Al-Qalam (The Pen)

15. When Our Verses are recited unto him, he says: “Tales of the ancients.”

16. We shall brand him on the snout!

The former blessed Verse reflects the reaction of such people with such worthless traits against Divine Signs, saying:

“When Our Verses are recited unto him, he says: ‘Tales of the ancients.’”

It is under such vile pretext that they distance from Divine Signs and thereby consigns them to oblivion and seduces others to deviate from the Straight Path; as a consequence of which it is incumbent upon the believers to refrain from following such people. It further completes forbidding the believers to follow them.

The latter blessed Verse unveils one of the torments to be inflicted on this group, saying that you shall behold before long that We shall brand them on the snout! Such eloquent expression reflects their utmost humility, since the Arabic word khurtum implies a reference to pigs and elephants.

It is worthy of note, however, that the word nose connotes magnanimity in the Arabic tongue. There is an idiom in the Persian language saying: “rub one’s nose against the ground” connoting humiliating someone.

Furthermore, animals are branded but their snouts are not branded even. Such eloquent blessed Verses indicate that God Almighty humiliates such vain, disobedient, and wrong doing people and disgraces them before everyone such that others may take a lesson out of their dire fate.

The history of the Islamic faith bears witness to the same such that such obdurate opponents confronting the dissemination of the Islamic faith were so humiliated and disgraced that their humiliation and disgrace were unparalleled. Furthermore, further disgrace and humility are in store for such people on the Day of Resurrection.

It is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S) as saying:

“Do you want me to inform you of your most vicious people amongst you? Those who go to extremes in slandering and backbiting, cause discord amongst friends, and find faults with innocent people.”1

According to another Prophetic tradition, the Noble Prophet (S) enjoined his companions to refrain from quoting him when the quote causes suspicion in any of his companions, since he would like to meet them with a pure heart.¹