“Become exclusively devoted to Allah, ascribing Divinity to none other than Him. Whoso ascribes Divinity to aught beside Allah, it is as though he fell down from the sky whereafter either the birds will snatch him away, or the wind will sweep him to a distant place (causing him to be shattered to pieces). Such is the fact of the matter. And whoso venerates the sanctity of all that have been ordained as symbols of Allah surely does so because it is part of the true piety of the hearts.”
(Al-Qur’ān – 22:31-32)
The word ‘sky’ here stands for the natural state of man wherein he is the servant of God and his nature recognises no other doctrine than the doctrine of pure monotheism. When a man embraces Prophetic guidance, it helps him adhere to monotheism and this carries him to even greater heights. On the other hand, when someone embraces polytheism or atheism, he falls away from this natural state and is then confronted with either of the following two situations. First, that Satan and his followers, those who are called ‘birds’, pounce upon him to snatch him away. Secondly, that he is carried to and fro by his lusts, emotions and fancies, all of which are likened to the wind; he is ultimately hurled into some abysmal ditch.
The word sahīq signifies a place so deep that anything that falls into it is reduced to particles. Here, a depraved state of thought and action is likened to a ditch, where he who falls in is blown to pieces.