Az-Zumar (The Groups)

45. And when Allah Alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust and when those besides Him are mentioned, they rejoice immediately.

One may test his belief and faith in the Hereafter through his disgust at or attention toward Divine Commands. Likewise, remembrance of God which is the source of consolation for believers is a source of harm for disbelievers.

The blessed Verse in question also treats of monotheism and polytheism depicting quite a vicious picture of polytheists and those denying the Hereafter confronting the question of Divine Unity, saying:

“And when Allah Alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust and when those besides Him are mentioned, they rejoice immediately.”

Man is at times so accustomed to vices and so far from purity and good that he is offended upon hearing the Name of Truth and rejoices upon hearing falsehood, failing to show humbleness toward God, the Creator of the world of existence, though he kneels down before manmade pieces of stone and wood, human beings, and creatures like himself.

A similar theme is to be found in 17:46:

“And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur’an, they turn on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislike.”

Noah (Nuh), the Arch-Prophet, complains to God Almighty about such misguided people saying:

“And indeed, every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments, and persisted [in error], and magnified themselves in pride”1 .

The biased obdurate and the vain ignorant are like that. It is worthy of note that the blessed Verse in question clearly indicates that the misfortune of such people sprang from denial of Divine Unity and faithlessness in the Hereafter.

Au contraire, believers are so rejoiced by hearing the Sacred Name of the One God that they sacrifice their possessions for Him. The mere Name of the Beloved makes them some happy and illuminates their hearts that not only His Name but also whatever is attached to Him rejoices them.

One is not supposed to assume that such dislike is restricted to the polytheists contemporaneous with the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) but vicious disbelievers at all times rejoice at hearing the names of God’s enemies, atheistic schools of thought, and tyrants’ and wrong doers’ triumphs, but the mere names of the good and the pure and their plans and victories are excruciating pains to them.

As a consequence, as per the interpretations included in a number of traditions, the blessed Verse in question makes a reference to those people who dismayed at hearing the excellence of the Noble Prophet’s (S) Household (as) and the triumphs of their school of thought.¹