Read the Quran Chapter 20 English

20:1-6
The Quran is a reminder of the call to the Truth, but its full impact is felt only when the caller himself is fully dedicated to the cause of God, having sacrificed his own interests thereto. If he is to bring people to the right path, he must be seen to put others’ welfare before his own, even if this brings him toil and trouble. But no matter how perfect the presentation of the call to the Truth may be, only those will receive guidance from it who are capable of recognizing and appreciating the truth, and for whom the reasoned argument alone is enough to open their eyes. The August Being, who created the universe, has Himself revealed the Quran. Therefore, there is no contradiction between the Quran and nature. The Quran is a reminder of the truth. But its impact can only be commensurate with the ability —already innate in human nature—to recognise the truth.

20:7-8
In this world, on the one hand, there are those whose creed is to compromise on their principles for the sake of their worldly interests and, on the other hand, there are the few who call people to the Truth and whose creed is based on remaining in consonance with God. The first group readily finds in its surroundings friends and supporters, and does not feel isolated. In contrast to this, those who give the call to the Truth stand apart, but on the firm foundation of God who is beyond the vision of mortal eyes. Time and again the preacher becomes uneasy due to the disturbing nature of the prevailing conditions. Often he turns towards his God with prayers in his heart, and sometimes the words of prayer escape from his lips loud and clear in articulate form. To all appearances it seems that in this populous world, he is all alone and that there is nobody who is his friend or supporter. But this is a matter of outward appearance. In reality, the preacher who gives a call to the Truth, stands on the firmest ground, because he calls for the support of God, who is aware not only of the prayers uttered in solitude but also of the whispering of the heart; such a preacher seeks to make that Being (God) his supporter who possesses all the imaginable and unimaginable powers that are required for giving anyone assistance.

20:9-10
Moses was born in Egypt. There, by some mischance, a Copt got killed by him. Thereafter, he left Egypt and went to Madyan. After he had spent many years there and was married, he decided to return to Egypt, taking along with him his wife and his flock of sheep. In the course of this journey, Moses passed through the Tur valley situated in the south of the Sinai peninsula. When night fell, he was unable to make out the way in the darkness. Moreover, it was winter time and the weather was bitterly cold. But soon he saw some far-off fire burning. Moses immediately set off in that direction to obtain some burning brands to keep them warm and also in the hopes of finding someone of whom he could ask the way.

20:11-16
The fire seen by Moses was not an ordinary fire, but the glowing manifestation of God’s glory. Therefore, when he reached there, he was made to realise the importance of the audience he was having. He was asked to remove his shoes in order that, in all humility, he should be fully attentive. Then came the voice informing him that he was in the presence of God and that He (God) had chosen him as His messenger. At that time, the instructions given to Moses were the same as were always given to all God’s prophets, namely, to hold worthy of worship the one and only God, to pray to Him alone and to remember Him on all occasions. Then, Moses was informed of the fact that the present world was a world of trial, and that for a certain period God had kept the realities hidden in the realms of the unseen. On the Day of Judgement, this curtain would be torn asunder. Thereafter, the second phase of man’s life would start, when everybody would be judged according to his deeds in the present world. When emotions and desires get the better of a man, he becomes unmindful of the Hereafter and starts pursuing the ways of this world. To justify his misdeeds, he masks the true nature of the course of his action in beautiful and charming words. Others are impressed. On hearing this, they too become forgetful of the Hereafter. Under these circumstances, a man of faith needs to be extremely watchful about his own attitude and actions. He needs to save himself from being influenced by those who are unmindful of God and forgetful of the Hereafter.

20:17-22
The question ‘What do you have in your right hand?’ was meant to awaken Moses’s awareness. Its purpose was to impress afresh on his mind that his stick was but a stick, so that the next moment when, due to a miracle of God, it changed into a snake, he should be fully aware of its significance. Moses’ stick being changed into a snake was a miracle of transformation. But it must be borne in mind that all the things we see on earth are actually in a process of transformation. An acorn planted in soil and watered will one day grow into a mighty oak tree. Vapour condenses and turns into water, and water, when boiled, will turn into steam. Some of these processes are rapid and others are slow. Some are so slow—like the growth of a tree—that they are imperceptible to the human eye. The slower the process, the less strange it seems, because its slowness gives us time to familiarise ourselves with the phenomenon. When Moses’ stick took the shape of a snake, it happened in an instant, and so seemed very strange and startling. The fact is that whatever there is in this world, or whatever the events, all are ‘miracles’ of God, be it the emerging of a sapling from the earth or a stick becoming a snake. ‘Extraordinary’ miracles are shown through prophets to make man take notice of the everyday miracles wrought by God.

20:23-24
Incidents in the lives of prophets of the past are mentioned in the Bible as well as in the Quran. But, at many places, there are meaningful differences in the versions respectively of the Quran and the Bible. For instance, in this case, the Bible says: Moses kept his hand on his chest and covered it, and when he brought it out and saw it, it was white like ice, due to leprosy (Exodus 4:7). The Bible attributes the whiteness of Moses’s hand to ‘leprosy’. In this context, the Quran’s describing of the miracle of the white hand and the adding of the words ‘without any blemish’ clearly indicate that the Qur’an is not derived from the Bible, but is directly from God, who is All-knowing. As such, it corrects the biblical version. Moses was given two special miracles. The miracle of the snake was the sign of power, and the miracle of the bright white hand was a symbol of his standing for a luminous Truth. Pharaoh transgressed all limits when, having attained power, he considered himself to be god. The literal meaning of ‘Pharaoh’ is the child of the sun. The ancient Egyptians used to regard the sun as the greatest god–the Mighty Lord. So Pharaoh had declared himself the representative of the sun god on earth. He had statues of himself made and installed in all the cities of Egypt and these statues were worshipped. Power is a blessing conferred by God; when a man receives this blessing, he should be overwhelmed with gratitude. But if he is vain and arrogant, he not only feels no gratitude, but he also sets himself up as God’s equal.

20:25-36
After attaining prophethood, Moses might well have developed a sense of pride. But, at that time, the nature of his request to God reveals that he did not take prophethood as a matter of pride but as a matter of responsibility. At that time, the words he uttered were those of one who is fully conscious of the delicate and exacting responsibility attached to the work of a mission. The opening of the heart for a man of the mission means that, according to the different occasions that may arise, appropriate guidance may enter it unhindered. The easing of the situation means that opponents should never succeed in impeding the work of the divine mission. Loosening the knot of the tongue means acquiring the capability to address large gatherings without hesitation in order to give the divine call. Almighty God granted all this to Moses to enable him to effectively discharge the responsibility of prophethood. Along with this, at his request, He made his (Moses’) brother, Aaron, a powerful assistant to him. This special assistance given to a prophet may also be given to a dayee, who is not a prophet, provided that he devotes himself fully to the work of the mission as the prophet had done. Remembrance of God is the real purpose of religion. But, remembrance does not mean the mere oral repetition of certain words. It indicates rather that state which is quite naturally engendered by the discovery of Truth. At that time, a man experiences the perfection of God’s attributes to the point of being quite swept away by them. He becomes so overwhelmed with godly feeling that he dedicates himself unstintingly to the divine cause.

20:37-40
The original inhabitants of Egypt were the Copts (Qibti) whose political and religious representative was Pharaoh. The other community there was that of the the Children of Israel (Israelites) who had migrated and settled there during the period of Joseph (Yusuf). At the time of Moses’ birth, Pharaoh, intending the complete extermination of the Israelite race, had given orders for all male children born in Israelite homes to be killed. Moses’s mother, inspired by God, placed her baby in a basket and set it adrift on the waters of the river Nile, in order to save him from being killed. The basket floated down the river and reached a spot near the royal palace where Pharaoh and his wife saw him. Moved by pity for the small child, they took him and kept him in the palace. Thereafter, at the suggestion of Moses’s sister, his mother was appointed to breast-feed him. It was a miracle of God that Moses was brought up and educated by that very Pharaoh who would have had him killed, had he known his identity, and who was later to become his greatest enemy. When Moses grew up, he intervened in a quarrel between an Egyptian and an Israelite. When he took the Egyptian to task, the latter died quite unexpectedly. Then, orders were issued by the government for Moses to be arrested. But, Moses secretly left Egypt and reached Midian. There in the desert, he had many new experiences. After the Egyptian’s being killed, Moses prayed with great fervour to Almighty God, as a result of which He led Moses to understand that this incident could afford him valuable lessons.

20:41-44
When, after a series of testing experiences, Moses reached the final stage of maturity, God assigned to him prophethood, so that he might communicate the divine message to man. Moses was given two pieces of advice—that he should never be remiss in the remembrance of God and that he should never be coercive in the performance of the mission of communicating the message of God to man. Remembrance of God means belief in God being so all-pervasive that the thought of God comes to mind, time and time again. Every observation a man makes and every incident in his life should, coupled with his God-consciousness, be the cause of awakening for him. While ordinary people live on material food, the preacher of Truth lives on the remembrance of God. Remembrance of God is an asset to the faithful (mu’min) and to the missionary alike. The second essential element is the adoption of a lenient approach in the communication of divine message to man. The very fact that Moses was so instructed when he had to approach such an arrogant person as Pharaoh shows that a tactful and considerate attitude in mission work is an absolute requirement in all cases. Even arrogance or harsh behaviour on the part of those who are the addressees, does not give the missionary any right to deviate from being kind and understanding in his approach.

20:45-48
Pharaoh was an extremely haughty and arrogant person. Having acquired power, he had started considering himself to be a god. So Moses feared that when the message of the real God was presented to him, he would flare up in anger. But God’s messengers are under His protection. So Moses was commanded to proceed and to be rest assured that Pharaoh, despite his great might and power, would not be able to do him any harm. The Israelites were monotheists like the Muslims. But, being in the midst of the polytheistic community of Egypt, they were badly affected by its polytheistic culture. Moreover, the rulers had subjected them to such privation and hard labour as to render them incapable of thinking about such higher realities as the oneness of God and the life hereafter. Therefore, Moses was instructed to remove the Israelites from this sphere and settle them elsewhere, so that they could be brought up and educated far away from this vitiating atmosphere of polytheism and ignorance.

20:49-52
Pharaoh’s question, ‘Who is your Lord?’ did not mean that he was not aware of any god besides himself, or that he quite finally denied the existence of a superior god. All it showed, in fact, was contempt for Moses’ utterance, rather than being a straight denial. In Egypt, Joseph had preached the oneness of God. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Israelites were still living there and they professed faith in the one God. In this way, belief in one superior God existed in Egypt, but the power, pomp and glory were Pharaoh’s. According to the belief of the Egyptians, Pharaoh was the worldly manifestation of their greatest god, the sun. He was Egypt’s god-king and idols and statues of him had become objects of worship throughout Egypt. Moses, in stark contrast to this, belonged to the Israelite community—a community held in low esteem because of its slave-labour status. Against this background, his faith could have no public significance in Egypt. In this world there are innumerable things, each one of which has its peculiar structure and its own method of working. Everything functions according to immutable laws. Even an arrogant king like Pharaoh was not exempt from this system—which clearly proves the existence of a Superior Creator. When Moses made this statement, Pharaoh felt that he had no direct reply to it; so he gave the matter a new turn. Finding himself weak in the field of reasoning and arguments, he wanted to incite prejudicial feelings and thus maintain his own superiority among his people. Therefore, he asked Moses—if whatever he said was true—what had happened to the great ones of the past, who, according to Moses, had died while in a misguided condition. Moses did not answer this question directly. Instead he said, ‘You had better leave this matter to God and think about yourself.’

20:53-55
The creation of the earth, the institution of the system of rainfall, the growth of plants and greenery and other natural phenomena that have made the present world habitable for living things, are astonishingly great and wonderful manifestations. They are ‘signs’ which prove that the Creator and Lord of this world can be none other than Almighty God. In order to bring into existence such a world as the present one, extraordinary power is required, which is available neither to any ‘Sun’ nor to any ‘King’. This being so, there is no alternative but to admit that the One who has created our world and the One who controls it is a Superior Being, namely God. This proves, moreover, that this world has not been created in vain; ours is not a world which has come into existence without purpose and which is likely to end in the same way. A meaningful world implies a meaningful end. Keen observation of this world provides proof of the oneness of God and also of the life hereafter.

20:56-58
Moses continued to preach to Pharaoh over a long period of time, using rational arguments and also showing him miracles of a physical nature. But Pharaoh did not believe in Moses. In reality, admitting the truth of Moses’s preaching would have amounted to a negation of himself—something which his proud and egoistic mentality would never permit. Pharaoh tried to nullify Moses’s rational arguments by means of irrelevant pleas. On the subject of his miracles, Pharaoh alleged that they were simply magic, i.e., something which had no relevance to God, and insisted that anybody could acquire the necessary expertise to perform such feats. In order to keep up his boastful assertions, he said that he, through his magicians, could perform the same feats or miracles as Moses had demonstrated. After some discussion, it was finally decided that, at the forthcoming national fair, magicians of the country should gather, and there should be a competition between them and Moses before all the people.

20:59-61
Pharaoh sent his messengers throughout the country with an invitation to all the expert magicians. When they had gathered at the fair grounds, before the start of the contest, Moses made a speech. This speech was nothing new to the people; it was in the nature of a reminder. The magicians and other people were already aware of what Moses’ message was going to be. They knew that Moses upheld the unity of God as opposed to the belief in a multiplicity of gods, or in the existence of partners to God. Against this background, Moses took this last opportunity to give the final admonition. He impressed upon Pharaoh and the magicians how vital it was not to treat this as mere conjuring. He said that it was an extremely serious matter to treat any sign from God as if it were magic and then to try to surpass it by human sleight of hand. This amounted to an attempt to counter actual reality by means of an absolutely unreal thing; this would certainly result in destruction. He clarified that while they were apparently bent on proving him false, what they were doing in reality, was trying to prove the falsity of God Himself. Those who give free rein to this type of arrogance can never succeed in the world of God.

20:62-64
Moses’ initial speech caused a difference of opinion among the magicians. One group said that this was the statement not of a magician but of a prophet. Others were opposed to it and held that Moses was a magician no different from themselves. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). These magicians were certainly capable of recognising their co-professionals. The more experienced among them realised that what they were about to encounter were miracles, not magic. So now they felt afraid to enter the competition. However, at the instance of Pharaoh and his enthusiastic companions, they agreed to compete. At that time, the entire structure of Egyptian life was based on polytheistic beliefs. The worship of Pharaoh as the personification of their super god (the sun) was the foundation of their political and social systems. Pharaoh provoked and exploited public sentiment by saying that the extant system based on the best traditions was their national system, and that if the upholders of God’s unity succeeded in their mission, their entire national system would be overthrown.

20:65-70
The competition started with the magicians throwing their ropes and sticks on the ground where they seemed to move about in the shape of snakes. But this was an illusory effect. In other words, the ropes and sticks had not really changed into snakes. The magicians had simply created an optical illusion to play upon the imagination of the audience, so that it would temporarily appear to them as if the ropes and sticks were wriggling on the ground like snakes. Then, in accordance with God’s orders, Moses threw his stick on the ground where it immediately assumed the shape of a big snake, and started moving along the ground. At its touch, the magicians’ spell broke, then all the things which had appeared to be moving about like snakes turned back into mere ropes and sticks. The magicians had already been impressed by Moses’ speech, and now that they had had a practical demonstration of his powers, they saw with their own eyes the truth of Moses’ stand. They were now absolutely certain that the power Moses possessed was not that of human magic, but the actual ability to perform a miracle of God. This conviction was so deep that they thereupon declared their conversion to Moses’ faith.
20:71
This was not merely a competition between two types of persons to see who could perform the greatest feats; it was actually a confrontation between monotheism and polytheism. In other words, this competition was to decide whether truth was on the side of the one true God or the many gods of the idolaters. As Pharaoh’s ‘greatness’ was completely based on polytheism, he could not tolerate its defeat and pronounced the severest punishment for the magicians, according to the law of ancient Egypt. When Pharaoh was defeated in the field of arguments and reasoning, he tried to suppress the truth by force. This has been the general mentality of those in power in all ages, whether their power be dynastic or democratic in origin.

20:72-73
The magicians, on the one hand, were confronted by the cogent reasoning of Moses, and on the other, the towering personality of Pharaoh. The magicians preferred convincing arguments to authoritarianism, although they knew very well how dearly they would pay for their choice. The magicians’ faith was not of the hereditary or formal, ritual kind: it amounted to a ‘discovery’ for them. And faith received as a discovery is so powerful that under its influence everything else appears worthless—be it a great personality or some other worldly consideration.

20:74-76
What is meant by ‘becoming a criminal or a delinquent’? Delinquency is that state to which a man descends when he has a sign from God shining brightly before his eyes, but fails to learn a lesson from it. Truth is revealed to him in the language of reason, but he ignores it. He is not capable of pulling himself out of the grip of worldly forces and material considerations to the point of admitting the Truth. In the life hereafter there is the sternest punishment for such people. The troubles of this world, howsoever great, are necessarily limited in their severity by the very fact of being bound to come to an end—sooner or later—with death. But the hereafter is a place from which man, beset by unspeakable afflictions, will find it impossible to run away, for there, he will not even have death ahead of him to put an end to his torment. Paradise is for one who purifies himself and purification consists of giving up a life of carelessness and neglect, and adopting a prudent way of living. The aspirant to Paradise abstains from all things that come in the way of Truth. He rids himself of the hindrance of any worldly considerations obstructing his path. He crushes the base desires of his self when they arise. If feelings of false pride and the urge to transgress raise their heads within him, he stifles them and buries them in his innermost self. Such are men of true faith. In this world their faith takes the shape of a garden of pious deeds. In the life hereafter, it will be returned to them in the shape of heaven’s eternally flourishing garden.

20:77-79
After the confrontation with the magicians, Moses remained in Egypt for many years. On the one hand, he persisted with his preachings to Pharaoh and his community, while on the other hand, he demanded that he be allowed to take his people along with him out of Egypt to the Sinai desert, so that they could freely pray to the one and only God. But Pharaoh neither accepted his advice, nor did he allow him to leave Egypt. At last, at God’s behest, Moses decided to migrate in secrecy. In accordance with a predetermined plan, all the Israelite as well as non-Israelite believers who were there in Egypt at that time gathered at a particular place and from there collectively marched onwards. No sooner had this caravan reached the northern Gulf of the Red Sea than Pharaoh arrived there in pursuit of them with his army. Before them was the wide gulf like a vast sea and behind them was Pharaoh’s army. Then, Moses struck the water of the gulf with his stick, and the water divided into two parts. Moses and his companions, walking on the dry land in the middle, reached the other side safely. On seeing this, Pharaoh also embarked on the same course. But as soon as Pharaoh and his army reached the middle, the two separate walls of the water gushed back in and joined together, so that they were all drowned. The same sea, which had provided a path of deliverance to God’s faithful subjects, became a pit of death for His enemies. Generally, people who rely on their leaders ignore the Truth. Pharaoh’s example certainly shows that a leader’s support can be very weak. In this world, those who chalk out their path by following God’s signs rather than the dictates of some great national figure are the ones to enjoy real support.

20:80-82
After crossing the gulf, Moses and his companions pushed onwards until they reached the Sinai desert. They then went to the foot of Mount Tur, where they were given the code of ethics (shari‘ah) in the form of ten commandments with due solemnity. These people remained in the Sinai Desert for almost forty years. Here, as a special gift of God, they were provided with water and food, manna (mann) and quails (salwa). This arrangement continued till a subsequent generation reached the fertile area of Palestine. Almighty God’s subjects can expect their Creator, as a matter of their right, to provide them with sustenance, whatever the circumstances. That is what they are entitled to. And God has the right to expect that his subjects will never under any circumstances be arrogant or disobedient towards Him. For those who remain grateful to God for His blessings, there shall be further blessings from Him, but for those who become arrogant, there shall be severe and unending punishment.

20:83-85
After Moses’ departure from Egypt, Almighty God appointed a date for him to go to the same place at the foot of Mount Tur, where he had initially been awarded prophethood. Moses was required to reach this place along with his community in order to receive the Torah. But, in his enthusiasm, he proceeded quickly and reached the appointed place a few days earlier, leaving his community behind. Moses’ absence proved to be a trial for his community. Some polytheistic-minded persons in the community, led by the Samiri, took advantage of Moses’ absence to mislead the people into becoming calf worshippers, as was the common practice in Egypt in those days.
20:86
When Almighty God informed Moses that his community had gone astray, he returned to his community very emotionally upset. He reminded his people that God had only recently showered His blessings on them and had revealed His many signs to them. So, how was it that they had forgotten everything so quickly and gone astray? Moses had gone to receive revelations from God for the Israelites and in the meantime the Israelites had started indulging in the worship of false deities at the instigation of certain misguided persons. This shows how deeply the polytheistic atmosphere of Egypt had influenced the Israelites and why it had become necessary to take them away from Egypt in order to restore them to the worship of the one God. Whatever Moses did with regard to Pharaoh was in connection with his dawah mission, and whatever he did with regard to the Israelites was in the context of safeguarding true religion. He performed both these tasks simultaneously. This shows the importance of both these tasks. If the Muslims had gone astray, dawah activity could not be stopped on that account and, similarly, if dawah work had to be done, it was not to be at the cost of internal reform.

20:87-89
According to ancient custom, the Israelite women were probably laden with heavy jewelry. During the journey when the community halted to set up camp, the women removed their jewels and put them all together in one place. Among the Israelites, there was one al-Samiri (the Samaritan) who was experienced in the old Egyptian art of making likenesses of deities. He melted these jewels down and made from them a calf-shaped statue. This calf was hollow from inside and shaped so skillfully that when the breeze passed through it, it gave out a sound like the lowing of a bull. Then al-Samiri said to the ignorant Israelite community, ‘See, here is your real God, and Moses has gone in search of God, to which mountains nobody knows.’ The ‘Samiris’ of every age fool the people in exactly the same way. They make a fetish of some tangible thing, then try to prove that it is the greatest reality. Being duped by their glib talk, large crowds of gullible people gather around them. Worship of material objects has been the greatest weakness of man from time immemorial till the present day.

20:90-91
After the departure of Moses, Aaron, entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the community, tried to guide his people, but he did not have as much influence over them as Moses did. So they did not desist from their wrongful practice of calf-worship, in spite of Aaron advising them against it. When Aaron’s insistence increased, they expressed their determination to continue. They pointed out that it would be for Moses to take a decision in this matter on his return. Had Aaron acted with sternness, it would have had no effect, because his supporters were few in number. He, therefore, preferred for the time being, to adopt a policy of patience, rather than launch himself on a futile course of action; in the meantime he prayed to God for the reformation of his people.

20:92-94
Moses took his brother severely to task. Aaron explained that it was not that he had not tried to reform the people, or that he had reconciled himself to their ignorance. On the contrary, he had tried with all the force at his command to dissuade them from adopting such idolatrous practices. However, the problem was that the majority of the people had been influenced by Samiri’s guile and had become his supporters. When Aaron persisted, they were ready to fight and shed blood. Therefore, he was afraid that if he continued his efforts, there would be strife and bloodshed within the community. Aaron said that when matters had reached this stage, he had to choose between two alternatives: either internal strife or postponement of the issue till Moses’ return. Aaron adopted the second alternative as being the more advisable. In many instances, to avoid bloodshed, remaining non-commital is a better option, for the other option may prove to be greater evil.

20:95-98
When Moses came to know that Samiri was the leader behind this episode, he made enquiries of him. Samiri cunningly made excuses and said that whatever he had done was done under the influence of divine inspiration (kashf) and that some earth taken from the footprint of the Prophet Moses himself had been included in the idol as being auspicious. Samiri’s attempt to deceive Moses and at the same time win cheap popularity in his community cast a more serious light upon his crime. For his sins, God punished him (according to the Bible) with the disease of leucoderma, with additional punishment to be meted out to him in the life hereafter. His body became so obnoxious that people used to shun him. He became the most hated person in his community. In order to cleanse the Israelites’ minds of the false impression they had formed of the greatness of the calf deity, Moses burnt it before their eyes and floated the ashes in the sea.

20:99-104
The fate which befell those who denied the truth brought into this world by the prophets was but a partial demonstration of God’s judgement, which will only fully unfold itself on the Day of Judgement and be applicable to all humanity. The Quran is a reminder of this very reality. When a person ignores the truth in this world, it seems to be a mere triviality, but in the Hereafter, this action of his will become a heavy burden upon him. When the divine trumpet (sur) announces that the period of trial is over, people will suddenly find themselves in another world. When it becomes clear to man that the world which he took to be his own was in fact God’s world, he will be so terror-stricken that his entire being will undergo a transformation, and his face will be a reflection of it. In the present world, man ignores the life hereafter, as if it were something very distant. But, after the advent of Doomsday, he will feel that the life of this world was nothing but a few numbered days, and the entire long life thereafter, stretching out before him into eternity, is the actual and ultimate reality.

20:105-108
On Doomsday, the earth will be turned into a flattened plain. At that time there will be neither the heights of the mountains nor the depths of the seas. All human beings will be reborn and assembled on this ground. In this world when God’s voice is directed to mankind through His spokesmen, it is ignored by many individuals. But, on Doomsday, when God will directly call the people, they will follow the direction of His voice without the slightest deviation. People will be so terrified that they will not be able to utter a single word. Except for the sound of dragging feet, no other sound will be heard.

20:109-112
It is baseless to believe that recommendation in itself is effective. God, being fully aware of the condition of His subjects, needs no reports from others. Nor is He weak: He is not, therefore, amenable to pressures. However, under certain special circumstances, God Himself may be pleased to honour a request. On the Day of Judgement, real importance will be attached to what the individual has brought with him in terms of his piety, his good deeds and his personal virtues. One who has founded his life on untruth is bound to meet with failure in the Hereafter. There, only those will be successful who recognised their Lord—who remained invisible in this world—and who shaped their lives in accordance with His will and pleasure.

20:113-114
A dayee should have two major aims: to bring about a psychological revolution in his addressees so that they may become God-fearing or at least he should be able to raise questions in his hearers about his call. During the Dawah campaign in Makkah, the addressees were raising all sorts of questions, creating problems for the Prophet. The Prophet naturally wanted that the intervals between the revelations could be reduced, so that he could receive God’s guidance more frequently. This would have enabled him to deal more promptly and effectively with the questions and problems which arose daily during his dawah work in Makkah. He was told that the process of revelation was in accordance with a divine, pre-ordained plan. It would continue as the occasion warranted, and would reach its completion in due course. He was asked not to desire the revelation of future parts of the Quran before their divinely appointed time. However, he was advised to pray to God to increase his understanding of the vast wisdom enshrined in the verses of the Quran. Instead of wishing for an early revelation of Quranic verses, he was expected to have the desire to understand the reason for their being revealed gradually, on a pre-planned scale of priority.

20:115-117
To adhere steadfastly to God’s commandments, unwavering determination is essential. If a man is influenced by irrelevant factors, he will undoubtedly deviate from the path of God. In order to remain steadfastly on the path of God, it is not enough to know what His commandment is; it is also absolutely necessary to have the will to resist all that goes against His commandment, and not to let himself be influenced by it. When God ordered that all should kneel down before Adam, the angels immediately dropped to their knees. But Satan did not do so. The reason for this difference in behaviour was that the angels treated this matter as pertaining to God, whereas Satan, on the contrary, saw it as the affair of a mere mortal. When an issue concerns God, man has no option but to bow to His wishes. But when it is treated as relating to a human being, the person in question will appraise the human being before him. If the latter is comparatively stronger, he will kneel down; otherwise he will refuse to kneel down, even if such an action be the demand of truth and justice.

20:118-122
God kept Adam, with his spouse, in paradise, where he was freely and amply provided with all the necessities of life – food, clothing, water and shelter. Adam was not required to do anything in return for these blessings, unlike in the present world where man has to earn all these things by his own hard labour. In paradise, the fruit of a certain tree was prohibited for Adam. But Satan came and described to him the eternal advantages of this fruit. Adam, influenced by what he said, ate it, then immediately felt that he was naked. This was symbolic of the fact that God had instantly withdrawn the guarantee of providing him with sustenance without his having to earn it by his own labour. Thereafter, on his supplication and repentance, he was pardoned. However, he was removed from a world where God’s bounty had been freely given and sent to a world where he had to earn his living by the sweat of his brow. Such was the beginning of human existence on this earth.

20:123-127
God settled Satan as well as Adam on the earth and gave due warning in the very beginning that clashes of interest between the two would go on till Doomsday. Satan would make every possible effort to mislead mankind, therefore, people should make it a point to treat him as their greatest enemy and try to stay far away from his inducements. To give further guidance to man, God periodically sent him His messengers, or prophets, who instructed him in the reality of life in a language which was clearly intelligible to him. Now, the success or failure of man depends on his own acceptance or rejection of the Prophet’s guidance. One who accepts this guidance will once again be ushered into the comfortable life of paradise, whereas the life of one who fails to accept it will be a very severe one, from which he will never be able to escape. Those who turn away from God’s guidance will be reduced in the Hereafter to blindness, being deprived of both the eyes. The reason for this is that such people are given eyes in the world in order to be able to see and recognise God’s signs. But they live in such a manner that, when they encounter God’s signs, they fail to recognise them. Thus, they prove that, in spite of having eyes, they are really blind. So God will ask on that Day, what use it had been to give eyes to those who were determined to be blind.

20:128-130
If a community reaches the zenith of its progress in the world and then is made to face destruction or subjection, it is always because it has transgressed its limits. Every community so destroyed leaves a lesson for its successors. But there are very few people who care to learn a lesson from such events. It is worth noting that the advice given here about the repeated glorification and remembrance of God and prayer was first given in Makkah; these practices were meant to be observed in the most trying and serious conditions of the Makkan period. This indicates that in the most difficult days of denial and tough opposition, prayers (salat) and remembrance of God are the best shields for the faithful. The principal benefit to man of these actions is that they lead to a smoothing of the paths to success in this world and the next.

2:131-132
These verses are addressed not only to the Prophet, but to all of the faithful. In this world when a man dedicates himself to faith and dawah work, his life as a result becomes one of toil and struggle. In sharp contrast are those who, free from such responsibilities, spend their days in ease and comfort. Satan stresses this state of affairs and creates doubts and evil ideas in a man’s heart. He tries to shake the faith of both the believer and the missionary by making them feel that if the path chosen by them had been the true path of God, they would not have had to suffer so much. But, if the matter is examined in depth, it would appear that, beyond this temporary outward difference, there is another type of difference which is much more worthwhile. It is that whatever the world-loving people had received from God was only for the purposes of trial and purely of a temporary nature, leaving nothing in store for the eternal life of the Hereafter. On the other hand, what the believer and the missionary has received as a result of his devotion to God is much more valuable, i.e. God’s remembrance, concern for the Hereafter, a life of piety and prayer, anxiety to save God’s subjects from the reckoning of the Hereafter. This is also a form of sustenance (rizq). In fact, it is a higher type of sustenance, because this will be returned to the believer in the shape of boundless and inexhaustible blessings.

20:133-135
Before the coming of Muhammad, the last of the Prophets, Almighty God had given intimation of his advent through the previous prophets. These prophecies were found in the revealed books of the past, and may still be read, even today, in spite of all the alterations made to these books throughout the ages. This remains the most powerful argument in support of the veracity of the final Prophet. But, in order to understand the power of reasoning, seriousness is required—a rare phenomenon in this world.