سورة : AlInshiqaq

What does it mean to give tidings of punishment while tidings refer to good news that any one will get happy with?! But what is meant here is to mock at them, as if Allah (swt) says: Your tidings will be the fire and painful suffering.

There is no faith except with a good deed, and the movement of life must be in harmony with the method of faith. Otherwise, If the movement of life separates from the method of faith then it is not called a faith.

الصَّالِحَاتِ (righteous deeds): refers to straight behavior according to the method, the opposite of corruption.

 {فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ}

(So remain on a right course as you have been commanded) (Hud: 112)

That is, those who believe and do righteous deeds will have undiminished endless reward, for Allah (swt) will give them this non-decreased reward permanently. It is a reward that is not subject to calculation.

They have done these good deeds in this life as an expression of faith, so the reward will be as described because Allah (swt) has promised of it.

 

أَعْلَمُ (Allah is most knowing): It is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in many verses. For it is a superlative adjective. i.e. more aware than you of the reality of things and their interior facts.

يُوعُونَ (what they keep within themselves): The Arabic verb is derived from the noun (Wea’a) meaning a vessel that is a means of including things, whether material, such as drink or clothes as in this verse:

{ فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ}

(So he began [the search] with their bags before the bag of his brother;) (Yusuf: 76)

or immaterial, that is, the heart is a vessel of emotions, intentions, and consciences. So, Allah (swt) is the most knowing of what they keep in their hearts.

بَلِ (But): Denies what comes before it and confirms what follows it:

Lying is a rejection and a denial of words or deeds. They do not just leave the faith in the Holy Qur’an and the Messenger (saws), and do not stop opposing it, but rather they add the denial.

Prostration indicates glorifying and here it refers to full submission to Allah (swt), to the Holy Qur’an, its commands, and to all what it includes.

Whenever we read a verse containing a prostration, then our whole entity has to act in response and hasten to prostrate. As if the verses of prostration include a very great matter, a weighty secret and nice energies of Allah ‘s (swt) bestowments.

An interrogative issue carries disapproval and rebuke. This method is very familiar throughout the Qur’anic methods.

For example: when you are asked “why do you not do that?” Logically, this means that you have do that, and it is surprising that you do not.

What prevents them from believing in Allah (swt), His Messengers, His Books, the Last Day, the account, the paradise and fire?

The verse contains scientific miracles, meaning you will experience a state after state or a sky above sky.

There are two recitations of the word: لَتَرْكَبُنَّ , either “Latarkabonn” or لَتَرْكَبَنَّ  “Latarkabann”.

The Prophet Muhammad (saws) is addressed by the second recitation, meaning, you will travel through a sky after a sky. This what actually happened on the night of Issraa , when the Prophet ascended a sky after another.

This verse may also refer to experiencing a state after state in accordance with the relation with Allah (swt). Or, experiencing a stage after a stage or a position after a position, a trial after a trial.

So that, several meanings are contained in these words, but some scholars say: When Allah (swt) speaks about boarding in the Holy Qur’an He speaks about boarding in the sea (boarding a ship) and talks about all the tools of boarding:

 {وَالْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ }

(And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment. And He creates that which you do not know.)

However, Allah (swt) does not talk about spaceships nor about flying but He says:

 {وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ}

(And He creates that which you do not know.) (An-Nahl: 8)

Nowadays, we see how the man travel across the skies, from spaceship to another, from space station to another. We are not trying to follow the projective method, rather we want to say that this great verse opens scientific horizons for man and proves that the Holy Qur’an encompasses knowledge at any time.

That is, the moon when it comes together and becomes complete and full. These statements refer to its light in the white days (the days when the sky has bleached) on the night of the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the Hijri month when the moon completes its cycle.

AL-Hassan AL-Bassri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: اتَّسَقَ refers to the moon when it lights and this happens when it is circular as the full sun’s light reflects on it.

Allah (swt) mentions the night many times in the Holy Qur’an. Even that there is a Surah called (the Night).

It is known that the night is the time of establishing worship and prayers as when the night covers the universe, calmness is revealed. Allah (swt) says in other verses:

{وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ}

(And [by] the night when it covers with darkness) (Ad-Duha: 2)

{وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ}

(And [by] the night when it passes) (Al-Fajr: 4)

The darkness of the night covers the universe. It approaches slowly and spreads quietly its darkness, and gradually covers the daylight, and here Allah (swt) mentions something else that characterizes the night in addition to that it covers and passes:

 وَاللَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ

(And [by] the night and what it envelops (17))

وَسَقَ (envelops): Means to join the thing together.

At night, the trees, mountains, seas, and land are covered with darkness.

Allah (swt) says: This matter is very clear and does not need any swear and if I were to swear, I would swear by it.

بِالشَّفَقِ (twilight glow): It is the redness that remains on the horizon after sunset, or it is the whiteness that follows that redness. Mujahid said that it refers to the whole day.

However, it is possible that the whole day is meant by this oath even if just a part of it is mentioned.

The means of awareness of issues are either knowledge, tradition, doubt, suspicion, or illusion. Of course, knowledge is the highest level among these. Allah (swt) says:

{ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ }

(And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them) (Ali-Imran: 19)

In this verse Allah (swt) does not mention that they differed because of their doubt, ignorance, or suspicion or illusion, rather they differed after they have fully received the knowledge.

Allah (swt) reminds them that their thinking is not true at all, rather it is suspicion does not reach the level of certainty.

بَلَىٰ  (Yes): Is an article of answering as “Verify” but used to express a negative answer, meaning that it denies what preceded it. Here it denies his suspicion that (he would never return) and indeed he would return to his Lord.

His Lord was ever watchful of him, All-Knowing and All-Aware of all his deeds, nothing is hidden from Him. No one can flee from Allah (swt) or hide from Him because Allah (swt) is All-Knowing of all his movements. Allah (swt) says:

He thought that he would not return to God, nor would he be held accountable. It is this suspicion that plunged him into a chasm.

Or they thought that they would not return to the state they were in from the bliss of this world.

Contemplating in these noble verses, we find that they give a picture of absolute justice. Since, the logic of justice is that everyone is accountable. However, whatever the person is righteous, his life is not free of something to be held accountable. But the labor of man determines the way of judgement whether easy or difficult. Among the people whose account is merely a presentation of their deeds, their identification and comparing them with the blessings of Allah (swt) upon him.

“A’isha (May Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (saws) said:

(Whoever is interrogated during the reckoning, then he will be punished.)

A’ishah then said, “But didn’t Allah say:  (He will be judged with an easy account ).  The Prophet replied:
(That is not during to the Reckoning, rather it is referring to the presentation)[1]

Fear, then, is not from the reckoning, but from discussing the reckoning. As for presenting the deeds, it is a matter of gratitude.

[1] Sahih Bukhari, Book of Softening of hearts, Hadith No. 6171

He enters Hell, suffers from its heat, and suffers from its torment.

He calls woe and destruction are his to rest from the torture.

They are the people of disobedience and disbelief.

Return to them happily.

An easy simple account.

They are the companions of the right.

The Qur’an tends to address the human being that Allah (swt) has honored, made him a successor to Him, to whom the entire universe has been harnessed.

How does the man hasten to His Lord?

Previously in Surah Al-Infitar after Allah (swt) spoke about breaking apart of the sky, falling of the of the planets, explosion of seas and scattering of graves’ contents, He (swt) addressed the human being and said:

 {يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ }

(O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous,) (Al-Infitar: 6)

Because the human being is the essence of this universe.

In the two verses Allah (swt) combined the human kind and the attribute of Lordship. As if Allah (swt) wants to take compassion on His slaves and address them in this gentle manner.

كَادِحٌ (are laboring): derived from the Arabic noun (kadh) : meaning to try and work hard, and to self-strive to reach a goal.

The endeavor which is meant here is characterized by hardship until it leaves its marked effect on its actor as a result of hard work and fatigue.

So, the Truth Allah (swt) here, addresses man in general, whether he is a believer or a disbeliever, says to him: You are inevitably going with your deeds to a single only purpose, you have no other one. You are walking to your Lord from your birth to your death. Your capital in this journey is your deeds, and you will come with it to your Lord.

فَمُلَاقِيهِ (will meet it): Means that you will meet your deeds. All people meet at this point and all the partial positions are united. Then the verses tell us that at the end people are divided according to their actions and deeds towards their Lord:

A group who returned to Allah (swt) in goodness and righteousness seeking the satisfaction of Allah (swt) in the worldly life and the hereafter, and a group who worked with evil, seeking this worldly life on the account of the hereafter.

As the sky listens and obeys the command, the earth as well does. The same meaning as what has preceded. This is the submission to Allah (swt).