Surah Al-Qiyamah 75:1-30 - Quran Translation Commentary

1. The “Laa” when it comes before the oath, it is to refute a thing which is contrary to that one for which the oath is taken. For example, LAA WALLAAH (No, by Lord) is being said when some one intends to present his point while refuting somebody’s thought.

2. In this ayah the Day of Resurrection is being presented as a definite thing while refuting the disbelievers thought that there will be nothing like reward and punishment after death. What is meant here is that even if they deny Qiyamat for any number of times, it is going to occur certainly. It is a fact which can never be denied.

3. When man commits any sin his soul scolds him. For example, while behaving unfairly with anyone or while oppressing somebody or while telling a lie or while spending money extravagantly a man’s conscience, if not entirely dead, does give a pinch that you have done this wrong. It scolds him on that point. Qabeel had killed his brother Habeel. But after that he did repent and realise that he should not have done this thing. This scolding by soul about a wrong deed is a proof of the fact that to differentiate between good and bad is in man’s nature and hence he is responsible to God regarding his deeds. He deserves to be punished for evil deeds and to be rewarded for his noble works. This virtue of human soul gives testimony to the Day of Judgment, Was the matter of reward and punishment not to occur and if man was not to be responsible for his deeds, then his soul would not have scolded him at the commitment of an evil deed nor his soul would scold any other oppressor, who does wrong to anyone.

4. The biggest doubt in the minds of the polytheists was that when a man’s body becomes dust after rotting and his rotten skeleton also scatters away then how will all that be gathered to reassemble his body. How it will be possible to remake him as a living man? In fact this doubt was arising because of not comprehending the might of Allah correctly. Hence, to remove this doubt, it has been asked: does man think that WE are not able to recollect his bones? It is obvious that this narrow vision about God’s might is totally wrong. It is our everyday observance that Allah does recollect scattered parts and HE also puts life into a lifeless thing. Then how is it difficult for Him to recollect the scattered parts and particles of a dead man and to reenliven him?

5. WE are able not only to raise his dead body again but also to recreate even his finger joints (which are very delicate) precisely. Man will be given the same body which he had in his worldly life, so that every body may get reward or punishment according to the deeds committed by it.

6. The reason of his denial is that he may thereby be able to do the same evils which he was doing in the past and he may not have to live a law-abiding life, because in wickedness and impiety he finds pleasure of the world and in righteousness there is a dryness of patience.

7. The question was regarding the date of Resurrection but, in reply, the happenings in Hell are being described, because the occurrence of death is a certainty though its date is unknown. Similarly the occurrence of Resurrection too is a certainty but no one knows its date except Allah. Therefore what should worry man is the intensity of the event when Resurrection will occur and how man will be saved on that Day. In reply, Quran has drawn attention to this thing.

When Qiyamat will occur its frightfulness will be so great that man will not be able even to look at it. This subject has been mentioned in Surah Ibrahim also:

“HE only gives them respite till a Day when eyes will remain staring in horror”. (Ibrahim: 42)

8. Since, on the Day of Resurrection, the sun will be wrapped up, as has been mentioned in Surah Takveer :

“IZAS - SHAMSU KUWWIRAT”.

(When the sun will be wrapped up)the moon will become dark as if it had been eclipsed.

9. At present both the sun and the moon are rotating in their orbits. But when Resurrection will occur this balance will not be maintained. Sun and moon will join together. The manner of their joining is known only to Allah.

10.Today man gets indulged in unnecessary questions about Resurrection but when he will see it in front of him he will like to run away from its fright.

11. But he will have no place of shelter for fleeing to.

12. Means he will stand before Allah.

On that Day man will be informed what he sent forward and what he left behind. Indeed man himself is a proof against him. Although he may put forth numerous excuses.(Al-Quran)

13. ‘Sending forward’ means man’s good or bad deeds the results of which will appear in the Hereafter and what is meant by ‘leaving behind’ is those deeds which he should have done in the world but he did not do and thereby could not fulfill his responsibilities concerning Qiyamat.

14. That is, man is a proof (evidence) against himself. His conscience cries out to him that he is a creation with moral responsibility. The effects of good and evil are different and that he will have to account for his deeds before God. Not with-standing outward proofs and evidences this internal witness of his conscience is such a testimony to the Day of Reward and punishment that no man can ever deny it.

15. That is, man can find a number of excuses to deny the Reward and Punishment and make a long oratory or verbal show but the certainty of the occurrence of Reward and punishment is quite clear to him because the nature itself also sheds light on it.

16. The ayah 16 to 19 are parenthetical sentences, that is, disconnecting the course of talk, a timely instruction has been given to the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). As reported by Bukhari he used to make haste in obtaining revelation from the angel Jibreel and was a little bit hasty in repeating the ayah with his tongue to avoid any possibility of mistake. On this occasion he has been instructed that there is no need to be hasty in receiving the revelation; that he should first hear the revelation from the mouth of Jibreel and thereafter repeat it. Thus he has been assured that no mistake can ever occur by him in the matter of revelation because the responsibility of getting the revelation implanted in the prophet’s breast has been taken up by Allah.

The mention of a thing in the midst of a talk apparently seems unrelated. But in oratory when something else is said according to the circumstances or due to any other necessity it does not affect the context of the talk. Imam Raazi has explained this matter very nicely. He says: if a teacher is teaching his student and if the student begins to look here and there the teacher says ‘do not see elsewhere’ and then resumes his lecture. Now, if this whole lesson (lecture) is reported along with this parenthetical phrase (do not look else-where) then the one who does not know the reason of speaking of these words will consider these words improper, but the one who is aware of the circumstances will appreciate it as a good piece of oratory.

(At Tafseer Al Kabeer Vol : 29, p.223) The fact is that this instruction to the holy Messenger that he should not make haste in receiving the revelation during the course of revelation is a proof of Quran’s being preserved in its original form. It shows that if Allah has said something by cutting the course that also has been recorded as it was. Had Quran been a creation of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) such things would not have appeared in it.

17. The meaning of collecting is to compile the ayah and the Surahs in a nice order and the meaning of reciting is to make it pronounced by the mouth of the holy Messenger correctly. God Himself had undertaken these two jobs. Therefore the Quran in a book form which is now in our hands has been compiled so only by Allah and the internal testimony of the Holy Book also shows that the compilation and arrangement of its contents are Divine because many secrets become manifest merely by pondering over the order of the verses.

In this modern age some modernists have tried to present the Quran in the order of its revelation but they have failed badly in their effort because we have no source of knowing the exact time and sequence of revelations with details. Nor it is essential to try for it. When God Almighty has presented His Book in an order other than the order of revelation as per His strategy what right others have to change that order?

Here it is necessary also to remove a misunderstanding according to which Caliph Abu Bakr or Caliph Uthman had collected the ayah of Quran and that before that it was not extant in a book form. The fact is that the Quran had already been compiled as directed by God Almighty in the time of the Holy Prophet and, therefore, the Quranic ayah were being recited in the same order in salat. It is found in traditions (Ahadith) that during the months of Ramdhan angel Jibreel used to meet the Holy Prophet and Dawatul Quran 863 S. 75 read the whole of it with him. (Bukhari: Kitaabul- Wahi). Obviously such reading in whole could only be of a book. What service Abu Bakr rendered was that he assembled the various parts of the revelation which were then with different writers (copiers) of the Wahi. Whatever portions of the Quran the Messenger was dictating for being written down were with different companions. Abu Bakr entrusted the work of collecting those scattered parts to some companions and they did the same. He kept the same order and arrangement in which they were during the days of the Holy Prophet. In other words, the holy Book has been preserved in the hearts of Huffaz (those who have learnt it by heart and memorized it fully) in the same order which it has passed from hand to hand and in which it was being recited in the Salat (prayers). Of course the job of giving the form of a mus’haf to it was done by Abu Bakr. Regarding the collection of the Quran by Uthman, he arranged it to be written approving the Qureshi mode of pronunciation and propagated it. Some words of the Quran were being pronounced differently in various tribes. Though it did not change its meaning, when the number of Ajamees(non- Arabs)increased in his time this variation of pronunciation posed a problem. Hence Uthman removed this variation in pronunciation and made all agree on a common pronunciation. Then he prepared its copies and published them. An example of variation in pronunciation is the word ‘Musaitir’ which is found in Surah Ghashiyah, ayah: 22. It can be pronounced both according to ‘Swaad’ and ‘Seen’ therefore a little ‘Swaad’ is being written on this word. But then it makes no change in meaning. Both mean the subduer.

18. The Word was Allah’s but it was being brought by angel Jibreel. Therefore Allah has called Jibreel’s recitation His qiraat (reading or recitation). It means O Prophet! you should start reading only after the angel completes it.

19. This is a further comfort to the Holy Prophet that it is also upon Allah to explain the meaning of the ayah. Hence he need not worry from that angle too. In the Quran, there are several such ayah which have been revealed for explanation and clarification. Moreover, he was getting revelation in addition to the Quran also which used to clarify various commandments with details as recorded in traditions.

20. From here the course of the talk again reverts to where it was before intervention by the parenthetical phrase. The meaning of ‘Kallaa’ (never) here is ‘you are not denying Hereafter on the ground that its evidence is not clear.

21. The proof of Reward and Punishment is existent even in your own selves. But the reason of your denial is the lust for worldly life and the greed to gain the speedily available material benefits. You think that the benefit of the Hereafter is far off and therefore you do not want to leave the benefit which is on hand in this world. But what you fail to realise is that the worldly gain is very small and a temporary one whereas the benefit of the Hereafter is both great and everlasting.

22. These will be the faces of those people who believed and did good deeds.

23. The clear meaning of this ayah is that, on the Day of Resurrection, the successful people will be fortunate to see their LORD. A hadeeth of Bukhari also supports this according to which the Holy Prophet said:

“Very soon you will see your Lord with your eyes”. (Bukhari: Kitabut Tawheed).

In this connection there are other traditions too. Allamah Ibne Katheer has, quoting several traditions, written that Allah’s Ruyat (seeing) will be available to the Faithful on the Day of Resurrection. The companions of the holy Prophet (Sahaba) and Tabieen and the olden day religious leaders are also of this view. (Tafseer Ibne Katheer. Vol. 4, p. 45)

24. These will be the faces of the deniers which will be gloomy due to their sins.

25. They will gel such a severe punishment that their backs will be broken. In other words, theirs will be an unbearable torment.

26. Your thinking that man will become dust and be destroyed after death is never correct. After death the body does become rotten but the soul (Rooh) remains which reverts to its Creator as soon as it is detached from the body.

27. This is a picturization of the death-time agony which must make man realise that he too has to die one day and to return his life to the ONE who created it.

28. When people see that a man is nearing his end and they have no more hope in medicine they call a charmer so that the ailment may go. But when the appointed time of death arrives no strategy is of any avail. Charm was in yogue in Arabia and hence it is mentioned especially here. It should be understood that Islam has termed it Haram (unlawful) and ‘Batil (wrong) to resort to a charm which contains polytheistic terms or words. It has taught to recite prayerful words expressing belief in ONLY ONE GOD and to trust in ALLAh on such occasions to regain health.

29. That is, man becomes sure that the time for his departure from this world has come.

30. This is the picture of his utter helplessness. The legs which had enabled him to move freely at will in his active life will become so weak that they will entangle with one-another, at the time of death.

31. That is, the released soul will fly off to reach its LORD. It means it will go to the other world, the Barzakh which is like a prison for the souls of the deniers.