Verses 12–70
This passage tells of how they mocked the signs of God. It recounts some of their claims, which were founded upon rejection of the truth and denial of the resurrection. It then refutes them through an account of what will transpire upon the resurrection—in particular, the intensity and variety of the punishment that will befall them, and how God will honor His purified servants with blessings and esteem.
It also chronicles the quarreling between the inhabitants of the fire on the day of resurrection as well as the conversation between some of the inhabitants of the garden and some of the inhabitants of hell.
Commentary
بَلْ عَجِبْتَ وَيَسْخَرُونَ ١٢ وَإِذَا ذُكِّرُوا لَا يَذْكُرُونَ ١٣
(37:12–13) Indeed, you marvel while they mock, and when they are reminded, they mind not.
Meaning, “You are astonished, O Muḥammad, at how they treat you like a liar while you are inviting them to the word of truth. They are joking about and making light of (a) your astonishment towards them, or (b) your calling them to the truth, or (c) because when they are reminded of the signs of God leading to divine oneness and the religion of truth, they neither mind nor heed.”
وَإِذَا رَأَوْا آيَةً يَسْتَسْخِرُونَ ١٤
(37:14) And when they see a sign, they seek to scoff (yastaskhirūn).
Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
Sakhira and istaskhara mean the same thing [namely, “mocking”, “making fun of”, “scoffing at”].
It means, “When these polytheists see a miraculous sign of God, like the Qur’an or the splitting of the moon, they make fun of it.”
وَقَالُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ ١٥
(37:15) And say, “This is nothing but clear sorcery.”
Their use of the word this (hādhā) to describe the signs of God shows that they cannot imagine they are anything significant, and this is the strongest way they could belittle and mock it.
أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ ١٦ أَوَآبَاؤُنَا الْأَوَّلُونَ ١٧
(37:16–17) “What? When we die, and are but dust and bones, we will be raised? Or our ancient forefathers?”
They are denying the resurrection solely on the grounds that it seems impossible, for they could not imagine that a person could die; their body would vanish, turned back into to dust and bones; and then the person would come back in their original form.
One of the things that shows that their objections were based only on their belief that this was impossible is the way they repeat their rhetorical questions, asking once about themselves and then about their forefathers. Their minds simply couldn’t handle the idea of their forefathers being raised when nothing remained of them save tales. Even more incredible was the idea that they themselves would be raised! Were their denial of being resurrected based on the premise that they would cease to exist at the time of death and therefore it would be impossible for them to return, this would hold true both for themselves and their forefathers, and they would have no need to repeat the question about their forefathers.
قُلْ نَعَمْ وَأَنْتُمْ دَاخِرُونَ ١٨ فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فَإِذَا هُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ ١٩
(37:18–19) Say, “Yes, and you shall be abject.” It shall be but a single cry, and—behold!—they shall see.
God commands His prophet to reply to them that they will be resurrected.
And you shall be abject (dākhirūn): Meaning, they will be humiliated and belittled. This is, in truth, an argument for the power and immediacy of the [divine] will. For His command is such that when He wills something, He says to it “be” and it is. Thus, He follows you shall be abject with: It shall be but a single cry, and—behold!—they shall see. (). God has said:
Allah’s is the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and the matter of the hour is naught but the blink of an eye, or something quicker. Allah has power over all things. ()
It shall be (fa-innamā) but a single cry, and—behold!—they shall see: The conjunction fa- demonstrates cause and effect. Therefore, this sentence expresses the reason behind and you shall be abject. The expression cry indicates their humiliation.
وَقَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا هَٰذَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ ٢٠ هَٰذَا يَوْمُ الْفَصْلِ الَّذِي كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ ٢١
(37:20–21) And they will say, “Woe be upon us! This is the day of requital! This is the day on which [everyone] will be sorted out, [the day] that you used to deny.”
This verse is connected to they shall see (), showing that they will be amazed and astonished, racking their brains, then realizing that it is the day of resurrection on which judgment shall be meted out, and that they had been warned about it with respect to their faithlessness and denial. For this reason, they speak of it as “the day of judgment (yawm al-dīn)” and not “the day of resurrection (yawm al-baʿth)”. The verse is in the past tense to show that it is a matter that will have certainly happened.
This is the day on which [everyone] will be sorted out (yawm al-faṣl), [the day] that you used to deny: Some exegetes say that some of the people will be speaking these words to other people. Other exegetes say that the angels or God will be telling them this. This latter view is reinforced by the subsequent verse. Faṣl means “distinguishing between two things”. It is called the “day of sorting” either because it is the day on which truth shall be distinguished from falsehood through divine judgment, or else because the guilty will be separated from the God-conscious. God says: And stay apart today, O guilty ones! ()
احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ ٢٢ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَاهْدُوهُمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطِ الْجَحِيمِ ٢٣
(37:22–23) Gather those who were unjust and their associates and what they used to worship other than Allah, then lead them on the path to hell.
God is speaking these words to the angels. It means, “We will have said to the angels: ‘Gather them.’” Some exegetes hold that some of the angels will say this to the others.
Ḥashr, according to al-Rāghib, means “to take a group [of people] out of their domiciles and drive them to war or something similar”.
According to the next verse, those who were unjust refers to the polytheists—not all polytheists, but, rather, those who stubbornly rejected the truth and fought against it. God speaks of them in:
And a caller shall have called out among them, “The curse of Allah is upon the unjust who kept people away people from the path of Allah and sought evil and denied the hereafter.” ()
Those who were unjust is in the past tense because it acts as an adjective [as in the expression “the unjust people”]. Those who were unjust does not encompass everyone who ever did anything unjust, even once; rather, it identifies those whose main feat this world was injustice, as if it were to ask “what did so-and-so do in his life?” and someone were to reply “injustice”. Therefore the verb acts as a descriptor. This occurs frequently in the Qur’an; for instance, in:
And those who were conscious of Allah will be impelled towards paradise in droves. ()
And those who rejected [truth] shall be impelled towards hell in droves. ()
For those who did good is good, and more. ()
And their associates (azwājuhum): The most apparent meaning of azwājuhum (lit. “companions”, “spouses”, “partners”) is “their associates among the shayāṭīn”. God says:
We appoint a shayṭān as a companion for whoever turns away from the remembrance of the Merciful… until he comes to Us and says, “Alas, if only the distance between the east and west had been between me and you! What an evil companion!” ()
Some exegetes maintain that azwājuhum here means “their like” or “their peers”—for instance, adulterers will be raised with adulterers, or drinkers will be raised with drinkers. However, the problem with this interpretation is that it requires those who were unjust to mean “a specific group of each type of sinner”, whereas the phrasing at the end of the verse does not support this interpretation.
Some exegetes also say that azwājuhum means “their disbelieving wives”; however, this interpretation, like the previous, is weak.
And what (mā) they used to worship other than Allah: This comes across as referring to the false idols that they used to worship, given that the word mā in this verse comes across as parallel to the usage in this verse:
You and what (mā) you used to worship other than Allah shall be the firewood for hell. ()
Possibly, mā could encompass sentient beings which are worshipped, like the Pharaohs and Nimrods of the world. However, the following verse excludes the angels or Jesus from this use of mā:
Those for whom the good has already gone forth from Us, they shall be kept far off from it. ()
Then lead them on the path to hell (jaḥīm): Jaḥīm is one of the names of hell in the Qur’an. According to al-Rāghib, it comes from the word jaḥamah, meaning “fiercely burning fire”.
Being “led” along the path to hell means being delivered to it and thrown into it. Some exegetes say that “led” here is sarcastic. Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
It is called “guidance” because it is in lieu of being guided to paradise. It is similar to the verse, give them glad tidings of severe torment (), in which glad tidings of hell are given in lieu of glad tidings of bliss.
وَقِفُوهُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ مَسْئُولُونَ ٢٤ مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَنَاصَرُونَ ٢٥ بَلْ هُمُ الْيَوْمَ مُسْتَسْلِمُونَ ٢٦
(37:24–26) And stop them; they shall be questioned. “What is wrong with you? Why do you not help each other?” Nay, on that day they shall be submissive.
Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
Waqaftu is used as a transitive and intransitive verb; that is, “I myself stopped” or “I stopped him”. Some of the Banū Tamīm use the expression awqaftu al-dābah wa al-dār (“I dedicated the animal and the house”).
And stop them; they shall be questioned: Meaning, “restrain them so that they may be questioned.”
The context indicates that being stopped and questioned will happen along the path to hell.
Exegetes have differed over what they will actually be questioned about. Some say that they will be questioned over there is no god but Allah. Others say that they will be taunted by being asked about cool water. And others say they will be questioned about their allegiance (wilāyah) towards ʿAlī.
Even if these views are correct, they only provide examples of what they will be questioned about; the context demonstrates that the questioning will include “what is wrong with you? Why do you not help each other?” Meaning, why don’t they come to each other’s aid, as they did in this world when assisting each other with their needs and goals? As for what is recited from nay, on this day, they shall be submissive, it means that they shall be humbled rather than proud. This shows that the intent behind “what is wrong with you? Why do you not help each other?” is that they will be questioned about how their arrogance kept them from obeying the truth [i.e. God] in this world.
When they are asked why they do not help each other, they are really being asked why they were so arrogant when they were alive. It is clear that what they are being asked about is all of the truth they turned away from in this world—for instance, true beliefs and righteous deeds—in the guise of being asked why they did not help each other.
وَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ ٢٧ قَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَأْتُونَنَا عَنِ الْيَمِينِ ٢٨ قَالُوا بَلْ لَمْ تَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ ٢٩ وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ ۖ بَلْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا طَاغِينَ ٣٠ فَحَقَّ عَلَيْنَا قَوْلُ رَبِّنَا ۖ إِنَّا لَذَائِقُونَ٣١
(37:27–31) And some will approach others, questioning each other. They will say, “You used to come to us from the right.” They will say, “No, you were not believers. And we had no authority over you; you were a rebellious people. So the sentence of our Lord has come to pass against us; we shall taste it.”
This is an argument that will take place on the day of resurrection between those who were followed and their followers. The verb questioning each other (yatasāʾalūn) conveys a flavor of censure and blame in how they are questioning each other. The followers will ask those whom they followed, “Why did you misguide us?”, and those who were followed will say, “Why did you accept this from us, when we had no real authority over you?”
And some will approach others (baʿḍuhum ʿalā baʿḍ), questioning each other: The first baʿḍ refers to the ones who are putting forward their objections, and the second baʿḍ refers to those who are being accused. This is what is can be understood from questioning each other because questioning each other implies quarreling.
They will say, “You used to come to us from the right”: Meaning, in the guise of well-wishing. The word yamīn (“right”) is used often in this sense; for instance, in:
And the companions of the right hand—what are the companions of the right hand? ()
It means, “You used to approach us as if you were wishing well for us and wanting good for us, but now you are cutting us off in our path, blocking us from [eternal] happiness, and misguiding us.”
Some exegetes say that “right” here means “religion (dīn)”. This is similar to the previous view. Other exegetes say “right” means “power” and “might”, as in verse (then he turned upon them and struck them with his right hand). However, this view is open to doubt, keeping in mind how those who were followed respond.
They will say, “No, you were not believers. And we had no authority over you; you were a rebellious people”: This is the reply of those who were followed. Through it, they absolve themselves of leading their followers into misery, and tell their followers that it was their fault for choosing to follow them.
They will say, “No, you were not believers” means “They will say, ‘We were not the reason you committed crimes and destroyed yourselves through abandoning faith. You were not faithful; we were not the ones who stripped you of faith.’”
“And we had no authority over you”: This is another way of bespeaking of their obligation to surrender to the truth [rather than follow misguided leaders]. It is as if it is saying, “If it were necessary for you to have faith, we would not have had the power to seize it from you and deprive you of it.” The only reason the leaders had power is because their followers ceded power over themselves to their leaders.
“You were a rebellious (ṭāghīn) people”: Ṭughyān [that is, ṭāghīn] means “crossing the boundary”. It explicates you were not believers. It is as if it is saying: “You were not destroyed only because you lacked faith. Rather you were a people who crossed all bounds. Like us—we were arrogant and rebellious. We all insisted on abandoning the path of guidance and going the wrong way. And so, we deserve the decree of punishment which God established in:
... hell lies in wait, a place of resort for the rebellious () and,
... then as for him who is inordinate, and prefers the life of this world, then surely the hell, that is the abode ().”
To support this meaning, you were a rebellious people is followed by so the sentence of our Lord has come to pass against us; we shall taste it. “Tasting” here means “tasting the punishment”.
فَأَغْوَيْنَاكُمْ إِنَّا كُنَّا غَاوِينَ ٣٢
(37:32) We led you astray; we ourselves were straying.
This is part of the chain of cause and effect here, involving the final cause of their destruction, and terminating in the decree of punishment being passed against them. Rebelliousness begets misguidance, and then the fire of hell. God said to Iblīs [Satan]:
You shall not have any authority over any of My believing servants except for the deviant who follow you, and they shall all meet in hell ().
It is as if it is saying: “Once you embraced obstinate rebellion, you bound yourselves to misguidance at our hands although we had no authority over you apart from the fact you followed us and affixed yourselves to us. So our characteristics spread to you—namely, misguidance, and misguidance only begets misguidance. You can only pour out of a container what is in it. You were not forced or enslaved to do this; rather, you had freedom of choice when you set out on the path of destruction until you reached this plight—namely, misguidance. Therefore, the divine sentence is merited against you.”
فَإِنَّهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ فِي الْعَذَابِ مُشْتَرِكُونَ ٣٣ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِالْمُجْرِمِينَ ٣٤ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ٣٥
(37:33–35) On that day, they will share the punishment with each other. Thus do We deal with the guilty. When it was said to them “there is no god but Allah”, they waxed arrogant.
The pronoun they refers to both the followers and the followed. They shall share in the punishment since they shared in injustice and crimes; one will have no advantage over the other.
Some exegetes have made a case that those who are doing the misguiding shall have a more severe punishment. This is because they will be faced with their own burdens as well as the burdens of those whom they misguided. This verse does not necessitate that the leaders and followers bear equal burdens; rather, it shows that since they both partook in oppression and crime, they shall both partake in the punishment before them in ways that are mete to their circumstances. The leaders and followers may each face their own stripes of punishment; as God says:
And they shall carry their burdens and other burdens with their burdens. ()
“Our Lord! They led us astray, so double their punishment in the fire.” He said, “The punishment shall be doubled for all of you, but you do not know.” ()
Thus do We deal with the guilty: This emphasizes that they merit punishment. It can be deduced from when it was said to them “there is no god but Allah”, they waxed arrogant that the guilty here refers to the polytheists. It means that when they were presented with the notion of divine unity, that they might believe in it, or the word of sincerity, that they might speak it, they remained arrogant and refused to accept it.
وَيَقُولُونَ أَئِنَّا لَتَارِكُو آلِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرٍ مَجْنُونٍ ٣٦ بَلْ جَاءَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَدَّقَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ٣٧
(37:36–37) And said, “Should we give up our gods for a mad poet?” Nay, he has come with the truth and confirmed the messengers [before him].
They said this to deny the message after their arrogance prevented them from accepting divine unity and they rejected it.
Nay, he has come with the truth and confirmed the messengers [before him] refutes their accusation of him being a mad poet. When they accused the Prophet of being merely a poet, and insane or possessed, they were really casting aspersions on the book of God by dismissing it as poetry or maddened ravings. This is the response—that what the Prophet has brought is the truth, and in it is confirmation of the previous messages. It is neither inane poetry nor maddened ravings, nor is it saying something unprecedented or novel.
إِنَّكُمْ لَذَائِقُو الْعَذَابِ الْأَلِيمِ ٣٨
(37:38) Surely you will taste the painful punishment.
This threatens them with punishment for their arrogance and for trying to shoot down the truth with falsehood.
وَمَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ٣٩
(37:39) And you will only be requited for what you did.
Meaning, there will be no injustice in it; rather, their very same deeds will be tossed back at them.
إِلَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ٤٠ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ رِزْقٌ مَعْلُومٌ ٤١
(37:40–49) Except the purified servants of Allah; for them is a known sustenance—fruits, and they shall be highly honored in gardens of delight, on thrones, facing each other. A bowl of clear spring water shall be passed round, white, delicious to those who drink of it. No headiness lies therein, nor shall they be intoxicated. And with them shall be maidens of modest gaze with lustrous eyes, as if they were hidden eggs.
This clause of exception here is absolute [meaning that nothing in the group which is excepted—namely, the purified servants of God—is included in what it is being excepted from]. It applies to either (a) you in you will taste or (b) you in you will only be requited for what you did. One can make a case for either view. In the first case, it means that the purified servants of God are those who have a known sustenance and will not be tasting the severe torment. In the second case, it means that the purified servants of God are those who have a known sustenance above and beyond being requited for their deeds; this will be discussed shortly.
The possibility that the exception is inclusive [that is, those in the clause of exception—namely, the purified servants of Allah—are also included in what they are being excepted from] is weak and requites some finagling.
In calling them “the purified servants of God”, God, the Exalted, has established that they His servants, and a servant has neither his own will nor his own deeds. They [that is, the purified servants of God] only want what God wants and only work for Him.
Then it establishes that they have been purified. This is mukhlaṣūn not mukhliṣūn, meaning that God has purified them, and so they do not associate anything with Him. So they are not attached to anything other than God, such as the ornaments of the worldly life or blessings of the hereafter; there is nothing in their hearts but God.
Clearly, those who fit this description delight in loftier blessings and enjoy a different sustenance than others, even if they share in the basics like food and drink. This reinforces the view that they have a known sustenance indicates that their sustenance is heavenly. They are the purified, sincere worshippers with a specific sustenance unlike any other’s. Others cannot dip into it, even if they too receive something called “sustenance”.
All of this means that they have a unique sustenance, specific to them. Known—in a known sustenance—is a figure of speech indicating that it is distinct and selected; a similar example is And there is nothing with us that is not in a known place []. The demonstrative pronoun ūlāʾika (“they”) gives a sense of them being far-off and hence demonstrates their lofty position.
Some exegetes maintain that a known sustenance simply means that its characteristics are known—for instance, it is unending and within reach, pleasing to behold, tasty, and fragrant. Others claim that known in a known sustenance means that they receive their sustenance at a known time as in And for them is a known sustenance, morning and evening (). Still others say that a known sustenance means Paradise. However, all of these views are shaky.
From here, it becomes clear that taking the verse except for the purified servants of Allah () as an exception to the implied pronoun they in and you will only be requited for what you did (wa mā tujzawn, ) is problematic, as was previously indicated.
فَوَاكِهُ ۖ وَهُمْ مُكْرَمُونَ ٤٢ فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ ٤٣
(37:42–43) Fruits (fawākih), and they shall be highly honored in gardens of delight.
Fruits (fawākih) is the plural of fākihah, meaning “enjoying fruits”. Here, it clarifies their known sustenance. God has paired it with they shall be highly honored to show that this sustenance—that is, fruits—is different from others’ sustenance, for it goes hand-in-hand with their being honored and selected by God. Therefore, it is theirs alone; no one else partakes of it.
Adding gardens to delight (naʿīm) also shows their unique position, for verses including And they are the ones who Allah has blessed () and and I have completed My blessing upon you () show that the reality of this “delight” or “blessing” (niʿmah) is actually walāyah, meaning that God Himself oversees what pertains to His servants.
عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مُتَقَابِلِينَ ٤٤
(37:44) On thrones (surur), facing each other.
Surur is the plural of sarīr (“throne”, “elevated seat”, “seat”, “bed”), in the conventional meaning. “Facing” each other means that they will be convivially acquainted with one another and enjoy gazing at each other (that is, they will not be facing away from each other, such that one person would be looking at the back of someone else’s head).
يُطَافُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِكَأْسٍ مِنْ مَعِينٍ ٤٥
(37:45) A bowl (kaʾs) of clear (maʿīn) spring water shall be passed round.
A kaʾs is a drinking-cup or vessel. Many grammarians say that a drinking-cup may not be called a kaʾs unless it contains something to drink; if it is empty, then it is called a qadaḥ. Maʿīn comes across as referring to water when it is clear and flowing across the land. The intent here behind the cup being “clear” is that it contains a pure drink with an exquisite taste; thus, it is subsequently described as white.
بَيْضَاءَ لَذَّةٍ لِلشَّارِبِينَ ٤٦
(37:46) White, delicious (ladhdhatin) to those who drink of it.
Meaning, its pureness in its whiteness makes it delicious to drink. Ladhdhah is either a verbal noun used as an exaggerated adjective or—according to what is said—the feminine form of ladhdh, meaning “delicious”.
لَا فِيهَا غَوْلٌ وَلَا هُمْ عَنْهَا يُنْزَفُونَ ٤٧
(37:47) No headiness (ghawl) lies therein, nor shall they be intoxicated (yunzafūn).
Ghawl means “harm” or “decay”. Al-Rāgib says: “Ghawl is when something is destroyed leaving no trace.”
When wine is described as not having ghawl, it means that it causes no harm. Yunzafūn means “to be divested of one’s intellect through drunkenness”. Originally, it meant “taking away a thing in stages”. All in all, the verse means, “That wine does not contain the same ills as worldly wine, and it does not make people drunkenly brainless.”
وَعِنْدَهُمْ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ عِينٌ ٤٨ ك
(37:48) And with them shall be maidens of modest gaze (qāṣirāt al-ṭarf) with lustrous eyes.
This describes the heavenly maidens (ḥūr) which they shall be granted. Qāṣirāt al-ṭarf (here, translated as of modest gaze) is a figure of speech indicating that their gaze shall be coy and coquettish. This understanding is reinforced by the mention of their eyes afterwards. It is the plural of ʿaynāʾ which is the feminine of aʿyun (“eyes”) and means large, beautiful eyes.
Some exegetes say that qāṣirāt al-ṭarf means that their eyes will only be for their husbands, and they will not want anyone else because their love for them will be so great. They take ʿAyn here to mean that the middle of their eyes will be intensely black, contrasted against the whites.
َأَنَّهُنَّ بَيْضٌ مَكْنُونٌ ٤٩
(37:49) As if they were hidden eggs (bayḍ maknūn).
Bayḍ has the conventional meaning of “eggs”. It is a collective noun (meaning eggs in general); a single egg is called a bayḍah. Maknūn means “hidden” or “treasured away”. Some exegetes say that the intent of comparing them to eggs is to give the impression that it is as if they are hidden away by feathers in a nest, or something similar, and are untouched, sheltered from the dust. Some exegetes say that the intent behind comparing them to eggs is that it compares them to the inside of an egg before it is cracked open and before anyone can lay hands on it.
فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ ٥٠ قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي كَانَ لِي قَرِينٌ ٥١ يَقُولُ أَإِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُصَدِّقِينَ ٥٢ أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَإِنَّا لَمَدِينُونَ ٥٣ قَالَ هَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُطَّلِعُونَ ٥٤ فَاطَّلَعَ فَرَآهُ فِي سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ٥٥ قَالَ تَاللَّهِ إِنْ كِدْتَ لَتُرْدِينِ ٥٦ وَلَوْلَا نِعْمَةُ رَبِّي لَكُنْتُ مِنَ الْمُحْضَرِينَ ٥٧ أَفَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَيِّتِينَ ٥٨ إِلَّا مَوْتَتَنَا الْأُولَىٰ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ ٥٩ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ٦٠ لِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُونَ ٦١
(37:50–61) Then some of them will turn to each other and question each other. One will say, “I had a companion who used to say to me, ‘What? Do you really believe that? What? When we are dead and dust and bones, we will be judged?’” He will say, “Do you [want to] find out?” Then he will look and see him in the midst of hell. He will say, “By Allah! You almost made me perish! Were it not for the favor of My Lord, I would have been summoned there! Is it such that we will not die except for our first death, and we will not be punished? This is a great victory!” For this, then, let those who would strive, strive.
This tells of a conversation between some of the people in paradise. Some people will ask what happened to others or speak of what happened when they were alive. The conversation ends with them speaking to some of the people in the deepest firepits of hell.
Then some of them will turn to each other and question each other: The pronoun them refers to some of the sincere, purified servants of God in paradise. It speaks of their questioning each other about others and what happened to them.
One will say, “I had a companion (qarīn)”: Meaning that one of the people in paradise involved in this discussion will mention a specific human companion that he had when he was alive. (This is what the surrounding verses indicate.)
Some exegetes say that companion (qarīn) here refers to one of the shayāṭīn which is affixed to a person. However, while the Qur’an establishes that people can have demonic companions turning them away from the remembrance of God, being a sincere, purified servant of God would render one immune to such demonic companionship or from being influenced by the shayāṭīn at all. For instance, in the Qur’an, Iblīs [Satan] says that they are exempt from his lures:
Iblīs said, “By Your might! I shall tempt all of them except for Your sincere servants.” ()
Yes, possibly Satan could finagle his way into their presence in ways other than directly influencing their hearts; however, this does not involve being swayed by a personal minor demon.
Who used to say to me, “What? Do you really believe that? What? When we are dead and dust and bones, we will be judged (madīnūn)?” The subject of who used to say is the companion (qarīn), and the [meaning of the] object of muṣaddaqīn (you believe, a verbal noun) is “being resurrected for judgment”. This is conveyed in the previous sentences (What? When we are dead and dust and bones, will we be judged?). Madīnūn means “recompensed” or “judged”.
In other words, it is as if they are saying, “I had a companion who spurned the idea that we would be raised for judgment. “What?” he used to say. “When we have died, and crumbled to dust and bones—when our bodies have decayed and turned into other things—will we be returned to life and judged? No one could believe this.”
He will say, “Do you [want to] find out (muṭṭaliʿūn)?” The pronoun he refers to the speaker, who was mentioned previously. Muṭṭaliʿūn [here] means “to look down at”, “to oversee”. It means, “The person who was speaking before will ask some people in paradise, ‘Do you want to look down towards the people in the fire so you can see my companion and what it is like for him in the fire?”
Then he will look and see him in the midst of hell (sawāʾ al-jaḥīm): Sawāʾ means “the middle”. It can be used to the describe the middle of the road (sawāʾ al-ṭarīq). It means that the speaker, who has already been identified, will look down at the fire and see his companion in the middle of it.
He will say, “By Allah! You almost made me (in kidta) perish (tardīn)!”: The particle in lightens the severity of the expression. The verb tardīn means “to fall from a high place”, like a cliff; it is used here figuratively to mean “destruction”. It means, “I swear by God, you came close to destroying me and making me fall into that hellpit that you fell into.”
Were it not for the favor (niʿmah) of My Lord, I would have been summoned there (min al-muḥḍārīn)!: Here, by niʿmah (favor) is meant “blessing”, “divine grace”, and “divine guidance”. Summoned here means “summoned for punishment”. Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
“Summoning” (ihḍār, the root of muḥḍārīn) is only used for something ominous.
It means, “Were it not for the grace and guidance of my Lord, I would have been summoned forth to the punishment like you!”
Is it such that we will not die except for our first death, and we will not be punished? This question is not really a question but rather expresses their wonder. The intent here by “the first death” is passing away from the worldly life. There is another death to follow in the barzakh (the intermediary realm after death) which is alluded to in the verse:
Our Lord! You have caused us to die twice and revived us twice ().
However, it is disregarded here because the death that they are speaking about is the one that people swore was the absolute end—that is, death in the worldly, conventional sense.
It means—keeping in mind there are some things that are elided or metaphorical—that the speaker, who has already be identified, is speaking to himself and his companions and saying in wonder, “Will we live forever with blessings and grace? We will not die apart from our first death, and we will not be punished?”
Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
[Through this question] they affirm this is true, without any doubt. They said this out of joy and redoubled delight, even though they already knew they would enter the garden. It is as if a man is given a large sum of money and exclaims, “All of this is for me?”—even though he already knows that it is his. Or, another example is this verse: “By Ṭā Ḥā, is this Mecca that I see with mine eyes? Me, here?”
For this reason, this verse is followed by, This is a great victory!
This is a great victory: With this, the person finishes speaking. It extols the magnitude of the eternal gift and being saved from punishment, and expresses gratitude for these blessings.
For this, then, let those who would strive, strive: The verses suggest that this is still part of what the person is saying. It means, in this abode of responsibility [the material world], let the strivers strive for this great victory (or reward). Some exegetes say that God or the inhabitants of the garden are speaking here.
Know that they have various arguments for why they attribute these words to someone other than the person who was originally speaking, such as God, the angels, or people in the garden. However, what we have said is best suited to the context of the verses.
أَذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ نُزُلًا أَمْ شَجَرَةُ الزَّقُّومِ ٦٢ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاهَا فِتْنَةً لِلظَّالِمِينَ ٦٣ إِنَّهَا شَجَرَةٌ تَخْرُجُ فِي أَصْلِ الْجَحِيمِ ٦٤ طَلْعُهَا كَأَنَّهُ رُءُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ ٦٥فَإِنَّهُمْ لَآكِلُونَ مِنْهَا فَمَالِئُونَ مِنْهَا الْبُطُونَ ٦٦ ثُمَّ إِنَّ لَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا لَشَوْبًا مِنْ حَمِيمٍ ٦٧ ثُمَّ إِنَّ مَرْجِعَهُمْ لَإِلَى الْجَحِيمِ ٦٨ إِنَّهُمْ أَلْفَوْا آبَاءَهُمْ ضَالِّينَ ٦٩ فَهُمْ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ يُهْرَعُونَ ٧٠
(37:62–70) Is that a better welcome or the tree of Zaqqūm? We have made it a trial for the unjust. It is a tree sprouting from the root of hell, its spathes like demons’ heads. They shall eat from it and fill their bellies with it, then drink a brew of boiling liquid; then their return shall be to hell. They found their fathers going astray, yet they hastened in their footsteps.
This compares what God has prepared as a welcome for the people in paradise (a “noble sustenance”) with what God has prepared as a “welcome” for the people of the fire—the tree of Zaqqūm whose spathes are demon’s heads, and a boiling fluid to drink (ḥamīm).
Is that a better welcome or the tree of Zaqqūm? This alludes to the noble sustenance mentioned previously which is ready for those joining the people in paradise. Nuzul refers to what is prepared for the arrival of a guest and offered to them when they arrive, such as fruits or similar things.
Zaqqūm—according to what has been said—is the name of a bitter, foul-smelling tree with small leaves. When its sap touches a person’s body, it causes swelling. It grows in Tihāmah and on the outskirts of barren deserts. This tree and the tree in the verse share the same name because of their similarities. Some say that the Quraysh were unfamiliar with this tree; this will be discussed more in the section on narrations.
The word “better” (khayr) in the verse does not mean “one thing which has a higher level of excellence than another”, for there is no good in the tree of Zaqqūm at all. Instead, it is is similar to the verse what is with Allah is better than vain diversion (). The surrounding verses indicate that these words are being spoken by God.
We have made it a trial (fitnah) for the unjust: The pronoun “it” refers to the tree of Zaqqūm. Trial (fitnah) means “calamity” and “torment”.
It is a tree sprouting from the root of hell: This describes the Zaqqūm tree. The “root” of hell is its bottom or depths. One should not be astonished that a tree will grow in and survive the fire, for human life will also subsist eternally in it, and that is more astonishing. And God does what He wills.
Its spathes (ṭalʿuhā) like demons’ heads: Ṭalʿ is the first fruit of a palm tree, or a tree in general. The fruit of the tree of Zaqqūm is compared to demons’ heads keeping in mind that most people imagine demons in the ugliest forms, just like most people imagine angels in the handsomest and most beautiful forms. God relates [the words of the women of Egypt]: This is not a man—this is nothing but a noble angel! (). This explanation refutes the argument that “a thing must be compared to something the listener knows about, and no one knows what demons’ heads look like”.
They shall eat from it and fill their bellies with it: The conjunction fāʾ serves to explain that this tree is a welcoming repast for the oppressors. And fill their bellies with it shows that they will be afflicted with a severe hunger to the point that they will be starving for anything, whatever it may be.
Then drink a brew (lashawban) of boiling liquid (ḥamīm): Shawb means “a mixture” or “a blend”. Ḥamīm is extremely hot water. It means, “In addition, those oppressors will drink a mixture of boiling hot water which will meld with the fruit of the Zaqqūm tree that is in their stomachs.”
Then their return shall be to hell: Meaning that after drinking the boiling hot water, they will return to hell and abide in its punishment. This verse suggests that the boiling water is outside of hell (jaḥīm) itself.
They found (alfaw) their fathers going astray, yet they hastened in their footsteps: The verb alfaw means “they found” or “they chanced upon”. Yuhraʿūn means “rushing towards” or “hastening towards”. It means that the reason that they are eating and drinking these things, then returning to hell, is because they found their fathers astray and yet persisted in copying them and following them. They were their ancestors and their authorities. So they hurried in their footsteps and thus earned this welcoming repast and return to hell.
Examining Narrations
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Ibn Mundhir from Ibn Jurayḥ regarding indeed, you marvel () that the Prophet said:
I marvel at the Qur’an when it is sent down, whereas the misguided children of Adam mock it.
- Tafsīr al-Qummī says:
Gather those who were unjust () [refers to] those who were unjust regarding the right of the family of Muḥammad. Their associates (, wa azwājuhum) means “those similar to them” [as opposed to specifically their spouses].
Author’s comments: The first part of this narration is an example of an application of the verse [not the absolute or only meaning of the verse].
- Regarding And stop them; they shall be questioned (), Majmaʿ al-Bayān says:
It is said that this is in regard to wilāyah (allegiance) to ʿAlī. This is related from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī.
Author’s comments: This has been related by al-Shaykh in his Amālī, with a chain of narration going back to Anas ibn Mālik, from the Prophet. In ʿUyūn, it is related from ʿAlī and al-Riḍā from the Prophet. In Tafsir al-Qummī, it is related from an Imām.
- In al-Khiṣāl, it is related from the Commander of the Faithful that the Prophet said:
On the day of resurrection, a person shall not continue forward until he is asked about four things: his life and how he used it, his youth and how he exhausted it, his wealth and how he spent it, and his love for us, Ahl al-Bayt.
Author’s comments: Something similar has been related in ʿIlal from him.
- In Nahj al-Balāghah, [Imām ʿAlī] says:
Be conscious of God with respect to [how you treat] His servants and lands, for you will be questioned even about small patches of land and beasts of burden.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that Anas said:
The Prophet said, “Whenever someone calls to a thing, he will be stopped on the day of resurrection, bound to it. It shall not leave him. And if a man called to another man [he will be bound to that man].”
Then the Prophet recited, “And stop them; they shall be questioned” ().
- In Rawḍat al-Kāfī, it is related via a chain of narration from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-Madanī from Imām al-Bāqir that the Prophet said regarding For them is a known sustenance ():
The servants [of paradise] know of this sustenance and bring it to the friends (awliyāʾ) of God before they ask them to.
Regarding fruits, and they shall be highly honored (), he said:
Whenever they desire something in the garden, it shall be bestowed upon them.
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, in a narration from Abū al-Jārūd, it is related from Imām al-Bāqir regarding then he will look and see him in the midst (sawāʾ) of hell ():
It means “in the midst (wasaṭ) of hell” [that is, sawāʾ means wasaṭ].
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, it related regarding is it such that we will not die? () from Imām al-Bāqir:
When the people of paradise enter paradise, and the people of the fire enter the fire, death will be brought forward and slaughtered like a sheep between the garden and the fire. Then it will be said, “Eternal life! There shall be no more death.” At that, the people in paradise will say, “Is it such that we will not die except for our first death, and we will not be punished? This is a great victory! For this, then, let those who would strive, strive.” ()
Author’s comments: The account of death being slaughtered in the form of a sheep on the day of resurrection is something which is well-known and commonly narrated among both Shiʿis and Sunnis, and it is symbolic of eternal life on that day.
- In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, it says regarding the tree of Zaqqūm:
It is narrated that when the Quraysh heard this verse, they said, “We have never heard of this tree.”
- Ibn al-Zibaʿrī says: “Zaqqūm in the Berber language means ‘dates and cream’. It is related that it is the same in the language of Yemen. For that reason, Abū Jahl told his slave-girl: “O maid, zaqmīna (lit. ‘bring us zaqqūm’),” and the slave-girl brought him dates and cream. Then he told his companions, “Eat (tazqimū) of this which Muḥammad is frightening you with!”
Then he swore that the same fire that sprouted the tree would burn it, so God, the Exalted, sent down the verse, We have made it a trial for the unjust ().
Author’s comments: This meaning is related via several chains of narration.
The use of the past tense here and elsewhere in this sūrah is not reflected in translation. [Trans.] ↩︎
Lit. “The Day of Sorting.” [Trans.] ↩︎
This is because fa-ahdūhum comes from the same root as hidāyah, which is generally used for showing someone the way or for religious/ethical guidance, which is meant to save a person from torment. [Trans.] ↩︎
For instance, Whoever is blinded from the remembrance of Allah, We will appoint for him a shayṭān as a companion (qarīn) (). The idea that all or most people are assigned a jinn-companion (qarīn) which tries to misguide them is more prevalent in the Sunni tradition because of prominent Sunni hadith discussing this. [Trans.] ↩︎
This verse is attributed to al-Shiblī who is said to have uttered it upon arrival to the Kaʿbah and repeated it until he swooned. [Trans.] ↩︎
The intensely hot western coastal plain facing the Red Sea along most of present-day Saudi Arabia and Yemen. [Trans.] ↩︎
It is related in al-Durr al-Manthūr from al-Bukhārī in his Tarīkh, al-Tirmidhī, al-Dārimī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, and Ibn Mardawayh from Anas. ↩︎
It is related via a chain of narration from al-Qummī’s father from ʿAlī ibn Mahziyār and al-Ḥasan ibn Maḥbūb from al-Naḍr ibn Suwayd from Durust from Abū Baṣīr from Imām al-Bāqir. ↩︎