Archive: Ayaat of the Week

Bismillah irrahman irrahim

Assalamu alaikum

The Tafsir of Surat Al-Infitar

(Chapter 82, Ayah 9-12)

Which was revealed in Makkah

 Tafsir Ibn Kathir

كَلاَّ بَلْ تُكَذّبُ 08;نَ بِالدّين 16;- وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُ 05;ْ لَحَـفِظ 16;ينَ- كِرَاماً كَـتِبِي 06;َ- يَعْلَمُ 08;نَ مَا تَفْعَلُ 08;نَ

(9. Nay! But you deny (the Day of) Ad-Din.) (10. But verily, over you to watch you) (11. Kiraman Katibin,) (12. They know all that you do.)

The Cause of Deception and alerting to the Fact that Angels record the Deeds of the Children of Adam

� Concerning Allah's statement,

[كَلاَّ بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ ]

(Nay! But you deny (the Day of) Ad-Din.)

meaning, `you are only compelled to oppose the Most Generous and meet Him with disobedience, by your rejection in your hearts of the Hereafter, the recompense and the reckoning.' Concerning Allah's statement,

[وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُ 05;ْ لَحَـفِظِينَ - كِرَاماً كَـتِبِينَ - يَعْلَمُ 08;نَ مَا تَفْعَلُ 08;نَ ]

(But verily, over you to watch you (are) Kiraman Katibin, they know all that you do.) (82:10-12)

meaning, `indeed there are noble guardian angels over you, so do not meet them with evil deeds, because they write down all that you do.'

Tafheem-ul-Quran

(82:9) Indeed not!  *5But (the fact is that) you (O men) deny (the meting out of) rewards and punishments,  *6

*5 That is, "There is no reasonable ground for you to be deluded. Your own physical existence itself tells that you did not come into being by yourself; your parents also did not make you. Man also did not come about as a result of the elements combining together by themselves accidentally; but a Wise and Powerful God has composed you into this perfect human shape and form. There are other kinds of animals in the world compared with which your excellent form and structure and your superior powers and faculties stand out in sharp contrast. Reason demanded that in view of all this you should have submitted gratefully and should never have dared commit disobedience of your beneficent Sustainer. You also know that your Lord and Sustainer is not only Compassionate and Bountiful but Almighty and Omnipotent as well. When an earthquake, cyclone or flood occurs by His Command, all your devices and measures tail to be effective. You also know that your Lord and Sustainer is not ignorant and foolish but Wise and knowing, and the necessary demand of wisdom and knowledge is that whoever is given intellect should also be held responsible for his acts; whoever is given powers should also be held accountable as to how he used those powers; and whoever is given the choice to do good or evil on his own responsibility, should also be rewarded for his good act and punished for his evil act. All these truths are clearly and plainly known to you; therefore, you cannot say that there exists a reasonable ground for you to be deluded concerning your Lord. Your own nature is sufficient evidence that the beneficence of the Master should never cause the servant to be fearless of Him, and be involved in the misunderstanding that he may do whatever he pleases, no one can harm him in any way.
*6 That is,"You have not been deluded and beguiled by any good reason but by your foolish concept that there is going to be no meting out of rewards and punishments after the life of this world. It is this wrong and baseless concept which has made you heedless of God, fearless of His justice and irresponsible in your moral attitude. "

(82:10) although watchers have been appointed over you, (82:11) honourable scribes, (82:12) who know whatever you do.  *7

*7 That is, "whether you deny the meting out of rewards and punishments, belie it, or mock it, the reality cannot change. The reality is .that your Lord has not left you to your self in the world, but has appointed over each one of you honest and upright guardians, who are recording objectively and faithfully all your good and evil acts, and none of your acts is hidden from them, whether you commit it in darkness, or in private, or in far off jungles, or in secret when you are fully satisfied that whatever you have done bas remained hidden from human eye. For these guardian angels Allah has used the words kiram-an katibin, i.e. writers who are honorable and noble They are neither attached in personal love with somebody, nor are inimical to anybody, so that they would prepare a fictitious record on the basis of their favouring one man and disfavouring another unduly. They are neither dishonest that without being present on duty they would make wrong entries by themselves; nor are they bribable so that they would take bribes and make false reports in favour of or against somebody. They are far above these moral weaknesses. Therefore, both the good and the bad people should be fully satisfied that each man's good acts will be recorded without any omission, and no one will have an evil act recorded in his account which he has not done. Then the second quality that has been mentioned of these angels is: "They know whatever you do " That is, they are not like the secret, intelligence agencies of the world, from which, despite all their search and scrutiny, many things remain hidden. They are fully aware of everyone's deeds. They accompany every person, at all places, under all conditions, in such a way that he himself does not know that someone is watching him, and they also know with what intention has somebody done a certain thing. Therefore the record prepared by them is a complete record in which nothing has been left un-recorded. About this very thing it has been said in Surah Al-Kahf 49: "Woe to us! What sort of a book it is, it has left mothing unrecorded of our doings, small or great. They will see before them everything, whatever they had done."

Fi Zilal al Quran

Shun it ! but you deny the Last Judgement. Yet there are guardians watching over you, noble recorders, who know all your actions.

The English expression "shun it" is used here to render the meaning of the Arabic word "kalla" which is a command to desist and an indication of a change of subject and style. Hence the following verses are in the form of a statement. "Shun it! but you deny the Last Judgement." You think that reckoning and accountability are falsehoods, and this is precisely the cause of your impudence and negligence of your duties. How can any person disbelieve in the Judgement and still lead a life based on goodness and right guidance? Some people may achieve a higher degree of faith: they worship Allah because they love Him, not out of fear of punishment nor in hope of reward. But these people continue to believe in the Last Judgement. They fear it and look forward to it at the same time, because they hope to be with their beloved Lord. When man, however, flatly rejects the Day of Judgement he will be devoid of politeness and light; his heart and conscience are dead. You deny the Day of Judgement when you will certainly face it. Everything you do in this life will be counted for or against you. Nothing is lost, nothing forgotten: " Yet there are guardians watching over you, noble recorders, who know all your actions. " These recorders are the angels charged with accompanying men, watching them and recording all what they do and say. We do not know and are not required to know how this takes place. Allah knows that we are neither given the ability to understand it nor are we going to benefit by understanding it because it does not affect the purpose of our existence. Hence it is useless to attempt to explain by our means what Allah has chosen not to reveal to us of the world of the imperceptible. Sufficient it is to us to feel that we do not live in vain and that there are noble recorders who note what we do, in order to be alert and prudent.

Since the atmosphere of the surah is one of benevolence and nobility, the description of those recorders given here is that they are "noble", so that we may feel shy and try to be polite in the presence of these noble angels. It is natural for people to exercise extra care not to say or do anything impolite or disgraceful when they are in the presence of noble people. How careful would they be if they realised that they were all the time in the presence of angels. The surah indeed arouses the most noble feelings of our upright nature by portraying this fact in such a familiar way.

Wassalam

Bismillah irrahman irrahim

Assalamu alaikum

The Tafsir of Surat Al-Mutaffifin

(Chapter - 83)

Which was revealed in Al-Madinah

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

 Tafsir Ibn Kathir

             ������ ����������������� - ��������� ����� ����������� ����� �������� ������������� - ������� ���������� ���� ������������ �����������

(1.   Woe to Al-Mutaffifin.) (2. Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, demand full measure,) (3. And when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due.)

Increasing and decreasing in the Measure and Weight will be a Cause for Regret and Loss

An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah both recorded from Ibn `Abbas that he said, "When the Prophet came to Al-Madinah, the people of Al-Madinah were the most terrible people in giving measurement (i.e., they used to cheat). Thus, Allah revealed,

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(Woe to Al-Mutaffifin.) After this, they began to give good measure.''[1][1] The meaning of the word Tatfif here is to be stingy with measurement and weight, either by increasing it if it is due from the others, or decreasing it if it is a debt. Thus, Allah explains that the Mutaffifin those whom He has promised loss and destruction, whom are meant by "Woe'' are

[��������� ����� ����������� ����� ��������]

(Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men,)

meaning, from among the people.

[�������������]

(demand full measure,)

meaning, they take their right by demanding full measure and extra as well.

[������� ���������� ���� ������������ ����������� ]

(And when they have to give by measure or weight to (other) men, give less than due.)

meaning, they decrease. Verily, Allah commanded that the measure and weight should be given in full. He says in another Ayah,

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(And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight. That is good and better in the end.) (17:35)

Allah also says,

[����������� ��������� ������������� ����������� ��� ��������� ������� ������ ���������]

(And give full measure and full weight with justice. We burden not any person, but with that which he can bear.) (6:152)

and He says,

[������������ ��������� ����������� ����� ����������� ����������� ]

(And observe the weight with equity and do not make the balance deficient.) (55:9)

Allah destroyed the people of Shu`ayb and wiped them out because of their cheating in weights and measurements.

Tafheem-ul-Quran

(83:1) Woe to those who give short weight, *1

*1 In the original the word mutaffifin has been used, which is derived from tatfif, a word used for an inferior and base thing in Arabic. Terminologically, tatfif is used for giving short weight and short measure fraudulently, for the person who acts thus while measuring or weighing, does not defraud another by any substantial amount, but skimps small amounts from what is due to every customer cleverly, and the poor customer dces not know of what and of how much he is being deprived by the seller.

(83:2) who, when they take by measure from others, take it fully, (83:3) and when they measure or weigh for them, they give them less than what is due *2 .

*2 At several places in the Qur'an giving of short measure and weight has been condemned and measuring fully and weighing rightly has been stressed. In Surah AI-An'am, it has been enjoined: "You should use a full measure and a just balance. We charge one only with that much responsibility that one can bear." (v. 152). In Surah Bani Isra'il it has been said: "Give full measure when you measure and weigh with even scales." (v. 35). In Surah Ar-Rehman it has been stressed: Do not upset the balance: weigh with equity and do not give short weight." (vv. 8-9). The people of the Prophet Shu`aib were punished for the reason that the evil of giving short measure and weight had become widespread among them and in spite of his counsel and advice they did not refrain from it.

Fi Zilal al Quran

Woe to the stinters who, when others measure for them, exact in full, but who, when they measure or weigh for others, defraud them

The surah may be divided into four parts The first opens with a declaration of war against the stinters: Woe to the stinters who, when others measure for them, exact infull, but who, when they measure or weigh for others, defraud them. Do such men not think that they will be raised to life on a great day, the day when all mankind shall stand before the Lord of all creation?

The surah depicts a social environment, and is also an account of the Islamic way of dealing with the world as it exists and with the human mind. This is what we shall attempt to explain as we consider the surah in detail.

Woe to the stinters who, when others measure for them, exact in full, but who, when they measure or weigh for others, defraud them.

The surah opens with Allah's declaration of war against the stinters "Woe to the stinters". The Arabic term used for "woe" implies destruction and ruin. The implication is the same whether we consider this verse as a statement of a future eventuality or a curse, for a curse made by Allah has the same effect as that of a statement of what is going to happen. The next two verses explain the meaning of the "stinters" or defrauders as intended in the surah. They are those "who when others measure for them, exact in full, but who, when they measure or weigh for others, defraud them." They are those who want their merchandise complete and intact when they buy, but they do not give the right amount when they sell.

Wassalam

Bismillah irrahman irrahim

Assalamu alaikum

The Tafsir of Surat Al-Mutaffifin

(Chapter � 83, Ayah 7-17)

Which was revealed in Al-Madinah

[بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ ]

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

 Tafsir Ibn Kathir

             [كَلاَّ إِنَّ كِتَـبَ الْفُجَّارِ لَفِى سِجِّينٍ - وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا سِجِّينٌ - كِتَـبٌ مَّرْقُومٌ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ الَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِ إِلاَّ كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ ءَايَـتُنَا قَالَ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ كَلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ كَلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُواْ الْجَحِيمِ ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَـذَا الَّذِى كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ ]

(7. Nay! Truly, the Record of the wicked is in Sijjin.) (8. And what will make you know what Sijjin is) (9. A Register inscribed.) (10. Woe, that Day, to those who deny.) (11. Those who deny the Day of Recompense.) (12. And none can deny it except every transgressor beyond bounds, the sinner!) (13. When Our Ayat are recited to him, he says: "Tales of the ancients!'') (14. Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering) which they used to earn.) (15. Nay! Surely, they will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day.) (16. Then verily, they will indeed enter the burning flame of Hell.) (17. Then, it will be said to them: "This is what you used to deny!'')

 The Record of the Wicked and some of what happens to Them

Allah says truly,

[إِنَّ كِتَـبَ الْفُجَّارِ لَفِى سِجِّينٍ]

(Nay! Truly, the Record of the wicked is in Sijjin.)

meaning, that their final destination and their abode will be in Sijjin, which is derived from the word prison (Sijn), and here it means straitened circumstances. Thus, Allah expresses the greatness of this matter, saying;

[وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا سِجِّينٌ ]

(And what will make you know what Sijjin is)

meaning, it is a great matter, an eternal prison, and a painful torment. Some have said that it is beneath the seventh earth. It has been mentioned previously in the lengthy Hadith of Al-Bara' bin `Azib that the Prophet said,

«يَقُول اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي رُوحِ الْكَافِ 85;ِ اكْتُبُو 75; كِتَابَه 15; فِي سِجِّينٍ. وَسِجِّي 06;ٌ هِيَ تَحْتُ الْأَرْض 16; السَّابِ 93;َة»

(Allah says concerning the soul of the disbeliever, `Record his book in Sijjin.' And Sijjin is beneath the seventh earth.)''[1][9]

it is known that the destination of the wicked people will be Hell, and it is the lowest of the low. For Allah says,

[ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَـهُ أَسْفَلَ سَـفِلِينَ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ]

(Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low. Save those who believe and do righteous deeds.) (95:5-6)

Here Allah says,

[كَلاَّ إِنَّ كِتَـبَ الْفُجَّارِ لَفِى سِجِّينٍ - وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا سِجِّينٌ ]

(Nay! Truly, the Record of the wicked is in Sijjin. And what will make you know what Sijjin is)

and it is full of hardship and misery. Allah says,

[وَإَذَآ أُلْقُواْ مِنْهَا مَكَاناً ضَيِّقاً مُّقَرَّنِينَ دَعَوْاْ هُنَالِكَ ثُبُوراً ]

(And when they shall be thrown into a narrow place thereof, chained together, they will exclaim therein for destruction.) (25:13)

Then Allah says,

[كِتَـبٌ مَّرْقُومٌ ]

(A Register inscribed.) This is not an explanation of His statement,

[وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا سِجِّينٌ ]

(And what will make you know what Sijjin is)

It is only an explanation of the destination that will be recorded for them, which is Sijjin. Meaning, it is inscribed, written, and completed. No one can add to it and no one can remove anything from it. This was said by Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi.[2][10] Then Allah said,

[وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ]

(Woe, that Day, to those who deny.)

meaning, when they come to the imprisonment, Allah threatened them with, on the Day of Judgement, and the disgraceful torment. The statement, "Woe,'' has already been discussed previously and there is no need to repeat it here. Basically, it means destruction and devastation. This is like what is said, "Woe to so-and-so.'' This is similar to what has been recorded in the Musnad and the Sunan collections on the authority of Bahz bin Hakim bin Mu`awiyah bin Haydah, who reported from his father, who reported from his grandfather that the Messenger of Allah said,

«وَيْلٌ لِلَّذِي يُحَدِّث 15; فَيَكْذِ 76;ُ لِيُضْحِ 03;َ النَّاسَ 48; وَيْلٌ لَهُ وَيْلٌ لَه»

(Woe unto whoever speaks, and lies in order to make the people laugh. Woe unto him, woe unto him.)[3][11]

Then Allah says, in explaining who are the wicked, disbelieving deniers,

[الَّذِينَ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ ]

(Those who deny the Day of Recompense.)

meaning, they do not believe it will happen, and they do not believe in its existence. Thus, they consider it a matter that is farfetched. Allah then says,

[وَمَا يُكَذِّبُ بِهِ إِلاَّ كُلُّ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ ]

(And none can deny it except every transgressor, sinner.)

meaning, transgressive in his actions by doing that which is forbidden and exceeding the limits when acquiring the permissible. He is a sinner in his statements, because he lies whenever he speaks, he breaks his promises whenever he makes them, and he behaves in an abusive and wicked manner whenever he argues. Concerning Allah's statement,

[إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ ءَايَـتُنَا قَالَ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ ]

(When Our Ayat are recited to him, he says: "Tales of the ancients!'')

meaning, whenever he hears the Words of Allah from the Messenger , he denies it and has ill thoughts about it. Thus, he believes that it is a collection gathered from the books of the ancients. This is as Allah says,

[وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ مَّاذَآ أَنزَلَ رَبُّكُمْ قَالُواْ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ ]

(And when it is said to them: "What is it that your Lord has sent down'' They say: "Tales of the men of old!'') (16:24)

Similarly Allah says,

[وَقَالُواْ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمْلَى عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً ]

(And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down: and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon.'') (25:5)

Then Allah continues saying,

[كَلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ ]

(Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering) which they used to earn.)

meaning, the matter is not as they claim, nor as they say: "Verily, this Qur'an is tales of the ancients.'' Rather, it is the Word of Allah, His inspiration and His revelation to His Messenger . The only thing that blocked their hearts from believing in it is the dark covering cast over it from the many sins and wrong they committed that has covered up their hearts. Thus, Allah says,

[كَلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ ]

(Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering) which they used to earn.)

This dark covering known as Rayn overcomes the hearts of the disbelievers, the covering of Ghaym is for the righteous, and the covering of Ghayn is for those who are near to Allah.

Ibn Jarir, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisa'i, and Ibn Majah all recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said,

«إِنَّ الْعَبْد 14; إِذَا أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا كَانَتْ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاء 15; فِي قَلْبِهِ 48; فَإِنْ تَابَ مِنْهَا صُقِلَ قَلْبُهُ 48; قوَإِنْ زَادَ زَادَتْ، فَذلِكَ قَوْلُ اللهِ تَعَالَى:

[كَلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ ]»

(Verily, when the servant commits a sin, a black spot appears in his heart. If he repents from it, his heart is polished clean. However, if he increases (in the sin), the spot will continue to increase. That is the statement of Allah: ((Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering) which they used to earn.))[4][12]

At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih.'' The wording of An-Nasa'i says,

«إِنَّ الْعَبْد 14; إِذَا أَخْطَأَ خَطِيئَة 11; نُكِتَ فِي قَلْبِهِ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاء 15; ، فَإِنْ هُوَ نَزَعَ وَاسْتَغ 18;فَرَ وَتَابَ صُقِلَ قَلْبُهُ ، فَإِنْ عَادَ زِيدَ فِيهَا حَتَّى تَعْلُو قَلْبَهُ فَهُوَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: [كَلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ ]»

(Whenever the servant commits a wrong, a black spot is put in his heart. So, if he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns to the sin, the spot will increase until it overcomes his (entire) heart, and this is the Ran that Allah mentions when He says: (Nay, but on their hearts is the Ran (covering) which they used to earn.))

Concerning Allah's statement,

[كَلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ ]

(Nay! Surely, they will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day.)

meaning, they will have a place on the Day of Judgement, and lodging in Sijjin. Along with this they will be veiled from seeing their Lord and Creator on the Day of Judgement. Imam Abu `Abdullah Ash-Shafi`i said, "In this Ayah is a proof that the believers will see Him (Allah), the Mighty and Sublime, on that Day.''

Concerning Allah's statement,

[ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَصَالُواْ الْجَحِيمِ ]

(Then verily, they will indeed enter the burning flame of Hell.)

meaning, along with this being prevented from seeing the Most Gracious, they will also be among the people of the Fire.

[ثُمَّ يُقَالُ هَـذَا الَّذِى كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ ]

(Then, it will be said to them: "This is what you used to deny!'') (83:17)

meaning, this will be said to them by way of scolding, rebuking, belittling, and humi- liation.

Tafheem-ul-Quran

(83:7) Indeed not! *4 Surely the records of the wicked are in the Prison Register *5

*4 That is, "These people are wrong in thinking that they will be let off without being called to account when they have committed such and such crimes in the world. "
*5 The word sijjin in the original is derived from sijn (a prison) and the explanation of it that follows shows that it implies the general Register in which the actions and deeds of the people worthy of punishment are being recorded.

(83:8) and what do you know what the Prison Register is? (83:9) It is a written book. (83:10) Woe on that Day to the beliers who belie (83:11) the Day of Recompense, (83:12) and none belies it but every sinful transgressor. (83:13) When Our Revelations are recited to him, *6 he says: "These are tales of the ancient times."

*6 "Our Revelations": those verses in which news of the Day of Recompense has been given.

(83:14) By no means! But the fact is that their evil deeds have stained their hearts. *7

*7 That is, they have no good reason for regarding the meting out of rewards and punishments as unreal. What has made them say this, is that their hearts have become rusty because of their sins; therefore, a thing which is thoroughly reasonable appears unreal and unreasonable to them. The explanation of this rust as given by the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) is as follows: "When a servant commits a sin, it marks a black stain on his heart. If he offers repentance, the stain is washed off, but if he persists in wrongdoing. It spreads over the whole heart." (Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir, Hakim, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Hibban and others).

(83:15) By no means! Surely on that Day they shall be debarred from their Lord's vision *8

*8 That is, these people will remain deprived of the vision of Allah with which the righteous will be blessed. Which is mentioned in (75:23) looking towards their Lord, *17

*17 Some commentators have understood this allegorically. They say that the words "looking towards someone" are used idiomatically for having expectations from some one, awaiting his decision and hoping for his mercy and kindness: so much so that even a blind person also says that he is looking towards some one in the hope to see how he helps him. But in a large number of the Ahadith the commentary that has been reported of it from the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) is that on the Hereafter the illustrious servants of AIlah will be blessed with the vision of their Lord. According to a tradition in Bukhari: "You will openly see your Lord." Muslim and Tirmidhi have related on the authority of Hadrat Suhaib that the Holy Prophet said: "When the righteous people enter Paradise. Allah will ask them: Do you want that I should bless you with something more? They will answer: Have you not made our faces bright: Have You not admitted us into Paradise and saved us from Hell? Thereupon, Allah will remove the curtain and none of the blessings that they had been blessed with until then will be dearer to them than that they should be blessed with the vision of their Lord" And this very reward is the additional reward about which the Qur'an says: "Those who have done excellent works, will get excellent rewards, and even something in addition to that." (Yunus: 26) Bukhari and Muslim have related, on the authority of Hadrat Abu Sa'id Khudri and Hadrat Abu Hurairah: "The people asked: O Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? The Holy Messenger replied: Do you find any difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when there is no cloud in between? They said that they did not. The Holy Messenger said: Likewise, you will see you Lord." Another tradition bearing almost on the same subject has been reported in Bukhari and Muslim from Hadrat Jarir bin `Abdullah. Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Daraqutni, lbn Jarir, Ibn AIMundhir. Tabarani, BaihaqI. Ibn Abi Shaibah and some other traditionists have related, with a little variation in wordings a tradition from Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Umar, saying: "The man of the lowest rank among the dwellers of Paradise will see the vastness of his kingdom up to a distance covered in two thousand years, and the people of the highest rank among them will see their Lord twice daily. Then, the Holy Prophet recited this verse: `On that Day some faces shall be fresh, looking towards their Lord'." A tradition in Ibn Majah from Hadrat Jabir bin 'Abdullah is to the effect: "AIIah will look towards them, and they will look towards Allah. Then, until Allah hides Himself from them, they will not pay attention to any other blessing of Paradise, and will continue to look towards Him." On the basis of this and many other traditions, the followers of the Sunnah almost unanimously understand this verse in the meaning that in the Hereafter the Dwellers of Paradise will be blessed with the vision of Allah, and this is supported by this verse of the Qur'an too: "Nay, surely on that Day they (the sinners) shall be kept away from their Lord's vision." (AI-Mutaffifin: 15). From this one can automatically conclude that this deprivation will be the lot of the sinners. not of the righteous.
Here, the question arises how can man ever see God? A thing is seen when it is there in a particular direction, place. form and colour, and the rays of light are reflected from it to the eye of man and its image is conveyed from the eye to the sight area in the brain. Is it ever conceivable with regard to the Being of Allah, Lord of the Universe, that man would be able to see Him in this way? But this question, in fact, springs from a grave misunderstanding. It does not take into account the distinction between two things: the essence of seeing and the specific form of the occurrence of the act of seeing with which we are familiar in the world. The essence of seeing is that the seer should be characterised by the power of sight: he should not be blind, and the thing to be seen should be manifest to him, not hidden from him. But in the world what we experience and observe is only the specific form of seeing in which a man or an animal practically sees something, and for this it is necessary that the seer should have an organ called the eye in his body, the eye should have the power of sight, it should have a physically bounded, coloured object before it, which should reflect rays of light to the eye, and the eye should be able to receive its image. Now, if a person thinks that the practical demonstration of the essence of seeing can take place only in the form with which we are familiar in the world, he would be only showing the narrowness of his own mental outlook; otherwise there can be in the Kingdom of God countless ways of seeing, which we cannot even imagine. The one who disputes this should tell us whether his God is seeing or blind. If He is seeing and sees His whole Universe and everything in it, does He see all this with an organ called the eye with which men and animals see things in the world, and does the act of seeing issue forth from Him as it issues forth from us? Obviously, the answer to this is in the negative, and when it is so, why should a sensible man find it difficult to understand that in the Hereafter the dwellers of Paradise will not see Allah in the specific form in which man sees something in the world, but there nature of seeing will be different, which we cannot comprehend here. The fact is that it is even more difficult for us to understand the nature of the Hereafter precisely and accurately than it is for a two-year-old child to understand what matrimonial life is, whereas he himself will experience it when he grows up.

(83:16) Then they shall enter Hell. (83:17) Then it will be said to them, "This is the very thing you used to belie."

Fi Zilal al Quran

No indeed; the record of the transgressors is in Sijjeen Would that you knew what Sijjeen is! It is a sealed book. Woe on that day to the disbelievers who deny the Day of Judgement. None denies it but the guilty aggressors, the evil-doers, who, when Our revelations are recited to them, cry "Fables of the ancients!" No indeed; their own deeds have cast a layer of rust over their hearts. No indeed; on that day they shall be shut out from their Lord they shall roast in Hell, and a voice will say to them "This is (the reality) which you denied!"

They think they will not be raised to life after death, so the Qur'an rebukes them and affirms that a record of their actions is kept. The location of that record is specified as an additional confirmation of the fact, albeit a location unknown to man. They are threatened with woe and ruin on that day when their sealed book shall be reviewed: No indeed; the record of the transgressors is in Sijjeen. Would that you knew what Sijjeen is! It is a sealed book. Woe on that day to the disbelievers.

The transgressors, as the Arabic term here connotes, are those who indulge excessively in sin. Their book is the record of their deeds. We do not know the nature of this book and we are not required to know. The whole matter belongs, in point of fact, to the realm of which we know nothing except what we are told by Allah, the Lord of that realm. This statement, that there is a record in Sijjeen of the transgressors' deeds, is followed by the familiar Qur'anic form of expression associated with connotation of greatness, "Would that you knew what Sijjeen is!" Thus, the addressee is made to feel that the whole matter is too great for his complete understanding.

The surah then gives further description of the transgressors' record: "It is a sealed book". There is no possibility of addition or omission until it is thrown open on that great day. When this takes place, "woe on that day to the disbelievers. " Then we are given information about the subject of disbelief, and the true character of the disbelievers who deny the Day of Judgement. None denies it but the guilty aggressors, the evil-doers, who, when Our revelations are recited to them, cry: 'Fables of the ancients!'

So, aggression and bad deeds lead the perpetrator to deny the Day of Judgement and to take a rude and ill-mannered attitude towards the Qur'an, describing it as "Fables of the ancients!" This description by the disbelievers is, of course, based on the fact that the Qur'an contains some historical accounts of former nations. These accounts are related as a lesson for later generations as they demonstrate with much clarity the working of the Divine rules to which all nations and generations are subject. They are strongly rebuked and reprobated for their rudeness and disbelief. These connotations, carried by the Arabic term "Kalla" (translated here as "No indeed"), are coupled with an assertion that their allegations are unfounded. We are then given an insight into the motives of their insolence and disbelief and the reasons for their inability to see the obvious truth or respond to it "their own deeds have cast a layer of rust over their hearts". Indeed the hearts of those who indulge in sin become dull, as if they are veiled with a thick curtain which keeps them in total darkness, unable to see the light. Thus they gradually lose their sensitivity and become lifeless. It has been transmitted by Ibn Jareer, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nassai and Ibn Majah that the Prophet said:

When a man commits a sin, it throws a black spot over his heart. If he repents, his heart is polished; but if he persists in his practice, the stains increase.

at-Tirmidhi described this tradition of the Prophet as authentic. an Nassai's version differs in wording but not in import. His version may be translated as follows:

When a man commits a sin, a black spot is formed on his heart. If he desists, prays for forgiveness and repents, his heart will be polished; but if he persists, the spot grows bigger until it has covered his whole heart.

This is what Allah refers to when he says: "No indeed, their own deeds have cast a layer of rust over their hearts." Explaining this verse, Imam Al-Hassan Al-Basri said: "It is a case of one sin on top of another until the heart is blinded and dies."

Thus we have learnt the situation of the transgressing disbelievers, as well as their motives for transgression and disbelief. Then we are told what will happen to them on that great day, a destiny which befits their evil deeds and denial of the truth: No indeed! on that day they shall be shut out from their Lord. They shall roast in Hell, and a voice will say to them: 'This is (the reality) which you denied!

Because their sins have cast a thick veil over their hearts, they are unable in this life to feel the presence of Allah, and it is only appropriate that they will not be allowed to see His glorious face. They will be deprived of this great happiness, which is bestowed only on those whose hearts and souls are so clean and transparent that they deserve to be with their Lord, without any form of separation or isolation.

Such people are described in surah 75 'The Resurrection': On that day there shall be joyous faces, looking towards their Lord. (Al-Qur'an 75:23)

This separation from their Lord is the greatest and most agonising punishment and deprivation. It is a miserable end of a man whose very humanity is derived from only one source, namely his contact with Allah, his benevolent Lord. When man is torn away from this source of nobleness he loses all his qualities as a human being and sinks to a level which makes him deserve to be thrown in Hell. "They shall roast in Hell." On top of that, there is something much worse and much more agonising, namely, rebuke. "And a voice will say to them," This is (the reality) which you denied!"

Wassalam