75- Surat Alqiyamah/Tafseer
40 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
La auqsimu be-yawmi al-qiyamah (1).
No! I swear by the day of resurrection.
Wa-la auqsimu bel-nafsi al-lawwamah (2).
And no! I swear by the reproaching soul.
A-yahsabu al-insanu al-lan najmaa izamah (3).
Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?.
Bala qadireena ala an nusawwiya bananah (4).
Yes! We are able to proportion his fingertips.
Bal youridu al-insanu le-yafjura amamah (5).
But man desires to debauch what is before him.
Yas-alu ayyana yawmu alqiyamah (6).
He asks, When is the day of resurrection?.
Fa-iza bariqa al-basar (7).
So when the vision is dazzled.
Wa khasafa al-qamar (8).
And when the moon darkens.
Wa jume'a al-shamsu wa al-qamar (9).
And the sun and the moon are joined.
Yaqulu al-insanu yawma-izin ayna al-mafarr (10).
Man will say on that day, Where is the escape?.
Kalla la wazar (11).
Nay! There is no refuge.
Ela Rabbika yawma-izin al-mustaqarr (12).
To your Lord, that day, is the place of permanence.
Younabba'u al-insanu yawma-izin bema qaddama wa akhkhar (13).
Man will be informed that day of what he sent forth, and what he left behind.
Bali al-insanu ala nafsehi baseerah (14).
But! Man will be a witness against himself.
Wa-laww alqa ma-azirah (15).
Even if he presents his excuses.
La tuharrik behi lisanaka le-ta'jala bih (16).
Do not move Your tongue with it, to hasten it.
Inna alayna jam-ahu wa quranah (17).
Indeed, upon Us is its collection and its recitation.
Fa-iza qara'nahu fa-ttabe' quranah (18).
So when We have recited it, the Follow its recitation.
Thumma inna alayna bayanah (19).
Then indeed, upon Us is its explanation.
Kalla bal tuhebbuna al-ajilah (20).
Nay! But you love the immediate.
Wa tazaruna al-akhirah (21).
And leave the Hereafter.
Wujuhun yawma-izin nadirah (22).
Faces that day, will be radiant.
Ela Rabbiha nazerah (23).
Looking towards their Lord.
Wa wujuhun yawma-izin basirah (24).
And faces that day, will be gloomy.
Tazunnu an youf-ala beha faqirah (25).
Expecting that a back-breaking calamity will be done to them.
Kalla iza balaghati al-taraqiy (26).
Nay! When it reaches the collar bones.
Wa qeela man raq (27).
And it is said, Who will cure?.
Wa zanna annahu alfiraq (28).
And he realizes that it is the parting.
Wa-ltaffati al-saqu bel-saq (29).
And the shank is wound about the shank.
Ela Rabbika yawma-izin al-masaq (30).
To your Lord that day, will be the procession.
Fa-la saddaqa wa-la salla (31).
And he had not believed, nor had he prayed.
Wa-lakin kazzaba wa tawalla (32).
But he denied and turned away.
Thumma zahaba ela ahlihi yatamatta (33).
Then he went to his people, swaggering.
Awla laka fa-awla (34).
Woe to you, and woe.
Thumma awla laka fa-awla (35).
Then woe to you, and woe.
A-yahsabu al-insanu an youtraqa suda (36).
Does man think that he will be left neglected?.
A-lam yaku nutfatan men maniyyin youmna (37).
Had he not been a drop of semen emitted?.
Thumma kana alaqatan fa khalaqa fa-sawwa (38).
Then became a clinging clot, then He created and proportioned.
Fa-ja-ala minhu al-zawjayni al-zakara wal-auntha (39).
Then He made of him two mates, the male and the female.
A-laysa zalika be-qaderin ala an youhyiya al-mawta (40).
Is not that He Able to give life to the dead?.
Simplified interpretation:
Surat Alqiyamah begins with "No", and it did not come in vain, rather, it came followed by two oaths to refute the false belief of the infidels. Therefore, it is a response to man's belief in the third verse, as Allah says: "Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?", And this is similar to Surat Albalad, and these are the only two Surahs in the Holy Quran that begin with No. Surat Albalad also begins with ''No'' followed by two oaths to refute the false belief of the infidels, where Allah says in the fifth verse of Surat Albalad "Does he think that no one will overcome him?".
Allah Almighty says in the first two verses (1,2) "No! I swear by the day of resurrection, and no! I swear by the reproaching soul", that is, Allah swears by the day of resurrection, and by the reproaching soul, so He swears by the inevitable day which the infidels denies, and by the reproaching soul on that day, as everyone will blame himself on the day of resurrection even the infidel who denies the resurrection will say as mentioned in Aya (24) Surat Alfajr "He will say O! I wish I had sent forth for my life", so the disbeliever will wish that he had offered some righteous deeds to save him from the severe punishment of the day of resurrection.
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (3,4) "Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?, yes! We are able to proportion his fingertips", that is, After the two oaths, Allah refutes a false belief among the infidels saying Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?", as the infidels claimed that there will be no resurrection as mentioned in Aya (24) of Surat Aljathiyah "And they say it is nothing but our worldly life, we die and live, and nothing destroys us except the time". So Allah refutes that belief by beginning the Surah with no and then responds to their claim saying Yes! We are able to proportion his fingertips, Allah, the Exalted has the ability to assemble the fingertips in their small size, and join them together until they are even, so the One who is Able to do this is more capable of joining the large ones.
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (5,6) "But man desires to debauch what is before him, he asks, When is the day of resurrection?", that is, denying the day of resurrection makes man continue to commit sins, unconcerned about the torment he will face, and because he excluded the occurrence of the day of resurrection, he asks When is the day of resurrection?.
Allah Almighty says in the next three verses (7-9) "So when the vision is dazzled, and when the moon darkens, and the sun and the moon are joined", Allah responds to the question of the deniers of the day of resurrection saying that the day of resurrection will come when the sight is dazzled from the horrors of that day, and when the moon will be deprive from its light, also the sun and the moon are joined, and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah "The sun and the moon will be folded up on the day of resurrection" (Sahih Albukhari 3200).
Allah Almighty says in the next three verses (10-12) "Man will say on that day, Where is the escape?, nay! There is no refuge, to your Lord, that day, is the place of permanence", that is, when the previous events will occur on the day of resurrection, man will say Where is the escape?, he will ask as away of acknowledgment because he will be certain that there is no escape from that torment, and Allah assures him that there will be no refuge, but rather the return is to Allah alone.
Allah Almighty says in the next three verses (13-15) "Man will be informed that day of what he sent forth, and what he left behind, but! Man will be a witness against himself, even if he presents his excuses", that is, Allah assures that man will know on that day all of his deeds, whatever it is good deeds or evil deeds, and he will know everything that he neglected, and did not fulfill the rights of Allah in it, and this is similar to Aya (5) of Surat Alinfitar. Then Allah says that man will be a witness against himself, and even if he apologizes and denies, his organs will testify against him, as Allah says in Aya (24) of Surat Alnoor {The day when their tongues and their hands and their feet will testify against them of what they used to do}.
Allah Almighty says in the next four verses (16-19) "Do not move Your tongue with it, to hasten it, indeed, upon Us is its collection and its recitation, so when We have recited it, the Follow its recitation, then indeed, upon Us is its explanation", that is, Allah addresses His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) saying Do not move Your tongue with the Holy Quran to hasten its recitation, indeed upon Us its collection and its recitation, as Ibn Abbas reported that when Gabriel (The Angel) revealed the Divine inspiration to Allah's Messenger, He (PBUH) moved His tongue and lips, and that state used to be very hard for Him, and that movement indicated that revelation was taking place, So Allah revealed these verses, and commanded him not move his tongue with the Quran to hasten it, and Allah will collect it in His mind, then commanded him to listen during revelation, and to follow its recitation, and it is for Allah to explain it through His tongue. So whenever Gabriel came to Allah's Messenger, He would keep quiet and listen, and when the Angel left, the Prophet would recite that revelation as Allah promised Him (Sahih Bukhari 4929).
Allah Almighty says in the next six verses (20-25) "Nay! But you love the immediate, and leave the Hereafter, faces that day, will be radiant, looking towards their Lord, and faces that day, will be gloomy, expecting that a back-breaking calamity will be done to them", that is, the infidels deny the resurrection and deny the revelation that Allah revealed to His Messenger because they love the immediate which is the worldly life and they leave the Hereafter and do not work for it. So on the day of resurrection, there will be the companions of Paradise whose faces that day, will be radiant, and as mentioned in Aya (24) of Surat Almutaffifin {You will recognize in their faces the glamour of bliss}, and they will see their Lord that day, and there will be the companions of Hellfire whose faces that day, will be gloomy because they will realize that a great calamity will befall them.
Allah Almighty says in the next five verses (26-30) "Nay! When it reaches the collar bones, and it is said, Who will cure?, and he realizes that it is the parting, and the shank is wound about the shank, to your Lord that day, will be the procession", that is, Allah describes the state of man at the time of death as a deterrence to those who deny the resurrection, as the human soul reaches the collar bones, and man suffers from what is called the rattle of death, then it is said, Who will cure?, so Is there a doctor who can save him from what he is in?, then he will be certain that it is the time of parting and separation from his family and his money, and then one of his shanks is wound about the other one, and it was said that the two shanks indicate the meeting point of the worldly life and the Hereafter, then Allah assures that the return of man will be to Him alone.
Allah Almighty says in the next five verses (31-35) "And he had not believed, nor had he prayed, but he denied and turned away, then he went to his people, swaggering, woe to you, and woe, then woe to you, and woe", that is, the disbeliever who denied had not believed in Allah, nor had he accepted the Holy Quran, nor had he performed the prayers that Allah commanded him to do. Rather he denied and turned away, then he went to his family, admiring himself and showing off his gait, so Allah threatens him with a painful torment on the day of resurrection for four times saying Woe to you, and woe, then woe to you, and woe.
Allah Almighty says in the last five verses (36-39) "Does man think that he will be left neglected?, Had he not been a drop of semen emitted?, then became a clinging clot, then He created and proportioned, then He made of him two mates, the male and the female, Is not that He Able to give life to the dead?", that is, Does man think that he will be left in the grave and that there will be no resurrection, thereupon Allah shows the greatness of His power in creating man saying as a kind of acknowledgment Had man not been a sperm of semen, then the sperm turned into a clinging clot in the woman's womb, then Allah formed and perfected him, and the spirit was breathed into him, then Allah made him a complete creature, whether male or female, so the One who created man the first time is Able to bring him back to life on the day of resurrection, so Allah says Is not that He Able to give life to the dead?.