Quran Garden

Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said: Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, asked me to recite the Quran for him.  I said: “O Messenger of Allah, how could I possibly recite to you what was sent down to you?” He replied: “Yes, I love to hear it recited by someone else.” So I recited Surah al-Nisaa until I reached this verse: “How, then, will it be when We bring forward a witness from every nation, and bring you as a witness against them?” He said: “Enough.” I looked up and saw his eyes filled with tears.

Session 616

Chapter 4

Verse 41

How, then, will it be when We bring forward a witness from every nation, and bring you as a witness against them?  (Chapter 4: Verse 41)

The moment you hear the phrase "How, then, will it be" know that something astonishing is coming.  You might say, for example: "You insulted the king!  How, then, will it be when the secret police come and take you to the palace?" A confrontation with an angry king is something beyond imagination.  Thus, future matters that cause wonder are often introduced with "How, then, will it be?" Listen to the following Aya,

How, then, can you disbelieve in God, when you were dead, then He gave you life, then He will make you die, then resurrect you to be returned to Him?  (2:28)

This verse expresses astonishment at the catastrophe of disbelief in God, the Creator.  Explain to us: How did this come about?  How do you justify your disbelief?  And how will it be on the Day of Resurrection when you have to stand before the Lord?

A "witness" is the person who testifies to affirm the truth and establish what is right.  God says,

We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and warning- every community has been sent a warner.  (35:24)

A person who delivers a warning stands as a witness over that community.  A witness to what, you may wonder?  To the fact that he passed on God's message to them.  Muhammad, peace be upon him, is a witness over us, his Ummah, that he delivered God's message.  God says,

How, then, will it be when We bring forward a witness from every nation, and bring you as a witness against them?  (Chapter 4: Verse 41)

In the phrase, "and bring you as a witness against them," who are "them"?  We look at the phrase, "We bring forward a witness from every nation." These witnesses are the messengers who shared God's teachings with their people.  Each will come forth and say, "My Lord, I conveyed your message to them, so now they have no excuse." The verse continues with, "and bring you as a witness against them." Will Muhammad, peace be upon him, be a witness to the other prophets, or a witness against those who denied the prophets?  Is our beloved Muhammad a witness over his nation, or all humanity?  Both meanings are valid.  Let's explore. 

Allah revealed His miraculous Book, the Quran, to our beloved Muhammad.  The Quran tells us many stories of previous messengers, such as Noah, Job, Moses, Jesus, and contains proof that each fully and diligently delivered God's message to his people.  Thus, Prophet Muhammad can testify to this and point to God's word, the Quran, as proof, saying, 'They conveyed God's message to you.' Our Messenger becomes a witness for all heavenly Prophets and against any person from any community who rejects God's message.  Both meanings are valid.  The Qur'an is rich in meanings that do not contradict each other.  This is the greatness of the Qur'an.  It is like a polished diamond, radiating light in many directions as it sparkles and glitters with the truth. 

This brings us back to the verse, "How, then, will it be when We bring forward a witness"?  The disbelievers will be in a terrible shape on the Day of Resurrection, as everyone will be against them, pointing to the fact that they knew the truth, without a doubt, yet denied it.  God says in the 143^rd verse of Surah Al-Baqarah,  

And thus we have made you a middle nation that you will be witnesses over the people, and the Messenger will be a witness over you.

This is a very special privilege for the Ummah of Muhammad.  It is the only community God entrusted to carry the heavenly message until the Last Day.  There are no Prophets or Messengers after our beloved Muhammad.  We, the Muslims, are the official guardians of Islam until the Day of Judgment. 

As you heard in the introduction, when Prophet Muhammad heard ibn Mas'ud recite this Aya from Surah An-Nisaa, he, peace be upon him, wept.  Why?  Because of the gravity of that situation.  If the witness himself wept, then what will be the state of those against whom his testimony is given?  The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is filled with mercy for all humanity.  His concern was that some of us would deny God's message.  Listen to the following Aya as God is consoling him,

You may perhaps wear out your heart because they do not come to believe. (26:3)

Our state of faith worried Muhammad greatly, even though God had made clear to him: 'Your mission is to convey my message, and nothing else.  You are not responsible for guiding people; you are not responsible if they choose to follow my message or ignore it.' He, peace be upon him, knew this.  Yet his concern and mercy for his community made him wish that every person on planet Earth would believe.  He deeply feared for us that a day would come when he would have to stand and testify against some.   

When Allah saw His Messenger preoccupied with the affairs of his community, the Almighty said to him: "If you wish, Muhammad, I could entrust the affairs of your Ummah to you." Look at the greatness of Muhammad, his understanding from Allah, and the purity of faith.  He, peace be upon him, answered, "No, my Lord.  You are more merciful to them than I am." He, peace and blessings be upon him, did not want to take on this responsibility.  Why?  Because if he accepted it, he would learn about the private matters and hidden thoughts of those around him, and he was uncertain how he would react.  But Allah is their Lord who knows all, so who could possibly be more merciful than Him?  How did Allah respond?  The Almighty said, "Then I will never fail you with them."

Abdullah ibn' Amr ibn al-‘As said that the Prophet, peace be upon him, recited Abraham words in the Quran, "My Lord! They have misguided many of mankind.  If anyone follows me, he is with me but if anyone disobeys me, You are Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (14:36), then the words of Jesus, "If You punish them, they are Your slaves.  If you forgive them, You are the Almighty, the All-Wise." (5:118) Then he raised his hands to the heavens and said: "O Allah, my community, my Ummah!" and wept.  God said, "O Gabriel, go to Muhammad and ask him what makes him weep." So Gabriel did as tasked, and Muhammad answered.  Then Allah said, "O Jibril, go to Muhammad and say: We will surely please you concerning your Ummah and will not let you down."