Surah An-Naml 27:67-82 - Quran Translation Commentary

(27:82) And when the Word is fulfilled against them,¹⁰³ We shall bring forth for them a beast out of the earth, that will speak to them that the people would not believe in Our signs.¹⁰⁴

Commentary

98. Asad explains, “I.e., those who denied the reality of a life after death and, hence, of man’s ultimate responsibility for his conscious doings… the unavoidable consequence of this denial is the loss of all sense of right and wrong: and this, in its turn, leads to spiritual and social chaos, and so to the downfall of communities and civilizations.”

99. To the Arabs of that time, the use of the term “radifa” should have had strong suggestions of the likelihood of the promised chastisement riding right behind them on their beasts (Au.).

100. There is not a thing over which they do not disagree between themselves, including who is Yahweh and what is His exact relationship with the Jews (Au.). Zamakhshari wrote: They differed over Masih (asws) dividing themselves into sects and groups to the extent that some of them cursed others.

Yusuf Ali comments on the divisions among the Jews: “The Jews had numerous sects. Some were altogether out of the pale, e.g., the Samaritans, who had a separate Taurat of their own: they hated the other Jews and were hated by them. But even in the orthodox body, there were several sects, of which the following may be mentioned: (1) the Pharisees, who were literalists, formalists, and fatalists, and had a large body of traditional literature, with which they overlaid the Law of Moses; (2) the Sadducees, who were rationalists, and seemed to have doubted the doctrines of Resurrection and of the Hereafter; (3) the Essenes, who practiced a sort of Communism and Asceticism and prohibited marriage. About many of their doctrines they had bitter disputes, which were settled by the Qur’an, which supplemented and perfected the Law of Moses. It also explained clearly the attributes of Allah and the nature of Revelation, and the doctrine of the Hereafter.”

One can see some resemblance between Jewish sects of the past – Samaritans, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and others– and many active groups among the Muslims of our day (Au).

Asad adds: “The term children of Israel comprises here both the Jews and the Christians (Zamakhshari) inasmuch as both follow the Old Testament, albeit in a corrupted form. It is precisely because of this corruption, and because of the great influence which Jewish and Christian ideas exert over a large segment of mankind, that the Qur’an sets out to explain certain ethical truths to both these communities. The above reference to ‘most’ (and not all) of the problems alluded to in this world, and not on ultimate, metaphysical questions which – as the Qur’an so often repeats – will be answered only in the hereafter.”

101. That is, the unbelievers are spiritually dead and so cannot hear anything pertaining to the truth. They are alive only to what is base and fleeting (Au.).

102. An exception was the Badr incident when the Prophet went up to the bodies of the pagans that were dumped into a deep pit to ask them,

يَا فُلانَ بن فُلانٍ وَيَا فُلانَ بن فُلانٍ ، وَدِدْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ أَطَعْتُمُ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ، فَهَلْ وَجَدْتُمْ مَا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا فَقَدْ وَجَدْنَا مَا وَعَدَنَا رَبُّنَا حَقًّا ، قَالَ عُمَرُ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَتُكِلِّمُ أَجْسَادًا لا أَرْوَاحَ فِيهَا ؟ قَالَ : وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ مَا أَنْتُمْ بِأَسْمَعَ لِمَا أَقُولُ مِنْهُمْ

“O so and so, so and so .. we have found that what our Lord promised us came true. Have you also found what your Lord promised you as true?” `Umar asked anxiously, "Messenger of Allah, are you speaking to bodies that have no soul?" The Prophet replied, “By Him in whose hands is Muhammad's life, you do not hear them any better than they hear me now.” According to a version in Bukhari,

إِنَّهُمُ الآنَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ مَا كُنْتُ أَقُولُ لَهُمْ حَقٌّ

“At this moment they know that what I used to tell them was true.”

From the concluding words we can deduce that it was not an address meant for the unrepentant living pagans, in order to drive fear into them, or teach them a lesson, but that, as Qatadah has said, Allah had sent back the souls to the dead pagans so that they could hear him (Qurtubi).

Shanqiti, places a long discussion here over the issue. By and large he echoes the view that Ibn al-Qayyim offered in his Kitab al-Ruh. The latter maintained that the dead are able to hear the voices of the living. At the start he mentions `A’isha’s opinion who, basing her opinion on the Qur’an, believed that the dead cannot hear. But following that, he presents evidences that confirm that they do. A hadith apparently supporting this is in Bukhari. The Prophet (saws) said, “When a slave is placed in the grave and his companions retreat, until he hears the noise of their retreating footsteps; then come the two angels ...” to the end of the hadith. Another narrative in Muslim reports `A’isha as saying:

كُلَّمَا كَانَ لَيْلَتُهَا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- يَخْرُجُ مِنْ آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى الْبَقِيعِ فَيَقُولُ :« السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَتَاكُمْ مَا تُوعَدُونَ غَدًا مُؤَجَّلُونَ ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لاَحِقُونَ. اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لأَهْلِ بَقِيعِ الْغَرْقَدِ »

“(Whenever it was her turn for Allah’s Messenger to spend the night with her), he would go out towards the end of the night to Baqi` graveyard and say, ‘Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of the believers. That will come to you tomorrow that had been promised, without delay, and, Allah willing, we shall join you soon. O Allah, forgive the inhabitants of Baqi` al-Gharqad.”

Another report, thought to be trustworthy by Ibn `Abd al-Barr, has the following words of the Prophet (saws),

مَا مِنْ رَجُل يَمُرّ بِقَبْرِ أَخِيهِ كَانَ يَعْرِفهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَيُسَلِّم عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا رَدَّ اللَّه عَلَيْهِ رُوحه حَتَّى يُرَدّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام

“There is no man who passes by another man’s grave whom he used to know in this world, and greets him, but Allah returns the man’s soul to him so that he can return the greeting.”

Ibn al-Qayyim also argues with a report in Muslim which says that when death approached `Amr b. al-`Aas, he instructed the people around him in words,

فَإِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَلاَ تَصْحَبْنِى نَائِحَةٌ وَلاَ نَارٌ فَإِذَا دَفَنْتُمُونِى فَشُنُّوا عَلَىَّ التُّرَابَ شَنًّا ثُمَّ أَقِيمُوا حَوْلَ قَبْرِى قَدْرَ مَا تُنْحَرُ جَزُورٌ وَيُقْسَمُ لَحْمُهَا حَتَّى أَسْتَأْنِسَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْظُرَ مَاذَا أُرَاجِعُ بِهِ رُسُلَ رَبِّى.

“When I am dead, let no lamenting woman accompany my coffin, nor carry any light. When you have buried me, throw some dust on me but tarry around my grave for as long as it takes to slaughter a goat and distribute its mutton, so that I might draw strength from you and decide how I should respond to the messengers of my Lord (who will arrive to question him).”

In fact, Shanqiti continues, Nawawi wrote in his Rawd al-Talibin, in effect: It is desirable that the dead should be encouraged immediately after the burial. One might say,

يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ يَا ابْنَ أَمَةِ اللَّهِ اُذْكُرْ مَا خَرَجْت عَلَيْهِ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا : شَهَادَةَ أَنْ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ، وَأَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ حَقٌّ ، وَأَنَّ النَّارَ حَقٌّ ، وَأَنَّ الْبَعْثَ حَقٌّ ، وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ آتِيَةٌ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بَعَثَ مَنْ فِي الْقُبُورِ ، وَأَنَّك رَضِيت بِاَللَّهِ رَبًّا ، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا ، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا ، وَبِالْقُرْآنِ إمَامًا ، وَبِالْكَعْبَةِ قِبْلَةً ، وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ إخْوَانًا

“O son of a slave of Allah, O son of Allah’s maidservant, recall the words you said at the time you left the world: the testimony la ilaha illa Allahu, wa Muhammadur Rasul Allah. Recall that Paradise is true, the Fire is true, the Resurrection is true, that the Hour has to come and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves; and that you were happy with Allah as your Lord, with Islam as your religion, with Muhammad as the Prophet, with the Qur’an as your guide, with Ka`bah as your Qiblah and with the believers as your brothers.” This, says Nawawi, has been reported of the Prophet (saws).

These ahadith, concludes Shanqiti, do not contradict the Qur’an. These reports are merely saying that the dead cannot hear the kind of hearing that can be of any profit to them. Thus the Qur’an does not deny this when it says they cannot hear. The term “sima`” then, has to be understood in a specific sense.

Ibn al-Qayyim also argues, says Shanqiti, with the story of `Awf b. Malik who saw Al-Sa`b Juthama in his dream. The latter instructed him to pay off 10 Dinars out of the money he had left to a certain Jew from whom he had borrowed, but could not pay back. `Awf executed the will taking off 10 Dinar from what Al-Sa`ab had left, before distribution among the heirs could take place. We have another incident of the same class. It involves a man like Abu Bakr who saw Thabit b. Shammas in his dream. Thabit requested him to pay back loans on him and free such and such a slave. Abu Bakr acted accordingly. Now, argues Ibn al-Qayyim, if the dead can appear in someone’s dream, then why not the other way around, viz., the dead hearing the living? [Strangely, Ibn al-Qayyim quotes some weak reports and then says that they acquire strength from the fact that Muslims of many regions have adopted them for practice: Au.].

Shanqiti then adds his remark that he is aware that this opinion of Ibn al-Qayyim has not been accepted by other scholars who have said that the evidences are not strong enough and that Imam Ahmad practiced no such thing. Furthermore, they say, it is only Muslims of the Syrian regions who seem to practice it.

Shanqiti’s discussion ends here.

There is another hadith which says,

حَيْثُ مَا مَرَرْتَ بِقَبْرِ كَافِرٍ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِالنَّارِ

“Whenever you pass by the grave of a pagan, give him glad tidings of the Fire.” Nevertheless, a careful study suggests that in all such cases as above, Allah returns the souls of those dead that He wills, at the time they are addressed. This seems to apply even to our Prophet. He said, according to a hadith in Abu Da’ud and others, which Ibn Hajr declared trustworthy, the Prophet (saws) said,

إِنَّ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَيَّامِكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فِيهِ خُلِقَ آدَمُ ، وَفِيهِ قُبِضَ ، وَفِيهِ النَّفْخَةُ ، وَفِيهِ الصَّعْقَةُ ، فَأَكْثِرُوا عَلَيَّ مِنَ الصَّلاةِ فِيهِ ، فَإِنَّ صَلاتَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةٌ عَلَيَّ ، قَالُوا : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، وَكَيْفَ تُعْرَضُ عَلَيْكَ صَلاتُنَا وَقَدْ أَرَمْتَ ؟ يَقُولُونَ قَدْ بَلِيتَ ، قَالَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ أَنْ تَأْكُلَ أَجْسَادَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ

“The best of your days is Friday. Therefore send peace unto me as much as you can during its day and night, for, your peace formula is presented to me.” They (those around) asked, “How can our peace formulae be presented to you when you would have been reduced to dust?” He replied, “Allah has forbidden that the earth should eat the bodies of the Prophets.”

It might be noticed here that the dead are reduced to dust in their graves, and therefore, if peace is sent to them, they cannot receive them unless Allah so wills. The majority of scholars are therefore of the opinion that ordinarily the dead cannot hear from their graves, especially after the first initial hours (Au.).

Mufti Shafi` calls our attention to the fact that in all, there are three places in the Qur’an where hearing by the dead has been referred to (at this point, at 35: 22 and at 30: 52), and at all places it said that they cannot be made to hear, implying it is not in our power to make them hear. But It should not be concluded that Allah cannot make them hear, when He wishes them to.

103. We can look into a possible general meaning before going into the specific. Asad writes: “I.e., when the truth becomes obvious to them against all their expectations, and thus confounds them utterly: an allusion to the approach of the Last Hour, Resurrection and God’s Judgment, all of which they were wont to regard as ‘fables of the ancient times.’”

And now for the specific: In the opinion of Ibn `Umar and `Atiyyah, this will happen when the Muslims give up enjoining the good and prohibiting the wrong (Ibn Jarir).

According to other reports `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud said that it will happen with the death of scholars, the loss of knowledge, and withdrawal of the Qur’an. He also said, “Recite the Qur’an often before it is withdrawn.” He was asked, “These written copies could be withdrawn, but what about what is in the hearts?” He replied, “A night will pass over them and by morning they will find themselves without it. They will forget the testimony ‘la ilaha ..’ and will resort to poetry and sayings of the jahiliyy period. That will be the time when the Word will come true against them.” According to another opinion however, the allusion by the Word coming true against them is to “chastisement.”

A third opinion is that it will happen when the situation will be the same as it was when it was said about the nation of Nuh (11: 36),

{ لَنْ يُؤْمِنَ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَنْ قَدْ آمَنَ } [هود: 36]

“Indeed, none of your people will ever come to believe, except for him who has already believed.”

That is, just as chastisement became necessary at that point, it will also become necessary at the time of the emergence of the Beast. Hence the Prophet’s words as in Muslim,

ثَلاَثٌ إِذَا خَرَجْنَ لاَ يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِى إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا وَالدَّجَّالُ وَدَابَّةُ الأَرْضِ

“Three there are, after whose appearance, no one’s belief will be of no benefit to a man, if he had not believed earlier, or had earned good in its belief: sunrise from the West, Dajjal, and the Beast of the earth” (Qurtubi).

Ibn `Umar is also reported to have thought that the beast in question will appear in Makkah (Ibn Jarir). But the reports are unconfirmed (Au.).

104. It was the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Hasan and Qatadah that the said Animal will speak to the people (in the manner of men’s speech) – Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir.

In fact, `Ali believed that it will converse with people. `Ata’ al-Khurasani opined that it will say (the Qur’anic words), “that the people would not believe in Our signs.” Ibn Jarir has adopted this opinion, but, personally I feel, writes Ibn Kathir, it needs a second consideration.

A second opinion of Ibn `Abbas has been that “tukalli-muhum” is actually “takli-muhum” meaning “tujri-huhum”, i.e., it will injure them (perhaps meaning brand them: Au.). A third opinion from him is that it will do both, speak to them [the believers] as well as injure them [the unbelievers] - Qurtubi. This opinion is in `Abd b. Humayd, Ibn Marduwayh and Ibn Abi Hatim (Shawkani).

Hasan also expressed this opinion. Obviously, there is no contradiction between the two (Ibn Kathir).

Dabbah

Hadith and other religious literature have several mentiona of this Animal. A hadith in Ahmad, Muslim and other books reports Usayd al-Ghifari,

لا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ عَشْرُ آيَاتٍ : الدَّجَّالُ ، وَالدُّخَانُ ، وَطُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا ، وَدَابَّةُ الأَرْضِ ، وَيَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ ، وَثَلاثَةُ خُسُوفٍ : خَسْفٌ بِالْمَشْرِقِ ، وَخَسْفٌ بِالْمَغْرِبِ ، وَخَسْفٌ بِجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ ، وَنَارٌ تَخْرُجُ مِنْ قَعْرِ عَدَنِ أَبْيَنَ تَسُوقُ النَّاسَ إِلَى الْمَحْشَرِ ، تَنْزِلُ مَعَهُمْ إِذَا نَزَلُوا ، وَتَقِيلُ مَعَهُمْ إِذَا قَالُوا

“The Prophet (saws) arrived upon us when we were discussing the Hour. He said, ‘It will not come forth until you have seen ten signs: Sunrise from the West, Smoke, the Animal, appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj, `Isa ibn Maryam’s appearance, Dajjal, and three cavings-in (of the earth): in the West, in the East and in the Arabian Peninsula, and, finally, a Fire that will start from the depths of `Adan (Eden) that will drive the people (to the Field of Resurrection – Syria: Au.), halting with them where they halt (for the night), and taking a siesta with them where they take siesta.’”

Another report in Muslim is on the authority of `Abdullah ibn `Amr who said,

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ الآيَاتِ خُرُوجًا طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا وَخُرُوجُ الدَّابَّةِ عَلَى النَّاسِ ضُحًى وَأَيُّهُمَا مَا كَانَتْ قَبْلَ صَاحِبَتِهَا فَالأُخْرَى عَلَى إِثْرِهَا قَرِيبًا

“I have remembered three words from the Prophet (saws) that I will never forget. I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘The first of the signs in appearance is sunrise from the West and the appearance of the Animal for the people by the noon. So, whichever of the two happens earlier than its companion, the other will be on its heels.’”

Muslim has yet another hadith. Abu Hurayrah reports the Prophet (saws),

بَادِرُوا بِالأَعْمَالِ سِتًّا طُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا أَوِ الدُّخَانَ أَوِ الدَّجَّالَ أَوِ الدَّابَّةَ أَوْ خَاصَّةَ أَحَدِكُمْ أَوْ أَمْرَ الْعَامَّةِ

“Hasten up with deeds before six: Sunrise from its West, Smoke, Dajjal, the Beast, the happening of one of you, and the common affair” (Ibn Kathir).

In the above report the words “the happening of one of you” have been interpreted by scholars such as Nawawi and Munawi to mean “death;” (i.e., death of one of you, or, maybe, death of one of your favorites); while the words “common affair” have been interpreted by Munawi as meaning the Day of Judgment (Au.).

There is another report in Ahmad, Ibn Majah and Abu Da’ud Tayalisi which says the Animal will carry Musa’s staff and Sulayman’s ring, who will stamp the people as believers and unbelievers, so that people will address one another as, “O so and so an Unbeliever,” and “O so and so a Believer.” But the narrative is weak. Its shorter version has also been declared weak by Tirmidhi as well as Suyuti with Munawi’s agreement. Then there is one in Hakim’s Mustadrak,

عن أبي الطفيل قال : كنا جلوسا عند حذيفة فذكرت الدابة فقال حذيفة رضي الله عنه : إنها نخرج ثلاث خرجات في بعض البوادي ثم تكمن ثم تخرج في بعض القرى حتى يذعروا و حتى تهريق فيها الأمراء الدماء ثم تكمن قال : فبينما الناس عند أعظم المساجد و أفضلها و أشرفها حتى قلنا المسجد الحرام و ما سماه إذ ارتفعت الأرض و يهرب الناس و يبقي عامة من المسلمين يقولون : إنه لن ينجينا من أمر الله شيء فتخرج فتجلو وجوههم حتى تجعلها كالكواكب الدرية و تتبع الناس جيران في الرباع شركاء في الأموال و أصحاب في الإسلام - هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين ولم يخرجاه - تعليق الذهبي قي التلخيص : على شرط البخاري ومسلم - المستدرك

Abu Tufayl reported, “We were seated with Hudhayfa (b. al-Yaman) when the Animal was mentioned. He said, ‘It will have three appearances in some of the valleys and disappear. Then it will appear in some of the villages that will scare (the people) and the rulers will shed blood. Then it will disappear. Then, as the people will be near the largest mosque, the superior most and the most honored’ – until we said, “(Perhaps) the Masjid al-Haram” but he did not name it – “when (Hudhayfa continued) the earth will rise and the people will flee; only the common Muslims will remain saying, ‘Nothing will rescue us from Allah’s command.’ It will reappear and brighten their faces to the extent of making them bright as stars. It will follow the people who will be neighbors in the apartments, sharing the wealth and companions in Islam.” (Dhahabi evaluated it as on the same footing as those of Bukhari and Muslim) - Au..

Ahmad and Ibn Marduwayh have recorded on the authority of Abu Umamah recounting the Prophet (saws) as having said,

تَخْرُجُ الدَّابَّةُ فَتَسِمُ النَّاسَ عَلَى خَرَاطِيمِهِمْ ثُمَّ يَغْمُرُونَ فِيكُمْ حَتَّى يَشْتَرِيَ الرَّجُلُ الْبَعِيرَ فَيَقُولُ مِمَّنْ اشْتَرَيْتَهُ فَيَقُولُ اشْتَرَيْتُهُ مِنْ أَحَدِ الْمُخَطَّمِينَ

“The Animal will emerge and stamp on their noses. Thereafter they will go about amongst you until a man will purchase an animal and when asked, ‘Whom did you buy it from?’ he will answer, ‘From one of the stamped one” (Shawkani).

The narrators of this report are all those whom the Sahih authors used except for one, `Umar b. `Abdul Rahman, who was in any case trustworthy (S. Ibrahim).

Alusi refutes the opinions that there will be several such Animals, as he also refutes the opinion that it will actually be a human being. This is supported by Muhammad b. Ka`b al-Qurazi’s untrustworthy narrative that when `Ali was asked about it he remarked that it will not have a tail but a beard. (But many animals have beards: Au.). Alusi also refutes the belief among some of the Shi`ah that it was `Ali himself who was the Dabbah. They seem to have several reports to this effect. One of them says that somebody asked `Ammar b. Yasir, “Abu Yaqzan! An ayah of the Book disturbs my heart.” He asked, “What ayah is it?” The man said, “When the Word is fulfilled against them .. What Dabbah is it?” `Ammar said, “By Allah! I will not sit down, will not eat, nor will I drink until I have shown it to you. Then `Ammar proceeded with the man to the Amir al Mu’muninin `Ali, may Allah honor his face. He was eating dates with butter. He said, “Come in O Abu Yaqzan!” So `Ammar sat down and began to eat. His companion was surprised. When they came out he asked, “Glory to Allah. Didn’t you tell me that you will not sit down, will not eat nor drink until you have shown it to me?” `Ammar replied, “I have shown it to you if you have any sense.” Alusi adds that this story has been reported through Abu Dharr also; but all such reports are false. In fact, one or two reports tell us that `Ali himself had rebuffed the idea. Ibn Abi Hatim has it through Nazzal b. Saburah that `Ali was asked, “Some people say that you are the Dabbatu al-Ard!” `Ali denied it.

The last report could not be checked for authenticity. Further, there has been a tendency among some of the contemporaries to treat the allusion as allegorical. In the words of one of them, “The ‘creature brought forth out of the earth,’ is apparently an allegory of man’s ‘earthly’ outlook on life – in other words, the soul-destroying materialism characteristic of the time preceding the Last Hour.” Earlier commentators have also encountered this idea and have refuted the tendency, such as Qurtubi (Au.).

Mawdudi writes in defense: “As for the question of an animal talking to human beings in their language: this is one of the manifestations of God’s Power. God can grant the power of speech to whomsoever He wills. Before the Day of Resurrection, He will grant this power to a beast, but after the Resurrection, He will grant this power to the eyes, ears and skins of human beings and they will call out: ‘And the Day when the enemies of Allah will be gathered to the Fire, and will be sorted out until when they reach it, their ears and their eyes and their skins will bear witness against them concerning what they were doing’” (41: 19, 20).

It is also significant to note that this Surah, and this one alone, informs us of the ability of some animals to hear (such as the ant and hoopoe) and the ability of some humans to hear their talk, although both share a world in which many humans are spiritually dead. It also mentions, and no where else in the Qur’an, that an animal will not only hear, but even talk to the people (Au.).