Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

72. “And when Our clear signs are recited unto them, you recognize repugnance in the faces of those who disbelieve; (so that) well-nigh they rush upon those who recite to them Our Signs. Say: ‘Shall I inform you of what is worse than this? The Fire, Allah has promised it to those who disbelieve; and an evil destination it is!”

In conflicts between paganism and Faith, pagans usually concentrate their harsh invasions upon the spiritual and cultural centers and personalities.

They sometimes take the temples and centers of worship as their target, which was referred to in verse 40 of the current Surah where it says:

“…certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches…”;

and sometimes they attack the preachers of the religion or their audience.

Through this holy verse, in a short sentence, the intensity, obstinacy and bigotry of the idolaters against the verses of Allah have been referred to.

It says:

“And when Our clear signs are recited unto them, you recognize repugnance in the faces of those who disbelieve;…”

In fact, when hearing these clear verses, the understanding of which is easy for any intellectual, there appears a contrast between the lively logic of the holy Qur’an and the ignorant bigotries of the disbelievers, and since they are not ready to accept the truth, involuntarily its signs are recognized in their faces in the form of rejection and repugnance.

Their manner is so that, not only the effect of inconvenience and repugnance is seen in their features, but also, as the result of their immense bigotry and obstinacy, they are about to stand and attack those who recite the Divine verses to them.

The verse says:

“…(so that) well-nigh they rush upon those who recite to them Our Signs.…”

The Arabic word /yastun/ is derived from /satwat/ which means ‘to lift one’s hand to rush against the opposite party’. As Raqib cites in Mufradat, it originally means: ‘the raise of a horse on its feet; and lifting its hands’, and then, it has been used with the above meaning.

If a person habitually thinks logically, when he hears a wrong statement he will neither frown, nor does he answer it with tied fist; on the contrary, he may honestly reject it with logical statement. These wrong reactions of the disbelievers are themselves as clear evidences that they follow no reason and logic and only ignorance and bigotry dominate them, their entity.

It is not worthy that the Qur’anic phrase: /yakaduna yastuna/ is formed by two simple verbs in future tense which in Arabic work as the constancy of the action, and here they denote the existence of the status of rushing in them, and sometimes the circumstances required that they would practically make it appear, and when the circumstances did not allow, often the feeling of readiness for attack appeared in them and they displayed signs of uneasiness why they could not rush and beat.

As for these illogical persons, the Qur’an commands the holy Prophet (S) to do as follows:

“…Say: ‘Shall I inform you of what is worse than this? The Fire…”

This means that if you think that these clear verses are some evils, since they do not agree with your wrong and deviated thoughts, I may introduce worse than them which is the Divine painful punishment that will finally encompass you for this obstinacy and enmity of yours. It is the same blazing Fire that Allah has promised to the disbelievers.

The holy verse continues saying:

“…Allah has promised it to those who disbelieve;…”

And the blazing Fire of Hell is the worst abode! The verse concludes:

“…and an evil destination it is!”

In fact, there is no response save the Hell Fire for these rude fiery persons inside whom the flames of bigotry and obstinacy is always enlightened. As a fact, the Divine chastisement is always closely appropriate to the quality of the same sin and disobedience that people commit.