Surah 75. Al-Qiyamah

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Verses [Section]: 1-30[1], 31-40 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 31-40فَلَاAnd notصَدَّقَhe accepted (the) truthوَ لَاand notصَلّٰىۙhe prayed وَ لٰكِنْButكَذَّبَhe deniedوَ تَوَلّٰىۙand turned away ثُمَّThenذَهَبَhe wentاِلٰۤیtoاَهْلِهٖhis familyیَتَمَطّٰىؕswaggering اَوْلٰىWoeلَكَto youفَاَوْلٰىۙand woe! ثُمَّThenاَوْلٰىwoeلَكَto youفَاَوْلٰىؕand woe! اَیَحْسَبُDoes thinkالْاِنْسَانُmanاَنْthatیُّتْرَكَhe will be leftسُدًیؕneglected اَلَمْWas notیَكُheنُطْفَةًa spermمِّنْfromمَّنِیٍّsemenیُّمْنٰىۙemitted ثُمَّThenكَانَhe wasعَلَقَةًa clinging substanceفَخَلَقَthen He createdفَسَوّٰىۙand proportioned فَجَعَلَThen madeمِنْهُof himالزَّوْجَیْنِtwo matesالذَّكَرَ(the) maleوَ الْاُنْثٰىؕand the female اَلَیْسَIs notذٰلِكَ[that]بِقٰدِرٍ(He) Ableعَلٰۤی[over]اَنْtoیُّحْیِ َۧgive lifeالْمَوْتٰى۠(to) the dead

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Translation of Verse 31-40

(75:31) But he did not verify the Truth, nor did he observe Prayer;

(75:32) on the contrary, he gave the lie to the Truth and turned his back upon it,

(75:33) then he went back to his kinsfolk, elated with pride.²¹

(75:34) This (attitude) is worthy of you, altogether worthy;

(75:35) again, it is worthy of you, altogether worthy.²²

(75:36) Does man²³ think that he will be left alone, unquestioned?²⁴

(75:37) Was he not a drop of ejaculated semen,

(75:38) then he became a clot, and then Allah made it into a living body and proportioned its parts,

(75:39) and then He made of him a pair, male and female?

(75:40) Does He, then, not have the power to bring back the dead to life?²⁵

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Commentary

21. Reference is to the disbeliever who listened’ to these Quranic verses yet persisted in his disbelief. Even after listening to these, he went back to his folk, elated with pride. According to Mujahid, Qatadah, and Ibn Zayd, the verse alludes to Abu Jahl. It appears from the wording of the verse that it is an allusion to a particular person who had behaved thus after listening to these verses of Surah al-Qiyamah.

That he did not verify the truth nor did he observe prayer deserves attention. It is evident that the first and foremost prerequisite of believing in God, His Messenger, and His Book is that one should offer prayers.Other Shari’ah duties may be fulfilled later at their appointed time. However, soon after embracing faith it is time for performing one of the five daily obligatory prayers. This tests one’s commitment to his faith, proving his sincerity or otherwise.

22. The commentators of the Qur’an have offered several interpretations of the Qur’anic expression awla laka: “Shame on you, you may perish. Woe and misery persist with you”. However, in our opinion, Ibn Kathir’s version is the most appropriate: “Since you have the audacity of disobeying your Creator, it befits you to walk in this manner.” (Tafsir, 8, 282) A similar sarcastic remark features at another place in the Qur’an: “Taste this (the Hellfire), you are a person mighty and noble.” (Verse 49 of Surah al-Dukhan)

23. The theme of Life after Death is resumed here as a conclusion as it was stated at the beginning that life after death is both essential and possible.

24. Ibilun suda is used-in the Arabic idiom for a camel that wanders about, aimlessly, grazing at will, one whom there is nobody to keep an eye over. The Qur’an asks man whether he thinks that he will be left alone, irresponsible, and unquestioned by His Creator. Is he not obliged to " fulfil his duties? Is there nothing that is forbidden for him? Will he not be called to account for his deeds some day? The same theme is enunciated in the Qur’an elsewhere, thus: “Did you imagine that We created you without any purpose, and that you will not be brought back to Us?” (Verse 115 of Surah al-Mu'minun) In both the instances, the argument for the necessity of the Hereafter has been presented in the form of a question. Man is asked if he considers himself to be some animal. Does he not realize the manifest difference between him and an animal, that whereas he enjoys free will, the latter does not? The latter’s actions are not subject to any moral code while man is surely answerable for all his actions. Given this, how could a man think that, like an animal, he is also an irresponsible and unanswerable being? It is readily understandable as to why animals will not be resurrected, for they led their lives dictated by their instincts. They were not guided by any philosophy fabricated by them. Nor did they invent any religion. Likewise, they did not defy anyone, nor did they lay any claim to divinity. Their actions were amoral, neither good nor bad. They did not initiate something good or bad which influenced subsequent generations. Therefore, they do not deserve any ‘reward or punishment. Their extinction after death is plausible for they did not realize the consequences of their actions and hence they will not be resurrected for any recompense. However, man cannot be exempted from the Hereafter. His own mind told him until his last breath about the goodness or evil of his actions. If someone kills an innocent person and he himself immediately dies in an accident, how can he go unpunished? Should he not face the consequence for the wrong committed by him? Does man reconcile to the proposition that someone who sowed the seeds of mischief in the world which afflicted generations upon generations, should have his final extinction with his death? Should he not be brought back to life and undergo punishment for his misdeeds which destroyed the lives of hundreds of thousands of human beings? By the same token, does he who strove throughout his life for the sake of truth, justice, goodness, peace, and suffered tremendous hardship in this cause have no right to be rewarded for all that he did?

25. This constitutes a strong argument for life after death. As to those who believe in God’s creative power behind the creation of man, from a sperm drop into an adult human being, they cannot refute this weighty argument, no matter how diffident they might be in their rejection. They readily recognize that God Who creates man in such a wonderful fashion, is quite capable of bringing him back to life after his death. Those who dismiss it as an accident have no answer whatsoever to the fact that since the beginning of this world the ratio between the birth of girls and boys has always been consistent in every part of the world and among all communities. Never has this ratio suffered any steep change, resulting in the birth of baby boys or baby girls only, which could jeopardize the continuation of the human race, those denying this fact can unabashedly claim that even the major towns of the world such as London, New York, Moscow, and Beijing came into existence all of a sudden accidentally. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VIIL, Surah al-Rum 30: nn. 27-30, pp. 89-92 and Surah al-Shura 42: n. 77.) It is clear from several reports that on reciting this verse, particularly in response to the question put forward by God, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say bala (why not!) or subhanaka Allahumma fa bala - (Glory be to You, O Lord, why not?) or subhanaka fabala or subhanaka wa bala. Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (Tafsir, 23, 528), Ibn Abi Hatim (10, 3389) and Abu Dawud, and Tafsir of Ibn Kathir (8, 284). On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, Abu Dawud (K. al-Salat, Bab Miqdar al-Ruku’ wa al-Sujud) narrates this report: The Prophet instructed: “When you recite verse 8 of ' Surah al-Tin, you should say: bala wa ana ‘ala dhalika min al-shahidin (Yes! I am one of those who testify to it). When you recite verse 40 of Surah al-Qiyamah, you should say: bala (why not!). Likewise, on reciting verse 50 of Surah al-Mursalat you should say: amanna bi Allah (we believe in Allah). Reports with a similar tenor are cited by Ahmad (Musnad, 1, 377 and 2, 249), Tirmidhi (K. Tafsir al-Qur’an, Surah al-Tin), Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Marduwayh, Bayhaqi and Hakim.