Topic: SURAH AN-NAZI^AT

[Hadi]

SURAH AN-NAZI^AT
Makkiyyan by consensus.
Comprised of forty-six (46) ayahs.

In the Name of God:??? ???? ?????? ??????

??????????????? ??????? (1)   1. I [Allah] adjure by the angels who wrench out the souls of the blasphemers;

????????? ????? (2)   2. I [Allah] adjure by the angels who gently slip out the souls of the believers;

??????????????? ??????? (3)   3. I [Allah] adjure by the angels who glide back and forth on errands, managing the horizons by the orders of Allah;

??????????????? ??????? (4)   4. I [Allah] adjure by the angels who race forward to Paradise with the souls of the believers;

????????????????? ??????? (5)   5. I [Allah] adjure by the angels who manage carrying out the commands of their Lord.

?????? ???????? ???????????? (6)   6. The day the first sounding of the Horn shall quake the mountains and Earth;

??????????? ???????????? (7)   7. Followed by the second sounding of the Horn.

??????? ?????????? ????????? (8)   8. The hearts of the blasphemers shall be dreadfully agitated;

???????????? ????????? (9)   9. Cast down in humiliation shall be the eyes of those blasphemers.

?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ??? ???????????? (10)   10. Mockingly they say, denouncing the Resurrection: “Shall we indeed
return to life in the graves?”

[Hadi]

? ?? ?? (11)
11. “What!  When we shall have become rotten, decayed bones?”

? ?? ? (12)
12. They mockingly say: “Our return to life would, in that case, be a losing one!”

? ? ?? (13)
13. But verily, it will be but a single sounding of the Horn,

? ? ?? (14)
14. When they will be brought out to the surface of the earth.

? ? (15)
15. [O Muhammad] has the story of Musa reached you?

? ?? ? ? ?? (16)
16. Behold, his Lord did call to him in the purely blessed Valley of Tuwa:

? ?? ? ? ?? (17)
17. [O Musa] go you to Pharaoh, for he has indeed transgressed by committing blasphemy,

? ? ?? ? ?? (18)   
18. And say to him, “Won’t you accept my call to Islam and purify you from sin?”

?? ? (19)   
19. And that I guide you to worship your Lord so that you may fear Him?”

?? ? (20)                
20. Then Musa showed Pharaoh the great miracles

? (21)                
21. But Pharaoh belied Musa and disobeyed Allah;

?? ?? ? (22)                
22. Further, he turned his back on the correct belief, and strived hard in corruption, and against Musa.

?? ?? (23)                
23. Then he gathered his sorcerers and soldiers and made a loud proclamation,

? ?? (24)                
24. Saying, “I am your Lord, most high.”

? ? ? ? ? (25)   
25. But Allah did punish him for his first statement and his last one; and Allah made an example of him.

?? ? ? (26)   
26. Verily in this is a lesson for whosoever fears Allah.

[Hadi]

? ? ? ? ? ?? (27)   
27. What!  Are you the more difficult to create, or the sky above?  Allah has constructed it,

?? (28)   
28. He raised the sky high over earth and every one of the seven skies over the other--perfectly constructed, smooth, and without defect.

? ? ?? (29)   
29. Its night He endows with darkness, and its Duha (morning sun) He brings out with light.

? ?? (30)   
30. And the earth has He created before the sky, and made it suitable for habitation;

?? ? ?? (31)   
31. He drew out from it its water and its pasture;

? (32)   
32. And the mountains He has firmly fixed;

?? ? (33)   
33. A provision for you and your livestock.

? ? ?? ? (34)   
34. Therefore, when the great event of the Day of Judgment comes,

?? ?? ?? (35)   
35. The Day when man shall remember all his deeds that he had forgotten,

?? ? ?? (36)   
36. And Hellfire shall be placed in full view for the one who sees,

?? ? ?? (37)   
37. Then, for the one who had transgressed by disobedience and blasphemy,

? ? (38)   
38. And had indulged in the desires of this life, and ignored preparations for the Hereafter,

? ? ? ? (39)   
39. The dwelling place will be Hellfire.

?? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?? (40)   
40. For the one who had attended to the fear of standing before his Lord, and had restrained himself from
sins and prohibitions,

? ? ? ? (41)   
41. The abode will be Paradise.

? ? ? ?? ? (42)   
42. Mockingly, the blasphemers of Makkah, ask you:  “O Muhammad When will be the appointed time of
the Day of Judgment?”

?? ? ? (43)   
43. For what do they ask you, when you have not been granted such knowledge?

?? ? (44)   
44. Allah alone knows the appointed time of the Day of Judgment.

?? ?? ? ? (45)   
45. You are but a Warner for those who fear it, and henceforth, abstain from blasphemy and transgression.

?? ?? ? ? ? ? ?? (46)   46. The day they see it, it will be as if they lived in this world for the duration of a single evening’s dusk, or a single morning’s light of the sun!

[Hadi]

THE EXPLANATION

Allah adjured by certain things in the first five (5) ayahs to confirm to us that the Day of Judgment is a true matter:
 
1.  {??? ?}                 
          Allah adjures by the angels who violently wrench out the souls of the blasphemers,
 
2.  {??? ?}                
          Allah adjures by the angels who gently slip out the souls of the believers,
 
3.  {??? ?}             
          Allah adjures by the angels who glide back and forth to the horizons to run the errands of managing and carrying out the orders of Allah,
 
4.  {??? ?}                 
          Allah adjures by the angels who are keen to race the souls of the believers forward to Paradise,

[Hadi]

5.  {?? ?}                  
          And Allah adjures by the angels who manage the rain, clouds, and plants as their Lord commanded them.

          Allah cleared the angels from the element of femininity[1] and rebuked the blasphemers who said that the angels are females in ayah 19 of Surah az-Zukhruf:
.{ ? ? ? ? ?? ?? }

          Hence, the previous verses are in reference to the matters carried out by the angels while clearing them from the element of femininity.  In the first five (5) ayahs, Allah adjured by the aforementioned angels.  Al-Farra’ said,  'The answer statement which clarifies the subject matter of  the adjuration is not mentioned, however, its innate meaning is that Allah adjures by those angels that the blasphemers shall surely be resurrected and judged.  Allah left out stating this meaning because the meaning is insinuated in the text and is easily comprehended by the listener'.

          Ash-Sha^biyy said, 'The Creator adjures by whatever He wills among His creations.  However, the created one adjures only by the Creator.  Allah adjured by some of His creations that stand out in the eyes of His creations, to make His Power known to them.  The things that Allah adjured by indicate and prove the existence of Allah.  Moreover that they are the subject matter of Allah’s adjuration is a sign that they contain benefits for the slaves of Allah.  For example, Allah adjured by at-tin (the figs) and az-zaytun (the olives). This is an indication that they contain benefits for the slaves of Allah.'

          The Hafidh Ibn Hajar said in Fath Al-Bari: 
Ash-Shafi^iyy said, ‘I fear that it may be sinful to adjure by other than Allah (which means that it is extremely disliked).’  The Imam of al-Haramayn said, ‘Our school confirms that adjuring by other than Allah is disliked.’ Others gave details on the subject.  If one believes that what he adjures by is exalted as Allah is exalted, then it is forbidden to adjure by it and indeed it is blasphemy to adjure by it.  This is the context of the hadith narrated by at-Tirmidhiyy: 
<<?? ? ? ?? ?>>

This means:  <<The one who adjures by other than Allah commits blasphemy or shirk>>.  However, if one adjures by other than Allah and aggrandizes it in a befitting manner, one does not blaspheme, but his oath is invalid.


 
___________________ ___________________ __
[1] Angels are creations of Allah created from light. They are neither male nor female.  They do not eat, drink, get married, or have children.  Allah created them with the strength to always obey and worship Him.

[Hadi]

6.  {??? ?? }             
          The term ar-rajifah () refers to ‘the first sounding of the Horn' as mentioned by Ibn ^Abbas.  When it is sounded, the earth and the mountains will quake.
 
7.  {?? ??}
          Ar-radifah (??) is 'the second sounding of the Horn.'  There are forty (40) years between the first and the second sounding.  Ibn ^Abbas said:  The two (2) soundings are the two (2) screams.  The first shall make everything die by the Will of Allah.  The second shall follow to quicken everything with life by the Will of Allah. 
 
8.  {? ? }             
          On that day the hearts of the blasphemers will be extremely frenzied and dreadfully agitated.
 
9.  {??? }                 
          The eyes of the blasphemers shall be cast downward in humiliation because of the dreadfulness they observe.
 
10.  {? ?? ?? }             
          Ibn ^Abbas said:  "In mocking and denying the Resurrection, the blasphemers shall say, ‘shall we indeed return to life in the grave!?" Their tone reflects that they believe this will not happen.
          Ibn ^Amir and the people of Al-Kufah recited with two light hamzahs on 'a'inna (??) to reflect the interrogative context.
 
11.  {? ?? ??}         
          Al-Qurtubiyy said:  The blasphemers, in denying the Resurrection said, ‘What! We shall be resurrected when we shall have become rotten decayed bones!’
Hamzah and Abu Bakr from ^Asim recited nakhirah () and Al-Farra' said both recitations have the same meaning.
 
12.  {? ?? ? }
          Not believing that the Resurrection will happen, the blasphemers mockingly and denyingly said, ‘If this return to the life happens in our graves, it shall be a losing affair for us.’

[Hadi]

13.  {? ? ?? }       
          Ar-Rabi^ Ibn Anas said that it means, 'But verily, it will be but a single sounding of the horn (in reference to the second sounding) that signals the beginning of the Resurrection and all will be alive again.'  This ayah shows that creating the Resurrection is an easy matter for Allah.  By this, Allah countered the blasphemers’ denial of the Resurrection in ayah 10 by confirming how easily will be created.
 
14.  {? ? ??}             
          All creations shall gather on the surface of earth, brought up--after having been dead--from the belly of the earth.  Ibn Mas^ud said:
(? ?? ? ?? ?? ? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??)  This means, ' The earth shall change into a silver-like earth clear of any bloodshed or committed sins'.  The Hafidh Ibn Hajar said:  Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated it in Ash-Shu^ab and the chain of narrators qualify it as sahih.

[Hadi]

15.  {? ? }      
          The meaning was stated by Al-Qurtubiyy and others.  They said it means:  'O Muhammad, you have received the story of Musa and the rebellion of Pharaoh, and how Musa was rescued and Pharaoh was destroyed.'  The underlying message is consoling the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and putting him at ease--giving him the good tidings that he shall be saved from the harm of the mushriks, and that they shall be destroyed. 
 
16.  {? ?? ? ? ??}                
          Al-Hasan said Tuwa (??) is a valley in Palestine.  Ibn ^Abbas said:  The name of that valley is Tuwa, which means 'saved', that is, 'purified and blessed'.  Allah called to Musa in the pure and blessed Valley of Tuwa.  Ibn Kathir, Nafi^, and Abu ^Amr recited Tuwa-dhhab      ( ? ) and the rest recited Tuwan (??) with a tanwin.
 
17.  {? ?? ? ? ??}     
                   
          Allah informed Musa that Pharaoh transgressed by committing blasphemy.  Pharaoh was the title of al-Walid Ibn Mus^ab, the King of Egypt.  In the Arabic language, as was mentioned by al-Jawhariyy, every arrogant, sly snob is called 'pharaoh'. The term 'pharaohnism' in Arabic refers to shrewdness and arrogance.
 
18.  {??? ? ? ?? ? ??}                        
          Allah ordered Musa to say to Pharaoh:  “Won’t you accept my call to Islam and purify yourself from sin?”  That is, 'I call on you to become Muslim, to do good deeds, to embellish yourself with merits, and to purify yourself from sins.'  Ibn Kathir and Nafi^ recited  tazzakka (?) with a double zay.
 
19.  {??? ?? ? }                         
          (And for Musa to tell Pharaoh):  'I guide you to know Allah through proofs so that you may fear Him and thereby perform the obligations and refrain from the prohibitions.'  This ayah clearly denotes that believing in Allah takes precedence over other acts of obedience because Allah mentioned the guidance first.  Mentioning the fear of Allah came next, making it a consequence of being guided.
 
 
20.  {??? ? ?}            
          Prophet Musa went to Pharaoh and conveyed what his Lord had ordered him to convey, but Pharaoh demanded a proof.  So Musa performed the great miracle.  Imam al-Bukhariyy narrated in his commentaries that Mujahid said:  'The great sign was the miracle of his [Musa’s] staff and hand.'
 
21.  {??? ?}                 
          Pharaoh belied Musa and disobeyed Allah after witnessing the miracle which proved the truthfulness of Musa.
 
22.  {?? ?? ?}                 
          Pharaoh turned his back on the correct belief, endeavored to commit much corruption, and travailed in scheming against Musa.
 
23.  {?? ??}                  
          Pharaoh gathered his sorcerers and soldiers to obstruct the truth and delivered a loud speech to them.
 
24.  {? ?? }        
          Pharaoh told them, “I am your Lord, the glorified.”  We seek refuge with Allah from this abhorrent statement.

[Hadi]

25.  {? ? ? ? ?}                 
          Allah punished Pharaoh and made an example out of him for his first statement:      ?? ? ?}   } (Surah al-Qasas, 38) which means:  [I do not know any other Lord for you but me,] and for his second statement made forty years later:  {?? } (Surah an-Nazi^at, 24) which means:  [I am your Lord the glorified.]  Allah punished Pharaoh in this life by drowning, and he shall be severely tortured in the Hereafter in Hellfire.
 
26.  {?? ? ?}                    
          That which happened to Pharaoh stands as a lesson for the one who fears Allah.

[Hadi]

27.  {? ? ? ? ? ??}                  
          In this ayah, Allah addressed the people of Makkah (who disbelieved in the Resurrection) scolding and refuting them, telling them:  According to you, which is more difficult, recreating you after death considering that you are weak or creating the sky considering its obvious perfect and lasting expanse.  In truth, creating both matters has the same standing in relation to the Power of Allah because His Power is perfect and is not lacking.
 
28.  {??? ??}         
          Allah describes the sky as a sound structure that He created above us.  Allah made the skies very high.  A walking distance of five hundred (500) years separates the surface of the earth from the first sky, and likewise each successive sky to the next, up to the seventh sky.  Each sky has a thickness to it, which is the distance between its bottom surface and upper surface, as stipulated by the interpreter of the Qur’an, Abu Hayyan, in his interpretation An-Nahr al-Madd.  Allah created the sky smooth and level without any defects, clear of any elevations or depressions.  It is well-made and masterly built.
 
29.  {? ? ??}                     
          Allah made the sky’s night dark and brought out its morning sunlight.  Al-Qurtubiyy said:  Allah attributed the duha () time which is the light of the sun prior to noon to the sky, because it contains the reason for darkness and daylight which is sunset and sunrise.  In this ayah Allah attributed both the layl (night) and the duha (pre-noon sunshine) to the sky. The layl is a result of the sun setting and the duha is a result of the sunrise. Both of these matters are due to the sun which travels within the domain of the sky.
 
30.  {? ??}                           
          Allah created the earth before the sky. He created seven skies.  Ibn ^Abbas said:  Allah made the earth suitable for habitation.
 
31.  {?? ? ?? }
          Allah drew out from the earth its water, springs, and the plants of the pastures.
 
 
32.  {??? ?}                
          Allah has firmly moored the mountains on earth to keep the earth stationary.
 
33.  {?? ?}        
          Allah created that as a benefit for you and your livestock among camels, cows, and sheep as stipulated by an-Nawawiyy when he was proof reading the terms of the book of At-Tanbih.