Surah Qaf 50:30-45 - Quran Translation Commentary

(50:36) And how many generations We destroyed before them who were stronger than these in seizing. Then they went about in the land; was there any asylum?³⁴

(50:37) Surely in that is a reminder to him who has a heart, or he gave the ear while he is attentive.³⁵

(50:38) We created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six periods,³⁶ and no weariness touched Us.³⁷

(50:39) Observe patience then over what they say and glorify your Lord with praises before sunrise and before sunset.³⁸

(50:40) And in a part of the night (also) glorify Him, and after the prostrations.³⁹

(50:41) And listen on the day when a caller will call out from a close quarter.⁴⁰

(50:42) The day they will hear the blast in truth. That is the day of emergence.

(50:43) Indeed it is We who bring to life and deal death, and to Us is the homecoming.

(50:44) The day the earth splits asunder (letting them) hurrying forth.⁴¹ That is a gathering easy for Us.

(50:45) We know very well what they say. But you are not over them a compeller. Therefore, remind by the Qur’an one who fears My threat.

Commentary

29. This questioning and answering will be after the Judgment is over, and all those destined to enter would have entered the Fire. Yet, enough space will be there for it to ask, “Is there any more,” meaning, “I have plenty of vacant space.” We have a hadith on the authority of Anas,

The Prophet (saws) said, “It (Jahannum) will be continuously fed with (people) but it will keep saying, ‘Is there any more,’ until the Lord of the worlds will place His qadam in it so that it will fold upon itself and say, ‘enough, enough, by Your Power and Honor.’ Similarly, Paradise will keep having empty space until Allah will create a new creation and make them live in the empty parts of Paradise” (Ibn Jarir).

The above hadith is in the Sahihayn (Ibn Kathir).

Another hadith on this topic is as follows:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet (saws) said, “Paradise and Hell disputed before their Lord. Paradise said, (in effect), My Lord, what is with it that none enters into it but the weak and the fallen ones.’ Hell will say, ‘I have been honored with the proud ones.’ Allah (swt) will say to Paradise, ‘You are My mercy.’ And He will say to Hell, ‘You are My torment, that strikes whomsoever I wish. And both of you will have their fillers.’ Then he said, “As for Paradise, Allah does not wrong anyone of His creation. He will bring forth for the Fire, whom He will, and they will be cast into it but it will keep saying, ‘Is there any more,’ until He places His qadam into it and it will be filled, some of it falling upon other and it saying, ‘enough, enough, enough.’”

The above hadith is in Bukhari (Ibn Kathir).

Qurtubi explains that the hadith may not be understood in the light of apparent words, which could be misleading to those who are poor in language. The “qadam” of the text means “presentation” and not foot. That is, Jahannum will not be filled until Allah consigns it to more material, perhaps other creations who will finally fill it. Some versions use the word “rijl” but which does not mean “leg” but, as pre-Islamic poetical examples show, it means “a huge number.” That is, a huge number will be placed into Jahannum after which alone it will be filled. Indeed, this is supported by a passage within the hadith which says, “Paradise will remain having empty places until Allah creates a new creation to fill its empty space.”

Alusi presents the above discussion but believes that the interpretation of the “qadam” (lit., foot) and “rijl” (lit., leg) as offered by the Sufis is more attractive which is: treat them as allegorical expressions of Allah’s Power.

We might present an interesting anecdote here. Tantawi Jawhari (d. 1940) has stated the following in his 26-volume Jawahir fi Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Karim: During a visit to Germany, he happened to be in the company of a group of Orientalists. (Those were days when the Orientalists held sway over the Arabic literary studies). One of them asked him whether, (being a scholar of that stature), he believed in the miraculous nature of the Qur’an and whether he too thought it was inimitable. When he replied in the affirmative, they smiled the smile of half pity, half amusement. So he suggested that they hold a little test. Let them make an eloquent sentence in Arabic, experts as they were, to say that Hell is very large.

So they made a variety of high sounding sentences all saying that Hell was very large. When they had done their best, he asked them whether they were through or needed time to improve upon their sentences. They said they were through. So he said, “Now, listen to how the Qur’an has put it.” Then he recited this verse, “The day We shall say to Jahannum, ‘Are you filled?’ And it shall say, ‘Is there any more?’”

He says they were thrilled and admitted that it was truly a profoundly eloquent way of saying that Hell is so large (that despite billions of people having gone in, it should have space for more) - Au.

30. That is, one who keeps the promise of submission that he made to Allah (swt) when he testified to the “kalimah” (Ibn Kathir, reworded).

`Abd b. `Umayr said that “hafiz” is someone who does not rise up from an assembly without seeking Allah’s forgiveness (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

31. That is, he fears Allah in his open and in his secret. Hence the Prophet’s words (about one of the seven who will be in the shade of `Arsh) that he remembered Allah in his private, and it filled his eyes (Ibn Kathir).

Mawdudi adds that the combination of fear and Allah’s Attribute of mercy, indicates that the man’s fear of Allah, rather than that of anything else dominates his life, and that the thought that Allah is All-compassionate does not lead him to audacity to sin.

Yusuf Ali adds: “The description of the Righteous is given in four masterly clauses: (1) those who turned away from Evil in sincere repentance; (2) those whose new life was good and righteous; (3) those who in their innermost hearts and in their most secret doings were actuated by Allah-fearing love, the fear that is akin to love in remembering Allah under His title of ‘Most Gracious’; and (4) who gave up their whole heart and being to Him.”

32. (It is impossible to be living in this world and imagine the kind of life one will enjoy in Paradise). Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri reports that the Prophet said,

“In Paradise, a man will rest in a certain position for seventy years before making the next move. A woman will come and nudge him on his shoulder. He will look into her cheek brighter than a mirror. The most insignificant of the pearls on her will make the east and the west shine. She will greet him with a Salam to which he will respond and ask, ‘Who could you be?’ She will reply, ‘I am the mazid.’ She will have seventy clothes on her, the least of them like pink garments from Tuba. He will cast his eyes until he will see her calf-bone marrow from behind them. She will be wearing a crown of which the most insignificant pearl will make the east and the west shine” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

(The above hadith, traceable to Ahmed, was declared Hasan by Haythami: Au.).

33. It has already been discussed earlier (Yunus, verse 26) that the allusion by “more” is to the Beatific vision in Paradise. Our Lord will reveal Himself to the inhabitants of Paradise every Friday (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

34. This has been understood in two ways. One, faced up with chastisement, (or after their civilization was destroyed: Asad) they escaped into the lands in search of a place of escape, but where was the asylum? Second, they went about in the lands for trade and commerce, and, in today’s language, made good money, making them proud. But when the punishment came, they found no asylum. Razi and Qurtubi both accept the possibility of the two meanings.

35. That is, he is attentive with both his mind and heart when presented with the message (Au.).

36. Since there were no days and nights of the present 24-hour cycle at the time of creation, the textual “ayyam” has to be rendered as phases, or periods (Au.).

Dahhak said that the “yawm” of that time was equivalent to a thousand years (Ibn Jarir).

37. Qatadah said that the Jews and Christians claimed that Allah (swt) created the heaven and earth in six days from Sunday to Friday, was tired and so took rest on the seventh day viz., Saturday. Allah revealed this verse to refute them (Ibn Jarir, Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

38. Ibn Kathir comments that until the Night Ascent only two Prayers were statuary: one before sunrise and the other before sunset, while the tahajjud Prayers were obligatory on the Prophet alone.

Also, there is a hadith in Bukhari and Muslim in connection with this ayah.

Jarir b. `Abdullah says, “We were with the Prophet. He looked at the full moon and said, ‘You will surely see your Lord as you see this moon, without doubting your sight of Him. Therefore, if you can avoid not missing the Prayer before the sunrise and before it sets, then do it.’ Then he recited this ayah..” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

39. `Ali, Abu Hurayrah, Hasan b. `Ali, Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Mujahid, Sha`bi, Awza`i, Qatadah and others are reported to have said that by “adbar al-sujud” the allusion is to two cycles of Prayer after Maghrib. After stating their opinions, Ibn Jarir remarks that although the apparent meaning seems more reasonable, (that is, chant Allah’s praises after every prostration, i.e., Prayers), the weight of the authorities behind the first opinion forces us to accept it as the true interpretation.

Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir mention both the interpretations.

40. Ka`b al-Ahbar is reported by Qatadah as having said that an angel will call out from top of the Rock in Bayt al-Maqdis, which happens to be the centre of the earth (Ibn Jarir, Kashshaf, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi).

The above statement could be traced to Ahmad’s Fada’il al-Sahabah, but whose authenticity could not be established (Au.).

Qurtubi names the angel as either Jibril or Israfil.

41. The first to appear as the earth splits will be our Prophet as stated in a hadith preserved by Muslim (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

The above two construct the events of the Last Hour of this world as something like this: First Allah will send down rains. With them the bodies will begin to grow like the seed begins to grow with water. Then Israfil will blow out the souls through the Trumpet. By then the bodies would be fully formed. The souls – dancing about like bees - will be commanded to enter into their bodies. The Trumpet will be blown a second time. The earth will split asunder, and they will begin to hasten to the Court of Justice..