| Answer: To grasp the true message of the verse we need to
study it in its proper context:
Lo! Your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the
earth in six days, and then he mounted the throne. He covers the night with the
day, which is in haste to follow it, and has made the sun and the moon and the
stars subservient by His command. His verily is all creation and commandment.
Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! [O mankind!] Call upon your Lord
humbly and in secret. Lo! He loves not the aggressors. (7:54-5)
In the preceding verses, polytheism has been criticized.
The first of these two quoted verses implies that Allah is not sitting aloof,
unconcerned after creating the universe; rather he is actively running the
affairs of the universe. He is the master of the Universe. All the heavenly
bodies and entire creations on the earth surrender to Him and obey His commands.
It is only He who creates and then controls. He is the Most Wise and the Most
Bountiful. These attributes of the Almighty entail that we praise His name and
call upon Him when filled with emotions of gratitude or sorrow. We should
remember Him with ultimate humility and modesty. The arrogant behaviour which
some of the addressees of the Qur’ān were showing has been disapproved of. They
are reprimanded because such behaviour is not befitting for a humble creation as
they are. They should observe the vast universe around them. Everything
surrenders to the will of God and all yield to his commandments: why not they?
In simple words, ‘humility’ is what should ensue after
observing the signs of the world. In ‘secret’, this humility reaches the
pinnacle, where man worships and prays His Lord alone with utmost sincerity. It
has been ordained by the Almighty that not a single creature goes against His
will. Man has been given authority. He is therefore supposed to be in communion
with other creatures, insofar as they praise the Lord, of his own volition.
However, those who do not accord with the design of the universe and recognize
not the Lord’s power in fact transgress the limits set by Him. Hence the
statement: ‘Lo! He loves not aggressors. |