89. Al-Fajr Page 593 89. Al-Fajr بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ وَ الْفَجْرِۙ By the dawn وَ لَیَالٍ And the nights عَشْرٍۙ ten وَّ الشَّفْعِ And the even وَ الْوَتْرِۙ and the odd وَ الَّیْلِ And the night اِذَا when یَسْرِۚ it passes هَلْ Is فِیْ in ذٰلِكَ that قَسَمٌ an oath لِّذِیْ for those حِجْرٍؕ who understand اَلَمْ Do not تَرَ you see كَیْفَ how فَعَلَ dealt رَبُّكَ your Lord بِعَادٍ۪ۙ with Aad اِرَمَ Iram ذَاتِ possessors (of) الْعِمَادِ۪ۙ lofty pillars الَّتِیْ Which لَمْ not یُخْلَقْ had been created مِثْلُهَا like them فِی in الْبِلَادِ۪ۙ the cities وَ ثَمُوْدَ And Thamud الَّذِیْنَ who جَابُوا carved out الصَّخْرَ the rocks بِالْوَادِ۪ۙ in the valley وَ فِرْعَوْنَ And Firaun ذِی owner of الْاَوْتَادِ۪ۙ stakes الَّذِیْنَ Who طَغَوْا transgressed فِی in الْبِلَادِ۪ۙ the lands فَاَكْثَرُوْا And made much فِیْهَا therein الْفَسَادَ۪ۙ corruption فَصَبَّ So poured عَلَیْهِمْ on them رَبُّكَ your Lord سَوْطَ scourge عَذَابٍۚۙ (of) punishment اِنَّ Indeed رَبَّكَ your Lord لَبِالْمِرْصَادِؕ (is) surely Ever Watchful فَاَمَّا And as for الْاِنْسَانُ man اِذَا when مَا does ابْتَلٰىهُ try him رَبُّهٗ his Lord فَاَكْرَمَهٗ and is generous to him وَ نَعَّمَهٗ ۙ۬ and favors him فَیَقُوْلُ he says رَبِّیْۤ My Lord اَكْرَمَنِؕ has honored me وَ اَمَّاۤ But اِذَا when مَا does ابْتَلٰىهُ He try him فَقَدَرَ and restricts عَلَیْهِ for him رِزْقَهٗ ۙ۬ his provision فَیَقُوْلُ then he says رَبِّیْۤ My Lord اَهَانَنِۚ (has) humiliated me كَلَّا Nay! بَلْ But لَّا not تُكْرِمُوْنَ you honor الْیَتِیْمَۙ the orphan وَ لَا And not تَحٰٓضُّوْنَ you feel the urge عَلٰی to طَعَامِ feed الْمِسْكِیْنِۙ the poor وَ تَاْكُلُوْنَ And you consume التُّرَاثَ the inheritance اَكْلًا devouring لَّمًّاۙ altogether وَّ تُحِبُّوْنَ And you love الْمَالَ wealth حُبًّا (with) love جَمًّاؕ exceeding كَلَّاۤ Nay اِذَا When دُكَّتِ is leveled الْاَرْضُ the earth دَكًّا pounded دَكًّاۙ (and) crushed وَّ جَآءَ And comes رَبُّكَ your Lord وَ الْمَلَكُ and the Angels صَفًّا rank صَفًّاۚ (upon) rank وَ جِایْٓءَ And is brought یَوْمَىِٕذٍۭ that Day بِجَهَنَّمَ ۙ۬ Hell یَوْمَىِٕذٍ That Day یَّتَذَكَّرُ will remember الْاِنْسَانُ man وَ اَنّٰی but how لَهُ (will be) for him الذِّكْرٰیؕ the remembrance 89. Al-Fajr Page 594 یَقُوْلُ He will say یٰلَیْتَنِیْ O! I wish قَدَّمْتُ I had sent forth لِحَیَاتِیْۚ for my life فَیَوْمَىِٕذٍ So that Day لَّا not یُعَذِّبُ will punish عَذَابَهٗۤ (as) His punishment اَحَدٌۙ anyone وَّ لَا And not یُوْثِقُ will bind وَ ثَاقَهٗۤ (as) His binding اَحَدٌؕ anyone یٰۤاَیَّتُهَا O النَّفْسُ soul الْمُطْمَىِٕنَّةُۗۖ who is satisfied ارْجِعِیْۤ Return اِلٰی to رَبِّكِ your Lord رَاضِیَةً well pleased مَّرْضِیَّةًۚ and pleasing فَادْخُلِیْ So enter فِیْ among عِبٰدِیْۙ My slaves وَ ادْخُلِیْ And enter جَنَّتِیْ۠ My Paradise
(89:1) By the dawn,
(89:2) and the ten nights,
(89:3) and the even and the odd,
(89:4) and by the night when it departs.
(89:5) Is there in this an oath for one endowed with understanding?1
(89:6) Have you2 not seen how your Lord dealt with Ad
(89:7) of Iram,3 known for their lofty columns,
(89:8) the like of whom no nation was ever created in the lands of the world?4
(89:9) And how did He deal with Thamud who hewed out rocks in the valley?5
(89:10) And with Pharaoh of the tent pegs6
(89:11) who transgressed in the countries of the world
(89:12) spreading in them much corruption?
(89:13) Then their Lord unloosed upon them the lash of chastisement.
(89:14) Truly your Lord is ever watchful.7
(89:15) As for man,8 when his Lord tests him by exalting him and bestowing His bounties upon him, he says: “My Lord has exalted me.”
(89:16) But when He tests him by straitening his sustenance, he says: “My Lord has humiliated me.”9
(89:17) But no;10 you do not treat the orphan honourably,11
(89:18) and do not urge one another to feed the poor,12
(89:19) and greedily devour the entire inheritance,13
(89:20) and love the riches, loving them ardently.14
(89:21) But no;15 when the earth is ground to powder,
(89:22) and when your Lord appears16 with rows upon rows of angels,
(89:23) and when Hell is brought near that Day. On that Day will man understand, but of what avail will that understanding be?17
(89:24) He will say: “Would that I had sent ahead what would be of avail for this life of mine!”
(89:25) Then on that Day Allah will chastise as none other can chastise;
(89:26) and Allah will bind as none other can bind.
(89:27) (On the other hand it will be said): “O serene soul!18
(89:28) Return to your Lord19 well-pleased (with your blissful destination), well-pleasing (to your Lord).
(89:29) So enter among My (righteous) servants
(89:30) and enter My Paradise.”
1. These verses have been interpreted variously. There are as many as thirty-six different views about the meaning of the Qur’anic expressions “the even and the odd”. Some seek to justify | their views on the basis of some Ahadith. However, as a matter of fact, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not elucidate this. Had his interpretation been on record, there would not have been such divergence of opinion among the Companions, Successors. and later Qur’anic scholars as to their meaning.
It appears from the context that some issue was under debate between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the unbelievers, with the latter rejecting the former’s contention. The Prophet's version is endorsed while swearing by these four phenomena. This followed by posing the question: “Is there in this an oath for one endowed with understanding?” (Verse 5) In other words, these oaths conclusively establish the veracity of the Prophet's contention.
Let us try to ascertain the issue that was then under discussion, regarding which these four oaths were taken. For this, we will also have to bear in mind the theme taken up in Verse 6 and which permeates the whole Surah. Reflection on the verses that follow (see vv. 6 ff.) makes it clear that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the unbelievers were contending over the question of reward and punishment in the Next Life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sought to establish that the Hereafter was bound to take place, whereas the unbelievers denied it. In this context, we encounter an oath referring to four things: (i) the dawn, (ii) the ten nights, (iii) the even and the odd, and (iv) the night when it departs. The implication being that the testimony contained in this oath dispensed with the need for any other evidence to establish that the Next Life was bound to occur.
Having established the issue and the context, let us now analyze each of these four in some detail. The first oath is: “By the dawn’. It goes without saying that dawn marks the end of night as brightness _ appears in the east on the horizon. This is then followed by the next oath: “And the ten nights”. From the context it appears that the reference is to. the first ten nights of a month, as the crescent gradually takes a definite shape. The next ten nights are bright ones while the last ten are marked by the waning of the moon and the resultant darkness by the end of the month. The next - oath is: “And the even and the odd”. It is commonplace that even and odd numbers are divisible and indivisible respectively. The reference to the odd and the even, it seems, reinforces the idea of ' constant change in the universe, as an odd date is followed by an even one and this phenomenon of odd and even dates goes on. Finally, reference is made to “the night when it departs”. Night is naturally followed by dawn.
On studying these four phenomena together, it emerges that these underscore the truth of the tiding related to the divine reckoning given by the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is absolutely clear that the Almighty Allah reigns supreme over the universe and all of His actions are part of His grand plan. There is nothing chaotic or haphazard in the universe. Day and night appear at their appointed hours and their natural cycle is never interrupted. The same is true with the waning and waxing of the moon. Night never stays any longer than its natural duration. There is a regular, precise cycle of dates, enabling man to work out the exact date, month and year. Man can easily compute the seasons ‘as well. Were man to reflect only on the regular, constant alternation of day and night, while leaving aside numerous other natural phenomena, he would realize that it is the Supreme Lord Who has devised it. He has prescribed this order in view of numerous considerations for creatures inhabiting the earth. Given this, if one inhabiting this universe created by the All-Wise, All-Powerful Allah rejects the doctrine of divine recompense, he acts foolishly. Either he denies, out of gross foolishness, Allah’s creative power. For he regards it - beyond His power to resurrect or recompense man. Or he fails ‘to appreciate His Wisdom and scheme of things. Foolishly, he assumes that Allah will not call man to account, even though He has invested man with so many faculties and authorities. In either case, these unbelievers betray their own imbecility.
2. After adducing the constant alternation of day and night as a weighty argument for affirming the doctrine of the Hereafter, human history is sifted for the same purpose. The misconduct of certain communities and their resultant punishment are related in order to assert that the universe is being governed and watched by S the All-Wise, All-Aware Lord. Apart from laws of nature a moral law is also in operation. Moral law demands divine reckoning. It is often manifested in human history, illustrating that the universe 1 is under the control of the All-Wise Lord. All those communities that disregarded the truth of the Hereafter, God-consciousness and divine reckoning caused corruption on earth. As a result, they incurred divine punishment. This constant happening in history underscores these two truths: (i) The rejection of the Hereafter misguides a community, culminating in its destruction. Opposition to the Hereafter is tantamount to challenging and denying a manifest truth, which leads only to self-destruction. (ii) The divine reckoning is bound to happen. Many degenerate communities | passed away without being subject to divine punishment. Justice demands that they be recompensed as well. (For a detailed discussion on the Qur’anic stance on the Hereafter, especially in relation to human history and morals see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. Ill, al-A’raf 7: nn. 5-6, pp. 4-5; Vol. IV, Yunus 10: n. 12, pp. 11-13; Had 11: nn. 57, 105 and 115, pp. 109, 133 and 138-140; Ibrahim 14: n. 9, p. 254; Vol. VIL, al-Naml 27: nn. 66 and 86, pp. 168 and 180-181; Vol. VII, al-Ram 30: n. 8, pp. 78-79; Vol. IX, Saba’ 34: n. 25, p. 173; Sad 38: nn. 29-30; al-Mu’min 40: n. 80; al-Dukhan 44: nn. 33- 34; al-Jathiyah 45: nn. 27-28; Qaf 50: n. 17, and al-Dhariyat 51: n. 21.)
3. The ‘Ad of Iram are also known in both the Qur’an and Arab history as the ancient ‘Ad. For example, the Qur’an says: “It is Allah Who destroyed the ancient ‘Ad,” (al-Najm 53: 50). Prophet Hid was sent among them. They were subjected to divine punishment. The survivors are called ‘Ad ukhra. The ancient ‘Ad are branded as the ‘Ad of Iram in view of their being the progeny of Iram, son of Sam who was the son of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). The Thamud are also one of the branches of the same family, referred to in the Qur’an. The other branch is represented by the Arameans, who were settled in northern Syria and spoke Aramaic, one of the important Semitic languages. As the ‘Ad were fond of erecting high structures, the Qur’an speaks of them as “the ‘Ad of Iram known for their lofty columns” (Verse 7). They were pioneers in this field. As to their other characteristic, the Quran informs us that Hud censured them: “What, you build a monument on every hill for fun and erect huge palaces as though you will live forever,” (al- Shu‘ara’ 26: 128-129).
4. They were a leading community of their era, distinguished for their power and glory. The Qur’an says regarding them: “Allah amply increased you in stature,” (al-A’raf 7: 69).” As for the ‘Ad, they waxed proud in the land without justification and said: ‘Who is greater than we in strength?” (Ha Mim al-Sajdah 41: 15). “And when you (O ‘Ad) strike you strike like tyrants,” (al-Shu‘ara’ 26: 130).
5. In other words, the valley-of al-Qura where they had hewed out rocks, they were the first to employ this kind of construction. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. III, al-A’raf 7: nn. 57 and 59, pp. 45-46 and 47; Vol. IV, al-Hijr 15: n. 45, pp. 300- 301 and Vol. VII, al-Shu‘ara’ 26: nn. 95-99, pp. 94-103.)
6. The appellation “of the tent pegs” is used of Pharaoh — it is also used in Verse 12. of Sad - and is open to several meanings. It-may be a figurative reference to his armies in that his empire was based on these, as a tent stands on its pegs. Or it may be an allusion to the multitude of his army tents. Wherever his army was stationed, the site was inundated with tent pegs. Or it might refer to a mode of punishment he often inflicted on enemies: namely, by boring pegs into their bodies. The Egyptian pyramids may also stand for tent pegs, as these have been testifying for centuries to the glory of Pharaohs.
7. With reference to watching misdeeds, the expression mirsad (ambush) is figuratively used. The verse depicts Allah as One Who lays an ambush. Whoever lays an ambush remains in hiding, waiting to surprise the enemy with a sudden attack. Unaware of the ambush, the victim is likely to come but when he exceeds a certain point, he falls prey to the ambush. This analogy applies to the wrong-doers of the world who are spreading all kinds of mischief and corruption, unaware that Allah is watching their misdeeds. Thanks to their heedlessness, they commit ever more misdeeds with impunity. Thus they reach a limit that Allah does not let them exceed; at this point, they are suddenly seized by His scourge.
8. Criticism is now directed at people's moral degeneration. These wicked people deserve to be punished. It is against the dictates of reason and justice that such culprits should go punished after death.
9. This, then, is man’s materialistic concept of life. Man equates wealth, position and power in the world with the bestowal of honor; and when he is deprived of these, he thinks that Allah has humiliated him. The fact which he fails to grasp is that whatever _ Allah gives anyone in this world is by way of a test. One is tested both when one has wealth and power as well as when one is in a state of poverty and destitution.
10. The straitening of sustenance or otherwise is not an indicator of one’s honor and disgrace in the sight of Allah. He takes into account only one’s morals and. good conduct.
11. This is their detestable attitude towards orphans. As long as one’s father is alive, people-treat him well. After the father’s death, however an orphaned child is badly treated even by his elder brothers and uncles.
12. These Arabs did not urge one another to feed the needy. They did not have any concern for the hungry or the poor. Both individually and collectively they displayed gross insensitivity on this count.
13. The Arabs denied inheritance to women and children. For them, it was the right only of males who could fight and defend. It was also fairly common practice for the most powerful among the inheritors to appropriate all the inheritance for himself and so deprive the weak among his family. Thus we see how the Arabs had no regard for truth and justice. It did not occur to them that shares should be given to all inheritors, be they strong or weak.
14. They did not have any moral sense to discriminate between _ the lawful and the unlawful. They loved only riches, 1 no matter how they got these. Their greed was insatiable.
15. It is stressed here that it is quite erroneous for man to fancy that he can act as he wishes and not be called to account thereafter. The Hereafter is not something imaginary; it is inevitable, bound to happen.
16. The verse reads as: “When your Lord appears”. Any motion on the part of Allah is inconceivable. The above should, therefore, be taken in a figurative sense. The point pressed home is that as the signs of His glory and might overwhelm everyone, there will be all-round awe. People will feel as awe-struck as they are on standing face to face with a king.
17. The part of the verse, “On that Day man will understand, but of what avail will that understanding be?” is open to two - meanings:(i ) On the Day man will recall his misdeeds and repent these. His repentance at this stage, however, will be of no avail. (ii) On the Day the truth will dawn on man. He will realize the truth of the Messengers’ teachings. Furthermore, it will be clear to him that he committed a serious mistake in rejecting the truth. This late _ realization will be of no good to him though.
18. The expression “serene soul” signifies the person who accepts, with full conviction, the One True God as his Lord and Sustainer, and who recognizes the religious faith expounded by the Prophets as the true faith. He obeys all the commands given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and willingly avoids all that - is forbidden by Allah. Also, he generously donates and sacrifices all that he has in the cause of truth. He puts up with all hardship with fortitude and poise and never regrets his loss of worldly gain. On the contrary, he feels assured that his adherence to the true faith protects him from all evil. In Verse 125 of al-An‘am this state is called “the opening of one’s breast for Islam”.
19. This divine promise will be made to him at death, on the Day of Judgement as he is on his way after resurrection to the Grand Assembly, and again at the time of divine reckoning. In sum, he will be comforted and assured at all stages.