Verses 62–75
This section of verses draws the chapter to a close by summing-up the conclusions of the earlier arguments presented therein. It commands the Prophet to tell the polytheists that their demand that he should worship their deities does nothing but reveal their ignorance about God’s station, and it reminds them that God revealed to the Prophet and the prophets who came before him that if anyone associated partners with God, all of their works would fail.
Then, God declares that the idolaters do not know Him in the manner that befits Him to be known, or else they would not have doubted His Lordship for an instant, nor would they have worshipped anyone besides Him. Finally, God provides a comprehensive explanation of how humankind will return to Him through His bringing about the Resurrection, which is another aspect of creation.
Commentary
اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ ٦٢
(39:62) Allah is creator of all things, and He watches over all things.
This is a fact that the idolaters themselves have acknowledged previously, as shown by the earlier verse in this chapter: If you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say, “Allah”’ (). Recall that it was on this basis that the Qur’an attributed the governance and direction of all things to God.
The present verse is intended to prepare the ground for what comes next, namely that the governance and lordship of this world also belongs to God, as it has already been established time and again that creation is inseparable from governance. Hence, the conversation moves quickly from declaring that creation (khalq) belongs to God alone to declaring that sovereignty (mulk) belongs exclusively to Him as well, via the phrase To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth (). Then, if sovereignty belongs exclusively to God, this means that He is the one who looks after each and everything and directs its affairs. We have already discussed in our commentary on the verse That is Allah, your Lord, there is no god except Him, the creator of all things () how creation encompasses all things.
…and He watches over all things: This is because everything that exists depends upon Him for its existence, which necessitates Him being the true possessor of all things. Therefore, nothing possesses anything—not even itself or anything that emanates from itself—except by virtue of God endowing it with ownership of that thing. This means that all things are utterly needy and cannot even look after their own affairs, but God is their true possessor and the one who looks after their affairs for them.
As for the fact that God grants them ownership of their own selves and actions, this is merely part of His governance and direction of the cosmos. It does not in any way contradict the fact that He watches over all things, as this does not mean that he delegates things affairs fully to themselves, as this would invalidate His guardianship [of them].
In short, because nothing that exists besides God actually possesses anything for itself, God is himself the one who watches over it and directs its affairs—and this is true of all things in the chain of cause-and-effect; God is the one true Lord of all of them.
Based on the above, it is clear that this verse was intended to call attention to His oneness in lordship, which is the purpose of all of this explanation. Some commentators have suggested that Allah is the creator of all things means that He is utterly without need and that whatever benefits or harms come about are ultimately felt by His servants, or that He means that He is the keeper of all things, as just as they need Him to exist in the first place, they also need Him to keep them in existence. However, these interpretations do not accord with the meaning of the verse.
لَهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ ٦٣
(39:63) To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth, and those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah—it is they who are the losers.
It is said that the term miqālīd (keys) means the same as mafātīh, except that there is no singular of miqālī.
The keys of the heavens and the earth are the keys to their treasuries (khazāʾin), as per the verse, Yet to Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth (). These treasuries are their hidden aspects from which appears everything that exists within them and the system that governs them; therefore, the keys are that which brings them out of their hidden state and into the visible world, as per the verse: There is not a thing but that its sources are with Us, and We do not send it down except in a known measure ().
To claim possession of the keys of the heavens and the earth is to claim possession of their treasuries from which come the existences, provisions, durations, and appointed ends of things, as well as whatever they might face in the course of their journey from Him until such a time as they return to Him.
The verse To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth is intended to provide the rationale for why He watches over all things, which is why there is no conjunction between the two verses.
…and those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah—it is they who are the losers: We have already discussed how the verses Allah is creator of all things… keys of the heavens and the earth represents the conclusion derived from the arguments presented in the earlier verses of this chapter. Therefore, and those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah is in conjunction with Allah is creator of all things. This makes the meaning: The previous verses have demonstrated that God is the creator of all things, and therefore the owner of all things, and therefore the one who watches over all things—in other words, He is absolutely singular in His lordship and divinity. Therefore, those who disbelieve in the signs of their Lord and, in doing so, fail to acknowledge His oneness and therefore fail to worship Him, are the losers.
Some commentators have disagreed about what the phrase and those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah follows on from, mentioning a multitude of views. However, these are generally without basis. Therefore, whoever is interested can refer to the discussions in these works.
قُلْ أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَأْمُرُونِّي أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا الْجَاهِلُونَ ٦٤
(39:64) Say, ‘Will you, then, bid me to worship other than Allah, O you senseless ones?’
Having completed His synopsis of the proofs used in this chapter of the Qur’an for His oneness in creation (khalq), sovereignty (mulk), and governance (tadbīr), which consequently entails His oneness in lordship (rubūbiyya) and divinity (ulūhiyya), God now tells His Prophet to address the idolaters who are demanding that he worship their gods. He instructs him to tell them that these clear proofs leave no room to worship anyone besides God and that their demands are naught but ignorance.
The particle fāʾ (then) in Will you, then, bid me to worship other than Allah…? [a fa-ghayr Allāh taʾmarūnnī aʿbudu…] signifies that this follows logically from the two verses, Allah is creator of all things… it is they who are the losers (). It is a rhetorical question meant to convey denial. Note that ghayr Allāh (other than God) is the object of the verb aʿbudu (worship), but it is placed at the beginning of the sentence to show that it is the central concern of the verse, and taʾmurūnnī (bid me) interjects between this object and its verb. Note also that taʾmurūnnī is originally taʾmurūnanī, but that one of the two letter nūns was assimilated into the other.
…O you senseless ones? He addresses them by invoking their attribute of senselessness or ignorance (jahl) to show that their insistent demands that he worship other gods—in spite of all the signs they have been shown for God’s oneness in lordship and divinity—are nothing short of foolishness.
وَلَقَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ ٦٥
(39:65) Certainly it has been revealed to you and to those before you: ‘If you ascribe a partner to Allah your works shall surely fail and you shall surely be among the losers.’
This verse supports the conclusion drawn from the aforementioned rational proofs with an appeal to revelation. It is as if to say: ‘Do not worship anything besides God, for this is stupidity. How could it be right for you to worship something other than God, when this is something forbidden by revelation, just as it is forbidden by reason?’
Certainly it has been revealed to you…: The lām in la-qad ūḥiya ilayk (Certainly it has been revealed to you) is for the swearing of an oath; the sentence, If you ascribe a partner to Allah your works shall surely fail, is an exposition of what was revealed to him. Therefore the connotation of this verse is: ‘I swear, it has been revealed to you that if you ascribe a partner to Allah… and it was also revealed to the prophets and messengers who came before you that if you ascribe a partner to Allah, your works will surely fail, and you will surely be one of the losers.’
This verse is addressed to the Prophet and all of the other prophets besides him. It forbids them from associating partners with God and warns them that their deeds will come to naught and they will join the ranks of the losers if they do so. This is genuinely addressed to them and the warning it contains for them is real. This is because, as we have already mentioned, the aim of this chapter is to emphasise that the Messenger of God is also commanded to believe; that whatever he summons the polytheists to believe in, he must also believe in this himself; and that whatever duties he calls upon them to fulfil, he must also fulfil these duties himself. In short, he is also one of those who submit to God, and that is why he cannot accept the invitation of the idolaters to worship their gods alongside the One God.
The fact that the prophets have been granted infallibility (ʿiṣma) by God and, by virtue of this, are incapable of committing sins does not mean they are absolved of any moral duties (taklīf) or that God cannot direct commandments and prohibitions to them. After all, were this so, it would be inconceivable for them to commit sins in the same way that it is inconceivable for any being without moral responsibility to commit sins, rather than because of their infallibility.
This is because infallibility—which is a faculty that renders it impossible for its bearer to commit sins—stems from the knowledge of the infallible, as we have already explained in our commentary on the verse but they do not mislead anyone except themselves, and they cannot do you any harm (). This does not in any way compromise their free-will (ikhtiyār), which pertains to their deeds and means that they have the ability to perform or abstain from any voluntary action with their limbs.
To know with certainty that a particular action is harmful will prevent the bearer of this knowledge from performing that act. This is in the same way that someone who understands the effects of poison will not knowingly imbibe it. Their knowledge of this does not deprive them of their free-will, because they still have the power to choose whether or not to imbibe the poison (even if they will never choose to drink it). Therefore, infallibility does not in any way conflict with a person’s moral agency.
The above demonstrates the weakness of the conclusion that some draw from God forbidding His Prophet from associating partners with Him and the like of that, namely that this is merely a formal prohibition and the intent is actually to forbid his people from associating partners with God. In other words, that this is a form of indirect address.
The reason for the weakness of this reading is clear based on the above. As for what we have said previously and those narrations which claim that these verses of the Qur’an that appear to address the Prophet are all actually forms of indirect address to his people, this does not mean that there is anything wrong with directing moral commands to the Prophet. On the contrary, moral commands are usually addressed to people who can either obey or disobey them. Therefore, when they appear to be addressed to someone who will always obey them without any doubt, this actually makes the command more emphatic and eloquent.
…and you shall surely be among the losers: The meaning of this sentence is clear based on what has already been discussed. It is possible that the use of the definite article in the losers signifies familiarity (lām al-ʿahd), which would render the meaning: ‘If you do this, you will be among those losers who deny God’s signs, and turn away from the signs pointing to His oneness.’
بَلِ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدْ وَكُنْ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ ٦٦
(39:66) Rather, then worship only Allah (bal Allāha fa-ʿbud), and be among the grateful!
Rather here is a transition from the prohibition conveyed by the previous verse, as if to say: ‘Do not worship other than God, worship God instead!’ The fact that Allāh (the object) is placed before the imperative verb fa-ʿbud (then worship) signifies exclusivity; namely, worship only Allah.
Some have said the particle fāʾ in fa-ʿbud (then worship) is superfluous (zāʾida) and used for emphasis. Others have said that it marks the consequent (jazāʾ) of an implicit conditional proposition (sharṭ), whose import is: ‘If you are going worship anything…’ or ‘If you are someone with sense, then worship only Allah.’
…and be among the grateful! Meaning, ‘And be, through your worship, one of those who are grateful for His blessings that demonstrate His oneness in lordship and divinity.’ And we have already discussed—in our commentary on the verses, and soon Allah will reward the grateful () and and You will not find most of them to be grateful ()—that the referent of ‘the grateful’ (shākirīn) in the truest sense of the word are God’s exclusive servants (mukhlaṣūn), who have dedicated themselves entirely to Him and use His blessings in the way He intended.
وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ٦٧
(39:67) They do not regard Allah with the regard due to Him, yet the entire earth will be in His fist on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens, scrolled, in His right hand. Immaculate is He and exalted above what they associate.
The verb qadar (translated here as ‘regard’) literally means to measure or quantify something according to its size, number, weight, or the like thereof. However, it came to be used for abstract concepts such as rank or station as well.
Therefore, They do not regard Allah with the regard due to Him means that they do not know Him as they should know Him, for they do not know that all things will ultimately return to Him on the Resurrection, as indicated by the passage that begins with the following sentence, yet the entire earth will be in His fist on the Day of Resurrection, and continues until the end of the chapter. This passage describes how every means and recourse besides Him will be cut off on the Day of Judgment; He will seize the earth, roll up the heavens, and sound the trumpet, causing everything to die. Then He will resurrect them, and the earth will be illuminated by the light of her Lord; the book will be set up, the prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and He will pass Judgment and recompense each soul in full for what it has done. Then, he will drive the guilty into hell and lead the Godwary to paradise.
Now, when there is a being known to possess such sovereignty and power, this knowledge engenders an obligation to turn towards Him and worship Him alone, and to turn away from everything besides Him entirely. However, because the idolaters do not believe in the Resurrection, they underestimate God, and they do not know Him as He deserves to be known. As a result, they turn away from His worship to worship other things besides Him.
…yet the entire earth will be in His fist on the Day of Resurrection…: In other words, the earth and all the parts and causes that act upon one another; qabḍa (translated here as fist) is an infinitive (maṣdar) used in the sense of the past participle maqbūḍa (lit. ‘grasped’), qabḍ (to grasp) a thing, or for a thing to be in your grasp, means that you have complete power over it or that you alone have power over it. It is the latter most meaning that is intended here, as indicated by the verse, and all command that day will belong to Allah (), and other verses of the Qur’an.
As we have already discussed on more than one occasion, the meaning of all sovereignty, command, and power belonging to God on the Day of Judgment is not that this does not belong to Him at other times, as these are all eternally His. Rather, what is meant by these verses is that, on the Day of Judgment, this fact will be plain for all to see. Therefore, when this verse says the entire earth will be in His fist on the Day of Resurrection, this means that it will be evident to all mankind that this has been the case, not that He did not have the entire earth in His grasp prior to this.
…and the heavens, scrolled, in His right hand: The right hand is typically seen as the stronger one and, therefore, is used to symbolise power. Based on their context, these two sentences—namely, yet the entire earth will be in His fist on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens, scrolled, in His right hand—signify that all worldly and heavenly means will be cut off on the Day of Resurrection, and it will become manifest to all that there is no agent in existence except God Almighty (lā muʾaththir fī al-wujūd illa Allāh).
Immaculate is He and exalted above what they associate: This declares God transcendent above the other gods who they associate with Him in lordship and divinity. They associate these gods with Him by ascribing the governance and management of the world to them and worshipping them besides Him.
وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۖ ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَىٰ فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنْظُرُونَ ٦٨
(39:68) And the Trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens will swoon and whoever is on the earth, except whomever Allah wishes. Then it will be blown a second time, behold, they will rise up, looking on!
Based on the details provided in the Qur’an, it appears that the blowing of the trumpet (nafakh al-ṣūr) in fact refers to it being sounded twice: once to cause things to die and once to bring them back to life. This is also what the traditions of the Prophet’s Household and some of the traditions narrated in Sunni sources from the Prophet indicate. However, there are other traditions that are more ambiguous about this, which has led some commentators to say the trumpet will be sounded three times: once to cause things to die, once to bring them back to life, and once to terrify and stun them (fazaʿ wa ṣaʿiq). Others still have said that the trumpet will be sounded four times, but it is extremely difficult to support this interpretation on the basis of the apparent meaning of the verses.
It is perhaps because of the preponderance of evidence for there only being two soundings of the trumpet—one to cause things to die and the other to bring them back to life—that commentators have associated the sounding that causes them to swoon (ṣaʿiq) with the first time it is sounded. This is because one of the well-known meanings of ṣaʿiq is ‘to lose consciousness.’ In al-Ṣiḥāḥ, al-Rāzī writes: ‘The verb ṣaʿiqa means for someone to swoon, while the transitive aṣʿaqa means to cause someone else to swoon… as per the verse and whoever is in the heavens will swoon [ṣaʿiqa] and whoever is on the earth, meaning “they will die.”’
…except whomever Allah wishes: This exception pertains to the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, but commentators have disagreed about the identity of these who will not die at the blowing of the trumpet.
Some have said this refers to the archangels Gabriel (Jibraʾīl), Michael (Mikāʾīl), Raphael (Isrāfīl), and Azrael (ʿIzrāʾīl), for they will only die after this. Others have said it refers to these four and the Bearers of the Throne (ḥamalat al-ʿarsh). Others still have said these are the angel Riḍwān, the houris, the angel Mālik, and the Zabāniya (the angels of hell). Another opinion—and it is by far the most foolish—is that whomever Allah wishes refers to none other than God Himself. However, the reader will notice that none of the above opinions have any basis whatsoever in the words of the verses.
Of course, if we suppose that God has created something beyond the heavens and the earth, it could be that this exception refers to them as a disconnected exception (istithnāʾ munqaṭiʿ). Alternatively, it could be argued that death is merely the severing of souls from their bodies, and while their bodies might die, these souls do not. Therefore, they are the subject of the exception in this verse—making it a connected exception (istithnāʾ muttaṣil). This interpretation is supported by some narrations transmitted from the Imams of the Prophet’s Household.
Then it will be blown a second time, behold, they will rise up, looking on: The pronoun it refers to the trumpet, and a second time (ukhrā) is an adjective for an implicit noun, meaning a second blowing (nafakha ukhrā). Meanwhile, qiyām (rise up) is the plural of qāʾim (one who rises up or stands), while yanẓurūn (looking on) means either ‘waiting expectantly’ or ‘looking’ in the conventional sense of the word.
Therefore, the meaning of this passage is: ‘The trumpet will be blown a second blowing, whereat they will rise from their graves waiting for instructions…’ or ‘…waiting to see what will be done with them…’ or ‘whereat they will be standing looking on, perplexed.’
The contents of this verse do not contradict the verses, And when the Trumpet is blown, behold, there they will be, scrambling from their graves towards their Lord (), meaning that they will be hastening forth; the day the Trumpet will be blown, and you will come in groups (); or The day when the trumpet will be blown, whoever is in the heavens will be terrified and whoever is on the earth (). This is because the descriptions of their terror at the sound of the trumpet, their hastening from the graves to the Resurrection, and their coming forth in groups—like that of their standing and looking-on in the present verse—all describe different stages of the Resurrection, rather than a single event. Therefore, they do not conflict with one another.
وَأَشْرَقَتِ الْأَرْضُ بِنُورِ رَبِّهَا وَوُضِعَ الْكِتَابُ وَجِيءَ بِالنَّبِيِّينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ ٦٩
(39:69) And the earth will glow with the light of her Lord, and the Book will be set up, and the prophets and the witnesses (shuhadāʾ) will be brought, and Judgment will be made between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.
The earth will glow means that it will be illuminated, while light (nūr) here is used in its conventional meaning. God often uses the word nūr in the sense of visible light, but He also uses it to signify faith (īmān) or the Qur’an in the sense that each of them provide clarity for those in confusion and reveal what is hidden. For example, God says: Allah is the Guardian of the faithful: He brings them out of darkness into light (), and He says: So have faith in Allah and His Messenger and the light which We have sent down ().
Commentators have disagreed about the meaning of the phrase the earth will glow with the light of her Lord. Some have said that it will glow with a light that God creates directly, that does not exist through the mediation of luminous bodies such as the sun and moon. It is attributed to God (per the light of her Lord) in the same manner as God says my Spirit () or she-camel of Allah (). However, there is no basis for this opinion.
Others have said that it means that God will become manifest (tajallī) to deliver Judgment, as per some of the reports narrated in Sunni sources. However, even if these reports are sound, this does not necessarily entail that this claim is correct.
Still others have said that it means the earth will be illuminated by her Lord’s justice (ʿadl) on the Day of Judgment, because the earth is brightened by justice in the same way as knowledge is brightened by action. However, just because it is possible to use light as a metaphor for justice, this does not mean that the verse has used the word light with this meaning in mind. Therefore, some evidence is required to make this claim, but none is provided.
In al-Kashshāf, al-Zamakhsharī says:
‘God uses light (nūr) as a symbol for truth (ḥaqq) and conclusive proof (burhān) in various parts of the Qur’an, and this is an instance of this. Therefore, the verse means: “The earth will be illuminated by the truth and justice that will be established therein, the fairness that will spread across its surface through God’s Judgment and the weighing of good and bad deeds.” The indication that light is being used symbolically here is the fact that it is attributed to God’s name (the light of her Lord), for He is the truth and the justice. At the same time, the fact that His name is then attributed to the earth (the light of her Lord) is because He will beautify it through spreading His justice throughout it, establishing the scales of justice upon it, and judging with the truth between those who inhabit it. For you will find no place more beautiful or civilised than one in which justice is present. Furthermore, this association shows that it is the earth’s Lord and Creator who will establish justice upon it and the source of injustice in it is other than Him. The light that will illuminate the earth is nothing other than the setting up of the Book, the bringing of the prophets and the witnesses, and God’s Judgment with truth. This is no different to how people will say to a just king, “You have illuminated the firmament with your justice and brightened the world through your fairness,” or how they might say “the land was darkened by the injustice of so-and-so.” God’s Messenger has said: “Oppression is the darkness on the Day of Judgment,” and just as the verse opens with the establishment of justice, it ends with the negation of oppression.’
There are two major issues with al-Zamakhsharī’s interpretation. First of all, regarding his claim that the Qur’an frequently uses light as a symbol for the truth, the Qur’an, and conclusive proof, there is not a single verse in which it appears to have been used to symbolise either the truth or conclusive proof.
Second, truth and justice are two different concepts, even if they may frequently appear together. So, even if the light mentioned in this verse is a symbolic representation of truth, it does not follow that it also means justice. However, in order to show that the meaning of light in this verse is justice, al-Zamakhsharī says ‘light’ symbolizes truth and justice, but then he assigns the meaning of justice to light without discussing the meaning of truth any further.
One possible interpretation of the earth will glow with the light of her Lord is that it refers to the fact that it will only be on the Day of Judgment that the curtain of the Unseen is pulled back to reveal the realities of things, such that deeds—whether good or evil, obedient or disobedient, and right or wrong—appear to onlookers as they really are. Ishrāq (glow, illuminate) means for something to be made visible by light, and there is no doubt that the one who will make things visible on that day is God, as all other agents of causality besides Him will have ceased to function. Therefore, things will be illuminated by the light they receive from Him.
While this illumination will encompass all that God’s light falls upon, the verse specifically mentions the earth— And the earth will glow with the light of her Lord—because the purpose of this illumination on the Day of Resurrection is to reveal the condition of the earth and its inhabitants. Equally, God is invoked as the Lord of the Earth as an intimation to the idolaters who deny His lordship over the earth. And, with this in mind, what is meant by earth here is not merely the earth itself but everything it contains and everything that is associated with it, as we have already discussed in relation to the verse, the entire earth will be in His fist on the Day of Resurrection ().
What we have presented here can be discerned from numerous places in the Qur’an. For example, the verses: You were certainly oblivious of this. We have removed your veil from you, and so your sight is acute today (); The day when every soul will find present whatever good it has done and whatever evil it has done (); and On that day she will relate her chronicles for her Lord will have inspired her. On that day, mankind will issue forth in various groups to be shown their deeds. So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it (). There are many other verses indicating that people’s actions will become manifest and tangible on the Day of Judgment, that their limbs will testify against them, and other such things.
…and the Book will be set up…: Some commentators have said this image means the Ḥisāb, or ‘Accounting,’ in which people will be held to account for their deeds. Others have said it refers to the records of deeds on whose basis people will be held to account and judged. Still others have said it is a reference to the Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ, or Guarded Tablet, as indicated by the verse: This is Our book, which speaks truly against you. Indeed We used to record what you used to do. ().
…and the prophets and the witnesses will be brought…: The prophets will be brought so that they might be questioned about whether they delivered their divine messages to their peoples, as indicated by the context here, and by the verse: We will surely question those to whom the messengers were sent, and We will surely question the messengers (). As for the witnesses (shuhadāʾ), they are the witnesses to peoples’ deeds, and they will deliver the testimony they carry with them, as per the verse: So how shall it be, when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you as a witness to them? ().
…and Judgment will be made between them with justice, and they will not be wronged: The pronouns them and they refer to humankind, as is clear from the context. Judgment will be made between them here means that God will judge between them concerning those things they differed about, as the Qur’an has repeatedly said He will do: Your Lord will indeed judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that about which they used to differ ().
وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا عَمِلَتْ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ ٧٠
(39:70) Every soul will be recompensed fully for what it has done, and He is best aware of what they do.
The verb tawfiya (to recompense fully) means to pay someone everything that they are owed. Notice that the verse says each soul will be paid in full for what it has done rather than saying it will be given ‘its recompense.’ This is to dispel any doubts the audience may harbour about the fairness or justice of God’s Judgment, as though the verse is intended as an exposition of the ending of the previous one: and they will not be wronged.
… and He is best aware of what they do: In other words, God does not need to set up the Book or bring the prophets and the witnesses because He has need of them or because He is lacking in knowledge. On the contrary, it is because His Judgment is based on justice and fairness, as He already knows well what they do.
Note that the previous verse dealt with Judgment, this verse deals with its implementation, and the following verse will deal with the details of this.
وَسِيقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِنْكُمْ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِ رَبِّكُمْ وَيُنْذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ الْعَذَابِ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ ٧١
(39:71) The faithless will be driven to hell in throngs. When they come to it, and its gates are opened, its keepers will say to them, ‘Did there not come to you messengers from among yourselves, reciting to you the signs of your Lord and warning you of the encounter of this day of yours?’ They will say, ‘Yes, but the word of punishment became due against the faithless.’
According to al-Ṭabrisī in Majmaʿ al-bayān, sawq (to drive) means to urge forward. At the same time, in al-Ṣiḥāḥ, al-Rāzī says that zumar (throngs, plural of zumra) signifies a group of people.
This renders the meaning as follows: The faithless will be driven—urged forward—to hell in throngs—one group after another. When they come to it—reach it—and its gates are opened—for them to enter it, and there are seven of these, as per the verse, It has seven gates ()— its keepers—who are the angels responsible for it—will say to them—reprovingly and in rebuke—’Did there not come to you messengers from among yourselves—from your own species—reciting to you the signs of your Lord—the decisive arguments for His oneness and your duty to worship Him—and warning you of the encounter of this day of yours?’ They will say, ‘Yes—they came and recited these signs to us—but—we denied them and disbelieved, so—the word of punishment became due against the faithless.’ And the phrase word of punishment (kalimat al-ʿadhāb) is a reference to what God told Adam when he descended to earth: ‘But those who are faithless and deny Our signs, they shall be the inmates of the Fire and they shall remain in it’ ().
قِيلَ ادْخُلُوا أَبْوَابَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ ٧٢
(39:72) It will be said, ‘Enter the gates of hell to remain in it. Evil is the abode of the arrogant.’
Based on the context, it appears the speakers in this verse are the angels responsible for guarding hell. The phrase, Evil is the abode of the arrogant, shows that the faithless in the previous verse are those who denied God’s signs and obstinately rejected the truth.
وَسِيقَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَادْخُلُوهَا خَالِدِينَ ٧٣
(39:73) Those who are wary of their Lord will be driven to paradise in throngs. When they reach it, and its gates are opened, and its keepers say to them, ‘Peace be to you! You are blessed! Enter it to remain.’
Unlike the previous verse, there is no consequent mentioned for the conditional idhā (when) in this verse. This is to show that the reality of paradise is beyond the power of human language to encapsulate. The phrase and its gates are opened is an adverb (ḥāl), which renders the meaning: ‘When they reach it, and its gates have been opened.’ And its keepers—the angels tasked with maintaining paradise—say to them, ‘Peace be to you! You are blessed! Enter it to remain.’
Therefore, the meaning is as follows: Those who are wary of their Lord will be driven—urged forward—to paradise in throngs—one group after another. When they reach it, and its gates—have been—opened, and its keepers—the angels responsible for paradise—will say to them—in order to greet and welcome them—‘Peace be to you!—you are now in utter peace, and nothing will befall you save that which you desire—You are blessed!—and perhaps this is mentioned as the reason for their being greeted with peace—Enter it to remain.’ And this is the effect of their blessedness.
وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي صَدَقَنَا وَعْدَهُ وَأَوْرَثَنَا الْأَرْضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ ۖ فَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ ٧٤
(39:74) They will say, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us heirs to the earth, that we may settle in paradise wherever we may wish! How excellent is the reward of the doers!’
The speakers in this verse are the Godwary. Some have understood the promise they refer to here as the pledge that God makes repeatedly throughout the Qur’an and in His revelation to all of His prophets, namely that the Godwary are guaranteed paradise. For example, see the verses: For those who are Godwary there will be gardens near their Lord (); and Indeed for the Godwary there will be gardens of bliss near their Lord (). Others have said that the promise mentioned here is the promise of resurrection and reward.
It is also possible that the promise referenced here is the promise to make them inheritors of paradise, as per the verse: It is they who will be the inheritors, who shall inherit paradise, and will remain therein (). In this case, the phrase and made us heirs to the earth is an exposition of who has fulfilled His promise to us.
As for and made us heirs to the earth, some commentators have said that the meaning of earth here is paradise, as ‘the earth’ (arḍ) means the ground upon which one dwells. And we have already discussed in our commentary on the opening verses of Sūrah al-Muʾminūn that the meaning of their ‘inheriting’ (wirātha) paradise is that it will remain theirs, whereas they had previously shared the world with others or had been forced to live under their dominion. However, those others have now left the world and, thus, it has become theirs alone.
…that we may settle in paradise wherever we may wish: This explains the meaning of their inheriting the earth; note that instead of using a pronoun to refer to the earth, the verse refers to it as paradise to show that this is what is really meant by the word ‘earth’ (arḍ) in this context.
Some have said that the meaning of earth here is this world, which is nonsensical, unless of course by this they mean that paradise is the ultimate outcome of this worldly abode, as per the verse: For such will be the outcome of the abode.
Therefore, the meaning of this verse is: ‘After they enter paradise, the Godwary will say: Praise belongs to God who fulfilled His promise to admit us to paradise’ or ‘…to make us inheritors of paradise, such that we can settle wherever we please or desire therein’—for they shall have whatever they desire in it.
How excellent is the reward of the doers: That is, how excellent is the reward of those who act for the sake of God. Based on its context, this phrase is also spoken by the inhabitants of paradise, although it could also be part of God’s speech.
وَتَرَى الْمَلَائِكَةَ حَافِّينَ مِنْ حَوْلِ الْعَرْشِ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ وَقِيلَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ٧٥
(39:75) And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, celebrating the praise of their Lord, and Judgment will be made between them with justice, and it will be said, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds!’
The word ḥaff (to surround) means to encircle and enclose something; the Throne (al-ʿarsh) is the station from which emanates the divine edicts and commands which govern the cosmos; the angels are those who execute God’s will by His command. To see the angels in this state is an allusion to the fact that all of this will become manifest on the Day of Judgment now that the heavens have been rolled up like scrolls.
The meaning of this passage is: ‘On that day, you will see the angels while they encircle the Throne, hastening to fulfil the commands that emanate from it while celebrating the praise of their Lord.’
…and Judgment will be made between them: It is possible that the pronoun them refers to the angels, or to the angels and humankind both, or to all of God’s creatures, or to humankind alone, in the sense of judging between the inhabitants of heaven and the inmates of hell, or in the sense of judging between the prophets and their peoples.
The plausibility of the latter most reading is decreased by the fact that this section of verses has already described God’s Judgment between people in the verse, and Judgment will be made between them with justice, and they will not be wronged (). Therefore, to mention it again would be an unnecessary repetition.
However, the apparent meaning of ‘judging between a group’ means to rule in favour of some and against others because of some disagreement between them. However, there can be no disagreement amongst the angels, which means that this pronoun should not refer to them but others. At the same time, while Judgment can refer to the ruling of a judge in a particular case, it can also refer to the whole process to which this ruling is central, which includes its preliminaries and consequences, such as summoning the two parties to present their respective cases, hearing the testimony of witnesses, the issuance of a verdict, and the implementation of this verdict. Therefore, it is possible that the meaning of Judgment (qaḍāʾ) here first of all refers to the divine verdict itself and, secondly, to the entirety of the process to which it is central. This would begin with the resurrection of the human race and up until and including the consignment of the inmates of hell to hell and the admission of the inhabitants of paradise to paradise and each of them residing in their respective abodes. This reading would deal with the objection of unnecessary repetition.
…and it will be said, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds’: These are the final words of both the origination and the return; to praise God universally because He has only done and only will do that which is beautiful.
Some commentators have said these are the words of the Godwary and that they uttered their first statement of praise (see above) when they entered paradise and then uttered this one when God judged between them and others with justice. Others have said that these are the words of the angels, but they are not explicitly attributed to them in order to magnify their importance. Still others have said that these are the words of all of God’s creatures.
The first opinion is supported by God’s description of the inhabitants of paradise in Sūrah Yūnus: and their concluding call, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds’ (). And, as we have already mentioned, this is a universal praise that concludes His creation.
Examining Narrations
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, concerning the verse: If you ascribe a partner to Allah your works shall surely fail and you shall surely be among the losers (), we read: ‘It is addressed to the Prophet but it is meant for his people, as has been said by Imam al-Ṣādiq: “Surely God spoke to His Prophet using indirect speech.”’
- And in his Kitāb al-tawḥīd, al-Ṣadūq narrates via a chain of narrators leading back to al-Fuḍayl b. Yasār, who heard Imam al-Ṣādiq say: ‘Surely God Almighty cannot be described.’
- And al-Ṣadūq narrates from Zurāra that Imam al-Bāqir said: ‘Surely God cannot be described. How could he be described, when He has said in His Book, They do not regard Allah with the regard due to Him ()? He is not described by any measure save that He is greater than it.’
- And in the same source, al-Ṣadūq narrates via his chain of narrators from Sulaymān b. Mihrān that he asked Imam al-Ṣādiq about the verse yet the entire earth will be in His fist [qabḍa] on the Day of Resurrection ().
The Imam said: ‘It will be His dominion, upon which no one besides Him will have any claim. Elsewhere, God uses the term qabḍ to mean withholding, while basaṭ (expanding) means giving and increasing: And Allah tightens and expands, and to Him you shall be brought back ()—meaning that He gives, expands, and contracts. In yet other contexts, qabḍ means for Him to take something in the sense of accepting it, as per the verse: and receives the charities (), meaning He accepts it from those who give it and rewards them for it.’
Sulaymān b. Mihrān asked: ‘So what about His saying and the heavens, scrolled, in His right hand ()?’
Imam al-Ṣādiq replied: ‘The right hand symbolizes power and strength. So, when He says and the heavens, scrolled, in His right hand, He means that they are rolled up by His power and His strength, glorified is He above what they associate!’
Author’s comments: al-Suyūṭī narrates in al-Durr al-manthūr from Abū Hurayra, from the Prophet about the verse, and whoever is in the heavens will swoon and whoever is on the earth, except whomever Allah wishes (): ‘They are the martyrs girded with their swords around God’s throne.’
The apparent meaning of this tradition is that this sounding of the trumpet does not cause everyone to die, but we have already seen that the apparent meaning of the verse contradicts this.
- And al-Suyūṭī narrates from Anas, from the Prophet: ‘They are Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and the Angel of Death, and the bearers of the throne, and they will die after this.’ However, once again, the verse’s apparent meaning contradicts this.
- And he narrates from Jābir: ‘Except for Moses, because he lost consciousness before.’ However, regardless of whether we understand ṣaʿiq to mean death or merely a loss of consciousness, Moses was not the only one to experience this.
- In Majmaʿ al-bayān, about the verse, It has seven gates (), al-Ṭabrisī writes that there are two opinions. One of them is in the tradition narrated from the Commander of the Faithful, saying that ‘hell has seven gates, whose levels are one on top of another, like so’ and he illustrated this by placing one of hands above the other, then said: ‘God will place the gardens of paradise upon the earth, and he will stack the fires of hell one on top of another. The lowest of these is Jahannam, above which is Laẓan (Inferno), above which is al-Ḥutama (the Crusher), above which is Saqar, above which is al-Jaḥīm, above which is al-Saʿīr (the Blaze), above with is al-Hāwiya (the Pit).’ And in the narration of al-Kalbī, the lowest level of Hell is al-Hāwiya and the highest is Jahannam.
- In al-Khiṣāl, al-Ṣadūq narrates from Imam al-Ṣādiq, from his father, from his grandfather, from ʿAlī: ‘Paradise has eight gates: a gate through which the prophets and the veracious will enter, a gate through which the martyrs and the righteous will enter, and five gates through which our followers and those who love us will enter. And I shall remain standing upon al-Ṣirāt (the Bridge) saying: ‘My Lord! Keep my followers, my supporters, and those who love me safe, and all those who were my allies in the world.’ Then there will come a call from the depths of God’s Throne, saying: ‘I have answered your supplication and accepted your intercession for your followers.’ Then each and every man from my followers, and those who were my allies and came to my aid and fought those who fought me in word or in deed, shall be able to intercede for seventy thousand of their neighbors and near relatives. Then, there is a gate through which the remainder of the Muslims will enter—those who bear witness that there is no god but God and in whose heart there is not so much as an atom’s weight of hatred for us, the Prophet’s Household.’
For example, commenting on the verse To whom does the sovereignty belong today? (), it is narrated that the answer To Allah, the One, the All-paramount! comes from the souls of the prophets. And there are other narrations aside from this. (Trans.) ↩︎