Verses 38–52
This segment represents the third section of the chapter’s verses, reaffirming the prior mentions of the event known as al-Hāqqah (The Inevitable). It employs the confirming language of the Noble Qur’an to underscore the veracity of the information provided about the Day of Resurrection.
Commentary
فَلا أُقْسِمُ بِمَا تُبْصِرُونَ ٣٨ وَمَا لا تُبْصِرُونَ ٣٩
(69:38-39) I swear by what you see and what you do not see:
The verse clearly takes an oath by all that is visible and that which is not visible to them, namely, the seen and the unseen realms. This encompasses the entirety of creation but expressly excludes His transcendent Essence. It is far from the Qur’an’s dignified etiquette to place the Creator and the creation on equal footing or to jointly exalt them both in the same breath. The Exalted, in His majesty, and what He has wrought, are not to be revered in a common display of glorification.
Such an oath exemplifies the grandeur and reverence of what is sworn upon and His exalted creation, as it is inherently dignified and beautiful, reflecting that God, the Exalted, is the epitome of beauty and produces only what is beautiful. This is exemplified in His words: “Who perfected everything He created” (), and “So blessed is Allah, the best of creators” (), asserting that only beauty emanates from God and any displeasure arises from themselves and relative comparisons.
The choice to swear by what is visible and invisible underscores the Qur’an’s veracity, illustrating the cohesive system pervading the universe, which signifies His unity and the destiny of all things returning to Him. This underlying principle is the rationale for sending messengers, revealing scriptures, and positioning the Qur’an as the best Heavenly Book and the ultimate guidance towards the truth and a straight path.
From the above, it becomes evident, therefore, that interpreting what is seen and unseen as referring to the creation and the creator, or to apparent and hidden blessings, or to entities like jinn, humans, and angels, or the dichotomy of the physical and spiritual, or to this life and the hereafter, is misconstrued. The phrase is broader in implication than all such specifics.
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ ٤٠ وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ ٤١
(69:40-41) it is indeed the speech of a noble messenger, and it is not the speech of a poet. Little is the faith that you have!
This refers to the Qur’an. The context suggests that the “noble messenger” alluded to here is the Prophet Muhammad. This serves to affirm his prophethood against those who disparaged him as merely a poet or a soothsayer.
Attributing the Qur’an to the Prophet’s speech is appropriate because the attribution is made in his capacity as a messenger. A messenger conveys only what is revealed by the sender, a point eloquently emphasized in the subsequent verse, “Gradually sent down from the Lord of all the worlds.”
Some have interpreted the “noble messenger” to mean the angel Gabriel, but this is not substantiated by the context. Had Gabriel been the subject, it would have been more appropriate to address the claim that devils had brought the revelation, as was addressed in the chapter of Al-Shu’ara.
Moreover, his subsequent saying: “And if he had made up some sayings in Our name” and what follows it is only fitting if the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is the intended noble messenger.
Additionally, the verse that follows, “Had he faked any sayings in Our name,” and the verses thereafter, are congruent with the understanding that the Prophet Muhammad is indeed the “noble messenger” referred to.
The statement, “and it is not the speech of a poet. Little is the faith that you have!,” categorically refutes the notion that the Qur’an could be the work of a poet, emphasizing that the Prophet Muhammad neither composed poetry nor was he known as a poet.
The phrase “Little is the faith that you” serves as a reprimand to the prevailing disbelief within their community, highlighting that only a minority embraced faith, while the majority remained in disbelief.
وَلا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ قَلِيلا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٤٢
(69:42) Nor is it the speech of a soothsayer. Little is the admonition that you take!
This verse firmly rejects the claim that the Qur’an is the product of soothsaying and that the Prophet Muhammad was a soothsayer who received the Qur’an from the jinn as they cast it to him. The phrase “Little is the admonition that you take!” acts as a criticism of their community, (indicating their lack of reflection and remembrance.)
تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ٤٣
(69:43) Gradually sent down from the Lord of all the worlds.
The verse specifies that the Qur’an is divinely bestowed by the Lord of the worlds, and it is not a fabrication of the messenger. This attribution to God reaffirms what was earlier pointed out.
وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الأَقَاوِيلِ ٤٤ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ٤٥ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ٤٦ فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ ٤٧
(69:44-47) Had he faked any sayings in Our name, We would have surely seized him by the right hand and then cut off his aorta, and none of you could have held Us off from him.
It is said that fabricating a statement entails creating it oneself and then attributing it to another. The term waṭīn (aorta), as elucidated by al-Rāghib, refers to a vein that nourishes the liver; severing it results in the death of its owner. It is also commonly referred to as the artery of the heart.
These verses mean that if this noble messenger, entrusted with Our divine message and sent with the Qur’an that We have revealed, “had he faked any sayings” and falsely attributed them to Us, “We would have surely seized him by the right hand,” suggesting the gripping of a perpetrator, or it implies the cutting off of his right hand, or it denotes that We would have exerted divine retribution with might, as per the narration of Al-Qummi, “and then cut off his aorta (waṭīn),” effectively ending his life for his falsehood. “And none of you could have prevented it,” indicating that no one would be able to shield him from Our punishment and destruction.
This passage presents a threat to the Prophet Muhammad, contingent upon the hypothetical scenario of him falsely attributing a lie to God—a lie which God did not utter—despite being a messenger graced with His prophethood and selected for His mission.
The significance of these verses parallels the sentiment expressed in God’s words: “Had We not fortified you, certainly you might have inclined toward them a bit. Then We have surely made you taste a double (punishment) in this life, and a double (punishment) after death, and then you would not have found for yourself any helper against Us” (). This message is echoed in the context of Sūrah Al-An’am, where after recounting the immense blessings bestowed upon them, it is stated: “But were they to ascribe any partners (to Allah), what they used to do would not avail them” ().
The verses should not be misconstrued to mean that God would invariably destroy and inflict the severest punishment in this life on anyone who falsely claims prophethood and lies about God. This interpretation is refuted by the existence of some individuals who have falsely claimed to be prophets.
The admonition in the verse is specifically tailored to the genuine messenger, indicating that if he were to falsely ascribe to God things that are not of Him, then he would face the threatened consequences. This warning does not extend to every self-proclaimed prophet who lies about God in their claim to divine commission and their pronouncements supposedly on behalf of the Almighty.
وَإِنَّهُ لَتَذْكِرَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ٤٨
(69:48) Indeed it is a reminder for the Godwary.
This verse serves as a reminder of the honor due to their piety and the knowledge of the origin and return in their true realities. It discloses to them their ranks with God and their standings in the afterlife, in heaven. Such a matter cannot be a product of fabrication or falsehood; therefore, the verse is posited as a rationale underscoring the Qur’an’s purity from any fallacy or deceit.
وَإِنَّا لَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مِنكُم مُّكَذِّبِينَ ٤٩ وَإِنَّهُ لَحَسْرَةٌ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ ٥٠
(69:49-50) Indeed We know that there are some among you who deny (it). And indeed it will be a (matter of) regret for the faithless.
This is foretelling the regret that will become evident to them on the day of ultimate remorse.
وَإِنَّهُ لَحَقُّ الْيَقِينِ ٥١ فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ ٥٢
(69:51-52) It is indeed certain truth. So celebrate the Name of your Lord, the All-supreme.
This resonates with the previous discussion in the context of the two similar verses at the end of Sūrah Al-Waqi’ah. Both chapters are unified in their aim to depict the Day of Resurrection and are cohesive in the narrative of their respective endings, which emphasize the oath on the veracity of the Qur’an as the harbinger of the Day of Judgment. They both conclude with the assertion that the revelations of the Qur’an concerning the Inevitable Event are the absolute truth, leading to the directive to glorify the name of the majestic Lord, who is transcendent beyond creating a world without purpose or a hereafter, and beyond nullifying the profound truths that the Qur’an imparts regarding the origin and ultimate return.
This conveys the message that an oath in the Qur’an serves to magnify and honor the entity it concerns, which in this context, is God’s creation. It reflects the concept that all creation is inherently dignified and beautiful because it is a reflection of God, who is described as the essence of beauty. (Trans.) ↩︎
The gist of this discussion is that the terms “seen” and “unseen” encompass more than the specific dualities often attributed to them. The phrase in question is indeed broader and not confined to the mentioned interpretation. (Trans.) ↩︎
The verses () explicitly refute the claim that devils had brought down the revelation, a point that some commentators suggest would be more directly addressed if the “noble messenger” mentioned elsewhere referred to the angel Gabriel. This particular passage in Sūrah Al-Shu’ara serves as a counter-argument to those who claimed that the Prophet Muhammad’s revelations were inspired by devils or other supernatural beings rather than from a divine source. (Trans.) ↩︎