88- Surat Alghashiyah/Tafseer
26 Verses Meccan (revealed in Mecca)
A'auzu Bellahi mena alshaiytani alrajeem
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Besmi Ellahi Alrhmani Alraheem
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Hal ataka hadithu Alghashiyah (1).
Has there come to You the news of the Overwhelming?.
Wujuhun yawma-izin khashe'ah (2).
Some faces that day will be humbled.
Amelatun nasebah (3).
laboring, exhausted.
Tasla naran hamyiah (4).
They will burn in a hot fire.
Tusqa men aynin aniyah (5).
They will made to drink from a boiling spring.
Laysa lahum ta-amun ella men daree' (6).
There will be no food for them, except from a thorny plant.
La yousmenu wa la youghni men ju' (7).
Which neither nourishes, nor avails against hunger.
Wujuhun yawma-izin na-emah (8).
Some faces that day will be blissful.
Lee sa'yiha radiah (9).
Well-pleased with their effort.
Fee jannatin aliyah (10).
In a lofty garden.
La tasma-ou feeha laghiyah (11).
They will not hear any vain speech therein.
Feeha aynun jariyah (12).
Within it there is a flowing spring.
Feeha sururun marfou'ah (13).
Within it there are elevated couches.
Wa akwabun mawdu'ah (14).
And well placed cups.
Wa namariqu masfufah (15).
And lined up cushions.
Wa zarabiyyu mabthuthah (16).
And spread around carpets.
Afa-la yanzuruna ela al-ibeli kayfa khuleqat (17).
Then Do they not look at the camels, how they are created?.
Wa ela alsamae kayfa rufe-at (18).
And at the sky, how it is raised?.
Wa ela aljebali kayfa nusibat (19).
And at the mountains, how they are erected?.
Wa ela alardi kaifa sutehat (20).
And at the earth, how it is spread out?.
Fa zakkir innama anta muzakkir (21).
So Remind, you are a Reminder.
Lasta alayhim be-musaytir (22).
You are not a controller over them.
Ella man tawalla wa kafar (23).
Except he who turns away and disbelieves.
Fa you-azzebuhu Allahu al-azaba al-akbar (24).
Then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment.
Enna elayna iyabahum (25).
Indeed, to Us is their return.
Thumma inna alayna hisabahum (26).
Then indeed, upon Us is their account.
Simplified interpretation:
Surat Alghashiyah describes the fate of man on the day of resurrection, there will be the companions of Hellfire, and the companions of Paradise; they are the disbelievers and the believers, and man's face will be a mirror of his fate, then Allah called man to ponder on His creations which carries many signs that indicate His greatness and His power, and then He commanded His Messenger to remind people of the events of that day, and Allah confirms in the last two verses that their return and their recompense are to Him alone.
Allah says to His Messenger (PBUH) in the first verse "Has there come to You the news of the Overwhelming?" as acknowledgment of its affliction and its terror, and Overwhelming "Alghashyiah in Arabic" is one of the names of the day of resurrection, and it was called Alghashyiah because its torment overwhelms people, then people will be divided into two groups; the first one is the companions of Hellfire and Allah describes them and their recompense in the verses (2-7) saying that their faces will be humbled, and they will be laboring, weary and exhausted for they will burn in a hot fire, and their drink will be a boiling water which comes from a spring in Hellfire, and Allah says about their drink in Surat Muhammad Aya (15) { and they will be given to drink a boiling water, so it cuts their intestines}, and their food will be from a thorny plant (daree'), which neither nourishes them, nor avails them against hunger, and it was said that daree refers to Alshabraq plant (Restharrows) where the Arabs used to call it daree' when it becomes dry, and it is a bitter and thorny plant.
But as for the second group, its different for they are the companions of paradise, and Allah describes them and their reward in the verses (8-16) saying that their faces that day will be blissful, and Allah says about their faces in Surat Almutafifin (Aya 24) {You will recognize in their faces the freshness of bliss}, and they will be pleased with their endeavor in the worldly life for their reward will be a lofty garden in which they will hear no vain speech, so they will not hear foul or unnecessary speech in paradise and this verse is similar to many verses in the holy Quran (Surat Maryam Aya 62, Surat Altur Aya 23, Surat Alwaqi'ah Aya 25). And Allah has prepared for them all means of comfort in paradise; as there will be a flowing spring, elevated couches, well placed cups, lined up cushions, and spread around carpets.
And Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (PBUH), said in narration of Abu Hurayrah that Allah: "I have prepared for My righteous servants such things as no eye has ever seen, and no ear has ever heard of, and nobody has ever thought of, all that is reserved, besides which, all that you have seen, is nothing, then He recited {So no soul knows what is hidden for them of the comfort of eyes as a reward for what they used to do, Surat Alsajdah Aya 17} (Sahih Albukhari 4780).
Then Allah called people to ponder on His wonderful creation in the next four verse (17-20), as if He were drawing an aesthetic picture of the environment in which the Holy Quran was revealed, as He says in verse (17) "Then Do they not look at the camels, how they are created?", so Allah mentions the example of camels as they gather all the benefits of other animals which were stated in Ayat (5-7) of Surat Alnahl {And the cattle He has created for you, in them there are warmth and benefits and of them you eat, and for you in them there is beauty when you bring them in, and when you send them out, and they carry your loads to a land you could not have reached except with difficulty to yourselves, indeed, your lord is Most Kind and Most Merciful}.
And Allah called them to ponder on the creation of the sky, and how it was raised without pillars, as Allah has stand in Aya (2) of Surat Alra'd {Allah is the One who has raised the heavens without pillars that you can see}, and Allah shows His power which indicates His kindness and His mercy in Surat Alhajj Aya (65) saying {And He withholds the sky lest it falls on the earth except by His permission, indeed, Allah is Most Kind, Most Merciful to the people}.
Mountains are also among the signs of Allah's power, and He commanded people to look how they are erected Aya (19), and Allah assures in Aya (7) of Surat Alnaba' that He has made the mountains as pegs to remain anchored, and for the peg to remain stable, the part inside the earth must be larger than the one above it, and this in turn works on the balance and stability of the earth which is also a sign for he who gives thought, where Allah leveled it for man (Aya 20), as Allah stated in many verses of the holy Quran that He has placed therein firm mountains lest it should shake with man, and He made rivers and tracks, and made for him therein means of livelihood.
Allah commanded His Messenger to remind his people saying to Him in Ayat (21,22) "So Remind, you are a Reminder, You are not a controller over them", so the role of the Prophet (PBUH) is to preach his people, and to frighten them from Allah's punishment, and Allah guides whom He wills and lets go astray whom He wills, and Allah says to His Messenger (PBUH) in Aya (103) of Surat Yusuf {And most of the people, even though You strive, are not believers}.
So there will be those who turn away and disbelieve, as they deny Allah's signs, and deny the resurrection, so Allah will punish them with a severe punishment in the Hereafter, and Allah assures in the last two verses that return is to Him alone, and that their recompense is upon Him alone.