An-Nazi'at النازعات

By those who extract deeply while drowning

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

By those who release gently

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

By those who glide as in swimming

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

Then reach quickly

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

And do tadbīr of all commands

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

The day the trembling one trembles

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

Subsequent ones follow it

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

Hearts that day, will move up

Commentary covering verses 1–8

²⁵ The most major figure to hold this position is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, the famous early Meccan scholar from the Tābiʿīn, and a major student of Ibn ʿAbbās. See also al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi al-Bayānʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān, vol. 24, p. 64

Its eyes, brought low

وَٱلنَّٰزِعَٰتِ غَرْقًۭا By those who extract deeply while drowning All of these oaths are very generic. Instead of diving deep into different interpretations presented by scholars, I will only present the best opinion that stays true to the language and context of the surah. I will not dive into each opinion and explain they do not add up.

This oath refers to the reins of the horses pulled deeply back. This is a scene of a raid. Before their initial charge, the horsemen are pulling the reins back deeply to hold their horses back from charging. This opinion is present in major works of tafsir 25 although it is not regarded as the preferred position by them, because they preferred the position that these oaths refer to angels who take out the souls from the bodies. In my opinion, the most consistent position based on the context of the surah is that these oaths refer to horses carrying out a raid.

وَٱلنَّٰشِطَٰتِ نَشْطًۭا

By those who release gently This refers to the reins being released, allowing the horses to finally charge at the enemy.

وَٱلسَّٰبِحَٰتِ سَبْحًۭا

By those who glide as in swimming

Sabh literally means to swim while not submerging entirely.

When the reins are released, the horses charge. Arabia was and still is mostly a desert. When the horses run on a vast desert field, it seems to the naked eye as if they are floating over it. You cannot see their legs touching the ground for the most part because of sheer speed. The scene is of horses running extremely fast.

فَٱلسَّٰبِقَٰتِ سَبْقًۭا Hence, reach quickly This is the ayah that makes it convincing to me it is referring to war horses because all the three actions that came earlier, lead to this one result. Because of what happens in the first, second, and third ayah, they reach their destinations swiftly, in the blink of an eye. In addition, it also refers to the fact that the raid has ended successfully because the Qurʾān itself has used this word in the meanings of victory and overpowering. (see 29: 4 and 56: 60) So they reached their destination quickly, and in the blink of an eye, overpowered their enemies.

Many people render this verse as, “Then race with each other” but this is incorrect because the root itself is used without adding the extra Alif after the second root letter. Had it been referring to a race where they were trying to get in front of each other, the word سباقا would have been used instead of سبقا .

فَٱلْمُدَبِّرَٰتِ أَمْرًۭا

Hence carry out plans/ commands thoroughly The letter Fa can indicate two things; an order in time and it can also denote a causal meaning. Here, it has a causal meaning. It refers to the fact that their entire goal was to defeat the enemy which they have achieved. Because of all this swift and quick descent and raid, they have carried out the plan they had of defeating their enemy. The raid has been completed and the enemies overwhelmed.

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلرَّاجِفَةُ

The day the trembler trembles A sudden change of subject. The previous scene describes a swift raid on a party. What happens to the raided party when they suddenly find themselves in a raid in

the blink of an eye? They panic, there is chaos and confusion. They are gripped by fear and uncertainty. The raiders shook them up, they made them tremble in fear. Similarly, there is a day that will come suddenly, carry out its raid swiftly and flawlessly, leaving you all dumbfounded, confused and trembling in fear.

The trembler - an object that makes something else tremble - is the earth. In the previous surah, the Qurʾān already mentioned the massive earthquakes that occur on judgment day. Those earthquakes will make the earth tremble and shake violently, and also terrify everyone on its surface.

Just as the horse riders were pulling the reins of the horses back and holding them back from charging, so has Allah been holding back the reins of the earth. The earth has been waiting to shake and tremble violently because of the amount of sin happening on it. Allah has been holding it back. It wants to take its revenge on those who sin and commit evil on it, but Allah is holding its reins back but one day, He will release the reins, and let it quake and tremble, and take its revenge.

تَتْبَعُهَا ٱلرَّادِفَةُ

Subsequent ones follow it This refers to the events of judgment day that follow this initial shaking and trembling of the earth. After being shaken and terrified by these violent earthquakes, further terrifying events follow such as angels being gathered, the records being presented, Hell being laid bare for all to see, and ultimately, judgment itself. These events will be mentioned later in the surah. The word Rādifah (translated as

subsequent ones) has the Ta marbūṭah at the end which can be used for singular feminine as well as for multiple inanimate things. Therefore, it refers to multiple events that follow the earthquake on judgment day. Allah does not specify the nature of those events because it is understood from the context. What is being said is Subsequent terrifying events will follow the initial earthquakes.

قُلُوبٌۭ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ وَاجِفَةٌ

Hearts that day, will move up أَبْصَٰرُهَا خَٰشِعَةٌۭ Its eyes, brought low

Hearts will tremble like the earth. First during the initial raid, then during all the

subsequent events. Wājifah (move up) at its root means for something to move away from its original place.²⁶ Hearts will skip their places in horror.

The eyes refer to the eyes of the heart because the pronoun goes back to the heart.

This refers to understanding and perceptions. We see with our eyes in the head but our feelings and emotions such as fear are inside the chest and these for the most part, influence our behaviour. Hearts will move up, but the understanding people held within them will be brought low. Now what is it specifically referring to? This will be answered by the surah itself in the very last verse. We will move with the flow and leave it off until then.

²⁶ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 1, p. 320

They are saying, “Will we indeed be forced to return to the Ḥāfirah?”

There is a lot of emphasis placed inside this ayah. The phrasing of it as a question with the letter lām which is explicitly used to place emphasis, denotes their mockery. They are mocking and making fun of this idea. Are we really to be returned to the

Ḥāfirah? Seriously? Ḥāfirah at its root was used for a well or pit that was dug into the

earth and then widened beyond its size, but the root was also used for the starting or initial point from which one starts digging this well. Hence, it came to be used to mean the start or beginning of something.²⁷ Will we indeed be returned to the Ḥāfirah? Will we indeed be returned to start life all over again?

²⁷ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 1, p. 464

Even when we have become hollow bones?

When the strongest structure in the human body, the bones themselves, have become hollow and decayed?

Commentary covering verses 11–12

The normal flow is not to include the words “ They said.” It should be - They are saying,

“Will we indeed be forced to return to the Ḥāfirah? Even when we have become hollow bones? That, then, would be a worthless cycle.”

“They said” is extra and in the past tense as opposed to “they are saying” which is in the present. This is to show two different intentions they had behind each of these sayings. Allah uses the present tense to describe their continuous and consistent rejection, while He uses the past tense to describe their mockery. They continuously deny and reject it whenever it is brought up, and in one of their private gatherings, they even mocked it.

Their mockery is blatant here. If we are indeed returned back after having become decayed bones, then we truly will be losers because of rejecting it. Yeah, really! And the one who is warning us of it - this Muhammad ﷺ , he would truly be the one who wins. Like that could ever happen!

They said, That, then, would be a worthless cycle

Commentary covering verses 11–12

The normal flow is not to include the words “ They said.” It should be - They are saying,

“Will we indeed be forced to return to the Ḥāfirah? Even when we have become hollow bones? That, then, would be a worthless cycle.”

“They said” is extra and in the past tense as opposed to “they are saying” which is in the present. This is to show two different intentions they had behind each of these sayings. Allah uses the present tense to describe their continuous and consistent rejection, while He uses the past tense to describe their mockery. They continuously deny and reject it whenever it is brought up, and in one of their private gatherings, they even mocked it.

Their mockery is blatant here. If we are indeed returned back after having become decayed bones, then we truly will be losers because of rejecting it. Yeah, really! And the one who is warning us of it - this Muhammad ﷺ , he would truly be the one who wins. Like that could ever happen!

But it is but one Zajrah

Zajrah comes from the root zāy jīm rāʾ which was used for ● A camel whose vertebrates had become weak or broken, or who had collapsed due to an injury ● Giving birth ● Forcing an animal to stand up and walk.

The core meaning is of a forceful separation or distancing; like the vertebrates that separate from each other due to a severe injury, and the separation of the newborn from the mother during birth.²⁸

Zajrah is the forceful expulsion or tearing of something from what it was previously attached to. A single force that drives them out.

As you can see, one of the root usages of Zajrah was giving birth, which is the forceful

expulsion of the newborn from the mother’s body. The previous verses describe the violent quaking and shaking of earth on judgment day. The earth will forcefully expel the life hidden inside it and throw them out to the open with its violent shaking. It will only need one tremble to expel them. When the earthquake begins, the very first shake will be enough to expel them.

When referring to the horses it refers to the letting go of the reins. The reins have

been pulled back deeply, and with great tension. When the hand pulling it bac k separates from the rein, and stops holding the horse back, that is Zajrah. It will only

need one Zajrah, one release of the rein, and all of a sudden, they will find themselves in the Sāhirah.

²⁸ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 2, p. 880
³⁰ Lisā n al Arab, vol. 7, p. 287

And suddenly, they will be at the Sāhirah.

Sāhirah is a tricky word. At its root, it means constant and continuous activity such as the continuous flow of milk and blood through veins as well as for a water stream.²⁹ This came to be used for a person that did not sleep during the night since his activities did not cease even at night as Lisān al Arab points out

لَمْ يَنَمْ ليلًا : فَهُوَ ساهِرٌ ، يَسْهَرُ سَهَراً

Sahir is a person who did not sleep at night 30 So Sāhirah means a sleepless night.

Suddenly, they will find themselves in a sleepless night . When you are suddenly raided by

the horse riders, you wake up abruptly and look around in confusion at the chaos. Just as you will become sleepless and terrified in such a raid, so will you find yourself in a sleepless and chaotic night on judgment day after Allah lets loose the reins of the earth and it expels you out.

Sāhirah, can also mean a place with continuous activity. All of a sudden, they will be at the Sāhirah - at a place hustling and bustling with life. In a plain full of human beings with blood flowing through their veins.

²⁹ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 2, p. 1092

Did the news of Mūsā reach you?

A complete change of subject once again, but just like last time, it flows beautifully. First let us look at this passage as a whole and break down its language, then we will tie it all together.

When his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Ṭuwā

Ṭuwā means something that is folded up. This either refers to the physical features of the land itself or to the fact that it is a land of multiple blessings as if blessings are folded or stacked up one on top of another like a piece of cloth.

Go to Pharaoh for he has transgressed

Same word as in the last surah, al- Nabaʾ, Ṭāghīn which literally means floodwater that submerges everything inside it. When applied to humans, it refers to a human being who commits all sorts of sins, submerging all good inside him in its darkness and even oppressing others around him. Pharaoh had transgressed all limits set by God and was oppressing people, so Allah sent Moses to him to make him repent.

Then say to him, “Would you achieve tazkiyyah?”

I left the word Tazkiyyah untranslated though it is normally translated as purification. This is true but fails to capture the whole picture. The root of this word is زكو which was used for:

● Fertile land ● Growth and increase in crops A land is only made fertile, and its crops increased in both quantity and quality, through proper irrigation.

Look at how earlier, Allah described revelation as water and hence life flowing out from the sacred valley of Ṭuwā. Revelation is to the soul what water is to the body. Moses asks Pharaoh if he would be willing to give life to his soul. If he will let that water - revelation - nourish the garden of his soul to make it lush, green, and pure.

And if I guide you to your Master, so you may fear and change?

Khashyah was used at its root for lush plants that turned dry, and for good crops that

turned black.³¹ It was used to mean ‘fear’ because fear is something that dries you up inside; but it also implies a change of state like those plants that underwent a complete change and turned black. It is one thing to have fear, but it is another when that fear changes you. Khashyah is a fear that changes your behaviour because you are afraid of the consequences otherwise. Pharaoh was being told to fear the inevitable consequences of what he was doing and hence, repent from his ways.

³¹ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 1, p. 559

So he showed him the greatest sign

Whatever it was it is not specified. Scholars dived deeply into which one was the biggest sign Moses brought but it is not specified, so we will not indulge in either and remain true to the words of the surah. All we need to know here is that Pharaoh was shown the greatest possible sign to prove Moses was indeed sent by God.

But he denied and did not bend

Commentary covering verses 21–22

He turned his back, he went in the opposite direction as Moses. He rejected him, turned away, and then strove in that path against Allah.

Then he turned his back, striving

Commentary covering verses 21–22

He turned his back, he went in the opposite direction as Moses. He rejected him, turned away, and then strove in that path against Allah.

So he gathered people and called out

Commentary covering verses 23–24

We covered in the previous surah that Rabb is the caretaker, the nurturer and a loving

Master who takes care of his subject. Pharaoh is saying that he is a better guide than Moses to the people. His way of life is what will take care of you, of what will suffice you, not the God of Moses. I will take better care of you and your souls than God and His revelation. We hear this today as well when people call Islam this and that and claim that if you follow it, you lose out and live in misery etc.

Then he said, “I am your Lord, the most high.”

Commentary covering verses 23–24

We covered in the previous surah that Rabb is the caretaker, the nurturer and a loving

Master who takes care of his subject. Pharaoh is saying that he is a better guide than Moses to the people. His way of life is what will take care of you, of what will suffice you, not the God of Moses. I will take better care of you and your souls than God and His revelation. We hear this today as well when people call Islam this and that and claim that if you follow it, you lose out and live in misery etc.

So Allah seized him in exemplary punishment for the last and the first.

Commentary covering verses 25–26

The first transgression being his tyranny before Moses came to him, and the last one being his rejection of clear and blatant signs presented to him by Moses. Now, how is this all connected with what has come before in this surah? At the beginning, Allah mentioned how He has been holding the earth back from shaking and trembling violently because of the sins and transgressions committed on it. Here, He mentions how Pharaoh had transgressed all bounds set by God even before Moses reached him. Just as Allah is holding back the earth from trembling and quaking violently, so had Allah been holding back His punishment from Pharaoh. He had been holding back the reins of His punishment. It could also be that the earth, seeing the transgressions of Pharaoh, wanted to quake and exact vengeance on him, but Allah held it back because He first wanted to give Pharaoh a chance to repent and redeem himself. So He sent Moses to him. When Pharaoh did not bend, Allah let loose the reins of His punishment on him and made him an example. This is consistent with other passages in the Qurʾān such as:

وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِیْنَ حَتّٰى نَبْعَثَ رَسُوْلًا

We were never to punish until We had sent a messenger. (17:15)

Indeed, in that, is a lesson for whoever would have khashyah - For the one who, unlike pharaoh, changes himself and repents in fear of Allah letting loose the reins of His punishment otherwise.

This is the end of the brief mention of Moses and Pharaoh.

Indeed in that is a lesson for whosoever has khashyah

Commentary covering verses 25–26

The first transgression being his tyranny before Moses came to him, and the last one being his rejection of clear and blatant signs presented to him by Moses. Now, how is this all connected with what has come before in this surah? At the beginning, Allah mentioned how He has been holding the earth back from shaking and trembling violently because of the sins and transgressions committed on it. Here, He mentions how Pharaoh had transgressed all bounds set by God even before Moses reached him. Just as Allah is holding back the earth from trembling and quaking violently, so had Allah been holding back His punishment from Pharaoh. He had been holding back the reins of His punishment. It could also be that the earth, seeing the transgressions of Pharaoh, wanted to quake and exact vengeance on him, but Allah held it back because He first wanted to give Pharaoh a chance to repent and redeem himself. So He sent Moses to him. When Pharaoh did not bend, Allah let loose the reins of His punishment on him and made him an example. This is consistent with other passages in the Qurʾān such as:

وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِیْنَ حَتّٰى نَبْعَثَ رَسُوْلًا

We were never to punish until We had sent a messenger. (17:15)

Indeed, in that, is a lesson for whoever would have khashyah - For the one who, unlike pharaoh, changes himself and repents in fear of Allah letting loose the reins of His punishment otherwise.

This is the end of the brief mention of Moses and Pharaoh.

أَ

Are you a more difficult creation or the heaven? He constructed it

Commentary covering verses 27–31

Remember how disbelievers mocked the idea of resurrection after having become hollow, decayed bones? Allah counters that He created the heavens, which are a far greater creation than you. If he can create all that, what are you? The first thing you need to remember is that the Qurʾān is not a scientific book. It is a book with remarkable linguistic imagery. For example, we say in our daily lives the sun sank into the ocean. Did it really sink? No, it is just language to express how it seems to us when we look at the sunset. This is common to all languages without exception. Figurative language to convey scenes as they appear to our eyes, as well as to depict scenes and induce emotions. This is as old as language itself. Every single language has it and we see it most commonly in poetry.

Notice how Allah says, He darkened its night and brought out its brightness. He then uses the same language with the earth and says, He brought out its water and

pasture to link the two. Water and pasture sustain life, remove them and life ceases. Allah called the day life itself in the previous surah. Now He connects it with the water and pasture produced out of the earth. Without these two, water and vegetation, all life would cease. Hence, Allah is saying that He made the earth something that gives and sustains life itself. Earth consists of life itself. Earlier, we saw how it will only take one Zajrah for us to be resurrected into the Sāhirah. Just as the earth conceals life inside it in the form of seeds, so will it conceal human beings inside it. Just as the seed only needs water to bring it to life, so will human beings need a command of Allah, one Zajrah, sent from the sky like the rain, to bring us to life.

He raised its ceiling and proportioned it

Commentary covering verses 27–31

Remember how disbelievers mocked the idea of resurrection after having become hollow, decayed bones? Allah counters that He created the heavens, which are a far greater creation than you. If he can create all that, what are you? The first thing you need to remember is that the Qurʾān is not a scientific book. It is a book with remarkable linguistic imagery. For example, we say in our daily lives the sun sank into the ocean. Did it really sink? No, it is just language to express how it seems to us when we look at the sunset. This is common to all languages without exception. Figurative language to convey scenes as they appear to our eyes, as well as to depict scenes and induce emotions. This is as old as language itself. Every single language has it and we see it most commonly in poetry.

Notice how Allah says, He darkened its night and brought out its brightness. He then uses the same language with the earth and says, He brought out its water and

pasture to link the two. Water and pasture sustain life, remove them and life ceases. Allah called the day life itself in the previous surah. Now He connects it with the water and pasture produced out of the earth. Without these two, water and vegetation, all life would cease. Hence, Allah is saying that He made the earth something that gives and sustains life itself. Earth consists of life itself. Earlier, we saw how it will only take one Zajrah for us to be resurrected into the Sāhirah. Just as the earth conceals life inside it in the form of seeds, so will it conceal human beings inside it. Just as the seed only needs water to bring it to life, so will human beings need a command of Allah, one Zajrah, sent from the sky like the rain, to bring us to life.

He darkened its night and extracted its brightness.

Commentary covering verses 27–31

Remember how disbelievers mocked the idea of resurrection after having become hollow, decayed bones? Allah counters that He created the heavens, which are a far greater creation than you. If he can create all that, what are you? The first thing you need to remember is that the Qurʾān is not a scientific book. It is a book with remarkable linguistic imagery. For example, we say in our daily lives the sun sank into the ocean. Did it really sink? No, it is just language to express how it seems to us when we look at the sunset. This is common to all languages without exception. Figurative language to convey scenes as they appear to our eyes, as well as to depict scenes and induce emotions. This is as old as language itself. Every single language has it and we see it most commonly in poetry.

Notice how Allah says, He darkened its night and brought out its brightness. He then uses the same language with the earth and says, He brought out its water and

pasture to link the two. Water and pasture sustain life, remove them and life ceases. Allah called the day life itself in the previous surah. Now He connects it with the water and pasture produced out of the earth. Without these two, water and vegetation, all life would cease. Hence, Allah is saying that He made the earth something that gives and sustains life itself. Earth consists of life itself. Earlier, we saw how it will only take one Zajrah for us to be resurrected into the Sāhirah. Just as the earth conceals life inside it in the form of seeds, so will it conceal human beings inside it. Just as the seed only needs water to bring it to life, so will human beings need a command of Allah, one Zajrah, sent from the sky like the rain, to bring us to life.

The Earth, after all that, did He flatten and spread.

Commentary covering verses 27–31

Remember how disbelievers mocked the idea of resurrection after having become hollow, decayed bones? Allah counters that He created the heavens, which are a far greater creation than you. If he can create all that, what are you? The first thing you need to remember is that the Qurʾān is not a scientific book. It is a book with remarkable linguistic imagery. For example, we say in our daily lives the sun sank into the ocean. Did it really sink? No, it is just language to express how it seems to us when we look at the sunset. This is common to all languages without exception. Figurative language to convey scenes as they appear to our eyes, as well as to depict scenes and induce emotions. This is as old as language itself. Every single language has it and we see it most commonly in poetry.

Notice how Allah says, He darkened its night and brought out its brightness. He then uses the same language with the earth and says, He brought out its water and

pasture to link the two. Water and pasture sustain life, remove them and life ceases. Allah called the day life itself in the previous surah. Now He connects it with the water and pasture produced out of the earth. Without these two, water and vegetation, all life would cease. Hence, Allah is saying that He made the earth something that gives and sustains life itself. Earth consists of life itself. Earlier, we saw how it will only take one Zajrah for us to be resurrected into the Sāhirah. Just as the earth conceals life inside it in the form of seeds, so will it conceal human beings inside it. Just as the seed only needs water to bring it to life, so will human beings need a command of Allah, one Zajrah, sent from the sky like the rain, to bring us to life.

He extracted from it its water and its pasture

Commentary covering verses 27–31

Remember how disbelievers mocked the idea of resurrection after having become hollow, decayed bones? Allah counters that He created the heavens, which are a far greater creation than you. If he can create all that, what are you? The first thing you need to remember is that the Qurʾān is not a scientific book. It is a book with remarkable linguistic imagery. For example, we say in our daily lives the sun sank into the ocean. Did it really sink? No, it is just language to express how it seems to us when we look at the sunset. This is common to all languages without exception. Figurative language to convey scenes as they appear to our eyes, as well as to depict scenes and induce emotions. This is as old as language itself. Every single language has it and we see it most commonly in poetry.

Notice how Allah says, He darkened its night and brought out its brightness. He then uses the same language with the earth and says, He brought out its water and

pasture to link the two. Water and pasture sustain life, remove them and life ceases. Allah called the day life itself in the previous surah. Now He connects it with the water and pasture produced out of the earth. Without these two, water and vegetation, all life would cease. Hence, Allah is saying that He made the earth something that gives and sustains life itself. Earth consists of life itself. Earlier, we saw how it will only take one Zajrah for us to be resurrected into the Sāhirah. Just as the earth conceals life inside it in the form of seeds, so will it conceal human beings inside it. Just as the seed only needs water to bring it to life, so will human beings need a command of Allah, one Zajrah, sent from the sky like the rain, to bring us to life.

And the mountains did He firmly fix below

This refers to the deep root of the mountains that also helps in maintaining the crustal balance of the earth which was mentioned in the previous surah as well.

As a provision for you and your grazing livestock for a time

First he created life, then created the conditions that sustain life. The word متاع

contains the meaning of temporariness inside its root. It means something enjoyable that lasts for a specific interval.³² Allah is criticizing people who get lost in this world. Imagine a father sends his child to college in a distant town where the child will live in a hostel, but the father will manage the expenses. In his expenses, the father gives him some extra money with which the child can enjoy himself as well, subject to obvious restrictions. Imagine if the child neglects his studies, misuses that money, and wastes it all on entertainment. The father sent the child to the college for a purpose, to study, and gave him some extra money so he can enjoy himself as well because humans not only need it, but it will actually help the child in better focusing on studies. The child forgot his main purpose of studying, and made entertainment his entire goal. Same is the case in this ayah. Allah sent you on earth with a purpose, and provided you things with which you can enjoy yourself as well but people get lost in enjoyment and entertainment, and neglect their main purpose.

This is the root of all sins on earth, the chase of pleasure. If sins felt horrendous, nobody would do them. They feel good, that is why people do them. Pharaoh sinned and oppressed people because that sensation of power and might felt good. They chase pleasures, and make them their goal of life, and neglect their true purpose. The earth is itching to exact revenge on people for this, for their sins, for their blind chasing of pleasures, but Allah is holding it back just like He did with Pharaoh. But…

³² Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 4, p. 2024

Then when there comes the greatest Overwhelming Calamity

When the overwhelming calamity - a calamity that overwhelms all earth and all those on it - comes, Allah will let the earth exact its revenge.

The word Ṭāmmah is translated as overwhelming calamity. At its root, it was used for

the sea, but more commonly for covering or sealing something like a well completely with dirt. This is the calamity that overwhelms everyone. It will happen when Allah lets loose the reins of the earth that are holding it back.

The Day when man will remember that for which he strove

The same word that he used for Pharaoh when he turned back and strove against God. Man will dearly recall where he directed all his efforts for. By human nature, people only come to their senses when they face consequences. If someone continues on sinning without facing any consequences, will he ever repent? Human beings by nature come to their senses when they face the consequences of their actions and this is what happens that day.

As the burning blaze is exposed for those who see

Commentary covering verses 36–38

The word ءاثر is translated as preferred but at its root, it means the remains or remnants

of something.³³ This came to be used in the meaning of preferring or choosing something because of its lasting qualities. You choose it because you think it will remain and persevere.

These people chose the worldly, lowly life because they thought their pleasures would remain. They can keep chasing pleasures and make them their entire goal in life, without any regard for the fact that it will all end one day. This goes back to the word متاع which had the meaning of something being temporal inside it.

³³ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 1, p. 237

So for the one who transgressed

The same word was used for Pharaoh, for transgressing all limits of Allah and rising above them.

Commentary covering verses 36–38

The word ءاثر is translated as preferred but at its root, it means the remains or remnants

of something.³³ This came to be used in the meaning of preferring or choosing something because of its lasting qualities. You choose it because you think it will remain and persevere.

These people chose the worldly, lowly life because they thought their pleasures would remain. They can keep chasing pleasures and make them their entire goal in life, without any regard for the fact that it will all end one day. This goes back to the word متاع which had the meaning of something being temporal inside it.

³³ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 1, p. 237

And preferred the lowly life of the world

Commentary covering verses 36–38

The word ءاثر is translated as preferred but at its root, it means the remains or remnants

of something.³³ This came to be used in the meaning of preferring or choosing something because of its lasting qualities. You choose it because you think it will remain and persevere.

These people chose the worldly, lowly life because they thought their pleasures would remain. They can keep chasing pleasures and make them their entire goal in life, without any regard for the fact that it will all end one day. This goes back to the word متاع which had the meaning of something being temporal inside it.

³³ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 1, p. 237

Then indeed, the burning blaze shall be the refuge of such

There is an extra pronoun here before the word refuge. Since Allah calls both paradise and Hell “refuge”, the extra pronoun denotes that Hereafter alone, is the place of refuge and stay. A refuge - be it the fire or the garden - that actually lasts unlike this world. It could also mean that the burning blaze alone, and nothing else, will be his place of refuge.³⁴

³⁴ al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 28, p. 282.

But as for he who feared the standing of his Lord and prevented the soul from worthless

inclination The word Hawā is translated as inclinations but at its root it literally means the air.³⁵ It refers to worthless, vain thoughts that enter your heart and brain continuously. It is like one thought comes into the heart and he follows it, then another comes and he goes after it. He sees one sin he goes after, he sees another and he goes after that one. One sin after another, one pleasure after another, one unlawful relation after another, one false indulgence after another. He forgot his main purpose like the student mentioned above, and made his pleasures the main goal of his life. But the one who resists all this,

³⁵ Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 4, p. 2276

Then indeed, Paradise will be the refuge of such

Again, the extra pronoun denotes that this life of the hereafter is the real refuge. A refuge that actually lasts unlike the world or it could also mean that paradise alone, and nothing else will be his place of refuge.³⁶

³⁶ al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 28, p. 284.

They ask you about the Hour: when will it be imposed

Remember how Allah constantly used the word Khashyah, which means a fear that is induced because of certain knowledge that produces a change in you? After hearing of all these descriptions regarding judgment day, these people are still mocking. Like Pharaoh, they have turned back and strove in the opposite direction.

This is why the word Ayyān is used which is emphatic. WHEN is its arrival? WHEN will

it come? You promise us it will come but WHEN is it? They are mocking it. Just like Pharaoh, they have turned their backs and are striving in the opposite direction, which they will dearly regret when the overwhelming calamity comes. For now, Allah is holding back the reins of His punishment from them.

In what position are you to mention it

This can mean two things. First, it could be directed to the prophet ﷺ to say that neither you nor anyone else has any knowledge of it. Secondly, it could be a rebuke

of their question. It could be that after the word ( فيم in what), the words ‘this question’ are omitted. In which case, it would be to condemn their question of it - of what worth or importance is this question? The next part of the verse would then be

indicating the role of the prophet ﷺ . You are only to mention and remind people of it, not to respond to these futile questions of theirs.³⁷

³⁷ al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, vol. 31, p. 53.

To your Lord alone is its finality

There is an implied omitted word in this verse as well. Thus the meaning is: To your Lord belongs the knowledge of its finality/end-time. The advancement of the word “To your Lord” is to convey that to Allah alone, and none else, belongs this knowledge and this is an example of restricting an attribute to its subject.³⁸

³⁸ Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 30, p. 96

You are only a warner for those who have khashyah of it

Khashyah has been mentioned multiple times in this surah already and here it is

again. The Prophet ﷺ can only warn those who, in fear of the day of judgment,

change themselves. The fact that they will stand in front of Allah grips them in fear, and leads them to change themselves. Like the lush crops that turn black, they change and let go of evil inside them, and start fresh.

It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained except for an afternoon or

a morning thereof This verse ties the surah together.

Remember how they preferred this worldly life thinking its pleasures would last? When they wake up on judgment day, they will be convinced they only remained one afternoon or a morning. Their whole life, it was so fleeting and short to them, that looking back, it was like one morning or afternoon. It is like a man who tastes something sweet like honey, closes his eyes and gets lost in its sweetness. Then when he opens his eyes, he’s in an entirely different world, with chaos and rupture all around him.

Earlier in the surah, Allah had said: أَبْصَٰرُهَا خَٰشِعَةٌۭ Its eyes, brought low This world came out to be worthless and short-lived. The person who preferred it, and ran after it while neglecting the hereafter, on the day of judgment, will he not be humiliated by this fact? This world was not even one morning or afternoon, yet I got lost in its sweetness. He will be humiliated by the fact that he fell for such a worthless thing so easily.

The lofty perceptions and understanding people had regarding worldly life will be brought low and humiliated. They thought the worldly life and its pleasures to be lasting. Now, their lofty opinions of it have been turned into a recognition of its worthlessness and fleeting nature. They now think they lived just one morning or afternoon, let alone one complete day. Previously, they considered the world worthwhile and of great value, but now they consider it worthless.