"Is he not aware of the time when graves are laid open and whatever is in the hearts is taken out. Indeed, on that Day, your Lord shall be well aware [of all their deeds]."
(Surah Adiyat, ayahs 9-11, translated by Shehzad Saleem,
www.monthly-renaissance.com)
A single reading of the concluding verse of Surah Aadiyat will undoubtedly convey an element of accountability for one's actions, but it will fail to do justice to the subtlety of the power in the way the Quran presents it's message. To appreciate this reality, a brief examination of the surah is required.
The above verses are the culmination of a chapter which begins with horses galloping in the light of dawn about to raid a beduoin camp. The scene was all too familiar in Arabia, where marauders, in their lust for wealth ,would attack defenseless camps to steal whatever they could get their hands on. If one ponders over the imagery of this raid, one can only marvel at the intense and ferocious nature of it all.
"Gasping galloping horses, then striking fire with their hooves, then rading at dawn, then blazing a trail of dust in it and penetrating with it into a throng.."
The intensity of the horses is described by the gasping of these horses, as well as the fact that their hooves, when they strike the rugged ground create sparks of fire. This also reveals another element, and that is the attack has initiated at night, fire being visible at that time. The Holy Book than emphasizes the sudden nature of the attack by describing it as occuring at dawn when everybody in the camp is sound asleep. The imagery does not remain content with this description, but it further draws attention to an obvious confusion within the camp once the raiders have reached their destination. Dust, accompanied by marauders running in and out of the camp, obscures the vision of the inhabitants as well as adds to their fright.
The rapidity, suddenness, and ferociousness of it all is further re-inforced by the short and brief verses of the Quran. The verses that end with "HAA" are accompanied by a rhythm which mimiks the panting of the horses. Read it for yourself in Arabic, stressing the "HAA" at the end of the verse, and you will realize that it is not a subjective opinion.
The beauty is awe-inspiring, but there is something even more unique about it all. The Quran stops RIGHT BEFORE THE CLIMAX of the story, leaving the reader in suspense. It is here that the Quran also changes it's rhythm, no longer mimicking the panting of the horses. The story is left off at the exact time the spilling of blood, looting and plundering is about to begin. Who is going to be killed, what is going to be stolen, all of it is unknown. It is as if the Quran has raised the interest of it's reader, and than drifted off.
But what does the Holy Book than go on to say?
"...they bear witness that [this] man [living in the peaceful surroundings of the Baitullah] is very ungrateful to his Lord."
While all of Arabia suffered under the potential threat to be attacked by raiders, the Quraysh were left unharmed because of their affiliation with the Kaaba, the sacred House established by the Arabs' forefather, Abraham (S). It was because of God's blessing of Abraham (AS), that the Quraysh became the undisputed leaders of Arabian society to the extent that they became the wealthiest Arabs. The Quran recounts in Surah Quraysh how, because of their affiliation with the Kaaba, they had free access to travel in the land for trade. Other tribes would be subject to any highway-bandit. While the Ka'aba had guaranteed the economic well-being of the Quraysh, they turned their backs on the very reason it was established. Abraham (AS) and Ishmael (AS) had built the Kaaba as a place where tawheed would be commemorated forever through the worship of Allah, and where the poor could obtain their needs. The Quraysh, instead of honoring this purpose, filled the Holy House with idols, and embezzled the funds that were given by people to the poor. In fact, the Quran speaks about how far the Abrahamic legacy had been distorted, by drawing attention to the fact that Quraysh allowed people to perform tawaaf around the Kaaba naked during the time Muhammad (S) raised his call. When Muhammad (S) was sent to purify the Arahamic message, as well as the lands which God had promised to his Friend as part of the covenant, the ingratitude of the Quraysh culminated in their rejection of God's Prophet.
What is the reason for this ingratitude?
Before dwelling upon the reason for this ingratitude, the Quran makes a parentetical remark to emphasize a certain point.
"And to this attitude, he himself is a witness."
It is here that Allah draws attention to the fact that the Quraysh are not unaware of their attitude. How bold a person that does wrong, knowing it is wrong? Men have been granted a moral conscience by God such that it is a witness to the actions that one does. If a conscience is sound, there is no lengthy proof that is needed for a person to recognize that what he is doing is wrong. One's own conscience pricks him. As Javed Ghamidi says:
The Quran does not stop by condemning this person, but does on to explaint he psychological reason behind it.
"And mad is he in the love of wealth."
This ingratitude is not simply because he loves wealth, BUT BECAUSE HE IS MAD IN HIS LOVE FOR IT. It is here that the idea of going beyond the limits is realized. While one may enjoy the good things in life, it should never overpower men such that they become obsessed to the point that they forget their obligations. This is the extent of the ingratitude of the Quraysh. They became deluded by the very wealth that God bestowed upon them.
After portraying the ingratitude of the Quraysh regarding the bounties of God, their own awareness to the wrong they are doing, and the psychological reason behind why they are doing it, we are brought back to the above verse:
"Is he not aware of the time when graves are laid open and whatever is in the hearts is taken out. Indeed, on that Day, your Lord shall be well aware [of all their deeds]."
The subtlely is no longer subtle. God Almighty has stolen the image he first used to raise awareness of the ingratitude of the leaders of Quraysh, and used it for Himself.
God, on that momentous Day, is going to turn into a raider. While mankind will be 'resting' in their graves, they will be awakened by a plunderer who is beyond anything they could imagine. He will toss open the graves, with more intensity than any marauder they witnessed in their earthly life. It will happen all of a sudden, the nature of it described in another place of the Quran as, "Al-Qariah". In Arabic language, according to Amin Ahsan Islahi, the word is used for sudden, loud knock at the door in the middle of the night that awakens and startles those who are fast asleep in the house.
But the Almighty's plundering won't rest content simply over-turning graves. Every nook, every corner will be overturned, to such an extent that very heart that was mad in it's love for wealth will be searched. God will overturn them like the vessels which possess jewels. All of this because...
"...man is very ungrateful to His Lord."
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