Today we will discuss verse 30 from Sura aal-Imran:

On a day when every self finds whatever good it had done presented, while whatever evil it had done—it will wish there were a great distance between itself and it. And Allah warns you about Himself, for Allah is Compassionate towards the servants.

Whatever we do in this life is:

  1. known by Allah who is the most powerful
  2. it is recorded and saved for future reference
  3. a day will come when these records are brought back and displayed
  4. these deeds will determine our final outcome

This verse depicts a very familiar situation we all face when our exam results are announced. A group will be happy, and another group would wish that the exam were never held.

It is Allah’s mercy that He is warning us of that day and twice He cautions us from Himself, in this verse and just two verses earlier when He said: (verse 28)

Let not the believers take the deniers for allies apart from the believers, for whoever does that has nothing to do with Allah—unless it is to protect your own selves against them in some manner of self-protection. And Allah warns you about Himself, for to Allah is the destiny.

Here we observe a smooth transition between this world and the world hereafter. This smooth transition is made through our actions in this world that determines the outcome in the world hereafter.

The expression “And Allah warns you about Himself” in these two nearby verses is connected with some interesting deeds that alludes to that final outcome of either punishment or pleasure. Allah is telling us that befriending the infidels is a deed that one would never love to see it on his or her record on the day of judgement and Allah is warning such people from His wrath those who take infidels as friends. The curse of this Divine wrath befalls in this world and the consequence is even direr in the world here after.

Here are few verses that convey similar meaning:

Man is informed on that day of whatever he put forth and whatever he left behind.[75:13]

And whoever shuns the remembrance of the All-Merciful, We assign1 for him a Satan who then becomes his comrade. And indeed, they certainly bar them from the way, though they think they are guided. Until, when he comes to Us, he says, “If only there were between me and yousg the distance of the two easts.” What a miserable comrade! [43:36-38]

The above verse asks us to engage in remembrance of Allah all the time. This remembrance will keep us focused and make our vision sharp. Otherwise, and if we do not do that, then our vision will start to get blurred. Satan will make us befriend infidels and others who keep was astray and derailed form the straight path of Allah. This friendship with devil will turn catastrophe on the day of judgement and we would wish that we never have befriended these types of people in this world.

How merciful Allah is that He has told us all these real scenarios in this world through this great book Al Quran so that we prepare ourself from now.