Surah An-Naba 78:31-40 - Quran Translation Commentary

(78:38) On the Day when Al-Ruh²⁵ and the angels shall line up in rows; none speaking, save him whom the Compassionate would allow - and who spoke aright.²⁶

(78:39) That Day is a certainty. So let him who will seek a way back to his Lord (do it now).

(78:40) Lo! We have forewarned you of an imminent scourge. The Day when a man shall look at what (of the deeds) his hands have forwarded, and the unbeliever shall cry out, ‘Oh me! Would that I were dust.’²⁷

Commentary

22. The word in the original (hada’iq, sing. hadiqah) implies a fenced garden (Qurtubi).

23. A literal translation should be: “swelling, rising up, and round breasts.” That would cover the full range of the meaning in kawa`ib of the text (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Razi, Shawkani, Sabuni and others). Shawkani states however that according to Dahhak another meaning of kawa`ib is “virgins.” He presents two pieces of pre-Islamic poetry to prove the point.

24. Abu Umamah reports the Prophet (saws) as having said:

إن قُمُص أهل الجنة لتبدو من رضوان الله، وإن السحابة لتمر بهم فتناديهم: يا أهل الجنة، ماذا تريدون أن أمطركم؟ حتى إنها لتمطرهم الكواعب الأتراب

“The rida of Allah will be evident even from the shirts that the people of Paradise would wear.” Then he added, “A piece of cloud will pass over them and it will be asked, `What is it, O people of Paradise, that you want Me to rain down on you?’ Then heavy bosomed (houris) of equal age will rain down on them” (Ibn Kathir).

Obviously, a beautiful description of houris descending down from the clouds; and the report is from the Ta’rik Isbahan by Abu Nu`aym (Au.).

25. There are at least six opinions about who is meant by Al-Ruh:

a) The spirits of mankind (Ibn `Abbas),

b) the children of Adam (Hasan, Qatadah),

c) a creation of Allah - neither men nor jinn - who eat and drink like us (Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Abu Saleh, and Al-A`mash),

d) Jibril (Sha`bi, Sa`id ibn Jubayr and Dahhak): supported by the verse (26: 193):

{ نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ} [الشعراء: 193]

“Ruh al-Amin (Jibril) has brought it down”,

e) the Qur’an: supported by the verse ( 42: 52):

وكذلك أَوْحَيْنَا إليكَ رُوحاً مِن أمْرِنَا

“This is how We have revealed unto you a Ruh by Our leave;” and

f) one of the angels of Allah as massive as all the creations of Allah put together (Ibn `Abbas) - Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir.

26. The opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Abu Saleh and `Ikrimah is that by the words, “and spoke aright,” the allusion is to the one who bore witness to the truth of Allah’s oneness (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

Also note that if Al-Ruh, the angels, and Prophets will not be able to speak without leave, then what about criminals? (Zamakhshari).

27. That day justice will be done to all creations including the animals. A hadith of Abu Hurayrah states, a hornless goat that had been struck by a horned goat without any cause would be allowed to seek revenge. That accomplished, both will be reduced to dust. It is then that the unbeliever will wish that he be also reduced to dust (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

The Connection

The connection between the previous chapter and this one is that the last verse of the previous chapter warned of an impending day when the unbeliever will look at the deeds he forwarded and wish that he were dust rather than face accountability. This chapter starts with the moment when the soul is withdrawn. It is from this moment onward that the unbeliever will begin to regret (Shanqiti).