Al-Balad · Makki · ayah 5 of 20

Al-Balad 90:5

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

“Does he think that never will anyone overcome him?”

Saheeh International

Essence

He stood on a hide and dared ten men to move him; did he think that no one at all had power over him?

A reflection

The man who could not be moved

The sources describe a man of Quraysh known for his strength. They called him Abū al-Ashadd, 'father of the strongest'. He would have a leather hide from the market of ʿUkāẓ spread on the ground and stand on it. Then he would call out: whoever moves me off this has such-and-such. Ten men would pull at the hide until it tore to pieces. His feet stayed where they were.

Several commentators say this ayah was revealed about him, or about men like him. 'Does he think no one has power over him?'

Notice where the question sits. The ayah just before has said, under oath, that the human being is created in toil (90:4). One commentator draws out the irony. This man cannot free himself even from the strain of his own life. He will tire, age and die like anyone. And he imagines no one can overpower him.

A classical writer turns it into an argument. The One who created him in this toil, with this strength to wrestle his affairs, is surely more able than he is. How can someone who did not make his own power be beyond the reach of the One who did?

The Quran records the same pride in a whole people. The tribe of ʿĀd asked who could be stronger than them. The reply came at once: did they not see that Allah, who created them, is stronger than them (41:15)?

We rarely stand on hides now. But the ego finds its own. A career no one can touch. A reputation that feels permanent. Savings large enough that nothing seems able to reach us. Youth and good health, which feel like they will last.

Someone may ask whether it is arrogant for God to insist that He has power over everyone. But this is simply the truth, spoken to someone who has forgotten it. Allah loses nothing if we deny it. The man on the hide loses everything. And the hide, notice, was torn to shreds. It was never going to hold.

The full entry has 4 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.