God’s Grace And Man’s Life
In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Most Merciful
It is God who sends forth the winds so that they raise clouds, whereupon He spreads them as He wills across the skies and causes them to break up so that you can see the rain issuing from within it. As soon as He causes it to fall upon whomever He wills of His servants, they rejoice, even though a short while ago, before it was sent down upon them, they had abandoned all hope. Behold, then, the effects of God’s grace: how He gives life to the earth after it had been lifeless! It is indeed He, the One who can bring the dead back to life; for He has power over all things. If We send a (scorching) wind and they see it turning yellow, they begin after that to deny the truth.
Indeed you cannot make the dead hear; and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and go away. Nor can you lead the blind out of their error. You can only get those who believe in Our signs to listen; and they will then submit themselves (to God). (The Byzantines, Al-Room: 30: 48-53)
The surah now refers to various aspects of God’s grace that have telling effect on man’s life: “It is God who sends forth the winds,” in accordance with the law He has set in operation to regulate the universe and its affairs. “So that they raise clouds,” by the vapor they carry from the surface of water bodies on earth. “Whereupon He spreads them as He wills across the skies and causes them to break up,” allowing its pieces to gather and condense, accumulate in layers, or collide with one another, or send an electrical charge from one layer or piece to another. “So that you can see the rain issuing from within it,” when such clouds are heavy with rain. “As soon as He causes it to fall upon whomever He wills of His servants, they rejoice.” (Verse 48) No one knows the extent of such rejoicing better than the people for whom rain means survival. The Arabs were the first people to realize the importance of this statement because their lives depended on rain. Their poetry and folk stories mention it with hope and endearment.
“Even though a short while ago, before it was sent down upon them, they had abandoned all hope.” (Verse 49) This describes their condition before the rain. In fact, the rain changes their condition completely, from despair to hope and rejoicing. “Behold, then, the effects of God’s grace.” You see these effects in people’s faces as they brighten up after being gloomy with despair, in the quickening earth, and in the liveliness affecting all.
“Behold, then, the effects of God’s grace: how He gives life to the earth after it had been lifeless!” (Verse 50) This is a fact that needs no more than that we look and reflect. It is given here as evidence confirming the resurrection when people are brought back to life. This is consistent in the Qur’anic argument where universal images and facts of life are given as substantial evidence: “It is indeed He the One who can bring the dead back to life; for He has power over all things. (Verse 50) We need only to look at the effects of God’s grace on the earth to be certain of the truth of this eventuality and the fulfillment of this promise.
The surah then describes the feelings of those very people who are happy at seeing the wind carrying water and who rejoice as they see rain bringing God’s grace. What would they feel, however, if they saw the winds as yellowish in color carrying dust and sand? Such winds destroy fields and livestock, or cause plants to dry and wither: “If We send a (scorching) wind and they see it turning yellow, they begin after that to deny the truth.” (Verse 51) Rather than submitting to God’s will and praying to Him earnestly to remove their affliction, they deny the truth out of frustration and despair. This is the status of people who do not believe in God or His will, of people who cannot discern God’s wisdom in what He decides, and cannot appreciate that it is God’s hand that determines everything in the universe, ensuring harmony between all its events and situations.
Thus the surah describes the fluctuation of people’s desires, their inability to benefit by God’s signs that they see in the universe around them, and their failure to recognize God’s wisdom behind life’s events. It then addresses the Prophet consoling him for not being able to persuade many of them to follow divine guidance. It tells him that this is due to their nature and blindness, which he can never cure.
“Indeed you cannot make the dead hear; and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and go away. Nor can you lead the blind out of their error. You can only get those who believe in Our signs to listen; and they will then submit themselves (to God).”
The surah shows them to be lifeless, deaf, and blind, devoid of motion, hearing, and sight. They have isolated themselves from the world around them and thus they are unable to understand the universal laws affecting it. Hence, they have no more than animal life, or even less. An animal is guided by its nature, which rarely lets it down. By contrast, a person who does not respond to God’s revelations despite its powerful effect on hearts and minds is deaf even though he may have ears that hear. Similarly, the one who does not see God’s signs placed everywhere in the world around him is blind, even though he may have functioning eyes.
“You can only get those who believe in Our signs to listen; and they will then submit themselves (to God).” These are the ones who listen to the divine message because they have active minds and hearts, as well as sound understanding. When they listen to the divine message, they realize that it is the truth and they declare their submission to Him. They only need their nature be alerted, and they respond.