Surah Yunus 10:21

Man changes when He receives Mercy after Times of Distress

Allah tells us that when He makes men feel His mercy after being afflicted with distress,

إِذَا لَهُمْ مَّكْرٌ فِى ءايَـتِنَا

(They take to plotting against Our Ayat.) The coming of mercy after distress is like the coming of ease after hardship, fertility after aridity, and rain after drought. Mujahid said that man's attitude indicates a mockery and belying of blessings. The meaning here is similar to Allah's statement:

وَإِذَا مَسَّ الإِنسَـنَ الضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنبِهِ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَآئِمًا

(And when harm touches man, he invokes Us, lying on his side, or sitting or standing.)(10:12) Al-Bukhari recorded that Allah's Messenger ﷺ led the Subh (Dawn) prayer after it had rained during the night, then he said:

«هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ اللَّيْلَةَ؟»

(Do you know what your Lord has said last night) They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said:

«قَالَ: أَصْبَحَ مِنْ عِبَادِي مُؤْمِنٌ بِي وَكَافِرٌ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ: مُطِرْنَا بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ فَذَاكَ مُؤْمِنٌ بِي كَافِرٌ بِالْكَوْكَبِ، وَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ: مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَذَاكَ كَافِرٌ بِي مُؤْمِنٌ بِالْكَوْكَب»

(Allah said; "This morning, some of My servants have become believers and some disbelievers in Me. He who said: `We have had this rainfall due to the grace and mercy of Allah' is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars. And he who said `we have had this rainfall due to the rising of such and such star' is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.) The Ayah:

قُلِ اللَّهُ أَسْرَعُ مَكْرًا

(Say: "Allah is more swift in planning!") means that Allah is more capable of gradually seizing them with punishment, while granting them concession of a delay until the criminals think that they would not be punished. But in reality they are in periods of respite, then they will be taken suddenly. The noble writers (meaning the angels who write the deeds) will write everything that they do and keep count of their deeds. Then they will present it before the All-Knowing of the seen and unseen worlds. The Lord will then reward them for the significant deeds and even the seemingly insignificant that may be as tiny as a spot on a date pit. Allah further states:

هُوَ الَّذِى يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِى الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ

(He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea...) which means that He preserves you and maintains you with His care and watching.

حَتَّى إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِى الْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَفَرِحُواْ بِهَا

(Till when you are in the ships, and they sail with them with a favorable wind, and they are glad therein...) meaning smoothly and calmly;

جَآءَتْهَا

(then comes (these ships))

رِيحٌ عَاصِفٌ

(a stormy wind)

وَجَآءَهُمُ الْمَوْجُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ

o(and the waves come to them from all sides, )

وَظَنُّواْ أَنَّهُمْ أُحِيطَ بِهِمْ

(and they think that they are encircled therein) meaning that are going to be destroyed.

دَعَوُاْ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ

(Then they invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him (alone)) meaning that in this situation they would not invoke an idol or statue besides Allah. They would single Him out alone for their supplications and prayers. This is similar to Allah's statement:

وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الْضُّرُّ فِى الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلاَ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا نَجَّـكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ وَكَانَ الإِنْسَـنُ كَفُورًا

(And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you except Him (Allah alone). But when He brings you safe to land, you turn away (from Him). And man is ever ungrateful.) 17:67 And in this Surah, He says:

دَعَوُاْ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ لَئِنْ أَنْجَيْتَنَا مِنْ هَـذِهِ

(They invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him (saying): "If You (Allah) deliver us from this (situation).")

لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّـكِرِينَ

("We shall truly, be of the grateful.") This means that we will not ascribe others as partners with You. We will later worship You alone as we are praying to You here and now. Allah states;

فَلَمَّآ أَنجَاهُمْ

(But when He delivers them) from that distress,

إِذَا هُمْ يَبْغُونَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ

(behold! They rebel (disobey Allah) in the earth wrongfully...) meaning: they returned as if they had never experienced any difficulties and had never promised Him anything. So Allah said:

كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَآ إِلَى ضُرٍّ مَّسَّهُ

(He passes on as if he had never invoked Us for a harm that touched him!)10:12 Allah then said:

يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا بَغْيُكُمْ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ

(O mankind! Your rebellion (disobedience to Allah) is only against yourselves,) it is you yourselves that will taste the evil consequence of this transgression. You will not harm anyone else with it, as comes in the Hadith,

«مَا مِنْ ذَنْبٍ أَجْدَرَ أَنْ يُعَجِّلَ اللهُ عُقُوبَتَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعَ مَا يَدَّخِرُ اللهُ لِصَاحِبِهِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْبَغْيِ وَقَطِيعَةِ الرَّحِم»

(There is no sin that is more worthy that Allah hasten punishment for in this world -- on top of the punishment that Allah has in store for it in the Hereafter -- than oppression and cutting the ties of the womb.) Allah's statement:

مَّتَاعَ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا

(a brief enjoyment of this worldly life...) means that you only have a short enjoyment in this low and abased worldly life.

ثُمَّ إِلَينَا مَرْجِعُكُمْ

(then (in the end) unto Us is your return...) meaning your goal and final destination.

فَنُنَبِّئُكُمْ

(and We shall inform you) of all your deeds. Then we shall recompense you for them. So let him who finds good (in his record) praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.

Ayat ini menerangkan sifat orang kafir pada umumnya dan sifat orang musyrik pada khususnya. Bahwa bila Allah memberikan suatu kelapangan kepada mereka setelah menderita suatu kesukaran atau kebahagiaan sesudah mereka sengsara, mereka tidak mengakui bahwa kelapangan dan kebahagiaan itu datangnya dari Allah, sehingga mereka tidak mensyukuri-Nya.

Apabila rahmat Allah datang kepadanya berupa hujan yang diturunkan dari langit yang menumbuhkan tanam-tanaman dan menghidupkan binatang ternak, mereka menyatakan bahwa itu adalah berkat berhala dan sembahan-sembahan mereka, atau mereka mengatakan bahwa hujan itu turunnya secara kebetulan saja, karena musim hujan telah tiba. Jika mereka ditimpa kesukaran, kemudian kesukaran itu hilang maka mereka mengatakan bahwa kesukaran itu hilang semata-mata karena mereka sendiri adalah orang-orang yang pandai menghilangkan kesukaran dan termasuk orang-orang yang bernasib baik. Hal yang seperti ini telah dilakukan oleh Firaun dan kaumnya setiap mereka menerima azab Allah dan setiap mereka terlepas dari azab itu. Hal yang sama dilakukan orang-orang musyrik Mekah terhadap Nabi Muhammad saw dan pengikut-pengikutnya.

Diriwayatkan oleh al-Bukhari dari Abdullah bin Masud bahwa tatkala orang-orang Quraisy menyakiti Rasul sampai melampui batas, Rasulullah saw berdoa kepada Allah agar orang musyrik ditimpakan azab berupa musim kemarau seperti tahun kemarau yang terjadi pada masa Nabi Yusuf. Maka merekapun ditimpa musim kemarau yang sangat dahsyat, hingga mereka terpaksa makan tulang dan bangkai. Karena kekeringan dan panas yang sangat tinggi, penglihatan mereka menjadi berkunang-kunang dan berasap sebagai dilukiskan Allah dalam Surah ad-Dukhan/44 ayat 10. Maka datang-lah Abu Sufyan, pemimpin Quraisy kepada Muhammad saw, ia berkata, "Ya Muhammad, sesungguhnya engkau memerintahkan kepada kami mengada-kan hubungan silahturrahim, dan sesungguhnya kaummu telah binasa, maka mohonkanlah kepada Allah agar mereka dilepaskan dari kesulitan itu." Maka Rasulullah berdoa kepada Allah, lalu kesulitan dan malapetaka itu pun berakhir dan turunlah hujan. Ternyata, tidak berapa lama, mereka kembali mengingkari Rasulullah dan memusuhinya.

Karena sikap mereka yang demikian itu, maka Allah memerintahkan kepada Rasulullah saw untuk menyampaikan peringatan kepada orang-orang musyrik itu bahwa Allah lebih cepat siksa-Nya dari tipu daya mereka, Allah telah menyiapkan azab yang akan ditimpakan kepada mereka, sebelum mereka sempat mengatur siasat tipu daya untuk menghancurkan Islam dan kaum Muslimin. Semua amalan baik dan buruk akan dicatat oleh malaikat yang telah ditugaskan Allah. Tidak ada satu pun dari perbuatan manusia, baik yang kecil maupun yang besar yang tidak dituliskannya. Kemudian di akhirat nanti, setiap manusia akan memperoleh balasan segala perbuatannya itu. Perbuatan buruk dibalas dengan siksa neraka, sedang perbuatan baik dibalas dengan kenikmatan surga.

Ayat ini mengisyaratkan bahwa semua pembicaraan manusia dicatat oleh malaikat dan keberadaan malaikat itu ditegaskan oleh ayat ini.