Quran Garden

Aya 30 of Surah An-Nisaa tells us about the consequences of overstepping boundaries in life.  This isn't just about breaking rules, but understanding what justice really means in the eyes of Allah.  Discover how Allah's power effortlessly operates beyond human limitations.  Let's begin.                   

Session 582

Chapter 4

Verse 30

If any of you does these things, out of transgression and injustice, We will roast him in a Fire: that is easy for God.  (Chapter 4: Verse 30)

This verse was mentioned directly after addressing suicide in Aya 29, as well as the previous advice against consuming wealth unjustly.  Some scholars interpret the phrase "these things" as referring to all the prohibitions in verse 23, such as "You are forbidden to take as wives your mothers, daughters, sisters, paternal and maternal aunts," or verse 22, "Do not marry women that your fathers married." Other scholars point to all the commands and prohibitions from the beginning of the surah until now.  All these interpretations are valid.

"Transgression" is the act of overstepping bounds, which can happen out of hostility, ignorance, or forgetfulness.  If you transgress out of forgetfulness, you need to sit down and reflect on your behavior, because it could lead you to punishment.  However, "injustice" implies knowingly violating the rights of others.

God says, "We will roast him in a Fire."  I would like to remind you that when you hear of someone doing an action, you have to realize that it is proportional to their power.  For example, if I tell you that my 2-year-old son is angry and coming to hit you, you would feel differently than if I told you that the world heavyweight champion boxer is coming to hit you.  Similarly, if the one who is promising you punishment is God Almighty, you should expect a penalty befitting the Almighty.  The suffering will be immesurable.

The Aya continues: "That is easy for God." Ease is to use less time and effort to complete a task.  In fact, the time required to complete a task is inversely related to the power, ability, and resources of the individual performing it.  Let's clarify this point with some examples.  It may take you five hours to walk from your house to the airport, but if you take a car, which has much more power, the trip would take 30 minutes; if you use a helicopter, the same trip may take less than 10 minutes.  In essence, the more power and resources you have under your control, the less time you need to perform the same task.  Likewise, it may take you a whole day to manually add a thousand four-digit numbers, but if you have a calculator, that time is cut by more than half.  A computer would take a few seconds because of its processing power. 

God Almighty is the All-Powerful, All-Knowledgeable, All-Encompassing, the Bountiful.  To Him belong the best of examples.  Thus, by the same principle, Allah requires no time at all to complete a task.  He only commands it to be, and it becomes. 

Allah is swift in judging people to the degree of immediacy.  Moreover, God is neither distracted nor preoccupied with one task over another.  You and I may not perform well when we multitask, and our abilities are even less effective when we are distracted.  God Almighty's abilities surpass all others.  He is infinite in power and speed.  Imam Ali bin Abi Talib was asked: "How will God take all of his creation to account at the same time on the Day of Judgment?" Ali answered: "Just as He provides for all of them at the same time in this world."

Allah's actions require no effort; they happen instantly.  Humans, on the other hand, require both effort and time.  If I want to make a chair, I have to gather wood, measure and cut, and then use nails or glue to assemble the pieces into a chair.  It will take me several hours, including a couple of breaks, a snack, the right tools, and an understanding of the physical mechanics of wood.  Allah's work differs.  He requires no time, effort, material, or mechanics.  God says in the 47th verse of Al Imran,

This is how God creates what He will: when He has ordained something, He only says to it, "Be," and it is.

Pay close attention to the wording of the Aya.  Allah did not say, 'when He has ordained something, He only says, "Be," and it is.' Instead, the Aya reads, "when He has ordained something, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is." In other words, the divine will of Allah brings the matter into existence even before the word "Be" is pronounced.  The word "Be" is for mere clarification to us and an approximation because we do not know of any command shorter than "be."  God says,

Creating and resurrecting all of you is akin to creating or resurrecting a single self: God is all-hearing and all-seeing. (31:28)

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