“Even if disbelievers saw a piece of heaven falling down on them, they would say, ‘Just a heap of clouds,’ so leave them, Prophet, until they face the Day when they will be thunderstruck.” (Quran, 52:25)
Two things:
Firstly, the metaphor applied here is delightful. It’s almost like Muhammed came up with the story of Chicken Little 1200 years early. I love the imagery of a piece of truth falling on our heads, but because we’re so thoroughly convinced our worldview is flawless, we dismiss pretty concrete evidence that suggests otherwise as “just a heap of clouds.” And yet eventually, that same “heap of clouds” will leave those of us who ignore them “thunderstruck.” Brilliant.
Secondly, I don’t think this passage is meant to just lambast disbelievers’ unintelligence or stubbornness. Rather, it’s a vivid way of pointing out that you can’t beat someone else’s beliefs into submission to make them accept yours. And this doesn’t just apply to religion. With nearly any political issue, for example, you don’t change minds by force or intimidation, no matter how obviously right you feel you are.
If consequences do come for ignoring inconvenient truths, these are consequences we all will face. It would be far more useful for us to take an honest look at ourselves and see if there aren’t any pieces of heaven we’re choosing to disregard. While I don’t think we’ll be literally struck by lightning otherwise, we could be missing out on the benefits of allowing our paradigm to be reshaped and refined.
Imagine you meet God one day and you ask Him, “God, what’s the single biggest thing I got wrong about my beliefs?” Chances are, it would be something pretty big. It could be a religious belief, a philosophical mindset, or a major scientific concept. In fact, it’s probably safe to assume that a large percentage of our supposed understanding of the world is partially or entirely inaccurate.
With that in mind, a healthy dose of humility and open-mindedness could profit every one of us. So wherever you’re at on your learning journey, continue to seek truth!
The Commonplace Notebook 