Anyone familiar even on a most basic level with the Quran knows that among its most pervasive themes is the fact that to God, the value of a human, regardless of social status, gender, race or kinship only depends on righteousness in deeds and God-consciousness/taqwa 2:221,4:1,135,5:48,25:77,34:37,42:23,49:13.
God does not break ties that were created in this world, but cements them if based on truth and righteousness, everlasting values whose fruitful consequences shall be more evident on the Day of Resurrection. Companionship, including friendship, is one of the blessings of this world and a need of the human being, who is a social creature. It reaches its ultimate in Paradise, meaning one will live amongst friends and those one loves. This is a hopeful outlook on life and love, giving humans a sense of meaning to their earthly relationships which otherwise would be vain in the grand scheme of things.
It is only those bonds that were based upon falsehood and untruth that will dissolve, and the Quran repeatedly alludes to the fact that only the righteous will remain eachother's friends in the Hereafter, not forcefully but willfully dissociating themselves from the unrighteous, no matter who they were in this life 40:18,43:67. We see this phenomenon happening in our own life whenever people come together to commit crimes but are eventually caught and then begin hating and blaming one another when brought to justice.
The Quran draws the picture of a person in Paradise recounting his 'friendship' with another, and when seeing the latter's state 37:50-7 will be glad that Allah saved him from that. It shows that even those relationships that one holds dear based upon worldly considerations will ultimately be of no value, if it so happened that one of them opposed truth in his life.
The superfluous ties between the people will be cut off to such an extent 2:48 the Quran describes people distancing themselves from their nearest relatives thinking they might have to share some of their burdens in addition to their own 80:34-7. But this severing will be such that even the relatives of the prophets will not be saved from their just fate 66:10. The only ties that will remain and upheld are those of righteousness 43:66. One should therefore firstly try to walk the straight path, and then exhert himself in showing guidance to those under one's responsibility. The prophet Muhammad is warned that he must first preserve himself from deviation in faith, and then call unto his relatives to follow his example 26:213-220. He should warn them that their kinship with him or among themselves will be of no avail in the Hereafter. When a man approached the prophet and asked about his father, who died before the Prophet’s mission, the Prophet said
“He is in the Fire”.
To sooth this companion's distress the Prophet did not hesitate to mention his own father
“Indeed, my father and your father are in the Fire.”
This was the prophet's nature who always knew how to empathize in the most pragmatic of ways without compromising the creed. Being the mercy to the worlds as stated in the Quran, the prophet was in a position to inadvertently claim special rights from God, especially in relation to his own parents. But he did not, and when he thought of his own mother, instead of asking for her forgiveness, he first asked his Lord if it was appropriate for him to even do so. That is how far removed from self-complacency the prophet was
"The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) visited the grave of his mother and he wept, and moved others around him to tears, and said: I sought permission from my Lord to beg forgiveness for her but it was not granted to me, and I sought permission to visit her grave and it was granted to me. So visit the graves, for that makes you mindful of death".
The prophet Nuh's son wasnt forgiven once God's judgement was meted out in this world 11:45-6. With the prophet Shuayb, that reality is eloquently presented. He is mentioned every time as the brother of Madyan, the nation to whom he was sent, but in a single instance in 26:176-7, where every other prophet listed is said to be the the "brother of" their specific nation, the qualification is dropped for Shuayb only. This is because his nation is now identified, not through their Midian/Arab race, but through their religious identity "ashaab al aika/the companions of al aika (the name of a tree they used to worship)". As a side note, the Quran many times creates a consistent pattern of words and expressions, only to break them in highly meaningful contexts.
The awesomeness of such Day, also called the Day of separation 44:40 due to God reducing to naught the value of these ties that were based on falsehood, disbelief and sin, will cause the humans to neglect any inquiry about one another 70:10, and dissociate themselves from one another to avoid being linked to a transgressor or criminal 29:25,39:47,69:35,2:166 giving up their dearest friends and own kinsfolk with whom they wouldnt even entertain the slightest idea of sharing the burden of sins, going as far as wanting to ransom them to save themselves 70:10-14,80:34-7 as each person will only be concerned with the perspective of his own judgement and how to come out successful from it
23:101,30:14,31:33,35:18,66:10-11,80:37"Every man of them shall on that day have an affair which will occupy him".
So horrific will be the nature of that day’s torment that emotions of communal support will give place to selfishness towards near ones for which a person has a natural affiliation and a deep bond and sense of defense in this world. It is very pertinent the way in which the Quran pictures that bargaining taking place; with the doomed laying down his most valuable assets immediately in order to buy himself out and get the deal done as soon as possible, his own children, then progressively seeking among his next most important relations, his loved and cherished wife (as denoted with the Arabic saahiba), his brothers and sisters, extended trustworthy family then finally anyone among humanity he would be allowed to use 70:11-14.
That each one will be concerned with his own self on Judgement Day is conveyed with the image of women suckling their infants leaving them unattended, or that of the owner of the she-camel just about to give birth, which represented tremendous importance to the Arabs of the time, becoming unmindful of his most precious possession
81:4,14:42-3"a day on which the eyes shall be fixedly open, hastening forward, their heads upraised, their eyes not reverting to them and their hearts vacant".
This day devoid of all hope to those who neglected it 22:55 will cause the people to behave erratically as if intoxicated 22:2 and young children' hair will turn grey at the sight of this general state of fear 73:17.
None will be wronged and
None will be wronged and
40:17"every soul shall be rewarded for what it has earned"
none will be questioned for the deeds of others 34:25-26 and none will want nor be allowed to relieve another from his burden, even if they be as closely related as fathers and sons
31:33,35:18"And a burdened soul cannot bear the burden of another and if one weighed down by burden should cry for (another to carry) its burden, not aught of it shall be carried, even though he be near of kin".
The idol-worshippers to who the Quran came, as well as other ancient tribes, believed that the life hereafter was an extension of this one, this is why they buried with them all types of necessities of life sometimes even their concubines and soldiers. But the Quran rejected all such beliefs in no uncertain terms
6:94"And certainly you have come to Us alone as We created you at first, and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave you, and We do not see with you your intercessors about whom you asserted that they were (Allah's) associates in respect to you; certainly the ties between you are now cut off and what you asserted is gone from you".
The people, all of them precisely numbered and encompassed by Allah's knowledge 19:93-95 will thus advance for judgement alone, as separate entities 99:6-8 because of the repeated principal of individual, untransferable responsibility of every responsible human being.
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