Page 208 - Signs of the End Times in Surat Al-Kahf
P. 208

SIGNS OF THE END TIMES IN SURAT AL-KAHF


                 About the believers, Allah says: "O you who believe, do not let your
              wealth or children divert you from the remembrance of Allah.
              Whoever does that is lost" (Surat al-Munafiqun, 9). In other words, re-
              membrance is more important than anything else. He also says:
              "Remember the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him com-
              pletely" (Surat al-Muzammil, 8). The Muslims’ determination in re-
              membrance is revealed in the following verse:
                 [The believers are] not distracted by trade or commerce from the
                 remembrance of Allah, establishing prayer, and giving alms;
                 fearing a day when all hearts and eyes will be in turmoil. (Surat
                 an-Nur, 37)
                 Surat al-Kahf 101 also maintains that the unbelievers cannot bear to
              hear the Qur’an being recited. They would like to see everyone else turn
              their backs on the Qur’an, because someone who listens to it might fol-
              low the voice of his or her conscience, side with the righteous, and begin
              to practice truth and advise others to do same. For this reason, the unbe-
              lievers develop various means of rejecting the calls to faith, one of
              which is related in: "Those who do not belive say: 'Do not listen to this
              Qur’an. Drown it out, so that hopefully you will gain the upper hand'"
              (Surah Fussilat, 26).
                 As the above verse reveals, the unbelievers try to drown out the
              Qur’an’s voice, change the subject, or prevent its recitation. If all of this
              fails, they resort to violence and intimidation, and apply all kinds of
              pressure to silence the believers. The only reason for them to do so is
              their fear of being influenced by the truth, that their consciences might
              be touched and cause them to realize how mistaken they are. Their fear
              is visible in their facial expressions, behavior, and panic when they hear
              the Qur’an being recited or the truth of creation being told. Surah Ya Sin
              reveals that the unbelievers will not listen to the voice of truth, although
              adhering to the Qur’an’s values is their only route to salvation:
                 They are told: "Heed what is before you and behind you, so that
                 hopefully you will have mercy shown to you." Not one of your




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