075- AL-QIYAMAH
THE RESURRECTION
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
# I swear by the Day of Resurrection. # And I swear by the blaming soul. # Does man suppose that We shall not gather his bones? # Nay! But We are able to fashion even his fingers and toes. # But man desires to defile what lies before him, # asking, “When is the Day of Resurrection?” # Then when the eyes are dazzled, # and the moon is eclipsed, # and the sun and the moon are brought together— # that Day man will say, “Where is the escape?” # Nay! But there shall be no refuge. # Unto your Lord that Day is the dwelling place. # Man shall be informed that Day of that which he has sent forth and of that which he has left behind. # Indeed, man shall be a testimony against himself, # though he proffers his excuses. # Move not thy tongue therewith to hasten it. # Surely it is for Us to gather it and to recite it. Ɗ So when We recite it, follow its recitation. # Then surely it is for Us to explain it. # Nay! But you love the ephemeral, # and forsake the Hereafter. # Faces that Day shall be radiant, # gazing upon their Lord. # And faces that Day shall be scowling, # knowing that a spine-crushing calamity will befall them. # Nay! But when it reaches the collarbones, # and it is said, “Who will [make him] ascend?” # And he knows for certain that it is the parting; # and the shank is intertwined with the shank. # Unto thy Lord that Day is the driving. # For he neither confirmed nor prayed, # but he denied and turned away, # then went to his people swaggering. # So nearer to you! And nearer! # Then nearer to you! And nearer! # Does man suppose that he would be left aimless? # Was he not a drop of semen emitted? # Then he was a blood clot; whereupon He created, then fashioned, # and made from him the two genders, male and female. # Is not such a one able to give life to the dead?
Commentary
# I swear by the Day of Resurrection.
# And I swear by the blaming soul.
1–2 Both verses begin with the particle lā, which usually indicates negation, but can also indicate an emphatic expression when taking an oath. Hence v. 2 is interpreted by some commentators to mean, “I do not swear by the blaming soul” (Aj, Sh), though the translation given reflects the predominant interpretation of lā as an emphatic particle. The blaming soul is considered the middle state of the human soul in the process of spiritual growth, between the soul that commands to evil (12:53) and the soul at peace (89:27); see 12:53c; 89:27c. It is called the blaming soul because it recognizes the shortcomings of the lower concupiscent soul and chastises it in order to transform it into the soul at peace, which returns unto the Lord content, contenting (89:28); see 89:27–30c. Every soul is believed to be capable of recognizing its shortcomings, as expressed in a ḥadīth, “There is no pious or profligate soul but that it blames itself on the Day of Resurrection; if it has done good, it says, ‘How did I not do more!’ And if it has done evil, it says, ‘Would that I had desisted!’” (Aj). Here, then, God swears by the reverent, Godfearing soul that blames itself for falling short, although it strives for obedience (Aj); a minority say, however, that it refers only to the soul of the disbeliever, which blames itself in the Hereafter (Sh). The blaming soul and the Day of Resurrection can thus be seen as intimately connected, not only by the role the quoted ḥadīth ascribes to the blaming soul on the Day of Resurrection, but also because both expose one’s faults—just as one is called to account for all of one’s lapses and shortcomings on the Day of Resurrection, so too does the blaming soul call one to account for them throughout the life of this world. Al-Ḥasan alBaṣrī thus equates the blaming soul with the scrupulous soul that continually asks what it desires by its own actions (IK, Q, Sh). A minority suggest that “blaming” (lawwāmah) is related to talawwum, meaning “constantly shifting,” and indicates the fickle and capricious nature of the soul, which is happy, then sad, obedient, then disobedient, reverent, then heedless (Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, al-Rūḥ, 262).
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# Does man suppose that We shall not gather his bones?
3 This verse is said to have been revealed with regard to one ʿAdī ibn Rabīʿah, who said to the Prophet, “Tell me about the Day of Resurrection. When will it be? How will it be?” The Prophet answered his questions. Then ʿAdiyy said, “If I were to see that Day with my own eyes, I would not attest to you, O Muhammad, as being true, nor would I believe in you. Can God really gather these bones?” (Aj, W). In this context, man is thus understood to mean those human beings who disbelieve and deny the Resurrection (Aj, JJ).
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# Nay! But We are able to fashion even his fingers and toes.
4 This verse is said to mean, “We are able to create him again precisely as We created him the first time”; see 36:78–79c; 17:49–51c .
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# But man desires to defile what lies before him,
5 This verse may also refer to those who deny the Hereafter that lies before them and thus “sully” or defile it (R). Defile translates yafjura, which also means “to waste.” Although human beings have been warned of the Hereafter and all that it entails, they continue to waste the opportunity to purify their souls, meaning that they continue to ignore the admonitions of the blaming soul (v. 2) and to follow their own caprice. According to al-Qushayrī this applies to those who intend to prepare for the Hereafter but do not: “One continues to lapse and delays repentance, saying, ‘I will repent later.’ Then he dies having not repented. It is said that he resolves not to continue accumulating acts of disobedience, turning over a new leaf in the time he has left. Yet, despite this, he does not immediately untie the knot of persistence from his heart. Thus his repentance is not true, for among the conditions of repentance is the resolution to not return to the like of what one had done. So if one still finds within one’s heart a sweetness in lapsing and one contemplates returning to its like, then one’s regret is not true” (Qu; Aj cites this same passage, but with some slight variations).
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# asking, “When is the Day of Resurrection?”
6 Although this verse repeats one of the questions posed by ʿAdī ibn Rabīʿah (see 75:3c), the question and variations upon it are repeated throughout the Quran (see, e.g., 10:48; 34:29–30; 51:12; 67:25). In general it is not posed in a spirit of inquiry, but in one of derision, mockery, and denial (JJ).
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# Then when the eyes are dazzled,
7 Similar to their glance returning not to them in 14:43, the present verse indicates that, due to the terror of the Day of Judgment, the disbelievers will not be able to focus on anything (IK). Others interpret this verse to mean that they are amazed to see some of the things that they had denied (JJ).
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# and the moon is eclipsed,
# and the sun and the moon are brought together—
8–9 These verses indicate that the sun and moon will be enfolded or rolled up (IK, Ṭ), as in 81:1–2.
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# that Day man will say, “Where is the escape?”
# Nay! But there shall be no refuge.
10–11 One of several passages to make clear that for those who disbelieve there is no escape or refuge once the Hour comes; see also 18:53, 58; 34:51; 38:3; 41:48; 42:35, 47.
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# Unto your Lord that Day is the dwelling place.
12 This verse indicates that on the Day of Judgment it is God alone who chooses the final destination in which each soul will reside or that God is one’s final end (Ṭ).
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# Man shall be informed that Day of that which he has sent forth and of that which he has left behind.
13 Cf. 82:5. That which he has sent forth refers either to all of the deeds that individuals have performed (see 18:49; IK) or only to the good deeds performed in this life that will testify for them and for which they will receive reward in the Hereafter. That which he has left behind refers either to the good deeds that were not performed in this life or to the good deeds that continue to bear fruit. Regarding the latter interpretation, a famous ḥadīth states, “Whosoever establishes a beautiful custom (sunnah ḥasanah) in Islam that is practiced by those who come after him, on the Day of Resurrection he will receive the reward thereof [i.e., for his own good deed] and a reward like unto that of those who practiced it after him, without its detracting from their reward in any way. And whosoever establishes a bad custom (sunnah sayyiʾah) in Islam bears its burden and the burden of those who practice it, without its detracting from their burdens in any way” (Aḥ, IK on 36:12, Aj); regarding the nature of what is left behind, also see 36:12c.
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# Indeed, man shall be a testimony against himself,
# though he proffers his excuses.
14–15 These verses can be taken as a reference to the blaming soul (v. 2), which in effect testifies against every bad deed. In this vein, 17:14 says, On this Day, your soul suf ices as a reckoner against you (see also 6:130; 7:37). Elsewhere their ears, their eyes, and their skins will bear witness against them for that which they used to do (41:20; see also 24:24; 36:65). Though he proffers his excuses indicates that even when disbelievers speak to defend themselves, they bear witness against themselves (IK, Ṭ) or that none of their false excuses will be accepted (IK, Ṭ). Elsewhere the Day of Judgment is described as The Day when the wrongdoers will not benefit from their excuses (40:52).
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# Move not thy tongue therewith to hasten it.
# Surely it is for Us to gather it and to recite it.
# So when We recite it, follow its recitation.
16–18 These verses address the Prophet, encouraging him to wait patiently for the continuation of the revelation, as in 20:114: Be not in haste with the Quran before its revelation is completed for thee, but say, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge!” Both passages are understood as references to the Prophet’s fear of forgetting the verses of revelation, which led him to repeat quickly everything that had been revealed to him, even while the revelation was coming down. Ibn ʿAbbās is reported to have said, “The Messenger of God used to bear the revelation with great trouble and used to move his lips [quickly] with the revelation. . . . So God revealed [75:16–17], meaning that God will make him remember the portion of the Quran that was revealed at that time by heart and recite it.” Then Ibn ʿAbbās said, “So when We recite it, follow its recitation means listen to it and be silent. Then surely it is for Us to explain it [v. 19] means that it is [for God] to make you recite it. Afterwards, the Messenger of God used to listen to Gabriel whenever he came and after his departure he used to recite it as Gabriel had recited it” (IK, Q). It is for Us to gather it thus indicates that God will gather it within the Prophet’s breast, ensuring that he remembers it correctly (IK). These verses can also be taken as an admonition to those who wish to understand the Quran to first read and reflect upon all of its teachings rather than drawing hasty conclusions.
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# Then surely it is for Us to explain it.
19 This verse means that after the Prophet memorizes and recites the Quran, God will explain it to him, clarify it, and inspire him to know its meaning according to what God intended and legislated (IK).
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# Nay! But you love the ephemeral,
# and forsake the Hereafter.
20–21 These verses transition from the second-person singular, in which the Prophet is addressed, to the second-person plural, addressing humanity in general. An almost identical verse is 76:27; see 76:27c. According to some other schools of recitation, they can be read in the third person plural, “But they love the ephemeral, and forsake the Hereafter.”
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# Faces that Day shall be radiant,
22–25 The contrast between the faces of the believers and those of the disbelievers in this passage is similar to that in 3:106; 80:38–41; 88:2–10.
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# gazing upon their Lord.
22–23 Most commentators take the assertion that believers will be gazing upon their Lord as a reference to the literal vision of God in the Hereafter (JJ), attested in many aḥādīth, among them, “Truly, you all will see your Lord with your own eyes” (IK, Q). When questioned by his Companions about the way in which people might see God, the Prophet said, “Are you harmed by seeing the sun and the moon when there are no clouds beneath them?” When his Companions replied, “No,” the Prophet said, “You shall see your Lord in that manner” (IK). In a similar account, he said, “Truly, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon!” (IK, Q). The “vision of God” to which these aḥādīth attest is taken by many as a matter of belief that no one can deny (IK), but a minority argue that this verse should be interpreted in light of 6:103, Sight comprehends Him not, when 6:103 is seen as definitive (muḥkam) and 75:23 as symbolic (mutashābih; Z; see 3:7c), thus indicating that the vision of God is not in fact attainable or that it is only metaphorical. According to some, the vision of God, which also means direct knowledge of God, is the highest Paradise. In this regard, the Prophet is reported to have said, “When the people of the Garden enter the Garden, God says, ‘Do you desire that I increase you in anything?’ They say, ‘Didst Thou not brighten our faces? Didst Thou not admit us to the Garden and save us from the Fire?’” Then the Prophet said, “Then God removes the veil, and they are given nothing more beloved to them than gazing upon their Lord” (Āl, IK). In this vein, al-Tustarī is reported to have said, “The reward for deeds is Paradise, and the reward for the realization of God’s Oneness (tawḥīd) is the vision of God” (ST). In relating this realization to love, al-Tustarī is also reported to have said, “Whosoever has been slain by his love [for God], his recompense will be the vision of Him.” While many take this verse and the aḥādīth cited above as a reference to the vision of God on the Day of Resurrection, in Paradise, or both, others maintain that for those of high spiritual attainment the vision of God can be achieved in both this life and the Hereafter (Aj). Yet it is not attainable save by gaining God’s love and intimacy, which themselves can only be attained through knowledge (maʿrifah). Such love and knowledge can in turn only be attained by constantly reflecting upon God and remembering Him, which requires that the love of this world be erased from the heart (Aj). For those who can achieve this state, “they are immersed in witnessing His Beauty, and thus veiled to all that is other than Him” (Aj).
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# And faces that Day shall be scowling,
# knowing that a spine-crushing calamity will befall them.
24–25 In Quranic usage, the face is often taken to indicate the true nature, or the essence, of someone. For similar descriptions of the faces of the disbelievers, see 3:106; 10:27; 27:90; 80:40–42; 88:2–7. Regarding the Face of God and the symbolism of “face” in general, see 28:88c; 55:26–27c.
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# Nay! But when it reaches the collarbones,
26 Nay translates the emphatic particle kallā, which can also be read in the affirmative, meaning “truly” or “indeed.” It refers to the soul, and its reaching the collarbones refers to the moment of death when the soul is about to leave the body (see also 56:83). When kallā is read in the negative, the verse indicates that at the moment of death one will be informed of the truth and will not be able to deny it. When kallā is read in the affirmative, the verse indicates there is no doubt that the soul will leave the body (IK).
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# and it is said, “Who will [make him] ascend?”
# And he knows for certain that it is the parting;
27–28 These verses could be taken as a reference to the rising of the soul and thus to the angels of mercy or the angels of punishment that will remove the spirit from the body (Āl, Ṭ), as in 6:61–62: He sends guardians over you, till, when death comes unto one of you, our messengers (i.e., angels) take him, and they neglect not their duty. Then they are returned unto God, their true Master. Some maintain that v. 27 communicates the words of the angels of death meaning, “Who is it that will make him ascend?” (Z)—the angels of mercy in the case of believers or the angels of punishment in the case of disbelievers (Q). Alternately, they may be seen as referring to the body, thus mirroring the words of those around a dying person who say, “Who will cure him?” (IK, Q, Ṭ). In v. 28, the parting refers to the parting from all the things of this world (Ṭ) or the parting of the spirit from the body (Āl).
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# and the shank is intertwined with the shank.
29 This verse has several interpretations: that one shank will be intertwined with the other when one is wrapped in one’s funeral shroud (Āl, IK, JJ, Ṭ, Z); that the severity of entering the Hereafter is intertwined with the severity of leaving the life of this world (Āl, JJ, Ṭ, Z); that the last of the days of this world are intertwined with the first of the days of the next (IK, Ṭ); that the state of death is intertwined with the state of life; or that human beings are intertwined with one another so that people cannot move their own legs. For the idiomatic use of shank, see 68:42c.
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# Unto thy Lord that Day is the driving.
30 According to some commentators, this verse refers to either the manner in which God drives the soul from the body at the moment of death or the manner in which God drives the soul toward the Final Judgment (JJ). Others say that it is a challenge, meaning, “Who will heal him?” (Q, Ṭ). Still others say that it indicates the return of the body to the earth, as in a ḥadīth qudsī where God is reported to say, “Return My servants to the earth, for verily, I have created them from it, I return them into it, and from it will I bring them forth another time” (IK).
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# For he neither confirmed nor prayed,
# but he denied and turned away,
31–32 He refers to Abū Jahl or ʿAdī ibn Rabīʿah (see 75:3c; Q). He did not confirm the revelation and the prophethood of Muhammad. Alternatively, “confirmed” (Ṣaddaqa) can be understood to mean that he did not give charity (Ṣaddaqa mālahu; Q, Z).
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# then went to his people swaggering.
33 This verse is similar to 83:30–32, which says of those who would mock the Prophet: And when they passed them, they would wink at one another. And when they returned to their people, they would return blithely. And when they saw them, they said, “Truly these are astray!” (also see 2:14; 84:13–14).
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# So nearer to you! And nearer!
# Then nearer to you! And nearer!
34–35 These verses mean, “That to which you are averse is now nearer to you” (JJ), or the punishment is now nearer (Iṣ). According to some commentators, vv. 34–35 could also be rendered, “So woe to you! And woe! Then woe to you! And woe!” (Ṭs, Z). This is then interpreted by some as a direct address to Abū Jahl, one of the Prophet’s staunchest adversaries, meaning, “‘Woe to you’ for what you will witness on the Day of Badr [when Abū Jahl was slain in battle by the Muslims]. ‘And woe’ to you in the grave. ‘Then woe to you’ on the Day of Resurrection. ‘And woe’ to you in the Fire” (Ṭs). It can also be taken as a more general address to all those who disbelieve and swagger in arrogance (IK).
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# Does man suppose that he would be left aimless?
36 This verse asks, “Do people suppose that they would be left to their own devices without being obligated to follow a revealed religion and without being held accountable?” (JJ). Left aimless could also be understood to mean “neglected,” in which case it refers to those who doubt they will be resurrected (IK).
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# Was he not a drop of semen emitted?
# Then he was a blood clot; whereupon He created, then fashioned,
# and made from him the two genders, male and female.
# Is not such a one able to give life to the dead?
37–40 This is one of several passages that cite the phases of life from gestation to adulthood as proof of God’s Omnipotence and especially of His ability to resurrect; see also 18:37; 22:5–6c; 23:13–16; 35:11; 40:67; 76:2; 80:18–22. It is reported that when the Prophet recited, Is not such a one able to give life to the dead? he would say “Yea!” (JJ) and that he counseled others to do the same.
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