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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