Surah Al-Muddaththir 74:1-31 - Quran Translation Commentary

(74:31) And, We have not appointed keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not appointed their numbers but a trial for the unbelievers;²¹ so that those who were given the Book may feel convinced,²² and those that have believed, may experience increase in faith;²³ and so that those that were given the Book as well as the believers, may not fall in doubt; and in order that those in whose heart is a sickness²⁴ and the unbelievers, may ask, ‘What did Allah mean by such an illustration?’ That is how Allah leads astray whom He will and guide whom He will. And no one knows the forces of your Lord save He.²⁵ And it²⁶ is not but a reminder to mankind.

Commentary

2. We can start with Yusuf Ali’s soothing remarks: “In these wonderful early verses there is a double thread of thought: (1) A particular occasion or person is referred to; (2) a general spiritual lesson is taught. As to (1), the Prophet was now past the stage of personal contemplation, lying down or sitting in his mantle; he was now to go forth boldly to deliver his Message and publicly proclaim the Lord: his heart had always been purified, but now all his outward doings must be dedicated to Allah, and conventional respect for ancestral customs or worship must be thrown aside; his work as a Messenger was the most generous gift that could flow from his personality, but no reward or appreciation was to be expected from his people, but quite the contrary; there would be much call on his patience, but his contentment would arise from the good pleasure of Allah. As to (2), similar stages arise in a minor degree in the fife of every good man, for which the Prophet's life is to be a universal pattern.”

From among the Salaf, `Ikrimah said that by enwrapment the allusion is to the shrouding of the Prophet with the Prophetic mission (Ibn Jarir). The above has usage in the Arabic language for its support (Razi). However, the majority have believed that the revelation came when the Prophet was enwrapped in a mantle. Details are in hadith collections. A report of this context says that Jabir b. `Abdullah said, (عن) جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ ثُمَّ فَتَرَ عَنِّي الْوَحْيُ فَتْرَةً فَبَيْنَا أَنَا أَمْشِي سَمِعْتُ صَوْتًا مِنْ السَّمَاءِ فَرَفَعْتُ بَصَرِي قِبَلَ السَّمَاءِ فَإِذَا الْمَلَكُ الَّذِي جَاءَنِي بِحِرَاءٍ قَاعِدٌ عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ فَجُئِثْتُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى هَوَيْتُ إِلَى الأَرْضِ فَجِئْتُ أَهْلِي فَقُلْتُ زَمِّلُونِي زَمِّلُونِي فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ قَالَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ وَالرِّجْزُ الأَوْثَانُ.‏ He heard the Prophet say, “Thereafter the revelation ceased coming to me for a while. Then, as I was walking, I heard a voice from the heaven. I raised my eyes up and lo, the angel that had come to me in Hira was seated in a chair (spread over) between the heaven and the earth. I felt scared of him and fell down. I went back to my homefolk and said, ‘Cover me up, cover me up,’ and Allah revealed, ‘O the one shrouded (in a mantle). Arise, and warn. Your Lord, magnify. Your clothes purify. And defilement shun.’”

Abu Salamah (one of the narrators) added: “Rijz is for idols.” (Ibn Jarir).

The report is in Muslim. And Bukhari’s report adds that when the Prophet returned he asked to be covered and cold water poured on him, which was done; and Allah revealed this Surah (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

In other words, as Zuhri said, this Surah was revealed immediately after the first revelation which were five verses of Surah al-Iqra’ (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir and others).

3. That is, your Lord alone, and none else should you magnify (Alusi).

4. The great majority of the Salaf, who cited poetical pieces, said the allusion is to cleansing oneself of sins (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Arabic usage allows us to include cleansing of the clothes as well as purification of the heart (Razi, Ibn Kathir).

Asad sums up: “.. almost all the classical commentators point out that the noun thawb and its plural thiyab is often metonymically applied to that which a garment encloses, i.e., a person’s ‘body’ or, in a wider sense, his ‘self’ or his ‘heart’ or even his ‘spiritual state’ or ‘conduct’ (Taj al-`Arus). Thus, commenting on the above verse, Zamakhshari draws the reader’s attention to the well-known idiomatic phrase tahir ath-thiyab (lit., ‘one who is clean in his garments’) and danis ath-thiyab (‘one who is filthy in his garments’), and stresses their tropical significance of ‘free from faults and vices’ and ‘vicious and perfidious’, respectively. Razi states with approval that ‘according to most of the [earlier] commentators, the meaning of the verse is, “purify thy heart of all that is blameworthy.””

5. The translation is literal, but the majority has thought that the allusion is to idols (Ibn Jarir, Razi, Ibn Kathir).

6. That is, offer not a gift in the hope of getting better than that (Ibn Jarir from the Salaf); but many other explanations have come. Qurtubi offers some 11 of them.

7. That is, for the sake of your Lord.

8. The Prophet is reported to have said, عَنْ أَبِى سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِىِّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « كَيْفَ أَنْعَمُ وَقَدِ الْتَقَمَ صَاحِبُ الْقَرْنِ الْقَرْنَ وَحَنَى جَبْهَتَهُ وَأَصْغَى سَمْعَهُ يَنْتَظِرُ أَنْ يُؤْمَرَ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فَيَنْفُخَ ». قَالَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ فَكَيْفَ نَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ « قُولُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ تَوَكَّلْنَا عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّنَا ». “How should I relax when the one in charge of the Trumpet has placed his mouth on the Trumpet, has bent his forehead forward, and is waiting in all-attention to be ordered to blow, so that he may blow.” They asked, “What shall we say, O Messenger of Allah?” He answered, “Say, (see the Arabic text)” – meaning, “Allah is sufficient for us, He is the best of those on whom one can rely. Upon Him we have placed our trust, our Lord” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

The hadith is in Tirmidhi who declared it weak, but Hafiz (ibn Hajr) thought it is strong (Sami).

9. Asad writes: “(Kafir) is one who denies [or ‘refuses to acknowledge’] the truth, in the widest, spiritual sense of this latter term, i.e., irrespective of whether it relates to a cognition of the supreme truth – namely, the existence of God – or to a doctrine or ordinance enunciated in the divine writ, or to a self-evident moral proposition, or to an acknowledgement of, and therefore, gratitude for, favors received.”

10. It is reported to us that Zurarah b. Awfa – the Qadi of Basrah – led in the Prayers at Fajr. He recited this Surah. When he reached this verse, he gave out a cry and fell down dead (Ibn Kathir).

11. That is, he came into the world alone, will die alone and will be raised alone (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). Alternatively, (or additionally) it could mean “He, whom I alone have created, none partnering Me in creation” (Zamakhshari, Razi, Qurtubi).

Although the address is open to anyone who so qualifies, the immediate reference was to al-Walid b. al-Mughirah (Ibn Jarir).

Interestingly, the man was unique in terms of wealth, children, and status among the Quraysh, although he was not one of them, but who attributed himself to them for the honor, and referred to himself as unique (waheed); and, consequently, was nicknamed “Waheed” by his compatriots. There have been differences in opinion over how he ended. Some say he was killed by Najashi of Abyssinia for a murder he had committed (there); others that he was killed at Badr, and, strangely, yet others that he became a Muslim, which idea Ibn Hajr refuted (Alusi). It is possible that the confusion has arisen from the fact that one of his sons was also named Walid, who had become Muslim (Au.).

12. That is, sons who stood by him to serve him. It is said that Walid had 10 or 13 sons, who never left his company. Khalid b. Walid was one of them. Two others of his sons who embraced Islam were Hisham and Walid b. Walid.

13. It is said that thereafter he suffered losses all around (farms, cattle, business across continents, etc.) and died poor (from most commentators).

14. Asad explains: “The noun anid, derived from the verb `anada, denotes one who opposes or rejects something that is true, knowing it to be true (Lisan al-`Arab). The element of human contrariness and stubbornness is implied in the use of the auxiliary verb kana, which indicates here a permanently recurring phenomenon despite its past-tense formation.”

15. (Though literally it means to subject someone to an arduous task), here it means he will be subjected to harsh punishment (Ibn Jarir).

16. “The term sihr, which usually denotes ‘sorcery’ or ‘magic’, primarily signifies ‘the turning of something from its proper [or “natural”] state of being into another state’, hence, it is often applied to the fascination or enchantment caused by exceptional, ‘spell-bounding’ eloquence (Taj al-`Arus)” – Asad.

17. The following is reported as the cause of revelation of these verses: (روي أنه) الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ الْمُغِيرَةِ اجْتَمَعَ إلَيْهِ نَفَرٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ ، وَكَانَ ذَا سِنّيهِمْ وَقَدْ حَضَرَ الْمَوْسِمَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ ، إنّهُ قَدْ حَضَرَ هَذَا الْمَوْسِمُ وَإِنّ وُفُودَ الْعَرَبِ سَتَقْدَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيهِ وَقَدْ سَمِعُوا بِأَمْرِ صَاحِبِكُمْ هَذَا ، فَأَجْمِعُوا فِيهِ رَأْيًا وَاحِدًا ، وَلا تَخْتَلِفُوا فَيُكَذّبَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا ، وَيَرُدّ قَوْلُكُمْ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا ؛ قَالُوا : فَأَنْتَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ ، فَقُلْ وَأَقِمْ لَنَا رَأْيًا نَقُولُ بِهِ قَالَ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ فَقُولُوا أَسْمَعْ قَالُوا : نَقُولُ كَاهِنٌ قَالَ لا وَاَللّهِ مَا هُوَ بِكَاهِنِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا الْكُهّانَ فَمَا هُوَ بِزَمْزَمَةِ الْكَاهِنِ وَلا سَجْعِهِ قَالُوا : فَنَقُولُ مَجْنُونٌ قَالَ مَا هُوَ بِمَجْنُونِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا الْجُنُونَ وَعَرَفْنَاهُ فَمَا هُوَ بِخَنْقِهِ وَلا تَخَالُجِهِ وَلا وَسْوَسَتِهِ قَالُوا : فَنَقُولُ شَاعِرٌ قَالَ مَا هُوَ بِشَاعِرِ لَقَدْ عَرَفْنَا الشّعْرَ كُلّهُ رَجَزَهُ وَهَزَجَهُ وَقَرِيضَهُ وَمَقْبُوضَهُ وَمَبْسُوطَهُ فَمَا هُوَ بِالشّعْرِ قَالُوا : فَنَقُولُ سَاحِرٌ قَالَ مَا هُوَ بِسَاحِرِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا السّحّارَ وَسِحْرَهُمْ فَمَا هُوَ بِنَفْثِهِمْ وَلا عَقْدِهِمْ قَالُوا : فَمَا نَقُولُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ ؟ قَالَ وَاَللّهِ إنّ لِقَوْلِهِ لَحَلاوَةً ، وَإِنّ أَصْلَهُ لَعَذِقٌ وَإِنّ فَرْعَهُ لَجُنَاةٌ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِقَائِلِينَ مِنْ هَذَا شَيْئًا إلا عُرِفَ أَنّهُ بَاطِلٌ وَإِنّ أَقْرَبَ الْقَوْلِ فِيهِ لأَنْ تَقُولُوا سَاحِرٌ جَاءَ بِقَوْلٍ هُوَ سِحْرٌ يُفَرّقُ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَأَبِيهِ وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَأَخِيهِ وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَعَشِيرَتِهِ . فَتُفَرّقُوا عَنْهُ بِذَلِكَ فَجَعَلُوا يَجْلِسُونَ بِسُبُلِ النّاسِ حِينَ قَدِمُوا الْمَوْسِمَ لا يَمُرّ بِهِمْ أَحَدٌ إلا حَذّرُوهُ إيّاهُ وَذَكَرُوا لَهُمْ أَمْرَهُ . فَأَنْزَلَ اللّهُ تَعَالَى فِي الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ وَفِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ { ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالا مَمْدُودًا وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا وَمَهّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا ثُمّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ كَلا إِنّهُ كَانَ لآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا } - سيرة ابن هشام (1/ 269) It is reported that when the Hajj season arrived, some of the Quraysh gathered around Walid b. al-Mughira. He was the most senior of them. He told them, “O Quraysh, the season has arrived and the Arabs will enter on you. They will hear about your man (meaning Muhammad). So, come around to one opinion about him. If you differ, you will end up contradicting each other.” They said, “O `Abd Shams, you decide about what we should say.” He said, “Rather, you suggest and I’ll hear.” They said, “We shall say he is a soothsayer.” He said, “That will not do. He is not a soothsayer. We have seen plenty of soothsayers. Neither there is any rumbling nor any murmuring.” They said, “So we will say he is mad.” He objected, “He is not mad. We have seen plenty of mad men. He neither suffers choking, nor any discomfiture, nor yet any vacillation.” They said, “Let us then say that he is a poet.” He responded, “But he is not a poet. We know all classes of poetry… (His material) does not resemble any kind of poetry.” They said, “Then let us say he is a magician.” He disagreed by saying, “He is no magician. We have experienced magicians and their magic. He neither blows nor does he tie knots.” They asked, “Then what shall we say, O Abu `Abd Shams?” He answered, “By Allah what he says has a kind of sweetness; it is fertile; all its branches are fruitful. So, you will not be able to say anything but it will be immediately realized that it is not true. I suppose the nearest of what you can think of is to say that he is a magician who separates a father and his son, a brother from his brother, and a man and his family.”

So they dispersed and thereafter each of them assigned a path to himself, so that when the Hajj season arrived, no one passed by but they warned him about him (the Prophet) and explained to him about his affair. So Allah revealed about Walid b. al-Mughira saying: Leave Me alone with him I alone created ...”

Verse 18 seems to be referring to the above incident when it said, “So, he be killed, how he determined!” And, verse 19, which says, “Again, he be killed, how he determined!”

seems to be referring to the following incident, thus, two incidents required two threats of death: عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ، أَنَّ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ الْمُغِيرَةِ جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنَ ، فَكَأَنَّهُ رَقَّ لَهُ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ أَبَا جَهْلٍ ، فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ : يَا عَمُّ ، إِنَّ قَوْمَكَ يَرَوْنَ أَنْ يَجْمَعُوا لَكَ مَالاً . قَالَ : لَمَ ؟ قَالَ : لِيُعْطُوكَهُ فَإِنَّكَ أَتَيْتَ مُحَمَّدًا لِتُعْرِضَ لِمَا قِبَلَهُ قَالَ : قَدْ عَلِمَتْ قُرَيْشٌ أَنِّي مِنْ أَكْثَرِهَا مَالاً . قَالَ : فَقُلْ فِيهِ قَوْلاً يَبْلُغُ قَوْمَكَ أَنَّكَ مُنْكِرٌ لَهُ أَوْ أَنَّكَ كَارِهٌ لَهُ قَالَ : وَمَاذَا أَقُولُ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا فِيكُمْ رَجُلٌ أَعْلَمَ بِالأَشْعَارِ مِنِّي ، وَلاَ أَعْلَمَ بِرَجَزٍ وَلاَ بِقَصِيدَةٍ مِنِّي وَلاَ بِأَشْعَارِ الْجِنِّ وَاللَّهِ مَا يُشْبِهُ الَّذِي يَقُولُ شَيْئًا مِنْ هَذَا وَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّ لِقَوْلِهِ الَّذِي يَقُولُ حَلاَوَةً ، وَإِنَّ عَلَيْهِ لَطَلاَوَةً ، وَإِنَّهُ لَمُثْمِرٌ أَعْلاَهُ مُغْدِقٌ أَسْفَلُهُ ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيَعْلُو وَمَا يُعْلَى وَإِنَّهُ لَيَحْطِمُ مَا تَحْتَهُ قَالَ : لاَ يَرْضَى عَنْكَ قَوْمُكَ حَتَّى تَقُولَ فِيهِ . قَالَ : فَدَعْنِي حَتَّى أُفَكِّرَ ، فَلَمَّا فَكَّرَ قَالَ : هَذَا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ يَأْثُرُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ فَنَزَلَتْ {ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا}. - المستدرك - هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحُ الإِسْنَادِ عَلَى شَرْطِ الْبُخَارِيِّ وَلَمْ يُخَرِّجَاهُ. (وتعليق الذهبي قي التلخيص : على شرط البخاري) Ibn `Abbas reported that Walid b. al-Mughira visited the Prophet. He recited some Qur’an to him. (Or he heard him recite the Qur’an in the Grand Mosque). It seems it struck chord with him to soften him. Abu Jahl came to know about it. He went up to him and said, “Uncle. Your people intend to gather together some money for you.” When he asked why, he said, “In order to gift you. It seems you went to Muhammad for financial gains.” He retorted, “The Quraysh know that I am the richest of them.” Abu Jahl said, “Say something about him so that your people know that you reject him.” He answered, “What can I say? By God there is none among you who knows poetry and its various genre’s better than me – nor yet it is the poetry of the Jinn. By Allah, what he says has no resemblance with these. By Allah, what he says has a sweetness, it is covered by brightness, its upper is fruitful while its bottom is watery; and that it will overcome and will not be overcome; and that it will crush what is below it.” Abu Jahl said, “Your people will not be satisfied with you until you can criticize him.” He replied, “Wait, until I think about it.” Then, having done some thinking he said, “This is nothing but magic handed down; being handed down by others.” So, it was revealed, “Leave Me alone with him I alone created; and appointed for him extensive wealth; and sons, present…”

Other reports suggest that he had gone to Abu Bakr and not to the Prophet (Ibn Jarir, Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

To explain further, two incidents took place where Walid b. al-Mughira acted arrogantly against the Prophetic revelation, apart from being dishonest to himself. This was perhaps the reason why it was said twice, “He be killed ..” He did great damage to the cause of Islam. Its spread among the Bedouin was seriously impaired, which explains why Allah used strong words in reference to him viz. “He be killed ..” (Au.)

18. Or, “I shall take him (to Saqar).”

19. Saqar is one of the names of Hell.

20. It could be that these 19 are the angels in charge, with others under their command (Zamakhshari, Razi).

In reference to the figure 19, although not in the context, we have a report: َعن جَابرِ بن عبد الله قَالَ "قَالَ نَاسٌ مِنَ اليَهُودِ لاِنَاسٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: هَلْ يَعْلَمُ نَبِيّكُمْ كَمْ عَدَدُ خَزَنَةِ جَهَنّمَ؟ قَالُوا لا نَدْرِي حَتّى نَسْألَ نَبِيّنَا، فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إلى النّبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمّدُ غُلِبَ أصْحَابُكَ اليَوْمَ، قَالَ: وَبِمَا غُلِبُوا؟ قَالَ سَأَلَهُمْ يَهُودُ هَلْ يَعْلَمُ نَبِيّكُمْ كَمْ عَدَدُ خَزَنَةِ جَهَنّمَ، قالَ: فَمَا قالُوا؟ قالَ قالُوا لا نَدْرِي حَتّى نَسْألَ نَبِيّنَا، قالَ: أَيُغْلَبُ قَوْمٌ سُئِلُوا عَمّا لا يَعْلَمُونَ فقالُوا: لا نَعْلَمُ حَتّى نَسْألَ نَبِيّنَا، لَكِنّهُمْ قَدْ سألُوا نَبِيّهُمْ فقالُوا أَرِنَا الله جَهْرَةً، عَلَيّ بِأعْدَاءِ الله إِنّي سائِلُهُمْ عَن تُرْبَةِ الْجَنّةِ وَهِيَ الدَرْمَكُ، فَلَمّا جاؤُوا قالُوا يَا أَبَا القاسِمِ كَمْ عَدَدُ خَزَنَةِ جَهَنّمَ؟ قالَ: هَكَذَا، وَهكَذَا في مَرّةٍ عَشرَةٌ وَفي مَرّةٍ تِسْعَةُ، قالُوا نَعَمْ، قالَ لَهم النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ما ترْبَةُ الجَنّةِ؟ قالَ فَسَكَتُوا هُنَيْهَةً ثُمّ قالُوا أخُبْزَةٌ يا أبَا القاسِمِ؟ فقالَ النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: الخُبْزُ مِنَ الدّرْمَكِ." قال أبو عيسى: هَذا حديثٌ إِنّمَا نَعْرِفُه مِنْ هَذَا الوَجْهِ مِنْ حَديثِ مُجَالِدٍ.‏ Some Jews said to the Companions of the Prophet: “Does your Prophet know the number of keepers of Hell?” They said, “We have no idea until we ask him.” So, a man went up to the Prophet and said, “Muhammad. Today your Companions were overcome.” He asked, “In what manner?” He said, “The Jews asked them whether their Prophet knew the number of keepers of Hell.” He asked, “And how did they answer?” He said they did not know until they ask their Prophet. The Prophet remarked, “Are a people overcome when they are asked a thing they do not know and so they say, ‘We have no idea and shall ask our Prophet?’ In fact, the others are a people who asked their Prophet that he show them God, openly. (In any case) bring me those enemies of Allah. I will ask them about the constituent of the surface of Paradise, which, in any case, is made up of fine flour powder.”

When they came they said, “O Abu al-Qasim, what is the number of keepers of Paradise?” He answered them by showing them all the fingers of the two hands, and then once again, all of them, concealing one. They said, “You are right.” The Prophet asked them, “What is the constituent of the surface of Paradise?” They were quiet for a while and then said, “Bread, O Abu al-Qasim.” He said, “Bread from fine flour-powder” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

The hadith was preserved by Tirmidhi (who declared it weak), Ahmad, Bazzar, but is not too weak (Sami).

Although the following would not receive the approval of the Salaf, who did not look for the abstract when the concrete raised no problems for them, which, indeed, afforded them concrete ideas, we reproduce here a note from Razi through Asad, to give our readers an idea of how much of Razi (or even Alusi) is not represented in this work of humbler – though practical – objectives. Asad skillfully translates what this writer could not do: “Whereas most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that the ‘nineteen’ are the angels that act as keepers or guardians of hell, Razi advances the view that we may have here a reference to the physical, intellectual and emotional powers within man himself; powers which raise man potentially far above any other creature, but which, if used wrongly, bring about a deterioration of his whole personality, and, hence, intense suffering in the life to come. According to Razi, the philosophers (ashab al-kalam) identify these powers or faculties with, firstly, the seven organic functions of the animal – and therefore also human – body (gravitation, cohesion, repulsion of noxious foreign matter, absorption of beneficial external matter, assimilation of nutrients, growth, and reproduction); secondly, the five ‘external’ or physical senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste); thirdly, the five ‘internal’ or intellectual senses, defined by Ibn Sina – on whom Razi probably relies – as (1) perception of isolated sense-images, (2) conscious apperception of ideas, (3) memory of sense-images, (4) memory of conscious apperceptions, and (5) the ability to correlate sense-images, and higher apperceptions; and lastly, the emotions of ‘internal’ sense-categories – thus bringing the total of the powers and faculties which preside over man’s spiritual fate to nineteen. In their aggregate, it is these powers that confer upon man the ability to think conceptually, and place him, in this respect, even above the angels.”

We may add the following: Sometime back a person called Rashad Khalifah (perhaps of Swiss origin, though this is not certain) presented a computer-based hypothesis that number 19 is mysteriously related to the Qur'an. He pointed out that there are 19 letters in the basmalah, and, although a difficult number to divide any other number roundly, the number of chapters of the Qur'an, i.e., 114, is divisible by 19, yielding an exact figure of 6. In a 300-page book, full of computer prints and charts, he presented dozens of examples of how 19 could be used to roundly divide the total number of letters, words, verses and other divisions of the Qur'an. For example, since ancient times, Arabic alphabets have been grouped in the following manner: أبجد / هوز / حطي / كلمن / سعفص / قرشت / ثخذ / ضظغ And each letter is allotted a specific number; such as, alif = 1, baa = 2, jeem = 3, daal = 4, haa = 5, waaw = 6, zaa = 7, haa = 8, taa = 9, yaa = 10, kaaf = 20, laam = 30, meem = 40, noon = 50, seen = 60, `ayn = 70, faa = 80, saad = 90, faa = 100, raa = 200, sheen = 300, taa = 400, thaa = 500, khaa = 600, dhall = 700, daa = 800, zaa = 900 and ghayn = 1000.

(Following the above system, the total gematric value of basmalah is 786. That is why, in olden times people placed 786 at the top of their letters to each other, to avoid writing the basmalah that could be desecrated).

Now, the Qur’an has 114 chapters. This figure is divisible by 19, yielding a round figure of 6. The basmalah has 19 letters. Working out the gematric value of Surah al-Fatiah (including the basmalah as the first ayah) gives a figure of 10143. The total number of verses is 7. The total of seven numbers (1+2+3+4+5+6+7) is 28. The total number of letters in the Surah is 139. Summing up, 7 + 28 + 139 + 10143, yields the figure 10317. Now, this 10317, a very odd number, is yet roundly divisible by 19 yielding the round number 543.

His book sold like hot cakes until it was discovered that he had perhaps done some manipulations in determining the numbers before dividing them with the number 19, to obtain round figures. It was also discovered that he was perhaps a Bohri (or Ismaili?), with whom the number 19 has some sort of religious significance. It is said that he opened his own Church in the USA, announced his messengership, and some time later was found murdered.

Nonetheless, it may be of interest to note that the number nineteen is in some ways a curious figure. E.g., it is a prime number (i.e., it cannot be divided by any number except itself). It is composed of the first digit (1) and last digit (9). The sum of 91 and 101 is 19. If you subtract the second power of 9 from the second power of 10, you get 19. (102 = 100, and 92 = 81; and 100-81= 19). Its compliment is 81. Now, when 1 is divided by 81, it yields the following result (1/81 = 0.01234567890,1234567890,1234567890, .. you can go on endlessly with the repetition of 1234567890). Another example: Take any two-digit number whose total is 100 (but where no digit carries a 0) and add up the digits. They will yield the number 19. E.g. 42+58 = 100 and adding up 4+2+5+8 gives us the figure 19. Or, 55+45 = 100; and 5+5+4+5 = 19.

Many examples of strangeness can be quoted. Some examples have been quoted from biology also. For example, proteins in the human body are made up of 20 amino acids. No more, no less. Now, 19 of them are left-handed, whereas one is neither left-handed nor right-handed. Chemists on the other hand point out that the number 19 appears significantly in the periodic table. (Details are complicated to explain without a chart).

It may also be pointed out that for some religious denominations, number 19 holds a special value, and hence, it is possible that with number 19 in the mind, people have searched for strange occurrences, and found them. Perhaps, if another figure is taken and its strange occurrences searched out, similar remarkable results would be discovered (Au.).

21. When Abu Jahl heard of this verse he spoke to the Quraysh, “Your companion says that there are 19 keepers of Hell. Now, we are a big group. Can ten of us not handle an angel each?” (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir).

22. Ibn `Abbas and others said that it is stated in the Bible also that Hell has nineteen keepers (Ibn Jarir).

23. When the believers hear about the number of keepers being 19 in the revelation, they believe therein without questioning. This leads to increase in their faith (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari).

24. That is, the sickness of hypocrisy (Ibn Jarir). They may not have been hypocrites per se, that is, the kind that appeared later in Madinah, but some of the Makkans could have borne doubts about the Prophet and his mission, which has been termed here as “sickness” (Zamakhshari, Razi).

25. With reference to the forces of Allah, that none has the knowledge of but He, we have the Night Journey report in Bukhari and Muslim a part of which says, يُصَلِّى فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ ، إِذَا خَرَجُوا لَمْ يَعُودُوا إِلَيْهِ آخِرَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ “Thereat (i.e. at Bayt al-Ma`mur) seventy thousand angels offer prayers every day. After they leave they will never be able to come back again.”

Another report preserved by Ahmad and Tirmidhi, although the latter declared it weak, says, عَنْ أَبِى ذَرٍّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « إِنِّى أَرَى مَا لاَ تَرَوْنَ وَأَسْمَعُ مَا لاَ تَسْمَعُونَ أَطَّتِ السَّمَاءُ وَحُقَّ لَهَا أَنْ تَئِطَّ مَا فِيهَا مَوْضِعُ أَرْبَعِ أَصَابِعَ إِلاَّ وَمَلَكٌ وَاضِعٌ جَبْهَتَهُ سَاجِدًا لِلَّهِ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلاً وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا وَمَا تَلَذَّذْتُمْ بِالنِّسَاءِ عَلَى الْفُرُشِ وَلَخَرَجْتُمْ إِلَى الصُّعُدَاتِ تَجْأَرُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ » On the authority of Abu Dharr, the Prophet said, “I see what you do not see, and hear what you do not hear. The heaven is creaking, and it is right of it that it should creak. There is not a space of four fingers but there is an angel with his forehead on the ground, in prostration before Allah. If you knew what I know, you would have laughed less and cried more, and you would not have laid with women in your beds, but rather you would go out into the open spaces, supplicating to Allah” (Ibn Kathir).

Albani trusted the tradition as trustworthy (Au.).

Thanwi points out that there are other reports that tell us something about the number of angels. One of them preserved by Muslim says, عن عبدالله، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "يؤتى بجهنم يومئذ لها سبعون ألف زمام. مع كل زمام سبعون ألف ملك يجرونها The Prophet said, “Hell will be brought forth with seventy thousand reins, each rein pulled by seventy thousand angels.”

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6. Qatadah and Mujahid have said that by the pronoun “it” the allusion is to Saqar of verse 34 (Ibn Jarir), being one of the levels of Hell (Razi).

“Hiya” is feminine (rendered here as “it”), that is applicable to Saqar which is also feminine.