In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. 'Aqil ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah Qaf.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Qaf. By the glorious Qur'an.
“Nay, but they marvel that a warner of their own hath come unto them; and the disbelievers say: This is a strange thing:” (50:2)
“Nay, but they marvel that a warner of their own hath come unto them; and the disbelievers say: This is a strange thing:” (50:2)
“Nay, but they marvel that a warner of their own hath come unto them; and the disbelievers say: This is a strange thing:” (50:2)
"When we have died and become dust?"
"That is a far return."
Qaf. By the noble Qur'an.
The polytheists of your people do not deny you, O Muhammad.
They do not deny that you are truthful.
Rather, they deny you out of astonishment that a warner has come to them.
Warning them of the punishment of Allah.
So those who deny Allah and His Messenger said:
"The arrival of a man from among us, from the children of Adam,"
"With a message from Allah to us, is a strange thing."
"When we have died and become dust, shall we know that?"
"And shall we see that what you promise us regarding your denial is not happening?"
"And we shall not return to life after we have died."
“We know that which the earth taketh of them, and with Us is a recording Book.” (50:4)
"And with Us is a record that preserves."
We have known what the earth consumes of their bodies after their death.
And with Us is a book that preserves all of that.
It does not wear out what is written in it.
Nor does it change or alter.
“Nay, but they have denied the truth when it came unto them, therefor they are now in troubled case.” (50:5)
“Nay, but they have denied the truth when it came unto them, therefor they are now in troubled case.” (50:5)
Rather, they denied the Qur'an when it came to them from Allah.
So they are in a confused and muddled state.
They do not distinguish its truth from its falsehood.
“Have they not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified it, and how there are no rifts therein?” (50:6)
How We built it and adorned it.
“Have they not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified it, and how there are no rifts therein?” (50:6)
Have these deniers of the Resurrection not looked?
“Have they not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified it, and how there are no rifts therein?” (50:6)
We made it a protected ceiling.
And We adorned it with stars.
And it has no cracks or fissures.
And the earth, We spread it out.
And We cast upon it firm mountains.
And We caused to grow therein.
“And the earth have We spread out, and have flung firm hills therein, and have caused of every lovely kind to grow thereon,” (50:7)
“A vision and a reminder for every penitent slave.” (50:8)
And the earth, We expanded it.
And We placed upon it firm mountains.
And We caused to grow in the earth every kind of beautiful plant.
We did that as an insight for you, O people.
We show you through it the power of your Lord over whatever He wills.
And as a reminder from Allah of His greatness and His oneness.
For every servant who returns to faith in Allah.
And acts in obedience to Him.
“And We send down from the sky blessed water whereby We give growth unto gardens and the grain of crops,” (50:9)
“And We send down from the sky blessed water whereby We give growth unto gardens and the grain of crops,” (50:9)
And tall palm trees with layered fruit.
As provision for the servants.
“Provision (made) for men; and therewith We quicken a dead land. Even so will be the resurrection of the dead.” (50:11)
Such is the resurrection.
And We sent down from the sky blessed rain.
So We caused to grow with it gardens and trees.
And the harvested grain of wheat and barley.
And all other types of grains.
And We caused to grow with the water tall palm trees.
Having fruit, which is the spathe.
Layered, one upon another, stacked.
As sustenance for the servants.
And We gave life with this water to a dead land.
Which had become barren and drought-stricken.
Just as We caused this dead land to grow with this water.
And We brought it to life thereby.
Such is your emergence on the Day of Resurrection, alive from your graves.
“The folk of Noah denied (the truth) before them, and (so did) the dwellers at Ar-Rass and (the tribe of) Thamud,” (50:12)
“And (the tribe of) A'ad, and Pharaoh, and the brethren of Lot,” (50:13)
“And the dwellers in the wood, and the folk of Tubb'a: every one denied their messengers, therefor My threat took effect.” (50:14)
“And the dwellers in the wood, and the folk of Tubb'a: every one denied their messengers, therefor My threat took effect.” (50:14)
Before these polytheists, the people of Nuh denied.
And the people of the Rass.
They are the people who threw their prophet into a well.
And Thamud and the people of Shu'ayb.
And the people of Tubba'.
And his people were idolaters.
All of these whom We have mentioned.
Denied the messengers of Allah whom He sent.
So the threat We promised them became due.
Were We exhausted by the first creation?
“Were We then worn out by the first creation? Yet they are in doubt about a new creation.” (50:15)
Were We exhausted by initiating the first creation, which We created when it was nothing?
So that We would be exhausted by recreating them anew after they have decayed into dust?
That does not exhaust Us.
These polytheists do not doubt that We were not exhausted by the first creation.
But they are in doubt of Our power to create them anew after their annihilation.
“We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” (50:16)
“We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” (50:16)
“We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” (50:16)
So His secrets and the intentions of His heart are not hidden from Us.
And We are closer to man than his jugular vein.
The jugular vein is a vein between the throat and the neck muscles.
“When the two Receivers receive (him), seated on the right hand and on the left,” (50:17)
And We are closer to man than his own jugular vein.
“When the two Receivers receive (him), seated on the right hand and on the left,” (50:17)
And he is the observer.
Some Kufan grammarians said: sitting on the right and on the left.
“He uttereth no word but there is with him an observer ready.” (50:18)
Man does not utter a word, speaking it.
But there is, for what he utters of speech, an observer.
Preserving it and ready.
“And the agony of death cometh in truth. (And it is said unto him): This is that which thou wast wont to shun.” (50:19)
"That is what you were trying to avoid."
And the agony of death will come.
Which is its intensity and its overpowering of man's understanding.
Like the stupor of sleep or intoxication.
And it is said: the agony of death has come with the truth of death.
And this is the thing you were fleeing from.
And the Horn will be blown.
That is the Day of the Threat.
This day on which the Horn is blown.
Is the Day of the Threat which Allah promised the disbelievers He would punish them on.
“And every soul cometh, along with it a driver and a witness.” (50:21)
“(And unto the evil-doer it is said): Thou wast in heedlessness of this. Now We have removed from thee thy covering, and piercing is thy sight this day.” (50:22)
"So We have removed your veil."
"So your sight today is sharp."
And every soul will come to its Lord.
With it will be a driver, driving it to Allah.
And a witness, testifying against it for what it did in the world of good or evil.
"You were in heedlessness of this which you witness today."
O man, of the terrors and hardships.
So We have unveiled that for you and shown it to your eyes.
Until you saw it and witnessed it.
So the heedlessness has departed from you.
So you are today sharp-sighted.
Knowing what you were heedless of in the world.
“And (unto the evil-doer) his comrade saith: This is that which I have ready (as testimony).” (50:23)
“(And it is said): Do ye twain hurl to hell each rebel ingrate,” (50:24)
“Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter,” (50:25)
Who set up another god with Allah.
“Who setteth up another god along with Allah. Do ye twain hurl him to the dreadful doom.” (50:26)
And the companion of man will say.
"This is what is with me, prepared and preserved."
"Throw into Hell every stubborn denier of the oneness of Allah."
Obstinate against the truth and the path of guidance.
Withholding all good, whether of Allah or for mankind, from his wealth.
Transgressing against people with his tongue, with obscenity and foul speech.
And with his hand, with tyranny and oppression.
Doubting the oneness of Allah and His power over whatever He wills.
Who associated partners with Allah, so he worshipped another deity from His creation alongside Him.
"So throw him into the severe punishment of Hell."