Verses 1–10
Introduction
This chapter resembles Sūrah al-Ḥadīd with respect to its context, content, and composition as if it is an abridgment of the latter. The goal of this chapter is to motivate and encourage the believers to spend their wealth in God’s way. It also aims to remove sorrows and regrets which may occur in their hearts and which may pervade their souls due to misfortunes which afflict them with severity in the course of enduring challenges associated with faith in God, in the course of struggling in God’s way, and in the course of spending wealth in His way, in that all those misfortunes occur with God’s permission.
The verses of this chapter that we have cited here and which belong to the beginning of the chapter, serve as introduction to the (subsequent) mention of the aforementioned goal of this chapter. These verses clarify that God’s beautiful names and lofty attributes require the resurrection and the return of all to God; a return in which the people of faith and good deeds will be led to eternal paradise while those who disbelieved and belied will be driven to everlasting hellfire. Therefore, these verses feature as an introduction regarding the imperative to obey God and His Messenger, regarding the imperative to be patient in the face of afflictions, and regarding the imperative to spend in God’s way without being swayed or affected by those who deter them from the same and without fear of rebuke by any who censures or blames them for the same. This chapter is of Medinan provenance on the basis of the testimony of the content of its verses.
Commentary
يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ١
(64:1) Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth declares the glory of Allah; to Him belongs the dominion and control, and to Him is due (all) praise, and He has power over all things.
This verse mentions God’s glorification (al-tasbīḥ), His dominion and control (al-mulk), His praise (al-ḥamd), and His power (al-qudra). A discussion regarding these four items has occurred previously. This is while the meaning of the speech of God in this verse that says Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth... includes the heavens and the earth themselves, whoever is in it, and whatever is in it.
The speech of God in this verse that says ...to Him belongs the dominion and control... is absolute. It signifies the absoluteness of (His) dominion and control and the absence of limitation or restriction to it in any form or fashion. Thus there is no rule that is effective save His rule and His rule is effected according to what He intends and wishes.
Similar is the case with the ensuing phrase, which says ...and to Him is due (all) praise... It is absolute, and signifies that any praise made by anyone who praises is due to Him and returns to Him. The word al-ḥamd is praise for a beautiful thing that is accomplished by choice. The reason all praise is due to God is because the creation and the command are His and return to Him. There is no being or attribute or deed that is beautiful or praiseworthy save that it is from Him and returns to Him.
And similarly so is the concluding phrase ...and He has power over all things. This indicates the generality of what pertains to His power, which is unlimited and unrestricted in any form or fashion.
If these verses, as pointed out above, are in the context of affirming resurrection and the return to God then this verse is like the first premise in that regard. It means that God transcends all defects in His essence, attributes, and deeds. He possesses power and suzerainty over everything and possesses the right to deal with and dispose of everything however He wishes and intends. This is while He only deals with everything graciously and beautifully. His power extends to everything and so it is His prerogative to deal with His creation by resurrecting them just as He dealt with them by creating and sustaining them (in the first place). Hence it is His prerogative to resurrect them if He wills it while He does not will save with wisdom.
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ فَمِنْكُمْ كَافِرٌ وَمِنْكُمْ مُؤْمِنٌ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ٢
(64:2) He it is Who created you, then some of you are disbelievers and some of you are believers; and Allah sees what you do.
The letter fa prefixed to minkum in faminkum (then [some of you]) is a particle that merely indicates the resulting of disbelief and belief from mankind and mankind’s categorization and ordering along the lines of disbelief and belief. This two-fold division of mankind does not mean that disbelief and belief are created by God or that they are not, rather the intent is to convey the division of mankind into two groups: some of them are disbelievers and some of them are believers. This is while the reason the mention of the disbeliever precedes the mention of the believer (in this verse) is because disbelievers are in abundance and predominate.
The preposition min (that occurs twice in this verse) in fa-minkum and wa minkum denotes partitiveness, something being a part of something, ‘some of’ (al-tabʿīḍ), thereby meaning ‘some of you (or a part of you) are disbelievers and some of you (or a part of you) are believers’. Finally, the verse cautions ...and Allah sees what you do. It warns that their division and separation into two groups is true, as mentioned, and that they are rendered distinct near God where the basis for such distinction is their deeds; the apparent thereof and the hidden, and God sees what they do. Their deeds are neither hidden from Him nor obscure, and God knows well their deeds.
This verse contains another premise regarding the affirmation of resurrection and the return to God, and its execution, which is that mankind is God’s creation, rendered distinct near Him by disbelief and belief, virtuous deeds and evil deeds.
خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ ٣
(64:3) He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He formed you and made goodly your forms, and to Him is the ultimate resort.
The meaning of ‘truth’ (al-ḥaqq) is the contrary of falsehood and the contrary of something being vain and frivolous (al-bāṭil), which would have been the case had the creation of the heavens and the earth been without a confirmed, established purpose and goal as God says Had We wished to make a past time, We would have made it from before Ourselves: by no means would We do (it) (). And as He says We did not create them both but with the truth, but most of them do not know ().
...and He formed you and made goodly your forms: The meaning of the word al-taṣwīr is “to give shape and form to something” while the ‘shape and form of something’ refers to its structure and constitution, and the mode of its existence, as God says Certainly We created man in the best make (). ‘Goodly forms’ means the harmony and proportionality of its constituent parts (or its components) one with the other, while the entirety of it is for the purpose of its existence. ‘Goodly forms’ does not mean the beauty, grace, and splendor of visage; rather it refers to the general goodness effective in things, as God says Who made good everything that He has created, and He began the creation of man from dust ().
Perhaps the special mention of the ‘goodly forms’ of mankind is in order to draw attention that their forms are fitting and adequate for their purpose and aim, which is the return to God. Thus this part of the verse is from the premises meant to confirm resurrection and the return to God, as pointed out earlier.
This verse brings to a close the (three) premises that seek to prove the necessity of resurrection and the return of creation to God. This is as follows: (1) Since God is a king, and absolutely powerful, then it is for Him to rule and govern as He wishes and to deal and dispose of as He wants, while He transcends all defects, and is praiseworthy with respect to His deeds. (2) Mankind is divided into disbelievers and believers, and God knows well their deeds. (3) Creation has a purpose and an aim which is devoid of error, vanity, and frivolousness. Therefore it is imperative that human beings are resurrected after their worldly life for the eternal and permanent hereafterly life so that they may live an enduring life there on the basis of what (their) differences in respect of faith and lack of faith necessitates. This is the requital due to which those of them who are believers shall be happy while those of them who are disbelievers shall be unhappy and miserable. It is to this conclusion that God points to in the end part of this verse that says ...and to Him is the ultimate resort.
يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ ٤
(64:4) He knows what is in the heavens and the earth, and He knows what you hide and what you manifest; and Allah is Cognizant of what is in the hearts.
This verse serves as a (pre-emptive) rejoinder or retort to a doubt (assumed to have been raised here), a doubt of those who deny the resurrection based on it being far-fetched and improbable. The doubt is: ‘How is the return or resurrection of existents possible when they are perishable and transient and when worldly events are so many as to be uncountable, and deeds and characteristics so many as cannot be enumerated? Some of these are manifest and public, others are hidden and secret, some of these can be witnessed and others not.’ Thus it is to this doubt that the response is made in this verse in that God knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and He knows what mankind conceals and what it makes public.
It is suggested that the concluding phrase ...and Allah is Cognizant of what is in the hearts is a proof which occurs subsequent to the two phrases ‘what you conceal’ and ‘what you manifest’ in order to emphasize and confirm that God’s knowledge equally encompasses what human beings hide and what they manifest. Therefore its meaning is: ‘God encompasses in knowledge the hidden secrets, inner thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and intentions that exist in the hearts of human beings which are not separate from them at all and do not leave them, so therefore how can anything that you all hide or make public be hidden from Him?’
This is while the clause ...and Allah is Cognizant... has the proper name of God manifestly placed in place of the relevant third person singular pronoun ‘He’. This part should have been (He knows what is in the heavens and the earth, and He knows what you hide and what you manifest); and He is cognizant of what you do’ but instead God’s proper name (Allah) is substituted for the pronoun. The point intended to be made here is to point out the reason for the judgment (made in this verse regarding God’s intimate knowledge of everything), and also so that this part of the verse becomes a standard which serves as a proverb or a saying.
أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ فَذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ٥
(64:5) Has there not come to you the story of those who disbelieved before, so they tasted the evil result of their conduct, and a painful punishment awaits them?
The word wabāl means “evil or disastrous consequences.” This word occurs in this verse as part of a possessive construct (meaning ‘something of something’), being affixed as it is, to amrihim, meaning “their conduct or matter, their affair,” altogether becoming the phrase wabāla amrihim, which literally means “the evil or disastrous consequences of their conduct.” Their conduct, in this verse, is a reference to their disbelief and what ensues from it of their wickedness.
When the necessary corollary of God’s beautiful names and lofty attributes enumerated in the previous verses is the necessity of mankind’s resurrection and their journey back to their Lord for reckoning and recompense then it is imperative that they be informed of what is incumbent on them in terms of the performance and non-performance of things, which is the divine path or law (al-sharʿ). The path to that is via (the institution of) Messengership (al-risāla). Consequently, it is imperative to send forth a messenger so that he may warn of hereafterly punishment and give glad tidings of hereafterly rewards, warn of God’s anger and give glad tidings of His satisfaction, respectively.
God conveys the warning by referring to the news or the story of those who disbelieved in the past and that they tasted the evil consequences of their disbelief, while in the hereafter there awaits them a painful punishment. Then He moves on to express the cause of their disbelief which was belying the Messengership (al-risāla) (enunciated in the next verse), and then expresses the cause of that being their rejection of the resurrection and the return to God (enunciated in the verse thereafter).
Then He concludes from all that of the necessity and requirement of the people’s faith in God, His Messenger, and the religion which He had revealed to the latter (expressed in ), and brings the aforementioned introduction (mentioned right at the onset of this section of verses) to a close by means of glad tidings and warnings. This He does by pointing out what has been prepared for the virtuous believers of everlasting paradise and for the others from the belying disbelievers of everlasting fire (in and respectively).
Thus, this verse Has there not come to you the story of those who disbelieved before...? is an address to the polytheists and it refers to the stories of past destroyed nations such as the people of Nūḥ, ʿĀd, Thamūd, and others from those whom God had destroyed due to their sins. This is while the part of this verse that says ...so they tasted the evil result of their conduct... refers to what befell them of annihilating punishment, while the end of this verse ...and a painful punishment awaits them refers to their hereafterly punishment.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَتْ تَأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا فَكَفَرُوا وَتَوَلَّوْا ۚ وَاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ ٦
(64:6) That is because there used to come to them their messengers with clear arguments, but they said: Shall mortals guide us? So they disbelieved and turned back, and Allah does not stand in need (of anything), and Allah is Self-sufficient, Praised.
This verse serves to express the reason for what was mentioned previously of the disbelievers’ punishment by an annihilating punishment, as well as by a (future) hereafterly punishment, which is the reason this verse occurs detached (from the previous verse) rather than conjoined (to it by means of a conjunction), as if this verse was a reply to an implicit question which a questioner had asked, saying: ‘Why did what afflicted them of punishment afflict them?’ And the reply occurs (in the form of this verse) That is because there used to come to them their messengers with clear arguments, but they said: Shall mortals guide us? So they disbelieved and turned back, and Allah does not stand in need (of anything), and Allah is Self-sufficient, Praised. The masculine, singular, demonstrative pronoun dhālika—that—at the beginning of this verse refers to what was mentioned of punishment (in the previous verse).
The coming forth of God’s messengers to the disbelievers and their preaching and calling the latter is expressed in this verse by the words ...there used to come to them their messengers... (kānat taʾtīhim rusuluhum). Such manner of expression (there used to come to them) points to (sustained) continuity (over a period of time—past habitual), while this verse expresses the disbeliever’s disbelieving response by such (past tense) verbs as ‘they said’ (qālū), ‘they disbelieved’ (kafarū), ‘they turned back’ (tawallaw), which points, in contrast, to a one-off affair connoting that the disbelievers responded with what they responded in the form of a one-off, determined, and uncompromising reply that did not entertain turning away from it, and that they resolutely abided by such behavior, which was stubborn, unyielding, and obstinate as well as insistent!
Thus this verse is in the meaning of the verse These towns—We relate to you some of their stories, and certainly their messengers came to them with clear arguments, but they would not believe since they had rejected from before; thus does Allah set a seal over the hearts of the unbelievers (), and the verse Then did We raise up after him messengers to their people, so they came to them with clear arguments, but they would not believe in what they had rejected before; thus it is that We set seals upon the hearts of those who exceed the limits ().
...but they said: Shall mortals guide us? The word bashar (translated here as ‘mortals’) is applied to the singular (mortal) as well as to the plural (mortals). The meaning of this word here is in the plural due to the (third person) plural present tense verb yahdūna(nā) (they guide (us)). (This plural present tense verb yahdūna (they guide) refers to bashar which is the subject of the verb thereby corroborating the meaning of the word bashar to be in the plural). This is while the word bashar is rendered indefinite here in order to convey the attitude of disparagement and contempt (that the disbelievers felt towards God’s messengers which this part of the verse conveys via their speech). The interrogative mode of this part of the verse denotes rejection and denial, meaning that the disbelievers said by way of rejection and denial: “One from among the mortals; mortals, who have no merit over us, will guide us?!”
This speech, coming from them, was based on pride and arrogance. The majority of these destroyed communities were polytheistic communities and denied divine prophethood, which was the basis of their discrediting and belying the call of the prophets. This is the reason God expressed the ramification of their speech ...but they said: Shall mortals guide us? with the words ‘they disbelieved’ (kafarū), ‘they turned back’ (tawallaw), indicating thereby that the basis of their disbelief and rejection was a denial of the prophets and prophethood.
...and Allah does not stand in need (of anything): The word al-istighnāʾ means “to seek self-sufficiency; to seek independence from need; to seek a state of being able to do without others and to be free from want; to seek a state of not standing in need of anything.” In relation to God who is self-sufficient, independent, and free from want by His very essence, it means to manifest or demonstrate self-sufficiency and independence. And this was because the disbelievers used to think that what they possessed of knowledge, power, and capability would protect them from annihilation and guarantee them permanence! As if existence could not do without them and that they were indispensable for it just as God relates the speech of one of them in the Qur’an: And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said: I do not think that this will ever perish (). And if We make him taste mercy from Us after distress that has touched him, he would most certainly say: This is of me, and I do not think the hour will come to pass ().
The outcome of this (false) conjecture (on the disbelievers’ part), in fact, was that God has need of them and in them—while He is in fact self-sufficient, independent, and free from want by His very essence! Thus God’s annihilation and extirpation of them is a manifestation or a demonstration from Him of His utter lack of need of their existence. Therefore, the meaning of this part of the verse ...and Allah does not stand in need (of anything)... is a reference to their annihilation signified by the part of the previous verse that says ...so they tasted the evil result of their conduct... ().
A person who is self-conceited and enamoured of himself naturally thinks he has esteem and dignity near God (as if God owes him a favor) and that it is imperative for God to treat him well wherever he is, that God needs to make him happy and needs to be benevolent to him! The following verses indicate such thinking on the part of such people ...and I do not think the hour will come to pass, and if I am sent back to my Lord, I shall have with Him sure good (). And I do not think the hour will come, and even if I am returned to my Lord I will most certainly find a returning place better than this ().
The outcome of this contention (on the part of the disbelievers), in fact, is that it is incumbent on God to make them happy however it may be, as if God needs them! Thus God making them taste the evil consequences of their conduct and His punishing them in the hereafter serves as a manifestation or a demonstration from Him of His utter lack of need of them. Consequently, the meaning of God not standing in need of them is the sum total of what is understood from the previous verse ...so they tasted the evil result of their conduct, and a painful punishment awaits them? ().
Thus these are two understandings of this part of this verse which says ...and Allah does not stand in need (of anything)... where the second understanding is more complete. Anyhow, this part of the verse consists of an emanation of majesty, greatness, and power that is not hidden, and this part of the verse is in the meaning of the following verse Then We sent Our messengers one after another; whenever there came to a people their messenger, they called him a liar, so We made some of them follow others and We made them stories; so away with a people who do not believe! ().
It is also suggested that what is meant by this part of the verse is that God, by establishing proof and completing the argument against them dispensed of adding to that in regards to directing and guiding them to faith. It is also suggested that this part of the verse means that God did not stand in need of their obedience and worship from sempiternity (azalan) and eternity (abadan) since He is free of want and need by His very essence, but these two interpretations are as you can see them.
Finally, the verse concludes with ...and Allah is Self-sufficient, Praised. This part of the verse occurs as a justifying explanation for the content of this (entire) verse, and means: ‘God is free of want, self-sufficient, and independent in His very essence and He is praised for what He does. Therefore, what He did to the disbelievers in terms of making them taste the evil and disastrous consequences of their deeds and punishing them with a painful punishment due to their disbelief and their turning away, was from His state of being self-sufficient and free of need, and due to Him being just, for the punishment meted out to them was due to their (mis)deeds which were repelled back to them (in terms of consequences)’.
زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُبْعَثُوا ۚ قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ ٧
(64:7) Those who disbelieve claim that they shall never be raised. Say: Aye! By my Lord! You shall most certainly be raised, then you shall most certainly be informed of what you did; and that is easy to Allah.
This verse mentions another basis from the bases of the polytheists’ disbelief. This is their rejection of a heavenly religion by rejecting resurrection. This is because there does not remain any point in favor of a religion which is based on commanding good and forbidding wrong, reckoning and requital, with the absence of resurrection and the return to God! The rejection of resurrection also serves as justification for the rejection of prophethood since there is no point, then, for communicating (divine) teachings (from God to mankind), and for threats (for disobeying the communicated teachings).
This is while the referent of Those who disbelieve claim that they shall never be raised... is to the generality of polytheists, including those who were contemporaries of the Prophet Muḥammad such as the inhabitants of Mecca and those in its environs. However, it has also been suggested that it refers to the people of Mecca specifically.
The statement ...Say: Aye! By my Lord! You shall most certainly be raised, then you shall most certainly be informed of what you did.... is an instruction to the Prophet Muḥammad to respond to their claim, which was that they shall not be resurrected, by affirming its contrary (which is that they shall indeed be resurrected) inasmuch as the speech contains several types of emphases such as the oath (wa rabbī—By my Lord), and the (emphatic) letters lām and nūn (prefixed and suffixed respectively to the two second person plural passive present tense verbs thereby rendering them energetic and emphatic, becoming latubʿathunna [you all shall most certainly be raised] and latunabbaʾunna [you all shall most certainly be informed]).
The particle thumma (then) in this part of the verse—thumma latunabbaʾunna (then you shall most certainly be informed)—is to denote protracted conjunction in conformity with the order of the speech. This part of the verse (which says, then you shall most certainly be informed) points to the goal of resurrection which is reckoning (al-ḥisāb). This verse finally concludes with ...and that is easy to Allah. It means that what is mentioned of the resurrection and the informing of the deeds is easy for God and not difficult, and so it serves as a rebuttal to the disbelievers for their assigning the matter of resurrection to God as being impossible. God has expressed this sentiment in yet another verse of the Qur’an, which is And He it is Who originates the creation, then reproduces it, and it is easy to Him... ().
The proof that resurrection is easy for God lies in what this chapter enumerates at its beginning, of God’s names and attributes of creation, dominion, and knowledge, and that He is glorified and praised. The aggregate of this leads to the conclusion that He is God—Allah—the One in whom all the perfect attributes are combined.
It therefore appears from here that the explicit mention of God’s name of majesty—Allah—in the end part of this verse ...and that is easy to Allah is to point out this justification. Hence the meaning obtained is: ‘The resurrection is easy for Him because He is Allah’. This speech serves as a demonstrative proof and not a mere claim.
The exegetes have mentioned that this verse is the third of three verses wherein God instructs His prophet to swear by his Lord in favor of the occurrence of resurrection and the return. The first of these three verses is And they ask you: Is that true? Say: Aye! By my Lord! It is most surely the truth, and you will not escape (). The second of these verses is And those who disbelieve say: The hour shall not come upon us. Say: Yea! By my Lord, the Knower of the unseen, it shall certainly come upon you; not the weight of an atom becomes absent from Him, in the heavens or in the earth, and neither less than that nor greater, but (all) is in a clear book (). The third is the verse under discussion here.
فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنُّورِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلْنَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ٨
(64:8) Therefore believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Light which We have revealed; and Allah is Aware of what you do.
This verse occurs as a ramification to the previous verse, and its meaning is: ‘If all of you are undoubtedly to be resurrected, and if all of you are to be informed of what you did, then it is imperative on you all to believe in God and His Messenger Muḥammad, and the light which He has revealed to His Messenger Muḥammad. This is the Qur’an which guides, by its shining light, to the straight path and explains the laws and teachings of the religion.’
The sentence ...and the Light which We have revealed... contains a sudden grammatical shift in discourse (al-iltifāt) from third person (in the immediately previous part of this very verse where God and His messenger are referred to in the third person—Therefore believe in Allah and His Messenger...) to first person (in this part of the verse where God refers to His revelation of the light in the first person—...the light which We have revealed...). Perhaps the point intended to be made by this sudden change in discourse is the completion of proof by adopting the strategy of testimony, which is the most effective in negating excuses. For indeed, how much difference there is between ‘and the light which He has revealed’ which (is in the third person and which) merely informs, and ‘and the light which We have revealed’ which (is in the first person and) consists of God’s testimony that the Qur’an is a heavenly book, and a revelation from Him. Surely, a testimony is more affirmative and emphatic than a mere statement which simply informs.
It may not be argued: Of what benefit is the sudden change in discourse (here and its attendant effect) when the disbelievers were rejecting the Qur’an being God’s speech, and a revelation from Him, for if they had affirmed that then what has been mentioned previously in this chapter of the proof of resurrection would have sufficed them and God could have dispensed of attaching the relevant change in discourse (with its attendant effect) in this verse here.
It may not be argued thus for the response to that would be: ‘what the Qur’an contains of the verses of challenge (āyāt al-taḥaddiy), which establish it being the speech of God, would suffice in falsifying their rejection of it being the speech of God. In any event, testimony is more powerful and more affirmative than a statement that informs even though the latter (also) has evidentiary value.’
The concluding statement ...and Allah is Aware of what you do. It is a reminder of God’s knowledge of the minutest details of their deeds so that He may emphasize by it the imperative with which this verse began, which is Therefore believe... Therefore the meaning arrived at is: ‘Believe and be diligent in your faith since God is all-knowing of the minutest details of your deeds. He does not miss out nor is He heedless of anything from the deeds, and He shall recompense you all on their basis, without any doubt!’
يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ ۗ وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ٩
(64:9) On the day when He will gather you for the day of gathering, that is the day of mutual defrauding; and whoever believes in Allah and does good, He will remove from him his evil and cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever; that is the great achievement.
This verse begins with the word yawma (translated as ‘on the day when’). It is identified as an adverb of time (ẓarf al-zamān) (meaning the point in time) for when what the middle part of speaks about, will take place, which is ...You shall most certainly be raised, then you shall most certainly be informed of what you did; and that is easy to Allah (). The identity of ‘the day of gathering’ (yawm al-jamʿ) in this verse is to the day of resurrection which is the day on which mankind shall be gathered for the rendering of judgement between them. God says ...and the trumpet will be blown, so We will gather them all together ().
The mention of the gathering on the day of resurrection occurs repeatedly in the noble Qur’an, and verses such as the following explain it: …surely your Lord will judge between them on the day of resurrection concerning that wherein they differed… (). So Allah shall judge between them on the day of resurrection in what they differ (). Surely your Lord will judge between them on the day of resurrection concerning that wherein they differ (). Thus these verses indicate that the gathering of mankind will be for the purpose of rendering judgment between them.
Regarding the clause ...that is the day of mutual defrauding... (dhālika yawm al-taghābun), al-Rāghib writes that the word al-ghabn means “when you undervalue or underrate your companion in your dealing or transaction between yourself and him by some kind of deceit, fraud or subterfuge.” He then writes: “Yawm al-taghābun is the day of resurrection due to the coming to light of deceit or duping or cheating or damage and (therefore) loss in dealings or transactions; dealings or transactions indicated by such verses as And among men is he who sells himself to seek the pleasure of Allah.... (), and Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons.... (), and (As for) those who take a small price for the covenant of Allah and their own oaths... (). So they (that is, those referred to in ) will learn that they were duped in what they had abandoned of their transaction and in what they took part in or pursued from that altogether.” (Al-Rāghib continues to write): And one of them (that is, one of the lexicographers) was asked about yawm al-taghābun and he replied: “(it is the day when) things will become manifest to them (that is, to the people) contrary to their expectations and measures in the world.”
The first meaning mentioned by al-Rāghib is based on explaining the word al-taghābun by applying the meaning of duplicity, cheating, and deceit among the disbelievers due to their choosing a loss-making transaction and giving up a profitable transaction. This is a good meaning suggested for this word; however, it does not agree with the meaning of the sixth form of Arabic verbal forms (the verbal noun of which is on the pattern of al-tafāʿul, which is the form of al-taghābun). Its meaning is an act that is done reciprocally or mutually, an act done with each other; reciprocal action (which, as is evident, is absent in this meaning).
What al-Rāghib has then mentioned from one of them (that is, from one of the lexicographers) is a second meaning for this word, which is not devoid of precision. Verses such as the following support it: So no soul knows what is hidden for them of that which will refresh the eyes; a reward for what they did (). They have therein what they wish and with Us is more yet () ...and what they never thought of shall become plain to them from Allah ().
The necessary corollary of this meaning is the common, shared experience of all the people gathered on the day of resurrection of having been deceived, duped, and cheated; believer and disbeliever alike. As for the believer, he will experience the sense of having been duped because he did not perform good deeds for his hereafter more than what he had done (when he witnesses what more he could have gained). As for the disbeliever, he will experience having been duped because he did not do good deeds at all (when he witnesses what he could have earned)! The shared perspective between the believer and disbeliever in this interpretation is that both of them failed to appreciate the day of resurrection, when alive, as it ought to have been appreciated. However, this meaning may be refuted in a manner similar to which the previous explanation was rejected.
But there is a third meaning suggested for the word al-taghābun (which is a verbal noun) that it should be considered to apply among those gone astray. These are those who were followed in leading astray (the followed), and their followers. So the ones followed, and these are the haughty and arrogant ones, dupe, cheat and deceive their followers, these latter being the weak ones. This occurs when those followed instruct their followers to prefer the worldly life and abandon the hereafterly one, and consequently they deceive and mislead. This is while the followers in turn, deceive and cheat those whom they follow in that they aid and support them in their haughtiness and arrogance by obeying their instructions, and consequently they deceive and mislead too. Thus both groups dupe and deceive the other and are in turn duped and deceived!
There is yet a fourth meaning for the word al-taghābun, conveyed in transmitted reports. This meaning maintains that every servant of God has a place in paradise such that were he to obey God, he would be awarded it, and a place in hellfire such that if he were to disobey God, he would be relegated to it. On the day of resurrection, the places of the people of hellfire in paradise shall be awarded to the people of paradise and the places of the people of paradise in hellfire shall be given to the people of hellfire. In this way, the people of paradise, who are the believers will be (in a manner of speaking) defrauding or outdoing the people of hellfire who are the disbelievers, and the disbelievers will be the ones duped, deceived, or outdone.
One of the Qur’an commentators has said the following after citing this explanation for the word al-taghābun: ‘The remaining part of this verse coupled with the next verse has explained the meaning of the word al-taghābun. This is ...and whoever believes in Allah and does good, He will remove from him his evil and cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever; that is the great achievement. And (as for) those who disbelieve and reject Our communications, they are the inmates of the fire, to abide therein and evil is the resort ().’ However, it is not very apparent that the subsequent part of this verse and the next verse do in fact explain the word’s meaning, as is claimed.
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ١٠
(64:10) And (as for) those who disbelieve and reject Our communications, they are the inmates of the fire, to abide therein and evil is the resort.
The explanation of the latter half of the previous verse, that is ...and whoever believes in Allah and does good, He will remove from him his evil and cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever; that is the great achievement () as well as that of this verse, that is And (as for) those who disbelieve and reject Our communications, they are the inmates of the fire, to abide therein and evil is the resort has repeatedly been made previously.
Examining Narrations
- The Prophet Muḥammad said: ‘There is not a servant (of God) who enters paradise save that he shall be shown his place in hellfire—(one to which he would have been relegated to) had he sinned and disobeyed (God)—so that he may increase in gratitude to God. And there is not a servant (of God) who enters hellfire save that he shall be shown his place in paradise—(one which he would have been rewarded with) had he done virtuous deeds—so that he may increase in sadness and regret.’
Author’s comment: There are many reports with this meaning transmitted via Sunni and Shiʿa chains of transmission. A number of these reports have been cited in the commentary of the initial part of Sūrah al-Muʾminūn.
- Ibn Bābwayhi transmits by means of his chain of transmission from Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth from Abu ʿAbdillāh (al-Ṣādiq) who said: ‘Yawm al-talāq (the day of the meeting) is a day when the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth shall meet, while yawm al-tanād (the day of calling out) is a day when the people of hellfire shall call out to the people of paradise, (saying)...Pour on us some water or of that which Allah has given you (). This is while yawm al-taghābun is a day when the people of paradise will outdo the people of hellfire, and yawm al-ḥasra (the day of intense regret) is a day when death will be brought forth and slaughtered!’ (Tafsīr al-Burhān)
Author’s comment: There can be found several reports in the context of the initial verses of this chapter which interpret these verses in respect of al-walāya—divine guardianship of the ahl al-bayt—such as the report that ‘belief’ (al-īmān) and ‘disbelief’ (al-kufr) are belief and disbelief in the guardianship of the ahl al-bayt (al-walāya) on the day when the covenant was taken (prior to this-worldly creation), as well as what is transmitted regarding the identity of ‘the clear arguments’ (al-bayyināt) in that it refers to the imāms (from the Prophet’s progeny), as well as what is transmitted regarding the identity of ‘the light’ (al-nūr) in that it refers to the imām. All these are in the manner of the inner meaning of the verses (al-baṭn) and certainly not as commentary (al-tafsīr) of the verses.