Quranic Sciences

14.“If you call upon them, they will not hear your prayer; and even if they heard, they would not answer you; and on the Day of judgment they will deny your partnership; and none can inform you like (the One Who is) aware.”

Commentary

On the Day of Hereafter, the naughty objects of worship will repudiate and hate the polytheists. They will say to them that you polytheists did not use to worship them (the idols) but you were the servants of your own conjectures and your low desires.

Man reaches a point where he leaves out the invitation of Allah, the Hearer, the Responder, “… Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer) …” and goes to some dumb, blind and useless solid bodies. That is why addressing the polytheists, the Holy Qur’a-n says:

“If you call upon them, they will not hear your prayer; …”

They do not answer you, because they are but some pieces of stone and wood which are inanimate bodies and have no sense. And supposing they were able to hear your moan, invocation, and persistence they would never have the ability of answering to your needs. The verse continues saying:

“… and even if they heard, they would not answer you; …”

It became clear that they do not own any benefit and harm even as much as the thin skin of a date-stone in the world of existence, yet how do you expect them to do something for you or to solve a problem?

Moreover, this fact is higher than that:

“… and on the Day of judgment they will deny your partnership; …”

They will say: O’ Lord! these did not worship us, but they, in fact, worshipped their own carnal desire.

This witness is done by non-verbal language that whoever looks at idols he hears this statement from them by the ear of his conscience. Or the same Lord Who on that Day makes the man’s limbs, organs, and skin of the body speak, will order them to talk and they will bear witness that these deviated polytheists used to worship, in fact, their own conjectures and carnal desires.

This holy verse is similar to the content of verse 28 in Sura Yu-nus, No. 10 which says: “And the Day We shall muster them all, then We shall say to those who associated others (with Us): ‘Get you to your place! You and your associates’, then We shall set a space between them, and their associates shall say: ‘It was not us (indeed) that you used to worship!’ ”

For more emphasis, at the end of the verse the Holy Qur’a-n says:

“… and none can inform you like (the One Who is) aware.”

A Notable Point

Through the commentary of the previous verses, it became clear that the purpose of the sentence: “If you call upon them, they will not hear your prayer, …”, mentioned in the verse under discussion, is idols which have neither a hearing ear to listen to the demands of their worshippers, nor if they had, they would not be able to solve any problem, nor do they possess anything and any authority.

But in order to cease the communication of the Muslims with the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.) and the great leaders by the way of seeking supplicating and intercession, some outwardly Muslims have taken hold of this verse and the like of it and have said that all those whom you call besides Allah, even the prophets, do not hear your word and if they heard they would not answer. Or they have seized Sura Al-’A‘ra-f, No. 7, verse 197 which says: “And those whom you call upon other than Him can neither help you, nor help themselves.”, and the like.

Thus, they negate any supplicating to the souls of prophets and the Imams and count it contrast to Monotheism. While a simple glance over the verses which are before these verses and after them are sufficient to perceive this fact that the purpose of the verse is idols, because the words in all these verses are about idols; the words are about the pieces of stone and wood that they considered as the partners of Allah. And they believed in a power for them in the face of the Power of Allah.

But who is the one who does not know that the Divine prophets and the friends of Allah are like the martyrs in the cause of Allah about whose life the Qur’a-n explicitly speaks, saying that they have the purgatory life, and we know that in the purgatory life the activity of the soul is vaster and more expanded, because it has been delivered from the worldly needs and material curtains. This is from one side.

On the other side, no doubt, supplicating to these pure souls does not mean that we have considered any independence for them against Allah, but the aim is that we get help from their honour and their position with Allah, and that we seek help from the reverence and greatness they have in the Court of Allah, and this is the exact Unity and servitude of Allah.

Therefore, as the Qur’a-n explicitly says in the subject of intercession, they intercede only by the leave and command of Allah: “… Who is it that can intercede with Him save by His leave? …” 33 Also, supplicating to them is from this way and of this kind.

Who can reject the clear verses of supplicating? Or may he imagine this act as polytheism and stands against the Qur’a-n and claims Monotheism? They are but some proud ignorant persons who bring these subjects forth to create separation between Muslims.

We study in the biography of the companions of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) that for their difficulties they used to go beside the tomb of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and resorted and sought help from his pure soul in the Presence of God.

As Biyhaqi-, the famous traditionist of the Sunnites, Narrates that there happened a draught and famine at the time of the second Kalif. Then Bila-l, accompanied with a group of Companions of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), went beside the Prophet’s grave, and said such: “O’ Messenger of Allah! Seek rain for your Ummah … for verily they have annihilated.” 34

Some of the commentators of the Sunnites, like ’A-lu-si-, have narrated many traditions in this regard. After a discussion and strictness concerning these traditions, at last he says:

“Next to all these statements, I do not see any hinder in resorting to Allah by the rank of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) whether at the time of his life and after his death.” Then he also adds the names of some others who have a rank with Allah and confesses to the admissibility of resorting to them. (Rauh-ul-Ma‘a-li-)

Notes:

33. Sura Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 255

34. Kita-b-ut-Taqas)s)ul 'ila- Haghighat-it-Tawassul.

Adopted from the book : "The Light of the Holy Qur'an; Interpretation of Surah al-Fatir" by : "Sayyid Kamal Faghih Imani and a Group of Muslim Scholars"