Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 89 Al-Fajr, Ayat 21-30

كَلَّاۤ اِذَا دُكَّتِ الۡاَرۡضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا ۙ‏ ﴿89:21﴾ وَّجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَالۡمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا ۚ‏ ﴿89:22﴾ وَجِاىْٓءَ يَوۡمَـئِذٍۢ بِجَهَنَّمَ  ۙ​ يَوۡمَـئِذٍ يَّتَذَكَّرُ الۡاِنۡسَانُ وَاَنّٰى لَـهُ الذِّكۡرٰىؕ‏ ﴿89:23﴾ يَقُوۡلُ يٰلَيۡتَنِىۡ قَدَّمۡتُ لِحَـيَاتِى​ۚ‏ ﴿89:24﴾ فَيَوۡمَـئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهٗۤ اَحَدٌ ۙ‏ ﴿89:25﴾ وَّلَا يُوۡثِقُ وَثَاقَهٗۤ اَحَدٌ ؕ‏ ﴿89:26﴾ يٰۤاَيَّتُهَا النَّفۡسُ الۡمُطۡمَـئِنَّةُ  ۖ‏ ﴿89:27﴾ ارۡجِعِىۡۤ اِلٰى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرۡضِيَّةً​ ۚ‏ ﴿89:28﴾ فَادۡخُلِىۡ فِىۡ عِبٰدِىۙ‏ ﴿89:29﴾ وَادۡخُلِىۡ جَنَّتِى‏ ﴿89:30﴾

(89:21) But no;15 when the earth is ground to powder, (89:22) and when your Lord appears16 with rows upon rows of angels, (89:23) and when Hell is brought near that Day. On that Day will man understand, but of what avail will that understanding be?17 (89:24) He will say: “Would that I had sent ahead what would be of avail for this life of mine!” (89:25) Then on that Day Allah will chastise as none other can chastise; (89:26) and Allah will bind as none other can bind. (89:27) (On the other hand it will be said): “O serene soul!18 (89:28) Return to your Lord19 well-pleased (with your blissful destination), well-pleasing (to your Lord). (89:29) So enter among My (righteous) servants (89:30) and enter My Paradise.”

Notes

15. That is, you are wrong in thinking that you may do whatever you like in your life of the world, but you will never be called to account for it. The meting out of rewards and punishment denying which you have adopted this mode of life, is not anything impossible and fictitious, but it has to come to pass and it will certainly come to pass at the time being mentioned below.

16. Although literally the words jaa Rabbuka mean your Lord will come, obviously there cannot be any question of Allah Almighty's moving from one place to another; therefore, this will inevitably have to be understood as an allegoric expression, which is meant to give an idea that at that time the manifestations of Allah Almighty’s power and His majesty and sovereignty will appear fully, as, for example, in the world the arrival of a king in person in the court is more awe-inspiring than the mere array of his forces and chiefs and nobles.

17. The words in the original can have two meanings:

(1) That on that Day man will remember whatever he had done in the world and will regret, but what will remembrance and regretting avail him then.

(2) That on that Day man will take heed and accept admonition: he will realize that whatever he had been told by the Prophets was true and he committed a folly when he did not listen to them; but what will taking heed and accepting the admonition and realizing one’s errors avail then.

18. Peaceful and fully satisfied soul: The man who believed in Allah, the One, as his Lord and Sustainer, and adopted the way of life brought by the Prophets as his way of life, with full satisfaction of the heart, and without the least doubt about it, who acknowledged as absolute truth whatever creed and command he received from Allah and His Messenger, who withheld himself from whatever he was forbidden by Allah’s religion, not unwillingly but with perfect conviction that it was really an evil thing, who offered without sacrifice whatever sacrifice was required to be offered for the sake of the truth, who endured with full peace of mind whatever difficulties, troubles and hardships he met on this way and who felt no remorse on being deprived of the gains and benefits and pleasures in the world which seemed to accrue to those who followed other ways but remained fully satisfied that adherence to true faith had safeguarded him against those errors. This very state has been described at another place in the Quran as sharh sadr. (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 125).

19. This he will be told at the time of his death as well as on the Day of Resurrection when he will rise from the dead and move towards the Plain of Assembly and also on the occasion when he will be presented in the divine court. At every stage he will be assured that he is moving towards the Mercy of Allah Almighty.