Ayah 39:31Justice in the court of Resurrection: The form in which the right of the oppressed will be retrieved from the oppressor.
In verse 31, it was said: ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ (After that, on the Day of Doom, you will surely place your disputes before your Lord). Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that the word:إِنَّكُمْ (innakum: surely you...) at this place includes - believers, disbelievers, Muslims - all of them, oppressor or oppressed. All of them will submit their cases in the court of their Lord, and He will have the right of the oppressed paid back by the oppressor whether a disbeliever, or believer. And the form in which these rights will be paid back will be what has mentioned in a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that appears in the Sahih of al-Bukhari. According to this, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، said, 'a person who has a right of someone due against him should either pay it off, or have it forgiven right here in this world and become halal, that is, stand absolved of any responsibility on that count. The reason is that there are not going to be any currencies of dirhams and dinars (or any others found in the mortal world) in the universe of the Hereafter. If the oppressor has some good deeds in his account, then, these deeds will be taken from him to the measure of the oppression he did, and will be given to the oppressed. And in case he has no good deeds with him, bad deeds and sins of the oppressed will be taken from him and put into the account of the oppressor.
And there is a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ in Sahih Muslim according to which the Holy Prophet ﷺ on a certain day asked his noble Sahabah, "Do you know who a pauper is?" The Sahabah said, ya rasulAllah, as for us, a pauper is one who has neither cash nor things needed (to run one's life).' He said, "The real pauper in my Ummah is a person who will come to the Day of Judgment with lots of good deeds, prayers, fasts, zakah and things like that, but such would the record (of his dealings with others) that he (in his mortal life) would have hurled invectives on someone, leveled false accusation against someone, devoured someone's property by unfair means, had someone killed, beaten or harassed. All those so oppressed will take their plaint before Allah, and the good deeds of the oppressor will be distributed over the oppressed. After that, when no good deeds are left, and the claims of the oppressed still remain to be settled, then, the sins of the oppressed will be passed on to the oppressor, and he will be thrown into the Jahannam. [ Hence, this person despite having everything, ended up being a pauper on the Day of Judgment - he is what a real pauper is!]
And Tabarani, citing a trustworthy authority, has reported from Sayyidna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "The first case presented in the court of Allah will be that of man and his wife and, by God, the tongue will be silent there, instead, hands and feet of the woman will bear witness as to blames she used to impute to her husband. Similarly, the hands and feet of the man will bear witness as to how he used to cause pain to his wife. After that, servants will be brought before their respective masters, and redress will be provided for their complaints. After that, people from common markets with whom one had one or the other dealing will be presented, and if one of them has been subjected to some injustice, his right will be duly vacated.'
Ayahs 39:32–35All deeds will be given against oppressions and infringement of rights, but one's 'iman (faith) will not be given
After having reported all Hadith narrations cited above, it has been said in Tafsir Mazhari that the thing mentioned about giving the deeds of the oppressor in settlement of the rights of the oppressed means deeds other than 'iman (faith). The reason is that all oppressions and injustices are acts of sin. They are not kufr or disbelief. And the punishment of sinful deeds will be limited as against 'iman (faith) which is a limitless deed. Its reward too is limitless, that is, living in Jannah forever - even though, it may happen after having gone through the punishment of sins and staying in Jahannam for a certain period of time. The outcome is, when the good deeds of the oppressor - with the exception of 'iman (faith) - will finish once given to the oppressed to the last deed leaving nothing behind but 'iman, then, this 'iman will not be taken away from him forcibly. Instead, the rights of the oppressed will be paid back by putting the sins of the oppressed in the account of the oppressor. As a result, this person will, after he has undergone the punishment of his sins, will finally enter the Jannah, and then this state of his will be everlasting. The author of Tafsir Mazhari says that Imam al-Baihaqi has also said so.
In verse 32, it was said: كَذَّبَ بِالصِّدْقِ (rejects the truth) while in verse 33, it was said: الَّذِي جَاءَ بِالصِّدْقِ (As for the one who has come with the truth): At both these places, the word الصِّدْقِ : (as-sidq: the truth) means teachings brought by the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، whether it be the Qur'an, or be other teachings of ahadith in addition to the Qur'an. And the expression: صَدَّقَ بِهِ (saddaga bihi: and believed it to be true - 39:33) includes all believers who have testified to it.
Ayahs 39:36–41Commentary
In the first verse (36), it was said: أَلَيْسَ اللَّـهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ (Is Allah not sufficient for (the protection of) His slave?). This verse was revealed in the background of an event. The disbelievers had threatened the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his noble Sahabah by saying that, should they act irreverently against their idols, they would never escape the curse of these idols, something very lethal to face. In reply, they were told: Is Allah not sufficient for His slave?
Therefore, some commentators have taken: عَبْدَه (abdahu: His slave) here to mean a particular slave of Allah, that is, the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) ، a summary of whose Tafsir appears in the original edition of Ma’ ariful-Qur'an, has also opted for this very Tafsir. Then there are other commentators who have taken abd or slave in its general sense. Another qira'ah (rendition) of this verse as: عِبَادہ (` ibadihi: His slaves) supports this position. And as for the subject itself, it is, after all, general in the sense that Allah Ta’ ala is sufficient for everyone among His slaves.
A lesson, and a good counsel
In verse 36, it was said: وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ (And they are frightening you of those [ false gods whom they worship ] other than Him.), that is, 'the disbelievers frighten you with the displeasure of their false objects of worship'. Readers of this verse generally tend to pass by it thinking that it is talking about a particular event that relates to the threats of disbelievers and to the blessed person of the Holy Prophet t, hence they would not exert enough to find out the guidance that it has for us. Although, it is an open fact that anyone who threatens a Muslim on the ground that, should he not do such and such haram act or sin, his superiors at whose mercy he is, will be displeased with him, and may even hurt him is also included under this verse, even if the person giving a threat is a Muslim, and the person he is being threatened of is also no one else but a Muslim, virtually Muslims on both sides. And these are terrible times for all. This happens all over the world, in most jobs they do. They have to face a dilemma. Are they willing and ready to contravene the Divine laws (they are bound with)? Or else, are they prepared to become targets of the wrath and retribution of their superior officers? This verse gives a guideline good enough for all of them: Is Allah Ta’ ala not sufficient to protect you? Here you are. You make a resolve that you will abstain from committing sins exclusively for the sake of Allah. Then you simply do not care about any officer, any authority asking you to act counter to Divine laws. If you do just that, the help and support of Allah Taala shall be with you. The worst that can happen is that you may lose that job. So, what? Allah Ta’ ala will make some other arrangement for your sustenance. And for that matter, it is typical of a believer that he himself keeps trying to find a suitable job elsewhere after which he is placed in a position of leaving it immediately.
Ayahs 39:42–45Commentary
The time to sleep and the time to die: How is the soul exacted and what is the difference between the two
In verse 42, it was said: اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا (Allah fully takes away the souls [ of the people ] at the time of their death, and [ of ] those who do not die, in their sleep.). The word: تَوَفَّی (tawaffa) literally means to receive, to take back, exact. In this verse, Allah Ta’ ala has stated very clearly and emphatically that the spirits or souls (arwah) of living beings are under the free will and discretionary dispensation of Allah Ta’ ala at all times and under all conditions. He can seize, exact and take them back at will. And there is at least one manifestation of this absolutely autonomous dispensation that every living being sees and feels everyday when, once asleep, the ruh (spirit, soul) of a person is, so to say, taken away from the body, then, returned on rising from sleep, and ultimately, one such time is bound to come when this ruh stands seized, absolutely and conclusively, following which, this will never be returned.
According to Tafsir Mazhari, the sense of 'taking the ruh away' is to sever its connection with the human body. There are occasions when it is totally severed, both outwardly and inwardly. This is what death is. Then, there are occasions when it is severed only outwardly while it remains active inwardly, the effect of which is that it is only the sense and volitional movement - being obvious signs of life - that are severed, however, the connection of ruh with the body remains active inwardly. Under this arrangement, one breathes and stays alive, however, the form it takes is that the human spirit (ruh) is made to turn its attention to a (panoramic) study of the universe of images ('Alam-ul-mithal), and whereby it is made to pass into a state of forgetfulness and suspension away from this universe, so that one can become fully at rest. And then, at times, even this inward connection is severed because of which the life of the body goes extinct, totally.
In the verse cited above, the word: يَتَوَفَّى (yatawaffa) in the sense of 'takes in full' (qabd) is used by way of ` umum-ul- majaz which covers both meanings. This difference of ruh (spirit, soul) being taken away both in death and sleep delineated earlier also finds support in a saying of Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ . He said that, at the time of sleep, the ruh of a person goes away from his body, but a beam or ray of ruh stays behind in the body due to which one remains alive - and it is through this 'beamed' connection that one sees a dream. Then this dream, in the event that it has been seen in the state the attention of the ruh was raptly turned towards the universe of images, is a true dream. But, if it was seen in a state when the ruh was returning back to the body, then, it becomes polluted with Shaitanic inputs, and that dream no more remains a true dream. And he also said that the ruh that comes out of the body of a person during the state of sleep returns to the body when one wakes up within a time that is much less than an eye would take to wink.
Ayah 39:46In verse 46, it was said: قُلِ اللَّـهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (Say, "0 Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth...). According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abd-ur-Rahman Ibn ` Awf ؓ appearing in Sahih Muslim, he says, "I asked Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ L as to what it was from which the Holy Prophet ﷺ began his nightly prayer (tahajjud)? She said, 'When he rose for the salah of tahajjud, he used to recite this prayer:
اَللَّھُمَّ رَبَّ جِبرِیلَ وَ میکَایٔیلَ وَ اِسرَافِیلَ ، فَاطِرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الاَرضِ عالِمَ الغَیبِ وَ الشَّھَادَۃِ اَنتِ تَحکُمُ بَینَ عِبَادِکَ فِیمَا کَانُوا فِیہِ یَختَلِفُونَ ، اِھدِنِی لِما اختُلِفَ فِیہِ مِنَ لحَقَّ بِاِذنِکَ اِنَّکَ تَھدِی مَن تَشَآُء اِلٰی صِرَطِ مُّستَقِیم۔
0 Allah, Lord of Jabra'i1 and Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, you will judge between Your servants in that about which they used to differ.. Guide me, with Your will, to the truth in which people have disputes, for You are the One who guides whomsoever He wills to the straight path.
A prayer that is answered
Sayyidna Said Ibn Jubayr ؓ says that he knows a verse of the noble Qur'an after reciting which the prayer one makes is answered. Then he pointed out to this very verse that begins with the words: اللَّـهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (0 Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth... to the end of verse 39:46) - (al-Qurtubi)
Ayahs 39:47–52In verse 47, it was said: وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَحْتَسِبُونَ (And there will appear to them from Allah what they have never imagined.) The famous tabi` i, Sufyan Thawri recited this verse and said, 'Ruined are those who did good deeds only to pretend their piety before people. (He repeated this sentence twice) This verse is about them. They did good deeds in their mortal life to impress people, who took them to be good people. Even they themselves used to deceive themselves by thinking that these deeds will become a source of salvation for them in the Hereafter. But, as these were never performed with unalloyed sincerity ('ikhlas), they deserve no reward in the sight of Allah. So, once they are in the life after death, the punishment would come upon them suddenly against their expectation.' (Qurtubi)
An important instruction concerning 'mushajarat' (disagreements among Sahabah)
Someone asked Rabi' Ibn-u1_-Khaitham about the shahadah (martyrdom) of Sayyidna Husain ؓ . He sighed and recited the verse (46): قُلِ اللَّـهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ ( O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You will judge between Your servants...) and said, 'whenever you have a doubt in your heart about the mutual difference of the noble Sahabah, do recite this verse.' Tafsir Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani reports this statement and then says: This teaches us the best etiquette in regard to this issue, and is something one should always bear in mind.
Ayahs 39:53–54Commentary
Verse 53 opens with the words: قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَ‌فُوا (0 servants of Mine who have acted recklessly against their own selves, do not despair of Allah's mercy. Surely, Allah will forgive all sins.). Taba` i, Said Ibn Jubayr reports from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that there were some people who had killed a lot of people unjustly and had committed a lot of shameful acts. They came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and submitted before him, 'The religion you invite us to is, no doubt, very good, but we have a problem. We think about all those major sins we have already committed. Now if we were to become Muslims, do you hope that our repentance will be accepted?' Thereupon, Allah Ta’ ala revealed this verse to the Holy Prophet ﷺ - reported by al-Bukhari in that sense (al-Qurtubi).
Therefore, the outcome of the subject taken up in the verse comes to be that, well before death arrives, the repentance made from sins, no matter how serious, even from kufr (disbelief) and shirk (ascribing of partners to Allah), gets to be accepted. And by virtue of a genuine taubah (repentance), all sins will be forgiven, therefore, no one should lose hope in the mercy of Allah.
Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ said that, out of all verses of the Qur'an, this verse brings the strongest message of hope for sinners. But, Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said that the strongest such verse is: إِنَّ رَ‌بَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَ‌ةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ ظُلْمِهِمْ (And surely, your Lord is the lord of forgiveness for the people against their wrongdoings - Ar-Ra'd, 13:6)
Ayah 39:55In verse 55, it was said: وَاتَّبِعُوا أَحْسَنَ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم (and follow the best of what has been sent down to you). The second phrase أَحْسَنَ مَا أُنزِلَ (the best of what has been sent down) means the Qur'an, and the whole Qur'an is but ahsan, the best - and the Qur'an can be called: اَحسَںَ و اکمل (best) also in the sense that out of all scriptures - Torah, Injil, Zabur - revealed from Allah Ta’ ala, the Qur'an is the best and the most perfect. (Qurtubi)
Ayahs 39:56–58The next three verses (56-58), beginning from: أَن تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ يَا حَسْرَ‌تَىٰ (Pity on me, because I fell short in respect of Allah... 39:56) and concluding on: مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (...become one of those who are good in deed - 39:58), have elaborated and emphasized the subject of the three verses earlier to it (53-55), that no sinner of any description should despair of the mercy of Allah, for should he repent, Allah will forgive all his past sins. But through the use of the expression: أَن تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ (lest someone should say) at the head of the three verses: 56, 57 and 58, it was reminded that the time of taubah has a deadline - it has to be well before death. If someone were to think of making his taubah after death on the Day of Judgment, or is simply filled with remorse over what awful things he had done to himself, then, that will bring him no benefit.
In this context, it has been mentioned that some disbelievers, on the Day of Judgment, would express different wishes, regretting what they had done. Someone will be filled with remorse as to why did he have to fall short in obeying the commands of Allah Ta’ ala. Then, there will be that odd person even at a place like that who would love to wriggle out of the impasse blaming his destiny for his misconduct by saying - 'Had Allah Ta’ ala given me the necessary guidance, I too would have been one of those who feared Him, but since He gave me no guidance, there was nothing I could do about it.' Still someone else would wish: 'Would that I were to be sent back into the world to become an observing believer, obeying the commandments of Allah at its best.' But, that will be a time when no wish and no remorse of any kind will work.
These three different wishes could belong to different people, and it is also possible that these three wishes could have come, one after the other, from a single group of disbelievers, because, with the last saying which mentions the wish to be sent back to this world, it has been said in the verse that it will come to pass after they had seen the punishment. This obviously suggests that the first two sayings belong to a time before they saw the punishment, that is, it will be on the very first day of Qiyamah that they will remember the shortcomings of their deeds and say: يَا حَسْرَ‌تَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّ‌طتُ فِي جَنبِ اللَّـهِ (Pity on me, because I fell short in respect of Allah ...39:56). Later, as an excuse, they will say that they were helpless, and had Allah guided them, they too would have become obedient and fearing, but when He Himself gave them no guidance, they were hardly at fault. After that, when they see the punishment, they would wish to be sent back into the world. In these three verses, Allah Ta’ ala has made it very clear that the forgiveness and mercy of Allah is very extensive. But, it can be won only when one repents before death. Therefore, Allah was alerting them right there against the possibility that they start to show remorse after death, and indulge in these redundant wishes in the Hereafter.
Ayahs 39:59–62In verse 59, it was said: بَلَىٰ قَدْ جَاءَتْكَ آيَاتِي فَكَذَّبْتَ بِهَا (Why not? My verses had reached you, but you called them untrue, and waxed proud, and became of those who disbelieved...). In this verse, what the disbelievers said in: (If Allah were to show me the way, I would have surely been among those who fear Allah",- 39:57) has been answered. The outcome of this verse is that Allah had already given the necessary guidance, fully and conclusively. He had sent His books, verses and signs. Therefore, their claim that Allah gave them no guidance was absurd. Of course, once He had given the guidance, Allah never forced anyone to be good and obedient. In fact, every servant of His was given the choice to take to either the way of the truth or the way of the false. This was a test for the maker of the choice. On this depended his or her success or failure. Whoever took to the way of error by one's own free will, choice and volition, he or she is, himself or herself, responsible for it.
Ayahs 39:63–66Commentary
The word: مَقَالِيدُ (maqalid) in: لَّهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (To Him belong the keys to the heavens and the earth.- 39:63) is the plural form of: مِقلاد (miqlad) or: مِقلِید (miqlid) meaning a key. It has been said that this word has really been Arabicized from the Persian language. In Persian, a key is called کَلِید (kalid). When Arabicized, it became: اِقلِید (iqlid) with its plural being: مَقَالِيدُ (maqalid) (Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani). Having keys in one's hand denotes ownership, possession and the ability to dispense at will. Therefore, the sense of the verse is that the keys to whatever treasures lie hidden in the heavens and the earth are in the hands of Allah and He alone is the custodian and the dispenser in that it is He who gives whenever He wills to whomever He wills and as much as He wills - and would just not give to anyone He so wills.
And in some narrations of Hadith, the third kalimah, that is: سُبحَانَ اللہِ وَالحَمدُ للہِ وَ لا إلہ إلا اللہُ و اللہُ اَکبَر وَلَاحولَ وَلَا قُوَّۃَ اِلَّا بِاللہِ اَلعَلِیِّ العَظِیم (Pure is Allah and Praised is Allah and there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and Allah is Great and there is no strength and there is no power except from Allah, the High, the Great) has been called: مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ ('the keys to the heavens and the earth' - 39:63). The outcome is: One who recites this kalimah, mornings and evenings, is blessed by Allah Ta’ ala from the treasures of the heavens and the earth. Ibn-ul-Jawzi has declared these narrations to be: موضوع (mawdu': fabricated, forged). But, other Hadith experts have rated these as weak ضَعِیف (da` if) ahadith that can be relied
upon in the matter of the merits of good deeds. (Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani)
Ayah 39:67In the last verse (67), it was said: وَالْأَرْ‌ضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ(and the whole earth will be in a single grip of His hand on the Day of Doom and the heavens, rolled up on His right hand). The earth being in the hand-grip of Allah Ta’ ala and the heavens being rolled up on His right hand appears here, in the view of the early forbears of Islam, in its real sense. But, the subject of the verse falls in the category of al-mutashabihat (of hidden meaning) the reality of which is not known to anyone except Allah Ta’ ala. For people in general, even trying to find out its reality is forbidden. Hence, the thing to do is no more but to believe that whatever Allah Ta’ ala means thereby is true and correct. And since the apparent words of this verse seem to suggest grasp, grip or a hand holding something ('qabdah', mutthi, handful) as well as the presence of a right hand that are parts of a body while Allah Ta’ ala is pure and free from body and physicality. To this, towards the end of the verse, a hint was released: Do not take these words on the analogy of your body limbs. Allah Ta` la is free from these: سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِ‌كُونَ (Pure is He, far too high from what they ascribe to Him - 39:67).
Later day scholars, taking this verse to be metaphorical, explain it by saying that having something grasped in hand and having something in the right hand is an allusion to having something under full possession and control - and it is this perfect possession and control that is meant here. And Allah, He is pure and high - He knows best.
Ayah 39:68Commentary
In verse 68, it was said: فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّـهُ and all those in the heavens and all those in the earth will faint, except the one whom Allah wills." The word: صَعِقَ (sa'iqa) literally means to swoon, faint or fall unconscious, and the sense is that they all will become unconscious first, then die, and those who had already died, their spirits will become unconscious (as in Bayan ul-Qur’ an under the commentary on Surah An-Naml and in Ibn Kathir likewise).The last part of the verse: إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّـهُ : "except those whom Allah wills [ otherwise ] " needs to be explained. Included here, according to the narrations of ad-durr-ul-manthur, there are four angels - Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil and ` Izra'il (the angel of death) - and as in some narrations, the angels bearing the Throne are also included therein. That they have been so exempted means that the effect of the blowing of the sur will not cause death to them. But, later on, they too will meet their death. And no one, except the one and single Being of Allah subhanahu wa to ala, will remain alive at that time. Ibn Kathir has also opted for this view, and has said that, even out of all of them, the angel of death will be the last to die. Another verse similar to this has appeared in Surah An-Naml also where instead of the word: صَعِقَ (sa'iqa: faint), the word used is: فَزِعَ (fazi'a: frightened). Some details about it have been given there as well. (Ma’ ariful-Qur'an, Volume VI, please see under commentary on Surah An-Naml, 27:87).