What Quran Says about ‘Worst of All Creatures’

TEHRAN (IQNA) – The Holy Quran offers assessments of different groups of people and categorizes them based on their conducts and behaviors.

In one of these categorizations, there is a group of people who stubbornly oppose the truth and their abode is hell. They have been described in Surah Al-Bayyinah of the Quran.

Al-Bayyinah is the 98^th chapter of the Quran that has 8 verses and is in the 30^th Juz.

It is Madani and the 100^th chapter revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Al-Bayyinah, which comes in verses one and four and gives the Surah its name, means clear proof.

Allameh Tabatabaei says that the main purpose of the Surah is emphasizing the universality of the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) mission. He says that pure acts of worship and belief in the necessity of obeying divine commandments, which the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has invited everyone to do, are what constitute a religion that secures the interests of the human society.

Surah Al-Bayyinah describes the enmity, stubbornness and obstinacy of the “people of the book” who refuse to accept the truthfulness of Islam and the Prophet’s (PBUH) mission.

The Surah calls them and the hypocrites as “the worst of all creatures” who “will dwell forever in hell”.

It also gives the believers and the righteous the good news that they will enter paradise and reside there forever.

Surah Al-Bayyinah also refers to the Prophet’s (PBUH) universal mission and its clear proof.

The chapter also mentions two Fiqhi (jurisprudential) rulings about Salah and Zakat (almsgiving) being Wajib (obligatory).

The people of the book and the unbelievers claimed before the advent of Islam that they would not abandon their beliefs until clear proof and a messenger from God come. But after the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was sent as a messenger by God, they changed their stance and, except a few, started opposing and confronting the Prophet (PBUH) although Islam commands people to purely worship God, stay away from Shirk (polytheism), establish prayers and gives alms, which are the unchanging principles of all divine faiths.

Surah Al-Bayyinah also refers to the fate of unbelievers and believers. The first group, who are introduced as the worst of all creatures, will be in hell forever while the second group, who are introduced as the best of all creatures, will be in paradise forever as their reward. God is pleased with them and they are pleased with God.