revelations were not limited to the era of the Prophet, nor are they confined to the past.  As human knowledge advances, deeper meanings emerge, resonating with each new generation.  Glory be to Him who grants every era insights suited to its capacity, and the ability to understand.  The Quran serves two clear purposes.  First, it is the guide for all humans, and second, it is a miracle for all humans.  Let's take them one by one. 

First, as a guide to humanity, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, clearly explained the duties, rights, and responsibilities of every Muslim.  If a person fulfills them properly, they are rewarded; if they neglect them, they are accountable.  Since the advent of Islam, all believers had clear and equal access to this knowledge.  Why?  Because salvation and the Hereafter are dependent on these teachings.  Thus, when it comes to religious and social rulings in the Quran, there are no hidden secrets or matters to be revealed later.  In this regard, the Quran stands as a model of clarity and justice for every generation.

 

The second purpose of the Quran is to serve as a miracle and a proof of Islam's authenticity; the Quran must remain a miracle for every generation and every age.  Thus, when it came to all the matters regarding the creation and the secrets and treasures of the universe, the Prophet shared from his knowledge as much as the minds of his time could comprehend and value.  Many of these matters remain hidden in the Quran's verses, to be revealed at the proper time.  More specifically, when the scientific minds are active in the search and study of such areas, God makes these verses shine with their true meaning.  This makes each scientific revelation in the Quran more appropriate to its time and more impactful, as it is delivered when scientific minds are ready for it.  Thus, Muhammad, peace be upon him, left the explanations of the Quran, which are not related to matters of duties and religious law, to be revealed by time. 

Here you may ask:  Is it fair that our forefathers did not enjoy this knowledge?  We answer that, at the time, their minds and the collective scientific knowledge of humanity would not have been able to comprehend or value such information.  More importantly, being ignorant of this information had zero effect on the lives of Muslims.  For example, if we did not know that the Earth rotates, would our benefit from the Earth decrease?  No, we benefit from the Earth equally whether we know its roundness or not.  Would it affect our actions or accountability before Allah?  Not in the least. 

This brings us back to the splitting of the atom.  The doubters said: God gave the example of a speck as the smallest weight, yet we humans, found something smaller than the atom.  We answer, the verse under study satisfied the minds that understood a speck as a dust particle.  For the satisfaction of today's scientific minds, consider the following verse,

There is no state you are in, whether reading from the Qur'an or doing something else, but We are watching you as you are engaged in it.  There is not the weight of an atom on the Earth and in the heavens that is hidden from your Lord, nor is there anything smaller or greater than this but is recorded in the perspicuous Book.  (10:61)

Let's start with the atom.  The verse above rests on the linguistic principle of comparison.  The term "smaller" is a comparative form, and a comparative cannot exist without a base.  There can be no "smaller" unless there is first something described as "small."

Thus, we are presented with three conceptual stages: The first is the dharrah (a minute speck or an atom), the second is a small sub-particle relative to it, and the third, which is yet smaller than the small.  This Quranic layered structure anticipates further divisions of sub-atomic particles.  If scientists, for example, were to split the proton, the Qur'anic language already encompasses anything "smaller" since every comparative presupposes an original category. 

Whether you believe things can be divided further or gathered together into larger forms, the meaning holds true.  Nothing escapes Allah's knowledge: not the smallest known entity, not that which is smaller, and certainly not that which is larger. 

Let's consider larger objects.  You may not see something because it is too small, but also because it is too big.  If you are standing at the foot of a mountain, you would see large rocks, but may not realize you are next to a mountain.  You would have to step back a few kilometers to see the entire structure.  God says,

He knows what goes into the Earth and what comes out of it, and what comes down from heaven and what goes up into it.  And He is the Most Merciful, the Ever-Forgiving. (34:2)

We return to those who doubt God's message.  More specifically, those who deny resurrection, the day of judgment, and accountability for one's actions.  Listen to God's response,

Still, the disbelievers say, "The Last Hour will never come upon us." Say, Say: "No indeed!  By my Lord – and He is the Knower of the unseen – it most certainly will come upon you.  Not even the weight of a speck of dust in the heavens or Earth escapes His knowledge, nor anything smaller or greater.  It is all recorded in a clear Record."  (34:3)

It is not enough to know that the last Hour is coming.  Allah wants you to understand that everything you do, every glance, whisper, thought, and secret is known and recorded.  He says,

God does not wrong anyone by as much as the weight of a speck of dust: And if it's a good deed, He multiplies it and gives a mighty wage direct from Him. (Chapter 4: verse 40)

Why would anyone deny a day of accountability before the Creator?  The answer is simple.  It is because accountability demands responsibility; If someone lives carelessly, doing wrong without concern, it feels far more comforting for him to say, "This is it, live your life because when we die, there is nothing."  It is self-deception.  By convincing themselves that no reckoning awaits, they feel justified in continuing their behavior unchanged.  In their minds, denial shields them from punishment and gives the green light to continue with their day-to-day behavior.

 

Allah revealed a verse that not only addresses their denial of the afterlife but also the motive behind it.  They rejected the idea because they had wasted their lives and done little good.  In their delusion, it feels safer if the Final Hour never came so that they wouldn't face punishment.  But Allah knows everything they've done.  Nothing escapes Him, and denying it will not erase accountability.