Verses 1–15
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 15 verses. It explains that humans are hard-wired, through divine inspiration and teaching, to recognize virtue and vice. Their happiness depends on purifying their souls and fostering its growth by adorning themselves with Godwariness and cleansing themselves of wickedness. Otherwise, those who betray and neglect their soul will fail and be deprived of happiness. The chapter mentions the exterminating punishment that struck Thamūd when they denied their messenger Ṣāliḥ and slew his she-camel. The story is an indirect threat to the people of Mecca. The theme of the verses testifies that the chapter was revealed in Mecca.
Commentary
وَ الشَّمْسِ وَ ضُحاها ١
(91:1) By the sun and by her forenoon splendor (ḍuḥāhā)!
Al-Mufradāt says: “Ḍuḥá means the spreading of sunshine and the unfolding of the day. It is also used for the forenoon, when this occurs.” The pronoun “her” refers to the sun. The verse swears by the sun and by the extension of its light on the earth.
وَ الْقَمَرِ إِذا تَلاها ٢
(91:2) By the moon when he follows her!
The pronoun “her” refers to the sun (). The verse swears by the moon as it follows the sun. There are two possible meanings for this: (1) It signifies the moon taking its light from the sun, which is always applicable. (2) It signifies the moon rising after sunset, which would be applicable to the first half of the lunar month, from when it is a crescent until it becomes a full moon.
وَ النَّهارِ إِذا جَلاَّها ٣
(91:3) By the day when it reveals her (jallāhā, from tajliyah)!
Tajliyah means “manifesting, revealing.” The pronoun “her” refers to the earth. The meaning is: “I swear by the day as it makes the earth visible to the eyes.”
Here are some other suggested views about the pronouns in the verse:
- The pronoun “her” refers to the sun (). The verse swears by the day’s condition of revealing the sun, because it is with the unfolding of the day that the sun manifests.
Comment: This is incongruous with the first verse. It is rather the sun which manifests the day, not vice versa.
- The pronoun “her” refers to the world.
- The pronoun “her” refers to darkness.
- The pronoun “it” refers to God; the pronoun “her” refers to the sun (). The meaning is: “I swear by the day, which is the time when God reveals the sun.”
Comment: These are all unlikely interpretations.
وَ اللَّيْلِ إِذا يَغْشاها ٤
(91:4) By the night when it covers her (yaghshāhā)!
Just like the last verse, the pronoun “her” in this verse refers to the earth, which is concealed by the night. Some have suggested that the pronoun “her” refers to the sun (). This is not plausible because the night does not cover the sun. Rather, it covers the earth and the objects on it.
The verb jallāhā in the last verse is in the past tense, but the verb yaghshāhā in this verse is in the present tense. The verses are literally saying: “By the day when it revealed her. And by the night when it is covering her.” This is a subtle reference to how were the state of affairs when the chapter was revealed, which was the early days of Islam’s appearance. It alludes to how the earth was covered by the darkness of vice and transgression. As we have said before, there must be some connection between the oaths in a chapter and the message they serve. Not to mention that this way of expression maintains the rhyme of the final words of the surrounding verses.
وَ السَّماءِ وَ ما بَناها ٥ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ ما طَحاها ٦
(91:5-6) By the sky and by What (mā) built it! By the earth and by What (mā) spread it (ṭaḥāhā, from ṭaḥw)!
Ṭaḥw means “stretching, extending.” The word “What”—in What built it and What spread it—refers to God. The usage of what (mā) instead of who (man) in these verses conveys a sense of ambiguity about the subject, which is a sign of glorification and wonder. The meaning is: “I swear by the sky and by the amazing force that built it! I swear by the earth and by the wondrous power which spread it!”
Some have suggested that the particle mā serves to turn the verb that follows it into a gerund (called maṣdariyyah). The meaning would be: “I swear by the sky and its building! I swear by the earth and its spreading!” However, this view is undermined by the other verses in the context, where we also read: By the soul and by What fashioned it, then inspired it… ().
وَ نَفْسٍ وَ ما سَوَّاها ٧
(91:7) By the soul and by What fashioned it,
The meaning is: “And I swear by the soul, and by that mighty, knowledgeable and wise source which fashioned it, designed its creation, organized its members, and balanced its faculties.”
In the original Arabic, the word soul (nafsin) is in the indefinite form. Two suggested explanations for this usage are:
- It indicates that no specific soul is intended.
- It indicates glorification and aggrandizement.
Comment: The second view is more plausible, meaning: “By a soul that has such attributes and properties.”
What is meant by soul here is the human soul in its absolute sense. Some have said that it refers to Adam’s soul. However, this is implausible because there is no reason to restrict the meaning. It is also inconsonant with the context, especially with the verses: delivered is one who fosters it, and defeated is one who lets it down. (), unless we take it as a form of istikhdām (amphibology).
فَأَلْهَمَها فُجُورَها وَ تَقْواها ٨
(91:8) then inspired it (fa-alhamahā, from ilhām) with [discernment between] its virtues (taqwāhā) and its vices (fujūrahā):
According to al-Rāghib, fujūr means “rending the veil of piety.” It is as though God’s prohibition—about not committing a sin, or not neglecting an obligation—is a veil which is cast between the person and the act. If one commits the prohibited act, the person is effectively tearing that veil. Taqwá is defined by al-Rāghib as “placing oneself under protection from a threat.” Since it is used here in contradistinction with fujūr (immorality, wickedness), it means “avoiding vice, restraining oneself from what is prohibited.” It is interpreted in the narrations as waraʿ (restraint, abstinence) from what God has forbidden.
Ilhām means “casting an idea in one’s heart.” That is when God imparts a mental image—either a concept (taṣawwur) or a statement (taṣdīq)—in one’s soul. The verse says that God has inspired the human soul with virtue and vice, which are not external actions, but the titles and categories of actions. That is, the verse is not about God having taught the people the physical form of the acts, for that is common between vices and virtues. Rather, He has made them discern which act falls under which category. For instance, they know intuitively that consuming the property of orphans is a vice, but consuming one’s own property is a virtue, even though both acts are the same in their external form. Similarly, the same act of sex can be a vice if it is extramarital, and virtue if its marital.
Inspiring the human soul with vice and virtue means equipping it with practical reason (al-ʿaql al-ʿamalī). This is a continuation and complement of fashioning the soul. That is why the current verse is linked with the ending of the last verse with the letter fāʾ (so, then, therefore): and by What fashioned it, then inspired it. The fact that this inspiration is an element of God’s creation is also reflected in the verse: So set your heart on the religion as a people of pure faith, the origination of Allah according to which He originated humankind. There is no altering Allah’s creation. That is the upright religion ().
The possessive pronoun “its”—in its virtues and its vices—shows that the verse is about virtues and vices that are specifically applicable to the above mentioned soul, which is the human soul. This is also applicable to the souls of jinn, since we can infer from the Qur’an that they too are subject to the religious obligation to believe and do righteous deeds.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاها ٩ وَ قَدْ خابَ مَنْ دَسَّاها ١٠
(91:9-10) delivered is one (aflaḥa, from falāḥ) who fosters it (zakkāhā, from tazkiyah), and defeated is one (khāba, from khaybah) who lets it down (dassāhā, from tadassī).
Falāḥ means “winning what is desired, reaching the goal.” Khaybah (failing, missing, losing) is its opposite. Zakāh is the “growth of a plant” in a proper and prosperous way. Tazkiyah is its transitive form, which means “making a plant to grow” in such a way. Tadassī is from the root dass, which means “inserting something in another thing surreptitiously, burying and concealing one thing in another.” Given its contrast with tazkiyah, what is meant here is “raising and fostering something in a way that is against its natural disposition and how it is intended to grow.” The first verse—delivered is one… ()—is the complement of the oaths in the previous verses. The second verse continues that, as indicated by the conjunction wāw (and) at its beginning: and defeated is one… ().
These two verses are about either ruining one’s soul or setting it right. “Letting down” and “fostering” are used in accordance with the last verse: then inspired it with [discernment between] its virtues and its vices (). The verse implies that the human soul is intuitively equipped with a distinguishing perception between vice and virtue. That is part of what makes the soul’s creation perfect. Thus the soul realizes—through its fiṭrah (primal nature, innate disposition, pristine conscience)—that the right course of action] is submission to God’s will: Indeed, with Allah religion is submission (). Accordingly, adorning the soul with virtue and Godwariness would foster it and make it grow in a proper way. That is the best provision for the human soul, as God says: And take provision, for indeed the best provision is Godwariness. So be wary of Me, O you who possess intellects (). But if the soul is immersed in vice and wickedness, then that is contrary to its healthy growth.
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْواها ١١
(91:11) The [people of] Thamūd denied [Allah’s signs] out of their rebellion (bi-ṭaghwāhā),
From this verse until the end of the sūrah is evidence and reaffirmation for the previous verses: delivered is one who fosters it… ().
إِذِ انْبَعَثَ أَشْقاها ١٢
(91:12) when the most wretched of them rose up.
The word when indicates the time of either denied () or their rebellion (). The most wretched of Thamūd was the person who hamstrung the she-camel. His name was Qudār b. Sālif, according to the narrations. He was instigated by his people, as we can infer from the use of plural pronouns in the following verses.
فَقالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ناقَةَ اللَّهِ وَ سُقْياها ١٣
(91:13) But then the messenger of Allah said to them, “[Watch] Allah’s she-camel, and let her drink”
The messenger of Allah was Ṣāliḥ, who was the prophet of the tribe Thamūd. The meaning is: “Coming with a message from God, Ṣāliḥ told them, ‘Beware of God’s she-camel and let her drink. Do not bother her by killing her or impeding her from drinking water.’” God has elaborated this story in Sūrah Hūd and other chapters.
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوها فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاها ١٤
(91:14) But they rejected him and then hamstrung her (fa-ʿqarūha, from ʿaqr). So their Lord obliterated (fa-damdama) them by night because of their sin, and leveled it.
ʿAqr means “striking something at its root.” It is used for slaughtering or killing a camel. Damdamah means “falling, crushing, collapsing.” For instance, it is used when one closes a grave. What is meant here is enveloping them with punishment in a way that it exterminates their progeny and effaces all their signs due to their sins.
… and leveled it (fa-sawwāhā, from taswiyah): There are three possibilities here for the feminine pronoun “it”: (1) Apparently it refers to Thamūd, in the sense that they were a qabīlah (tribe, clan) [which is feminine]. The meaning would be: “God razed Thamūd [that is, their town] to the ground.” (2) It refers to the earth. The meaning would be: “God made the land uniform and smooth as He removed every structure on it.” (3) Some have suggested that it refers to God’s act of obliteration. The meaning would be: “God administered His obliteration to them equally and without any discrimination, whether they were strong, weak, old or young.”
وَ لا يَخافُ عُقْباها ١٥
(91:15) And He does not fear its outcome.
The pronoun “its” may refer to either “obliteration” or “leveling” in the last verse. The meaning is: “God is not concerned with the aftermath of obliterating and leveling them—unlike the kings and people of authority who fear a comeback or backlash from their enemies.” This is because all affairs end as God wills, according to His plan. Therefore, the verse is comparable in meaning to the verse: He is not questioned concerning what He does, but they are questioned ().
Two other suggested views are:
- The pronoun “he” refers to the most wretched (). The meaning is: “The person who hamstrung the she-camel did not fear the consequence of his deed.”
- The pronoun “he” refers to Ṣāliḥ [], and the pronoun “its” refers to obliteration []. The meaning is: “Ṣāliḥ did not fear the outcome of the obliteration because he was confident about his delivery.”
Comment: The implausibility of both views should be clear.
Examining Narrations
- Concerning By the soul and by What fashioned it (sawwāhā) () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: [Sawwāhā means] created and shaped it.
- said concerning then inspired it with [discernment between] its virtues and its vices (): He clarified for it what it should do and what it should avoid. Delivered is one who fosters it (): Delivered is one who obeys. And defeated is one who lets it down (): Defeated is one who disobeys.
- Once a man asked, “O Messenger of God! Would you say that what the people are doing and toiling for today [in this life] is something that has been decreed and predestined for them? And what about how they respond to their prophets, which closes God’s argument against them?”
“It is all preordained for them,” he replied.
“Then why should they act?” the man inquired.
“When God creates one for either of the two ends [that is, paradise or hell], He also equips them with the action for that end. This is confirmed in God’s Book: By the soul and by What fashioned it, then inspired it with [discernment between] its virtues and its vices ().
Author’s comment: The man’s, question, “Then why should they act?” means: “What is the meaning of their actions? In what sense are their actions attributable to them?” The Prophet’s answer—“When God creates one…”—means that the occurrence of any action, whether virtuous or wicked, is necessary with respect to God’s eternal decree and predestination. However, this necessity does not contravene the same act being possible with respect to the human being and their free will. We explained this point repeatedly in our previous discussion.
- The Messenger of God recited the verse, delivered is one who fosters it () and said: Delivered is the soul that is fostered by God. And one who is let down by God fails to reach any good.
Author’s comment: While the two acts of tazkiyah (fostering, purifying) and takhyīb (letting down, betraying) can be ascribed to God, they can also be ascribed to the person’s obedience and disobedience. One ascription does not preclude the other. It should be noted that leading astray and acts of the same nature are attributable to God only as a punishment [following one’s misdeeds], as He says: He leads no one astray thereby except the transgressors ().
- Once the Messenger of God asked ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, “Who was the the most wretched () of the earlier generations?”
“The man who hamstrung the she-camel [of Ṣāliḥ].”
“That is right,” the Prophet confirmed. “And who is the most wretched of the later generations?”
“I do not know, O Messenger of God!”
“That is the person who will strike you here,” said the Prophet, while pointing to the crown of ʿAlī’s head.
- The Prophet said, “O ʿAlī! The most wretched () of the earlier generations was the one who hamstrung the she-camel [of Ṣāliḥ]. And the most wretched of the later generations is your murderer.” Another version says: “the one who will dye this” [pointing to ʿAlī’s beard] “with this” [pointing to ʿAlī’s head].
The letter wāw (by, and) at the beginning of the verse adds a second vow to: By the sun (). (Auth.) ↩︎
In Arabic, the moon is masculine, while the sun is feminine. The correct English pronoun for both would be “it” but we have maintained the gender pronouns in the verses to avoid confusion. (Ed.) ↩︎
Verses and are in the present tense, but verse is in the past tense. This is in part to maintain the rhyme, since the present tense of the verb would be yujallīhā. (Ed.) ↩︎
Hence, the particle mā is mawṣūlah (relative). (Auth.) ↩︎
In this case, istikhdām means that the word soul corresponds to Adam in the current verse, but the pronouns which refer to it in verses correspond to the human soul in general. (Ed.) ↩︎
What is central to taqwá is the element of abstinence and non-action. It is more about avoiding what is harmful than performing what is beneficial. Some have compared it to the brakes of a car. In terms of behavior, it is how one would walk in a field of thorns: with utmost mindfulness and prudence. (Ed.) ↩︎
This is among many places in al-Mīzān where the author clearly holds the view that values are mental constructs and abstractions (sing. iʿtbārī). Good and bad, right and wrong, virtue and vice, saint and sinner—are all labels that our minds apply to events in the world of existence. Otherwise, the external reality is devoid of all value. This is not to say that values are arbitrary or baseless, but that they exist only in the human mind. For the same reason, from the point of view of God—that is, Absolute Being—there are no values, but things only are. See volume 14, pp. 79ff of the English translation, under “Ascription of Sins to God”; volume 15, pp. 51-77, under verses ; volume 29, pp. 371-372, under verse . (Ed.) ↩︎
Ṭaghwá is synonymous with ṭughyān (rebellion, transgression, exceeding); both are maṣdars (infinitive nouns, gerunds). The letter bāʾ indicates sababiyyah (causality or instrumentality). (Auth.)
The meaning is: “They denied the truth because of exceeding the limits, through their rebellion, or by means of their transgression.” (Ed.) ↩︎
The word yawma is manṣūb in terms of inflection (in the accusative form) because it is an object of an omitted imperative verb which conveys warning (taḥdhīr). Let it drink is also part of Ṣāliḥ’s speech, as it is connected to the last part with the conjunction wāw (and). (Auth.) ↩︎
See verses , . See volume 15, pp. 276ff of the English translation, under verses ; and volume 30, pp. 88ff, under verses . (Ed.) ↩︎
Taswiyah has two main meanings: “leveling” and “equating.” The first two interpretations are based on the first meaning; the third one is based on the second meaning. (Ed.) ↩︎
There are two possible functions for the conjunction “And” (wāw) at the beginning of this verse: (1) It introduces a new statement. (2) It means “while.” (Auth.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of Zurārah, Humrān and Muḥammad ibn Muslim. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Aḥmad, Muslim, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn. ↩︎
See verses and above, and verse below. Also see volume 1, pp. 143 and 162ff of the English translation, under verses and ; volume 2, pp. 209ff and 271-272, under verses and ; volume 13, pp. 25ff and 81ff, under verses and ; volume 15, p. 65, under verses ; volume 39, p. 160, under verse ; p. 200, under verse ; pp. 233-234 under verse . (Ed.) ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Abū al-Shaykh, Ibn Mardawayh and Daylamī on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, which says: “This is an authentic narration, with its chain of narration tracing to ʿUthmān b. Ṣuḥayb, on the authority of his father.” The book has also narrated the same idea on the authority of ʿAmmār b. Yāsir. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-burhān, narrating from the following sources: (1) Al-Thaʿlabī and al-Wāḥidī, via their chains of narration, on the authority of ʿAmmār, ʿUthmān b. Ṣuḥayb and al-Ḍaḥḥāk. (2) Ibn Mardawayh, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Jābir b. Samurah, ʿAmmār, Ibn ʿAdī and al-Ḍaḥḥāk. (3) Al-Khaṭīb in his al-Tārīkh, on the authority of Jābir b. Samurah. (4) Al-Ṭabarānī and al-Mawṣilī. (5) Aḥmad, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of ʿAmmār. ↩︎