Al-Jinn (The Jinn)

16. If they [the jinn and mankind] persevere on the path [of faith], We shall surely bestow upon them water in abundance.

17. It is intended that We try them thereby. And whoever turns away from the Reminder of his Lord, He will afflict him with an increasing and severe torment.

The blessed Verses in question seemingly proceed with the believing jinn talking with their people. Nonetheless, some Qur’an exegetes maintain that they are Divine Words inserted in between the words of the jinn, though the parenthetical statement bears particular similarity to the tone of the preceding blessed Verses, reflecting the words of the believing jinn and taking into account the contextual meaning, being not the words of the jinn sounds a remote possibility.

At any rate, the preceding blessed Verses treat of their Rewards granted in this world, saying:

“If they [the jinn and mankind] persevere on the path [of faith], We shall surely bestow upon them water in abundance”;

in other words, God Almighty sends down His rain of Mercy upon them and makes the life giving springs available to them. Where there exists water in abundance, everything may be found copiously and thereby they are granted different kinds of Bounties.

In this vein, it is narrated from the Noble Imam Sadiq (as) as saying:

“If people be steadfast with regard to our guardianship, they shall be granted knowledge in abundance.”1

The Arabic nominal form ghadaq implies abundant water. Emphasis is laid many a time in the Holy Qur’an on the point that faith and fear of God Almighty are not only sources of spiritual blessings, but they also entail abundance of material provision, flourishing, and prosperity.

It is worthy of note that the blessed Qur’anic Verse reflects that steadfastness in faith, rather than the faith per se, entails abundant Bounties, since fleeting faith may not lead to such Bounties. In other words, steadfastness in faith and fear of God are of significance in which many people are weak.

Making a reference to the truth lying herein, the blessed Verse 17 proceeds to say that God Almighty tries them with abundance of Bounties to see whether the increase in the Bounties leads to their vanity and neglect or it entails awakening, gratitude, and according further attention to God Almighty.

Thus, it is clear that such abundance serves as a means of Divine Trial and it is noteworthy that such Trial is far harder and more complicated than that of torments, since the former naturally causes weakness, indolence, neglect, and indulgence in the pleasures of the flesh through which man turns away from God Almighty and paves the ground for satanic temptations.

Thos who remember God Almighty at all times may merely preserve themselves from the undesirable consequences of increase and abundance of Bounties, since such people preserve their hears from satanic temptations through remembering God Almighty at all times.

Thus, the blessed Verse proceeds to say that whoever turns away from the remembrance of God Almighty shall suffer severe and ever increasing torments.

The Arabic root s-‘-d denotes “climb, ascend” and it also connotes “mountain pass.” Since, climbing such passes entails hardships, the Arabic cognate word sa‘d implies vicissitudes and hardships.

Thus, many a Qur’anic exegete have provided the exegesis as to which the Arabic word in question implies severe torment, as reflected elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an¹ :

“I shall oblige him to face a severe torment.”

The expression may also connote the increase of such torment, in that the blessed Verses in question reflect the nexus between faith and fear of God and increase in Bounties on the one hand and the link between such increase and Divine Trials on the other.

The blessed Verses also treat of the relationship between turning away from remembering God Almighty at all times and the severe and ever increasing torments.

The same themes are attested elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an, instances of which include:

“But whoever turns away from remembering Me, for him is a life of hardship and WE shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection”3 ; “When he [Solomon (as)] saw it placed before him, he said: “This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful”4 ; “Know that your possessions and your offspring are but a trial and that surely with Allahis a great Reward”5 .