INTRODUCTION TO SURAH AL-QIYAMAT
Surah Al-Qiyamat was revealed in Mecca in the 31st chapter. Named after the word “Al-Qiyamat” in verse 1, it consists of forty verses.
In the previous surah, Surah Al-Qari’ah, the first stage of the Al-Qiyamat was the end of the present order of the universe with everything in it, and the second stage was the events that all people, believers and infidels, would face in the new environment.
In this Surah, our Lord first rejected the wrong attitude of the infidels who did not want to take responsibility by giving up the pleasure they were enjoying with the expression “no”, and then dispelled the doubts about the Resurrection by giving answers to possible objections one by one and gave proofs that the Resurrection would take place. The inevitability of the Judgment Day has been proved with these solid proofs, thus clearly demonstrating the necessity of the Afterlife for the manifestation of justice.
Another issue highlighted in the Surah is why those who deny the Afterlife do so. According to the Surah, the reason for this denial is not that the disbelievers reject the Afterlife by using their logic, but their personal ambitions and passions.
In order to understand Surah Al-Qiyamat, in which all these issues are clearly stated and in which our Lord’s warnings, which are one of the manifestations of His mercy, continue, it is necessary to pay a little more attention to this Surah than to the previous Surahs. Because there are many figures of speech in this surah that should not be overlooked and the dust that has been thrown on the surah by someone in the past should be cleaned as a matter of faith. We, for our part, have uncovered these in the name of the Qur’an and have presented them as you will see below. We hope that the sensitivity of this matter will be realized by our brothers and sisters who read this.
31 / SURAH AL-QIYAMAT
Meaning of verses
1No, the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection] is the evidence! 2No, the self who reproaches a lot is the evidence as well!
3Does man think that We will never reassemble his bones? 4Yes, We are the Ones Who are able to proportion his fingertips/all organs/scents!
5Actually, man desires to spend what is before him; the rest of his life stuck in evil by disbelieving in the religion-faith: 6He asks: “When is the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]?”
7-10So, when the sight is dazed, the moon is eclipsed and the moon and the sun are joined together, that day man will say “To where is the escape/Where is the place of escape?”
11Certainly not as he thinks! There is no refuge. 12That day, the destination is only to your Rabb/that day, the place to stay is only before your Rabb.
13That day, man will be informed with that which he sent ahead and what he left behind.
14,15Truly, man is a very good witness against himself even though he presents his all excuses/he conceals: “16Do not move your tongue to hasten it! 17No doubt that it is only upon Us to combine and gather what you did and what you did not. 18Then, witness Us when We combine and gather what you did and what you did not! 19Then, it is also only upon Us to declare what you did and what you did not; to prove with evidence.”71
20-21Certainly not as you think! Truly, you love the world and leave Akhirat [Afterlife].
22There will be faces which will be radiant on that day; at that moment; 23looking at their Rabb; expecting favor from their Rabb.
24And there will be faces which will be contorted on that day; 25they will think that a “backbreaking” is done to them.
26,30Certainly not as they think! When it reaches to the collar bone and it is said “Who is it that finds cure?” and the one who is dying realizes that this is the time of that separation and legs are tangled; that day, only to your Rabb is to be driven.
31However, he neither confirmed nor supported. 32But he denied and turned away. 33Then he went to those who were close to him, swaggering.
34,35Devastation is very close to you! Again, devastation is very close to you!
36Does man think that he will be left neglected? 37Was not he a drop of semen from a measured semen? 38Then he was an embryo and then He formed and proportioned him, 39and made two mates from it; male and female.
40So, is the One Who does all these not the One Who is able to resurrect the dead?
(31/75, Al-Qiyamat/1-40)
Analysis of Verses
Verses 1, 2:
1No, the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection] is the evidence! 2No, the self who reproaches a lot is the evidence as well!
The fact that both verses begin with the word “لا no” in the sense of refusal shows that an earlier topic continues in this Surah. This ongoing topic is the issue of judgment in Surah al-Qari’ah, where attention was drawn to the stages of the world and the judgment. Apparently, after Surah Al-Qari’ah, there was controversy and some objections were raised about the Resurrection, and our Lord began this Surah by rejecting these objections. After the objections were strongly rejected, the Resurrection was proved with proofs in verses 37-40.
Many different views have been put forward in the past about the prepositions “لا la” at the beginning of the verses, which we translate as “no”. We find it appropriate to dwell only on this sentence structure and its meaning, without giving space to these different views, which are available in the classical sources.
I give evidence for Judgment Day!
According to our view, when a word is translated from one language into another, it should be translated with its equivalent in the language it is translated from, and it should never be left in its original form. In order to avoid mistakes in translations, the meanings of words and concepts should be well known in both languages. Unfortunately, in practice, these rules are not sufficiently sensitive to these rules and as a result, exorbitant mistakes are made. When it comes to our religion, these exorbitant mistakes cause almost irreparable damage.
The words qasem (oath) in these verses are among the words in which these mistakes are made.
These verses are different from the “قسم kasem [oath]” sentences we have seen before, and they are not the usual “kasem [oath]” sentences. The meaning of the word here is “I swear [show proof]”.
In all the oaths that we have encountered from Surah Alaq to this Surah, both the oath part of the oath sentence and the reply part of the oath sentence were included. For example;
“By the pen and what they write and what they keep on writing,”
“By the night”
“I swear by the Al-Fajr.”
“I swear by the time of mid-morning,”
“I swear by the century.”
“I swear by those who run with their breath.”
“I swear by the sun,”
“I swear by the sky, the owner of the bastions.”
The objects or events on which the oath was sworn by means of expressions such as these were evidence for the thesis in the reply part of the oath and strengthened the claim put forward. This is because the rule of the oath requires this. Indeed, the purpose of the oath is to strengthen the thesis put forward. [More detailed information about the oath is given in the analysis of Surah al-Qalam].
However, the verses in question do not use any of the prepositions of oath such as “و vav”, “ب be”, “ت ta”. There is also no verse in the Surah that responds to oath. In other words, the phrases “I swear by the Judgment Day and the soul that condemns too much” or “I prove the Judgment Day and the soul that condemns too much” do not present any thesis that proves the Judgment Day and the soul that condemns too much. On the contrary, many events and scenes are described, and these events and scenes are used as evidence for the Judgment Day and the regret that foolish people will feel on that day. In short, these two verses are not the oath part of an oath sentence. In this case, it is wrong to translate the verses as “I swear by the Judgment Day and the reproachful soul” or “I give evidence of the Judgment Day and the reproachful soul”. In any case, it does not make sense to show the Judgment Day as proof to those who deny the Judgment Day.
It is only possible for the interlocutors to take seriously the thesis put forward with the oath sentence if the evidence is concrete, visible and tangible. This is because people are able to perceive the events they experience and the three-dimensional state of reality, and they get their evidence from concrete events and objects in the world. The news given in the Surah is news about the infidels, the judgment and the Afterlife, such as heaven and hell, i.e. things that infidels do not believe in.
It is pointless to show infidels evidence of news they do not believe in and expect them to believe in it. Therefore, it is inconceivable that the two verses in question swear by the Judgment Day and the regret that infidels will feel on that day. Only believers believe in such news through the so-called “news of the Messenger”. Believers know that the people who are supported by miracles and whose prophethood is established receive these news from Allah through revelation and convey them to the people verbatim. Only believers can believe this news, whose source is Allah, without any doubt. This acceptance [belief], which is called “Istidl al-Bilgi” in theology, is only for believers. It is unreasonable to expect infidels to believe in the news given by a prophet they do not believe in and which they cannot see while they are alive. That is why it is necessary to show them concrete proofs that cannot be denied, such as our Lord’s oaths in other surahs of the Qur’an.
For the reasons we have explained, verses 1 and 2 should mean:
No, I show proof of the Day of Resurrection!
No, I am showing proof to that very condemning soul!
The evidence for the Day of Resurrection is the statements in verses 31-40, and the evidence for Nafs al-Lawwameh is the statements in verses 7-36.
Note: The phrase “لا اقسم laa, uksimu” in these verses is also found in Surahs At-Takwir, Beled and Vakıa. However, in those surahs, the expression “la, uksimu” means “I swear by”. This is because the sentences in those surahs follow the grammatical rules of oaths and the things that are oaths are concrete things. In addition, the sentences that are the answers to the oath are also included in the same passage, again in accordance with the grammatical rules.
Nafs al-Levvameh [The Soul that Condemns Too Much]
The word “النّفس nafs”, which we have given in the analysis of Surah Ash-Shams as “soul, living creature, living human being”, can be interpreted as any kind of living creature with its own behavioral characteristics or as a self, a person who has acquired personality.
The word “لوّامة levwameh”, which is the exaggerated form of the word “لووم Levm [to condemn]”, means “one who condemns a lot”. The expression “النّفس الّوّامة nafs-i levwameh”, which is composed of these two words, is an adjective phrase meaning “the self that condemns a lot, the person who condemns a lot”.
The verb “to condemn”, which is a transitive verb, has no mef’ul [complement] in this phrase in the verse. That is, the verse does not explain who and what the nafs [the self] condemns very much. However, considering the passage in which the verse is found and the subject matter of this passage, it is understood that this “one who condemns much” is a very regretful person who is dissatisfied with the situation he has fallen into due to his unbelief in both stages of the Judgment Day and who keeps condemning himself for his past life, and therefore the one he condemns is himself.
Our Almighty Lord has portrayed the moments of bitter regret that will be felt in the Afterlife as a theater scene for intelligent people to reason and find the truth:
27If you could see when they are made to stand upon the fire, they will say: “Oh, if only we were returned to the world, we have not denied the Ayat of our Rabb and we have become of the believers!”.
28Rather, what they have been concealing has now been disclosed. If they were returned, they would definitely return to that which was forbidden to them. Yes, they are truly liars.
29And they said, “There is no life other than our simple worldly life, and we will not be resurrected either”.
30And if only you could see them when they will be made to stand before their Rabb ! Their Rabb will say to them: “Is this not the truth?”. They will say: We swear by our Rabb it is the truth”. Their Rabb will say: “Then taste the punishment for you disbelieved; consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb!”.
31Those who denied to meet Allah, they have definitely lost and suffered. When the moment of Qiyamat [Resurrection] comes unexpectedly, they will say, bearing their sins upon their backs: “O woe to us for the sins we committed in the world!”. –Behold! How evil is what they bear/their sins!-
( Al-An’am/27-31)
53Say. “O servants who have not brought forth the truth fully against their selves!250 Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is very forgiving, very merciful.
54And before the punishment comes to you, turn to your Rabb and Islamize [create well-being, peace, order, happiness…] for Him; be Muslim. Then you will not be helped.
55-58And follow the best of what has been sent down to you from your Rabb
before the punishment comes suddenly,
and he says, “O woe to me for my transgression in regard to Allah! I truly was among those who ridiculed”
or “Had Allah guided me to the righteous path, I would have indeed been among those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah”
or “If only there was a return for me so I might have been among those who have produced good” when he sees the punishment.”
59Quite contrary, My Ayat came to you and you denied them immediately, acted arrogantly and became of the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.
(Az-Zumar/ 53-59)
25-29And as for the one who is given his book from his left; he will say: “I wish I had not been given my book, I had not known what my account is. If only that affair had been concluded. My wealth has not availed me at all. My power/authority has perished and gone from me.
(Al-Haqqah/ 25-29)
39And you, warn them of that great day of regret, when the command will be fulfilled while they are unaware, apathetic and they do not believe!
(Maryam/ 39)
38-40On the day when the revealed Ayat and the Wahy [Revelation] will stand in rows as witness, no one but those whom Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created] allows will speak. And that one who is allowed will say what is correct: “This is the true day. So, whoever wills may seek refuge in his Rabb. Surely, We have warned you with a close punishment”. On that day, a man will see what his two strengths/wealth and acquaintances have sent forth/a man will face what he did and the infidel; the one who consciously denies the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will say: “Oh, I wish that I were a dust”.
(An-Nabah/ 38- 40)
64-66Surely, Allah has cursed the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb and prepared for them a blazing fire so they will abide therein eternally. They will not find any familiar who is protector nor a helper therein. The day when their faces will be turned in the fire, they will say: “If only we obeyed Allah and the messenger!”.
(Al-Ahzab/ 64-66)
26On that day, the actual dominion will belong to Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created]. It will be a tough day for infidels; for those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.
27-29And on that day, that one who did wrong; acted against his own good by associating others with Allah will say biting his hands: “O, woe to me! If only I had taken a path with the messenger! O, woe to me! If only I had not taken that one as influential leader. Surely, he led me astray from the Book after it had come to me. And satan was truly a humiliator for man!”.
30And the messenger will say : “O my Rabb! Surely, my people have taken this Qur’an as an isolated/abandoned thing”.
(Furqan/ 26-30)
The state of the repentant and self-condemning soul described in this Surah will be seen in verses 24-30.
In contrast to the unhappy ones described in the verses above, there are those who have recognized Allah and whose hearts are satisfied with His remembrance, whom our Lord calls “mutmain nafs [satisfied souls]”:
27-30O the one who is assured by having eliminated all question marks in his mind! Turn to your Rabb, act in accordance with the principles of Allah, as pleased with your Rabb and He is pleased with you! Enter among My servants at once! And enter My Jannah [Heaven/Paradise]!
(Al-Fajr/ 27-30)
The expression “النّفس اللّوّامة Nafs al-levwameh” has been distorted by Sufis and tariqa. These groups have invented a number of imaginary concepts and authorities to correspond to this expression in their religious understanding.
`Muslim thinkers, on the other hand, have given many explanations of “nafs” that are consistent with the definitions of “id”, “ego” and “super-ego” in today’s psychology. For example, Ana Britannica wrote the following about Muhammad Iqbal, whom it described as a philosopher:
“Iqbal put forward a theory of the self, strongly opposing Sufism’s classical dharmicism, which denied the self, and the view that only through contemplation could one become perfected and attain inner peace.”[1]
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hayati Aydın, in his article published in the 18th issue of the “Journal of Academic Research” on this subject, made the following observations and opinions, “In the light of these verses of the Qur’an, Islamic scholars define “Nafs al-‘Emmare” as “the source of evil and reprehensible morals and actions, which inclines to the nature of the body, commands taste and sensual lusts, and draws the heart towards vile things”.[2]
… Islamic scholars also define “nafs al-levvameh” as “a soul that is illuminated by the light of the heart to such an extent that it can awaken a person from the sleep of heedlessness and strives to reform itself. This soul is always on the alert and oscillates between the divine and the nature of the soul. Whenever there is a lapse in its nature, it immediately receives a divine warning and begins to condemn the nafs, which it returns to Allah in repentance.”[3]
… Sufis see the soul at this stage as ” a developmental stage of the soul that is completely illuminated by the light of the heart and thus purified from bad morals, adorned with good morals, and returns itself completely to the heart, which is the place of divine light and inspiration, and finds peace with Allah”.[4]
… Scientists divide this self, the spiritual world of the Al-Insan, into three structures: the id, the ego and the super-ego. The Qur’an, on the other hand, divides the “nafs”, which corresponds to the “self”, into “nafs al-ammara”, “nafs al-levvame” and “nafs al-mutmaine”. However, since the Qur’an has defined the nafs in its abstract/neutral state more broadly than scientific data, Islamic philosophers have differentiated this nafs in its neutral state as “nafs al-sahwani [the soul that desires]”, “nafs al-derrake [the soul that perceives]” and “nafs al-natika [the soul that thinks and judges]”.
The psychological structure that the Qur’an refers to as the “soul” corresponds approximately to what psychologists call the “ego”; what the Qur’an calls the “nafs al-ammar” corresponds to what psychologists call the “id”; and the “nafs al-levvameh” corresponds in part to the “super-ego”.
Verses 3, 4:
3Does man think that We will never reassemble his bones? 4Yes, We are the Ones Who are able to proportion his fingertips/all organs!
3 Does man think that We will never reassemble his bones?
After drawing attention to the Judgment Day and those who will regret on the Judgment Day, the situation of the infidels has been discussed starting from these verses and it has been explained that those who find the truth by using their reason will not regret on the Judgment Day.
“Human” in the Verse
Some classical sources state that the “الانسان Insan” mentioned in this verse is a certain person named Adiyy b. Abi Rebia, a neighbor of the Prophet. According to these sources, the Surah al-Qiyamah is the story of this person who asked the Prophet when and how the Day of Resurrection would take place, to which he replied: “Even if I see that day with my own eyes, I will not believe in it. How will Allah gather the bones together?” What the Prophet told this neighbor must have been in line with the Qur’anic verses that had been revealed up to that time.
Ibn Abbas is of the opinion that this “الانسان Insan” is Abu Jahl.
In our opinion, the situation is slightly different. The “insan” here is the “infidel human” that existed then, exists today and will always exist until Judgment Day. One of the main characteristics of the infidel is that he denies the “Judgment Day”.
The “resurrection of man after death” is also mentioned in the following verses:
78And he has presented for Us an example, not considering his own formation: He said: “Who will resurrect those bones? While they are decomposed!”.
79,80Say: “The One Who formed them the first time will resurrect them. And He is the One Who knows every formation very well. He is the One Who made fire/oxygen from a green tree for you. Now, you burn oxygen.
(Ya Sin/ 78- 80)
49And they said: Will we truly be resurrected with a new formation when we have become a pile of bones and crumbled into dust?”
50-52Say: “Be stone or be iron. Or any other creature that grows within your hearts”. Then they will say: “Who will bring us back?”. Say: “The One Who created you from nothing first time”. Then they will nod their heads to you and say: “When is this?” Say: “It is expected to happen very soon! On the day He will call you/you will be resurrected, you will follow His call by praising Him and you will think that you have stayed for a little”.
(Isra/ 49-52)
The examples given show that those who deny the Judgment Day and the Resurrection after death think that it is not possible for bones that have decayed, disintegrated, been carried away by wind and water, and mixed with other materials to be gathered together again.
Verse 4 challenges such doubts of the disbelievers and reminds them of one of the most marvelous features of creation:
4Yes, We are the Ones Who are able to proportion his fingertips/all organs/scents!
Finger Tips
The word “بنان benan” in the verse has been translated as “fingertips” for many years and has been understood to mean “fingerprints”. However, the meaning of the word is not limited to “fingertips”.
The root meaning of the word “benan” is “fragrance”. Generally, pleasant odors such as the smell of apples are called “benneh”. If this meaning of the word is taken into account, the translation of the verse is “Yes, We are the ones who are able to regulate its odors”.
Every person has a unique, unchanging odor. This odor is produced by volatile chemicals secreted by the eccrine and apocrine sweat glands and the microflora on the skin. This odor should not be confused with the general body odor caused by environmental factors, hygiene conditions, and bacterial overgrowth in moist areas of the body. Human odor is the natural scent by which dogs can recognize and track a specific person. Humans can also smell this natural odor. However, the sense of smell works differently from the other senses. While other senses visit the thalamus, the area in the brain that provides conscious awareness, the sense of smell is transmitted directly to the limbic system (midbrain, sensory brain) where our memory and mood are formed. So the sense of smell usually works unconsciously. The brain regions affected by human odor and the brain regions affected by other odors are also quite different. A study using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain imaging showed that natural human body odor significantly activates the brain regions that regulate our social relationships.
The specificity of a person’s body odor is determined by a gene region called major histocompatibility complex (MHC). This genomic region is mainly responsible for immune system activity. The compatibility of this region, the MHC, between donor and recipient is essential in organ transplants. The uniqueness of each person’s smell has led to the idea that body odor can be used as a biometric identity. Today, there is a lot of research on using body odor in security technologies. The fact that it cannot be copied and the low rate of error compared to fingerprint, iris, retina and face scanning tests makes the use of body odor for security purposes more important.
Sources:
The Sense of Smell in Humans is More Powerful Than We Think. Discoverymagazine com. Oct 10, 2017
P.Invavalli et al. International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technologies. Vol 5, 2014. Body Odor as a Biometric Authentication
The word “benan”, which has many other meanings, such as “all the organs of the body”, is also used in the sense of “fingertips”. But the word “benan” in this sense means “the bones of the fingertips”, not just “fingerprints”. With this understanding, the verse implies that even the most multifunctional part of the human body, the part that can handle the most delicate and elaborate tasks, the part made up of the most delicate and detailed bones, namely the fingertips, will be put back together. In other words, it is implicitly said:
“We have the power to assemble even the most delicate and detailed part. If we can put together the most delicate and sensitive part, we can put together the big pieces!”
The translation of the word “benan” as “fingertips” and the concept of “fingerprints” came after the recently famous “miracle of the fingerprint” was revealed. When the fact that every human being has a different fingerprint was scientifically recognized, it was seen as one of the miracles of the Qur’an because it had been revealed in the Qur’an centuries before. However, the “miracle of uniqueness” in fingerprints is not unique to fingerprints. The fact that it is used today as a personal security password shows that the voice and the retina of the eye also bear the miracle of uniqueness. In fact, these miracles of uniqueness are present in every organ and every tissue of human beings. Because the genes, DNA and RNA of all human beings are different from each other.
The subject of the Miracle in Fingerprints and the difference of DNA and RNAs can be examined from scientific research.
Verses 5, 6:
5Actually, man desires to spend what is before him; the rest of his life stuck in evil by disbelieving in the religion-faith: 6He asks: “When is the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]?”
5Actually, man desires to spend what is before him; the rest of his life stuck in evil by disbelieving in the religion-faith:
In these verses, our Lord explains the reasons why people try to deny the Afterlife and the Judgment Day. It is clear from the explanation that some people do not like the rules governing the life of this world, which are revealed by our Lord in the Qur’an to determine the nature of eternal life in the Afterlife. This is because the Qur’anic rules, which are called “religion”, impose restrictions on people’s worldly life and prevent them from living as they please, in pleasure and pleasure, without regard for the forbidden and the lawful. On the other hand, the non-believer does not want these principles laid down by religion to guide his worldly life. He wants to spend his days without any restrictions, without deprivation of anything, free and unrestrained and irresponsible; in short, he wants to live as a sinner.
[It was explained in the analysis of Surah Abasa that the word “فجور Fücur” means “tearing the veil of religion, not recognizing the rules of religion”].
Although some people want to infer from these verses that these verses refer to those who are believers but who intend to sin, in accordance with the saying, “Man wants to put sin at the beginning and repentance at the end,” we believe that these verses refer to infidels in general.
If we recall verses 1-3 of Surat al-Ma’un, our Lord says: “Have you seen him who denies the religion? He is the one who pushes away the orphan and does not encourage the poor with his food!” Our Lord had pointed to their denial of “religion” [the Resurrection and the Hereafter] as the main indicator of the unruliness of the Pharaohs in the worldly life. Like those mentioned in Surah Al-Ma’mun, most infidels prefer to deny the Day of Resurrection, claiming that the bones cannot be gathered together, not because of any real doubts in their minds, but simply because they want to spend their lives in transgression.
The question in verse 6, “When is the Judgment Day?” is not a question to which an answer is expected. This is because the disbelievers are not asking this question to find out when the Judgment Day will occur, but, as stated in Surah Ya Sin, they are mocking in their minds to say, “Where is the Judgment Day that you foretold?”
48And apathetic people say: “If you are among those who are truthful, when is the threat that has been promised?”.
(Ya Sin/48)
This same approach of the infidels can be seen in the following verses:
Yunus 48, Anbiya 38, An-Naml 71, Saba 29, Mulk 25, Buminun 33-38, 82, Al-Jaziya 24, An’am 29, An-Nahl 38, Tangabun 7, Qua’ia 47, As-Saffat 16
Verses 7-10:
7-10So, when the sight is dazed, the moon is eclipsed and the moon and the sun are joined together, that day man will say “To where is the escape/Where is the place of escape?”
The expression “فاذا برق البصر fa iza berika’l-basaru”, which is usually translated as “when the eyes are dazzled”, actually means ” when the eyes bulge in shock. “. But when the expression is used as an idiom, it means “lightning flashes in the eyes, the eyes open like a bolt of lightning”. Indeed, our Lord has also used this expression in other than its idiomatic meaning:
42,43Never think that Allah is apathetic to/unaware of what those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah! He only delays them for a day when they will run with their heads raised up and when the eyes will pop out. Their sight will not come back to them and their hearts will be empty.
(Ibrahim/ 42, 43)
Verses 7-10 describe the infidel coming to faith out of despair and hopelessness as a result of the events described. This situation, which continues to be described in a different style in verses 24-29, is discussed in detail under the title of “Iman-e Ye’s wa Iman-e Be’s [Faith due to Despair and Calamity]” in the science of Aqeedah. It will be useful to briefly explain this issue, which can also be called “forced faith”, in the light of Qur’anic verses.
Forced Faith
If a person who does not believe in Allah, His messengers and the Afterlife, believes at the time of death, when the severity of death comes upon him and he sees and feels the Divine punishment with certainty, this belief is called “iman-ı ye’s” or “iman-ı be’s” (forced faith).
Forced faith:
1- In the face of calamities encountered while alive,
2- At the time of death,
3- On the Judgment Day and after the Resurrection.
1- Despite the fact that the prophets, supported by miracles of their truthfulness, conveyed Allah’s commands and warned that Allah’s punishment would descend on those who do not believe, some people do not use their minds, do not contemplate and insist on disbelief. However, when natural calamities [earthquakes, floods, etc.] come upon them, they immediately believe what they had denied until then.
In such a situation, the faith of those who believe will not be accepted and their faith will not benefit them. Because they did not believe of their own free will, but out of fear and despair caused by the calamities they encountered, that is, they believed by force:
83And when their messengers came to them with clear evidences, they became arrogant because of the knowledge they had. But that which they ridiculed had surrounded them.
84And then when they saw Our punishment, they said: “We have believed in Allah alone and we have disbelieved in that which we associated with Him”.
85But their faith when they saw Our punishment did not benefit them. –Established way of Allah over His servants…- Thereupon lost the infidels; those who consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.
(Mu’min/ 83-85)
90-92And We took the Israelites across the large body of water/river. But Pharaoh and his soldiers followed them immediately in transgression and enmity. And when drowning in the water overtook him he said: “I have definitely believed that there is no deity except the One in Whom Israelites believe, I am among those who submitted”. – Now? But you disobeyed before and became of the corrupters. Today We will save you in your armor. We will make you an example with this calling of yours. – And indeed, many of the people are apathetic/careless to our Ayat/evidences/signs.
(Yunus/ 90-92)
But those who believe before the torment comes, like the people of Yunus, their faith is true and will benefit them:
98If only there was a city, people of which believed and benefited from their faith. Except the people of Jonah. When they had believed, We removed the punishment of disgrace in this worldly life from upon them and let them enjoy for a time.
(Yunus/ 98)
2- The infidels who have not believed despite all warnings, believe when the signs of death appear on them and the severity of death envelops them.
The faith of such believers is forced faith, and it is of no benefit to them. Because they have no more life ahead of them to live in faith and no more time to do good deeds. Therefore, it is useless to repent and believe in disbelief in a state of disbelief:
81Now, do you despise this Word/the Qur’an?
82And do you make your living by denying/repay for the provisions given by denying?
83-85But when the soul comes to the throat, then, you wait before it, but We are closer to it than you. But you do not see.
86,87Then, so if you are not to be recompensed, why do not you turn back that soul that reaches to the throat, if you are among the truthful?
(Vakiya/ 81-87)
All the above verses show that the infidels are inclined to believe when they see and feel the divine punishment at the time of death. However, since there is no opportunity to think of any evidence to sincerely believe in the existence of Allah in that environment, the person’s saying “I believe” is not a belief that comes from knowledge and knowledge, and is not a belief that is achieved through desire and work. Such a belief is only a belief aimed at allaying fear and torment.
3- The infidels’ belief in the clear and great signs of the Day of Resurrection, such as the stars breaking apart and falling on the people, or their belief at the time when the Day of Resurrection is about to take place, or on the day of the resurrection after death, is also forced belief and useless:
158Do they wait for anything except that angels should come or your Rabb should come or some of the evidences/signs of your Rabb should come? On the day when some of the evidences/signs of your Rabb will come, the faith of the one who has not believed before or has not earned any good through his faith, will not benefit him. Say: “Wait; surely we are the ones who also wait”.
(Al-An’am/ 158)
Having examined the meaning of “forced faith” in the Qur’an, it is necessary to return to verses 7-10 and examine whether the apocalyptic scenes mentioned in these verses are related to the universal apocalypse. We are of the opinion that these expressions should not be understood as the apocalypse of the universe. This is because the events in these verses, as reported in verses 1 and 2, are put forward as evidence for a future apocalypse and for the soul that will condemn itself in that apocalypse. Therefore, these events described in the verse must be events that everyone in the world has always seen and known, so that they can be cited as evidence for the great event that is claimed to take place in the future. If these events are not events that everyone in the world has always seen and known, then it would be meaningless to cite them as evidence. Based on this reasoning, we are of the opinion that verses 7-10 are figuratively describing the composition of the moment of a person’s death. The verses describe the pre-death experiences of human beings.
In the analysis of Surah Ash-Shams, we have listed our views on the metaphorical meanings of the words “Shams” and “Qamar”:
– “Shams [the sun]” in the Qur’an;
– We have already mentioned that the “Kamer [moon]” may also symbolize our Prophet.
Here again, based on the metaphorical meanings in Surah Ash-Shams:
– “eclipse of the moon” in the sense that the messenger’s message did not benefit the person, and the time was missed to believe in the message;
– We can understand the expression “the moon and the sun uniting” as “the messenger and the guide [the Qur’an] personifying in the mind of man and informing him that he has missed the opportunity”.
In this case, it can be said that verses 7-10 portray the following scenes:
On that day, the day when the eyes were opened wide, the moon was eclipsed and the moon and the sun were united, the unbelieving man was in the face of death. The infidel goes in search, he doesn’t want to die and says, “Where is the place of escape? / Where is the refuge?” But at that hour it is too late for him to believe in our Prophet’s message and the message is of no use to him. Our Prophet’s declaration, “This is from the Qur’an!” has come to him as the truth, and he is at the end of his rope:
94Say: “If the ‘final settlement’ with Allah is only for you but no one else, then wish for death immediately if you are among those who are truthful”.
95But they never wish for death because of what they did with their hands. And Allah is the One Who knows very well those who treat their own selves unjustly.
96And you will surely find them as the ones who are the most greedy of the people for life; even more than those who accept that Allah has associates. Each of them desires that he would be granted a thousand years; yet a long life would not keep him away from the punishment. Allah is the One Who sees very well what they do.
(Al-Baqara/ 94-96)
30On that day, everyone will find that which he has done of good as present and that which he has done of evil as present. He will wish there would be a great distance between him and his evil deeds. Allah warns you of Himself. Indeed, Allah is very compassionate to His servants.
(Ali-Imran/ 30)
42Those who denied and disobeyed the Messenger will wish to be covered by the earth and perish on that day. And they will not be able to hide any word from Allah.
(Nisa/ 42)
Verses 11. 12:
11Certainly not as he thinks! There is no refuge. 12That day, the destination is only to your Rabb/that day, the place to stay is only before your Rabb.
These verses emphasize the futility of all that the infidel seeks on that day. On that day there will be no fortress, cave or any other refuge to hide in, nor will there be any way to escape being brought before the Lord. The only destination on that day is the presence of Allah to give an account at the Judgment.
That there is no escape from Allah is repeated in many verses of the Qur’an:
6-8Certainly not as you think! Even though the return is to your Rabb, man certainly transgresses when he sees himself self sufficient
(Al-Alaq/6-8)
42Dominion of the heavens/universe and the earth belongs only to Allah. And the return is only to Allah.
(An-Nur/ 42)
42No doubt that final destination is only to your Rabb.
(Najm/ 42)
While this is the case for the infidels, the believers are eager to jump to judgment as soon as possible. As verses 22, 23 below show, they are happy and contented. For them there are beautiful shelters:
31-37Surely, there will be shelters/places of salvation; well-watered vineyards-gardens, grapevines, sprouts of same level; flower gardens, full water containers for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah as a recompense and a sufficient blessings from your Rabb; Rabb of the heavens/universe and the earth and all that is between them; Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created]. They will not hear vain talk and lies there. –They are not capable of speaking before Him.-
(An-Naba/ 31-37)
Verse 13: That day, man will be informed with that which he sent ahead and what he left behind.
On that day,
The word “اليوم Yawm” is used in the Qur’an not only in the sense of “day” but also in the sense of “phase, period, stage”. In the Qur’an, these words sometimes refer to a short “moment” and sometimes to long “years”. For example, the word “yawm”, which means “moment” in verse 29 of Surah Rahman, means “long years” in verse 7 of Surah Hud and verses 9 and 10 of Surah Fussilat.
In our opinion, “that day” in these verses is the day when the above events take place and the infidels are looking for a place to flee to, saying, “Where is the place to flee to!” In other words, it is the day of the eclipse of the moon, the union of the sun and the moon, and the moment of death.
At that “last moment”, the biological “chips” [nerve cells that function as memory] that were implanted in the human being at the moment of creation take charge and present the recorded information to the human being. Man is now alone with his conscience and begins to feel the torment of his actions in his conscience. Thus, the period in which man will be both a witness and an informer against himself began at the moment of death. Of course, this process will continue in the Afterlife:
1-5When the heavens/universe split asunder, when the stars fall and scatter, when the seas are split and erupted, when the graves are scattered; one will know that which he has sent forth before him and that which he has left behind.
(Al-Infitar/ 5)
6And on the day when Allah will resurrect them all, He will inform them of that which they did. Allah has enumerated one by one that which they did, but they have forgotten. And Allah is witness over all things.
(Al-Mujadila/6)
12Indeed, it is only We, We Who resurrect the dead. And We write what they have sent forth before and their work. Then, We have enumerated everything in “an explicit pioneer/the Qur’an”.
(Ya Sin/ 12)
Our view that memory cells will take over and report exactly what the person has done is supported by scientific research. Dr. Pınar Uysal Onganer, in an article published in the Science and Technology supplement of the Cumhuriyet newspaper dated February 11, 2006, states the following
“… Neurobiologists [nerve biologists] from the Department of Biology at the Salk Institute in California have published their findings in the journal Neuron. With their experimental work, they proved that our brains actually remember when we believe we didn’t take an umbrella because we thought we forgot… Dr. Thomas D. Albrigt and his team studied nerve cell signals in the ‘Inferior Temporal Cortex’ (ITC) to understand what was happening in the brains of monkeys. The ITC is the area of the brain responsible for ‘visual recognition’ and recall. Electrical stimulation of this area has been shown to cause visual hallucinations of past events. It is also thought to play a role in the storage and recall of visual memory.
Yet again, another scientific breakthrough:
A study conducted at the University of Michigan in the US found high levels of activity in brain waves at the moment of death. Researchers believe that these waves may lead to increased perception in the human brain.
Surge of neurophysiological coherence and connectivity in the dying brain
Jimo Borjigina,b,c,1,2, UnCheol Leed,1, Tiecheng Liua, Dinesh Pald, Sean Huffa, Daniel Klarrd, Jennifer Slobodaa,Jason Hernandeza, Michael M. Wanga,b,c,e, and George A. Mashourc,dDepartments of aMolecular and Integrative Physiology, bNeurology, and dAnesthesiology, and cNeuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; and eVeterans Administration, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Edited by Solomon H. Snyder, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, and approved July 9, 2013 (received for review May 2, 2013) (www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1308285110 PNAS)
The phrase in the verse, “what he sent ahead and what he left behind”, is a very comprehensive phrase with different meanings, both in terms of the meaning of the words and the structure of the sentence. In our opinion, all the meanings of this phrase are correct and should be adopted. Here are the first two meanings in the order we have ranked them:
First meaning: Man is informed not only of what he has done, but also of what he has not done, even though he should have done it.
Second meaning: Man will be informed of all the good and bad deeds he has done up to that moment, and of all the deeds he will be affected by after death, i.e. of all the deeds for which he will be held responsible.
13They will definitely carry their burdens and many other burdens along with their own burdens. And on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection], they will absolutely be questioned about that which they invented.
(Ankabut/ 13)
85And whoever helps by interceding for good and good cause, there is a share for him from this. And whoever helps by being proof for evil and helping it or opening the path of evil, there is a share of sin from it. Allah is the One Who is competent over everything / Who meets the needs of all beings as long as they exist.
(Nisa/85)
24,25And when it was said to them: “What has your Rabb sent down?”, they said, “Legends of the former ones” so that they may bear their own sins in full and also bear a portion of the sins of those whom they led astray because of their ignorance on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]. Be careful, how evil is that which they bear!
(An-Nahl/ 25)
Verses 14, 15:
14,15Truly, man is a very good witness against himself even though he presents his all excuses/he conceals: “
Verse 14 is a confirmation of what has been said above that on that Day, man will be informed by the memory cells in his brain. There is no need for anyone else to inform or remind man of what he has done or not done. Because he is a good watchman against himself. He watches what he has done and what he has not done as if it were a movie playing before his eyes thanks to the “angels of memory [memory cells, memory faculty]” placed within him, and he feels remorse and remorse of conscience.
All these events [being informed and making excuses] take place at the moment of death, which is the first stage of the Judgment Day. Because in the second stage of the Day of Resurrection, the Afterlife, there will be testimony against oneself and no excuse will be allowed at this stage:
36And they will not permitted to make an excuse. 37Woe, on that day, to the deniers!
(Al-Mursalat/ 36)
13,14And We wrapped the recompenses of the deeds of every person around his neck permanently. And We will bring for him the book which he will find open on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]: “Read your own book! Your own self is sufficient for you today as an accountant against yourself!”.
(Isra/ 13, 14)
24On that day, their tongues, hands and feet will bear witness against them to what they did.
(An-Nur/24)
65Today We will seal their mouths; their hands will speak to Us and their feet will testify to that which they have earned.
(Ya Sin/ 65)
It is interesting to note the word used in verse 15 to describe the excuses that man can make for what he has done and what he has not done: “معاذير Meâzîr”. This word is the plural of the word “meâzir” which is the plural of the word “excuse”. The word “meazīr” differs from the word “meazir” by being spelled and read differently and expresses a qualification in the sense of the plural of the plural.[5]
In this case, the verse means “even if he makes excuse after excuse” or “even if he makes whatever excuse he has”.
The word “Meazir” means “curtains” in Yemenite Arabic.[6] When this meaning is taken into account, the verse says, “No matter how many curtains he tries to draw over what he has done and what he has not done, it will all come to his mind and before his eyes. He will surely reproach himself and feel remorse for having missed the opportunity.”
Verses 16-19:
16Do not move your tongue to hasten it! 17No doubt that it is only upon Us to combine and gather what you did and what you did not. 18Then, witness Us when We combine and gather what you did and what you did not! 19Then, it is also only upon Us to declare what you did and what you did not; to prove with evidence.”71
While this group of verses should have been evaluated in the flow of the Surah’s own words, it was evaluated in line with the account of Ibn ‘Abbas, which we give below. As a result of these evaluations, unfortunately, the additions that should have at least been included in parentheses were unfortunately presented as if they were in the original text of the verses. In these translations and tafsirs, which sprinkle the dust of stories on the message of Allah, the verses are translated by turning their meanings one hundred and eighty degrees, and thus a favorable environment has been prepared for the great crimes committed for the corruption of Islam.
For the sake of clarity and the importance of the subject, we would like to quote this famous account from a source accessible to everyone:
- [852]- Ibn ‘Abbas [radiyallahu ‘anhuma] said: “O Muhammad! When Gabriel recites the Qur’an to you, do not hurry and say it with him [just listen], lest you forget” (Al-Qiyamat 16): “When the revelation came, our Prophet used to feel a great intensity [and heaviness]. He would move his lips in response to it. Then the following verse came down [literally]: “[O Muhammad, when Gabriel recites the Qur’an to you, do not hurry and sing along with him [just listen]. It is for Us to collect it and make it read.” (Al-Qiyamat 16)
Ibn ‘Abbas continues: “The expression جمعه “its gathering” in the verse means “the gathering and settling of the [newly revealed] verse in the heart of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and then its recitation by our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” In the verse “When We recite the revelation, follow its recitation” (verse 18), it is said, “Listen and be silent, then We will make it recited to you.”
After this revelation, when Jibril [alayhis salaam] came with the revelation, he would only listen. When Jibril left, he would recite the new revelation in the same way as it had been recited to him.”[7]
Now let us look at the explanation of this passage from Razi’s “Tafsir al-Kabir” or “Mefatih al-Ghayb”, which was prepared under the influence of this account and then imitated by religious scholars for hundreds of years:
“Do not move your tongue for the sake of memorization
“You need not worry to memorize the Qur’an quickly, so you do not have to keep moving your tongue” (al-Qiyamah, 16)
There are several issues with this statement:
First Issue
A group of the early Rafizīs claimed that the Qur’an had been altered and modified and that some additions and omissions had been made to it, and they cited the absence of any correspondence between this verse and the previous verse as evidence for this view. In their opinion, this would not be the case if this arrangement was from Allah.
Correlation with the Previous Verse
You should know that the connection here may be in several ways:
1- It is possible that the haste that is forbidden here only occurred to him at the time of the revelation of these verses, and therefore he was forbidden from rushing at that time, so that he was told, “You need not worry to memorize the Qur’an quickly and keep moving your tongue.” This is like this: The teacher is lecturing his student and the student turns left and right. Then the teacher says to him, “Don’t turn left and right!” in the middle of the lecture, and then he goes back to his lecture. If this lecture is narrated with this saying in the middle of it, the person who does not know the reason will say, “It is inappropriate that this saying happened in the middle of this lecture.” But the one who knows the event knows that the arrangement of this statement is proper and appropriate.
2- Allah has reported about the infidels that they love the happiness of this world. This is the verse, ‘But man wants to deny what is before him [the Judgment Day]’ (Al-Qiyamat, 5). Then Allah Almighty states that haste, including in religious matters, is condemned in the absolute sense, and says, “Do not make your tongue to be depressed with it, that you may hasten [to comprehend and memorize it]…” (Al-Qiyamat, 5). And in the next verse, He says, “Nay, you love [this world] that passes quickly…” (Al-Qiyamat, 20).
3- Allah Almighty says, ‘Rather, man is a witness against himself. Even if he has thrown away [all] his excuses” (Al-Qiyamat, 14-15). Here our Prophet (pbuh) was reciting with Gabriel (a.s.) and he wanted to hurry. Our Prophet (pbuh) acted in this way for fear that he would forget. So he said to him, “You set out with such an excuse. However, you know that memorization and retention can only be achieved with the help of Allah’s tawfiq, His grace and His help. So now, stop this haste and trust in Allah’s guidance and tawfiq,” which is what is meant by Allah’s statement, “It belongs to Us to collect it and to make it read…” (Al-Qiyamat, 17).
4- Allah Almighty is saying, “O Muhammad, the purpose of your haste is that you may establish it in your mind and deliver it to your ummah. However, there is no need for you to hurry, for man is a witness against himself. And they know in their hearts that what they are in, such as disbelief, idol worship, and denial of resurrection after death, is evil and false. In that case, there is no longer any use in such haste. That is why Allah Almighty has said, and very appropriately, “Do not make your tongue dull with it”.
5- Allah has narrated that the disbeliever said, “Where is the refuge!” Then Allah Almighty said, “No, there is no refuge. The only place where everyone will stand on that Day is in the presence of his Lord” (Al-Qiyamat, 11-12). So it was as if the disbeliever was fleeing to someone other than Allah, so he said to our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), “You are seeking help in repeating the Qur’an for the sake of memorizing it. But this means that you are hoping for help from something other than Allah. Therefore, leave this path and seek help only from Allah in this matter.” Thus, it is as if he is saying, “Surely that disbeliever was also running away from Allah to someone else. But you do the opposite. Therefore, you need to flee from other than Allah and seek refuge in Allah and hope for Allah’s help in all your affairs in order to reach your goal.” For Allah Almighty has said, “It belongs to Us to gather it and to make it read…” ([Al-Qiyamat, 17). In another Surah, Allah Almighty has said, “Do not hurry [in reciting the Qur’an] before its revelation to you is complete, and say, ‘My Lord, increase my knowledge'” (Taha, 114), which means, “Seek Allah’s help in memorizing the verses of the Qur’an, not in repeating them.”
6- Kaffal’s explanation is as follows: “Allah’s address to our Prophet (pbuh) is not an address to our Prophet (pbuh). On the contrary, it is an address to the “man” in the phrase, “On that Day man will be informed of what he has sent ahead and what he has left behind” (Al-Qiyamat, 12). Therefore, it is a word spoken to him when he informs him that his deeds are bad. For he will be shown his book [the book of deeds] and he will be told, “Read your book. Your soul is sufficient for you this day as a reckoner” (Isra. 14), and when he begins to read, his tongue will stammer because of the terror of fear and the speed with which he reads, then he will be told, “Do not move your tongue to hurry with it, for it is for Us, either by promise or by wisdom, to gather your deeds together against you and to read them to you. So when We recite them to you, obey what is recited, recognizing that you did all these deeds… Then We will explain to him his condition and the degrees of his punishment…”. According to this interpretation, the conclusion is this: This means that the disbeliever will be read all his deeds in detail. This is meant to be a threat to him in this world and a terror to him in the Afterlife. Kaffal goes on to say: “Although this is an explanation for which there is no hadith, it is too good to be challenged intellectually.
…
Ismat of the Prophets
Those who argue that prophets can also sin, citing this verse as evidence, say: “If this rashness is with the permission of Allah, why does He forbid it? If it is not with the permission of Allah, then it means that our Prophet has sinned.”
The answer is as follows: Perhaps this haste was permitted until the prohibition came. It is not unreasonable for something to be permitted for a time and then forbidden at another time. For this reason, we say that there may be abrogation.
The Third Issue
Said b. Jubayr narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas (r.a) said: “Memorizing the revealed verses was difficult for our Prophet (pbuh). Therefore, when the revelation came to him, he would move his tongue and lips before Gabriel (a.s.) had finished [reciting] the revelation, fearing that he would not be able to memorize it. That is why Allah revealed the verse, ‘Do not move your tongue for the revelation, the revealed verse and the Qur’an’.” It is permissible to make such an appreciation, even though it has not been mentioned before, because of the presumption. This is like making the pronoun “it” in the verse “We sent it down on the night of Qadr” (Qadr, 1) refer to the Qur’an, even though it was not mentioned before [in the Surah]. A similar verse is, “Do not hasten in reciting the Qur’an before its revelation to you is complete” (Taha, 114).
The expression ……… in the verse means “to hasten in receiving it”.
Preserving the Revelation is Allah’s Guarantee
17No doubt that it is only upon Us to combine and gather what you did and what you did not.
(Al-Qiyamat, 17).
There are several issues related to this verse:
First Issue
The ……. at the beginning of the verse expresses wujūb [obligation]. Therefore, the expression …….. indicates that this work is virtually obligatory on Allah. But according to the Ahl as-Sunnah, this wujūb is because Allah Almighty has promised it. According to Mutazila, “The purpose of sending a prophet is fulfilled only when the revelation is preserved and protected from oblivion. Therefore, this obligation is due to the wisdom of Allah Almighty.”
Second Issue
The meaning of this verse is, “It is for Us to collect and preserve it in your heart and mind”.
Regarding the expression “to make it read”, the following two explanations can be given:
a- By “Qur’ân” here, the meaning of “reading” is meant. According to this, there are two possibilities:
1- This means that Gabriel (a.s.) recited the Qur’an to our Prophet (a.s.) over and over again until he memorized it.
2- It means, “O Muhammad, We will make you recite it until you do not forget it,” which is what is meant by the verse, “We will make you recite it so that you will not forget it” (A’la 6). Therefore, according to the first explanation, it is Gabriel (a.s.) who recites, and according to the second, it is Prophet Muhammad (pubh).
b- The word “Qur’an” here has the meaning of jam and te’lif [gathering and bringing together], and this is of the type of the Arabic saying, “I never gathered the sick camels together”. For example, in Arabic it is said, “The daughter of Amr b. Kulsum could not gather a child [in her womb] [i.e. she could not conceive]”. We have explained this in our commentary on verse 228 of Surah al-Baqara, which says, “If this is the meaning, then the words jumma and Qur’an in this verse would have the same meaning. Therefore, there would be an [unnecessary] repetition”, we say: The word “jam” here means that the revelation was gathered both in our Prophet’s mind and in the external world, and the word “Qur’ân” means that it was gathered in our Prophet’s mind and memory. According to this meaning, there is no repetition in the verse.
Listen to Gabriel’s Recitation
“So follow his Qur’ân [recitation] when We recite it.” (Al-Qiyamat, 16)
There are two issues regarding this verse:
First Issue
Allah has considered Gabriel’s recitation as His recitation, which indicates that Gabriel’s honor and value is very great. This is similar to the verse about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), “Whoever obeys our Prophet obeys Allah” (al-Nisaa, 80).
Second Issue
Ibn ‘Abbas (r.a) said, “It means, ‘When Gabriel (a.s.) recites it, you follow his recitation. There are two explanations for this:
a- Qatadah said, “Follow the lawful and unlawful of the Qur’an”,
b- It has also been given the meaning, “Follow his recitation,” which means, “It is not appropriate for you to recite at the same time as Gabriel. You should remain silent until Gabriel finishes reciting and then start reciting when he stops.” This explanation is more appropriate than the first one. This is because our Prophet (s) was commanded not to recite, but to listen to Gabriel (a.s.) and to recite when Gabriel (a.s.) finished. This is not a place [siyaq] where it is commanded to observe the permissible and forbidden parts of the Qur’an. Ibn ‘Abbas (r.a) said, “After that, when Gabriel (a.s) brought revelation to our Prophet (pbuh), our Prophet (pbuh) would bow his head and listen to the revelation. When he left, he would start reciting the verses [that came].”
Explaining the Qur’an also belongs to Allah:
19Then, it is also only upon Us to declare what you did and what you did not; to prove with evidence.”71
(Al-Qiyamat, 19)
There are two issues regarding this verse:
First Issue
This verse indicates that our Prophet (pbuh) used to recite with Gabriel (a.s.), and because of his fondness for knowledge, he used to ask Gabriel (a.s.) about the questions and meanings of the verses that he was reciting. That is why our Prophet (pbuh) was forbidden both of these things: “So when We recite it, follow its recitation” (Al-Qiyamat, 18), and asking Gabriel (a.s.) for the explanation of the verses, “Then it is for Us to explain it” (Al-Qiyamat, 18).
Te’hir-i Beyan
Those who say that the necessary explanation can be given some time after the time of the address have cited this verse as evidence. Abu al-Husayn replied to this in two ways:
1) The implication of the verse is that it is obligatory to leave the explanation until after the time of the address. However, you [the Ahl as-Sunnah] do not agree that it is obligatory.
2- According to us [Mutazila], it is necessary to add to the wording of the verse that which is required by its implication in order to make it clear that this is not what is meant by the wording of the verse. But it is possible to leave the detailed explanation for later. Therefore, this statement [explanation] in the verse is the detailed explanation that is left for later. Kaffal gave a third explanation in this regard as follows: “The verse of Allah, ‘Then it belongs to Us to explain it’ means, ‘Then We will inform you that it belongs to Us to explain it. A similar verse is the verse, “Free a slave […] and then become one of the believers” (Beled, 17).
We can answer the first one as follows: The wording of the verse does not imply the wujūb [obligation] of postponing the declaration, but rather the te’hir [postponement until later] of the wujūb [obligation] of the declaration. This is already our view. Because wujubiyyah of declaration is only when it is needed.
We answer the second one as follows: The preposition “sümme” [after] comes at the beginning of this verse in the context of absolute explanation. Therefore, an absolute explanation is a statement that includes both a brief and a detailed explanation. Kaffal’s explanation is also weak, as it abandons the clear meaning of the verse without any evidence.
Explanation of being vajib on Allah
Allah’s statement, “Then it belongs to Us to explain it,” indicates that the brief explanation is obligatory on Allah. But according to us, the Ahl as-Sunnah, it is obligatory on Him because of His promise and His grace, and according to the Mu’tazila, it is obligatory on Him because of His wisdom.”[8]
As the above long quotation shows, when the true meaning of the verses in question is sacrificed to the account of Ibn ‘Abbas, a grave picture emerges. It is as follows:
1- Doubts have arisen about the Qur’an. The most prominent example of this is the one quoted above from Razi:
“A group of the early Rafizis claimed that the Qur’an had been altered and modified, and that some additions and omissions had been made to it, and they cited the absence of any correspondence between this verse and the previous verse as evidence for their view. In their opinion, this would not have been the case if this arrangement was from Allah.”
2- It has been suggested that our Prophet developed a tic due to the intensity of the revelation. Orientalists, citing this account as a source, claimed that our Prophet suffered from epilepsy and succeeded in establishing this belief in some circles.
3- It has been claimed that our Prophet could not understand the messages that came to him and that he learned them by asking Gabriel. This claim was followed by the belief that Allah not only revealed the words of the Qur’an to our Prophet, but also explained to him the exact meanings of those words, and as a result of this belief, the view that no one but our Prophet could understand the Qur’an, and therefore no one in later periods could understand it, emerged. Later on, as is well known, the enemies of Islam fabricated many stories about the meaning of the Qur’an, saying that it was from the mouth of our Prophet. As a result of this bombardment with the help of the Israelites, they achieved significant success in the corruption of Islam.
4- The enemies of Islam, who say that the revelation revealed to our Prophet is not only what is written in the Qur’an, have made many people believe that our Prophet was given much more information than the Qur’an, and that our Prophet was also taught the meanings of the words, commands and guidance in the Qur’an that not everyone understands. Ignorant or outright malicious, such people have tried to prove their false claims by pointing to Qur’anic verses whose meanings have been distorted by such stories:
“If all this had been written in the Qur’an, then there would have been no need to say, ‘We will explain its meaning to you’ or ‘It is for us to explain it. If Rasulullah’s knowledge had not been such, then all the explanations would have been in the Qur’an. Therefore, the explanation and clarification of the Qur’an by Allah is in any case separate from the words of the Qur’an.”
This line of explanation is nothing but an attempt to justify one falsehood on the basis of another falsehood. Qur’anic verses cannot be used to prove a false perception by interpreting them with stories of questionable veracity.
5- The enemies of Islam, who do not stop their attack at the level of assertion, have said, “Whoever believes in the Qur’an, but refuses to accept that the explanation of the Qur’an is only through the words and deeds of the Messenger of Allah and that these are not his personal explanations, and dares to give the Qur’an a meaning according to his own will, this person is a disbeliever.” By saying this, they have preemptively denigrated those who try to understand the Qur’an with their free will and intellect, which Allah has bestowed upon them, and they have distanced people from the Qur’an and left the field to themselves.
6- The enemies of Islam did not stop there:
“Allah taught the verses and words of the Qur’an to His messenger, who in turn transmitted them to the ummah through his words and deeds. We have nothing else to learn the Qur’an. Hadith means the narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saw) in speech and deed, transmitted by the earlier ones to the later ones by isnad. The Sunnah, on the other hand, is the words of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the way he communicated, or the way he practiced and followed as an individual and as a society. The details of this are transmitted from generation to generation through reliable accounts. The later generations have seen the practice from the earlier generations. Anyone who rejects such knowledge is, by Allah, rejecting Allah’s saying, “Its explanation belongs to us,” i.e. he is assuming that the Messenger did not succeed in fulfilling his responsibility of explanation. This responsibility was not only for the Messenger himself. Its purpose was to explain the Book of Allah to the Ummah through the Messenger. Therefore, to disregard hadith and sunnah as sources of tafsir means to claim that Allah has failed to fulfill this obligation.” They have succeeded in convincing honest, sincere but ignorant Muslims and have made them partners in their false views.
After all these explanations, let us return to the analysis of the relevant verses:
In this section of verses 16-19, as in verse 12, the account is changed from the third person to the second person in order to make a “compliment”. (The details on the art of compliment are given in the chapter on Surah Al-Fatiha in Volume 1.) The people addressed in verses 16-19 are infidels who are referred to as “human beings” and who deny the Judgment Day. In these verses, the characteristics of infidels who, at the time of death, are confronted with what they did and did not do while they were in the world, and who, unable to endure the torment of conscience, are characterized by a “let’s get it over with as soon as possible” attitude. This characteristic, which is shown as evidence for the “very condemning soul”, is also mentioned in Adh-Dhariyat 14, Al-Anbiya 37: An-Nahl 1: Yunus 50, 51: Ash-Shu’ara 18: As-Saffat 176: Ankebut 53, 54: Yunus 11: Sad 16: Al-Ahqaf 35: An’âm 57, 58: Hajj 47:
As seen in the above verses, infidels cannot tolerate waiting and consider waiting as a heavy burden to bear.
Meaning of the words “Qur’an”
In verses 17 and 18, the words “قرآن Qur’an” have nothing to do with our book “Qur’an”. Here, the intended meaning is metaphorical, not literal. As mentioned in the analysis of Surah Alaq when explaining the meaning of the command “اقرأ ikra'”, the word “Qur’an” means “to gather the scattered things”. The “collected things” in these verses are the things that man has done and not done in his own life.
The Precedence of “Cem” over “Qur’an”
In verse 17, the fact that the word “جمعه cem”, which means “its combining”, is placed before the word “قرأنه qur’an”, which means “its gathering”, is in accordance with the harmony of sound in Arabic [seci’]. Otherwise, it does not mean that the process of combining is to be done before the process of adding.
The Word “Beyan”
In verse 19, the word “بيان beyan” means “to reveal something with its proofs, to announce it”. However, the word should not be understood as “explaining something closed”.
The phrase “بيانه beyanehu” in this verse is usually translated to mean “the explanation of the Qur’an” and unfortunately people have been misled. The pronouns in these verses are directed to the preposition “ما ma” in the phrase “ما قدّم و اخّر ma kaddama wa ahhara” in verse 13. In verse 13, the preposition “ma [thing]” is also used for what the unbelieving people do and do not do, and the verses already mean “it is for Us to explain what the unbelieving person does and does not do with proofs”.
The word “ثمّ sümme [then]” at the beginning of verse 19 means that what the unbelieving person does and does not do will be shown to everyone later, in the Afterlife, so that the infidels will be held accountable on the one hand and disgraced on the other. There are many verses in the Qur’an that confirm this meaning, such as the following:
82And when the Word175 is fulfilled, We will bring out a moving and speaking creature made of earth/substance176 that will tell/explain them that the people did not believe in Our Ayat as they should have.
(An-Naml/ 82)
An Important Warning:
It is the stories quoted above and the interpreters who have distorted the meaning of the Qur’an according to these stories that have taken this Surah off the axis of its original message and made the Qur’an debatable, as Razi has stated. Because the above passage has so far been interpreted entirely in accordance with the account of Ibn ‘Abbas by inserting the meanings of the stories into the verses in the form of parenthetical additions. We, on the other hand, oppose this approach and have used the verses in their own position [in accordance with the flow of the Surah], without additions or subtractions, and have not used the parentheses to add to the verse, but only to better clarify the meaning of the words in the verse.
Those who have interpreted the above passage in the light of the account of Ibn ‘Abbas should be aware of three very important points in their interpretations:
1- The account on which the interpretations are based is narrated as Ibn ‘Abbas’ own testimony. [However, we say that Ibn ‘Abbas cannot make such a statement. Ibn ‘Abbas was not yet born when this Surah was revealed. The biography of Ibn ‘Abbas shows that he was born 2-3 years before the Hijrah. However, it is known that these verses were revealed about 6-7 years before the Hijrah. In this case, it is not possible for Ibn ‘Abbas to have witnessed such an event.
2- Although the verse says “do not move your tongue”, those who fabricated the account of Ibn ‘Abbas changed this expression to “do not move your lips”, thus leaving a clue to their forgery.
3- In all the verses of the Qur’an in which the word “we” is used, our Lord Himself has attributed the actions to Himself, yet the fabricators have claimed that the perpetrator in this verse is “Gabriel”.
It is unfortunate that no Muslim has ever pondered this verse and questioned it.
Verses 20, 21:
20-21Certainly not as you think! Truly, you love the world and leave Akhirat [Afterlife].
In these two verses it is mentioned how infidels are unwise. It will be recalled that the main reason behind the infidels’ denial of the Judgment Day was that they wanted to spend their lives in debauchery. In these verses, it is brought up that eternal and precious things are ignored for temporary and simple things, and it is implied that those who engage in this behavior are deceived and unwise. These expressions are found in two other places in the Qur’an with different wording:
18And whoever desires the world that passes quickly, We hasten that which We will to whom We intend. Then We prepare Jahannah [Hell] for them so that they will enter therein condemned and banished.
(Isra/ 18)
27Those who say: “You are not the messenger” love the world which passes very quickly and leave a grave day their behind.
(Al-Insan/27)
In fact, The Qur’an has emphasized the consequences of preferring the world over the Afterlife. We present below some of the verses that frequently raise this important issue:
14Excessive and passionate desire for opposite sex, sons, heaped up gold and silver, fine branded horses, cattles bred for their meat and milk and crops has been beautified/made attractive to people. These are the enjoyments of the simple worldly life. And Allah is the One with Whom is the best return.
15-17Say: “Shall I inform you of what is better than this? For the servants who have entered under the guardianship of Allah; who say, “Our Rabb! Indeed We have believed, then forgive our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire!”, who have patience; who resist, who are true, show respect constantly, who spend for the cause of Allah and ask forgiveness at the daybreaks; as their first work with clear mind, there will be gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] underneath of which rivers flow and wherein they will abide eternally, pure spouses [who have not been stained by eye, thought; totally new] and approval from Allah. And Allah is the One Who sees the servants best.
(Ali-Imran/ 14- 17)
32And the simple worldly life is only diversion and amusement. The final settlement/the home of Akhirat [Afterlife] is definitely better for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah. Will you still not reason?
(Al-An’am/ 32)
38O you who have believed! What is the matter with you that you cling heavily to the ground/stuck at where you are when you are told to set out to fight for the cause of Allah? Are you satisfied with simple worldly life rather than Akhirat [Afterlife]? But the enjoyment of the simple worldly life is rather less than of Akhirat [Afterlife].
At-Tawbah/38)
127And thus We recompense those who do not put forward the truth completely and who do not believe the Ayat of your Rabb. And the punishment of Akhirat [Afterlife] is truly more severe and more enduring.
(Ta Ha/ 127)
64And this simple worldly life is only diversion and amusement. Indeed, the final home is definitely what is the life. If only they knew.
(Ankebut/ 64)
14-17The one who purifies himself, who fulfills Salah; supports others financially and spiritually; strives to enlighten the community mentioning the name of his Rabb will definitely save himself. But you prefer that simple worldly life. Yet, Akhirat [Afterlife] is better and ever lasting.
(A’la/ 14- 17)
We may also refer to the following verses on this subject: Az-Zukhruf 35, Yusuf 109, Rad 26, Ibrahim 3, An-Nahl 30, 41, Isra 21, Al-A’raf 169, An-Nisa 77.
Verses 22, 23:
22There will be faces which will be radiant on that day; at that moment; 23looking at their Rabb; expecting favor from their Rabb.
Verses 22 and 23 depict the moments of death of believers and verses 24 and 25 depict the moments of death of infidels, and these scenes are not scenes of the Afterlife but of the world. Already in verses 26-30 it becomes clear that these scenes belong to the world. Therefore, these scenes are related to death, which is the first stage of the Judgment Day.
The “يومئذ that day” in verse 22 is, as we mentioned in verse 13 above, “the day when the eyes are opened wide, the moon is eclipsed, the sun and the moon are united, and the unbelieving person looks for a place to flee to.” That is the moment of death.
In verse 22, the word “ناضرة nadıratun” is used for the freshness of everything. The bright green materials are also called “احضر ناضر ahdarun nadirin”.[9] In this case, the meaning of the verse is “there are faces that are bright and fresh”, which means that there are faces that are not ruined, that have not shriveled up, and that shine with happiness and joy. The fact that the expression “faces” is understood to mean “people” is due to the use of the art of “the metaphor of the particular” in the verse. With this art, people’s faces are mentioned and they themselves are meant. As is well known, a person’s mugshot is their face.
In ancient times, it was understood that this scene belonged to the Afterlife from the phrase “they are only looking at their Lord” in verse 23, and the meaning of the word “نظر nazar” was shifted and it was claimed that the believers would see Allah in the Afterlife.
According to Lisan al-Arab, the meaning of the word “nazar” is “to come face to face”. Even if it is not seen with the eyes, being face to face is sufficient for “evil eye/gaze”. Even those who are blind can “evil eye”. From this point of view, standing in front of a person or authority that is hoped to see or complete a task and directing the pupil of the eye towards it has come to be called “nazar”.[10]
In this case, to make an evil eye on the Lord has nothing to do with looking at Allah with the eyes and seeing Allah. Therefore, there is no benefit in discussing “رئيةاللّه Rü’yatullah [seeing Allah]” in the science of Kalam here.
If we return to the verses in the light of this information, the meaning of the word “evil eye” as “to wait for someone, to stand in front of someone’s door” leads us to infer from the verses that “believers wait with bright faces in the presence of their Lord at the time of death, hoping for blessings, i.e. they look at Allah with bright faces”.
In addition to these verses describing the happiness of believers at the time of their death, there are also verses describing their happiness in the Afterlife. For example:
22-28Surely, the “the righteous people” will be in Naim, in expectations on thrones. You will see the light of bliss on their faces. They will be given a drink from a sealed pure drink. The seal/result of which is musk. And its mixture is of Tasnim. Drinks of those who have been brought close will be in a spring. –Those who race, should race in this.-
(Al-Mutaffifin/ 22- 28)
See also Abasa/ 30, 39; Al-Anbiya/100- 103; Fussilat/30- 32; An-Nahl/30, 32; Ad-Dukhan/51- 57.
In conclusion, verses 22 and 23 can be appreciated in line with the above explanations as follows:
“On that Day [the Day of Death], there will be happy, joyful people with bright faces, flying with happiness, regarding nothing of this world, disregarding the separation from wealth, property, fortune, position, position, spouse, friends, turning only to their Lord and hoping for better blessings from Him than what they will leave behind, waiting for death, saying, ‘Let me die soon, so that I may get rid of the temporary world and reach the land of eternity, my real life, and taste the true blessings. ”
Verses 24, 25:
24And there will be faces which will be contorted on that day; 25they will think that a “backbreaking” is done to them.
Verses 22 and 23 describe the moment of death for believers, while these verses describe the moment for infidels. The infidels are unhappy. Because what they have done and what they have not done has been gathered up and shown to them, and they have realized what calamity is about to befall them, and they are sure that they will experience the greatest calamity of all. That is why their situation is described with the phrase: “They think that they will be made a back-breaker”.
“فاقرة Fakırah [Back-breaker]”:
This word is actually the name of “the tool used to brand the camel’s nose”. According to al-Asma’i, it means “cutting the camel’s nose without breaking it until it touches the bone, and then placing a piece of wood in the place where the camel is to be herded, i.e. inserting a ring”.
According to Mubarad, it means “a great calamity that breaks one’s back”. The main source of this word is the words “الفقرة el fekratü” and “elfekarat”, meaning a series of spinal bones.[11]
Based on the information provided by Lisan al-Arab, it can be said that the meaning of the word “فاقرة fakırah” is “a great calamity that breaks one’s spinal bones”. From this definition, it can be understood that “a person is deprived of his freedom [by having a ring put in his nose] and subjected to torments that are so severe that they break his spinal bones [his back]”.
This means that on that day the infidel realizes that it is all over, that he will be subjected to a great calamity, that his back will be broken, and he frowns and scowls.
There are many verses in the Qur’an that describe the state of infidels in the Afterlife and portray it like a theater scene. Since these verses are known to everyone, we do not need to give examples here.
Verses 26-30:
26,30Certainly not as they think! When it reaches to the collar bone and it is said “Who is it that finds cure?” and the one who is dying realizes that this is the time of that separation and legs are tangled; that day, only to your Rabb is to be driven.
In verse 26, the phrase “كلاّ Kella/ No… No… No…” rejects the “logic of the unbelieving people” mentioned in verse 21, that they prefer the simple, temporary, transient worldly blessings to the eternal world and blessings.
Here, it is the “SOUL/ LIFE” that rests on the collarbones.
What is described here is “the difficulty of death”. The infidel wants to die as soon as possible and get rid of his suffering. But he cannot die easily.
Here, the soul is likened to a bird trying to escape from a cage. The soul is trying to get out of the body. But the collarbones are squeezing it left and right, not letting it out. The pain and torment of that infidel increases.
In verse 27, the word “راق râk”, derived from the word “رقية rukye”, means “exorcist and amulet maker”, which at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation meant “physician and pharmacist”. If this meaning is given to the word, the verse can be interpreted as follows: “Is there no physician who can cure this man, no medicine that can heal him?”
However, the word “الرّقى raky” also means “advancement”. If this meaning of the word is taken into account, the verse can be understood as, “Who will take this person’s life and save him from his distress, is there such a person?” This meaning of the verse corresponds to the Turkish expressions of despair and helplessness for the hopelessly ill and the extremely old, such as “If only Allah would spare him” and “If only Allah would save him”.
In verse 29, the word “السّاق sâk” means “difficult task, great event”.[12] This word is generally used in its literal meaning. The reason why the leg is called “sac” in Arabic is because it is the organ that bears the weight of the body and it is with it that man does the hardest and heaviest work.
The idiom “entanglement of the leg to the leg”, on the other hand, refers both to the Turkish idiom of “confusion, bewilderment and related weakness; the inability to move both feet; the two feet remaining glued together without being separated from each other; and the entanglement of the feet while struggling”. The idiom, however, mainly means “when hard work becomes a tangle of problems, and trouble is added to trouble”. In this case, the phrase “when the legs become entangled” in the verse can be interpreted as “when one feels the distress of being separated from the world and its pleasures and never returning, and these distresses come together” or “when one feels the distress of leaving one’s family, children and loved ones, and this distress is combined with the sorrow of one’s friends and the joy of one’s enemies or rivals”. In fact, it is possible to find many idioms in the meanings expressed in verses 26-30 that have entered Turkish.
Taking all these meanings into account, verses 26-30 can be interpreted as follows:
“When life comes to the point of exhaustion and those around the person start looking for a doctor and a cure; when the person accepts that all hope is over and realizes that it is time for separation; when the troubles pile up on top of each other and the legs become tangled; on that day the referral is only to Allah. It is not possible to stop, to wait, to go somewhere else. The obligatory direction is only to Allah.”
It will be recalled that in verse 12, the infidel who was looking for a place to escape was told, “On that Day, the destination is only to your Lord / On that Day, the destination is only the presence of your Lord.”
Verses 31, 32:
31However, he neither confirmed nor supported. 32But he denied and turned away.
The preposition “ف fe” at the beginning of verse 31 indicates that these two verses are a continuation of an earlier sentence. In our opinion, these verses are a continuation of the sentence in verse 3 of the Surah which reads, “Does he think that We will never gather his bones together?” They are interspersed with narratives that explain the psychological collapse of the sinful man who feels much remorse at the moment of death, and that bring reason and logic into play to take a lesson from this chilling projection.
When the above verses are considered together with verse 3, the following interpretation can be made for these three verses:
“He, that is, the man who thought that bones could not be put together, did not affirm the Day of Religion/the Afterlife; nor did he become a supporter in social matters, like the man described in Surah al-Ma’un; he always stood back, always prioritizing his own temporary interests.”
Verse 33:
33Then he went to those who were close to him, swaggering.
In other words, “He did what a man of faith and conscience would not do, he went to his family and friends with a swaggering, confident demeanor, as if he would not die and would never be held accountable.”
These verses, as we said above, confirm that the verses descended on the specific behavior of a person whom the classical sources identify by name. However, since the name of that person is not mentioned, it is necessary to understand not only that particular person, but all infidels who behave in the same way. In any case, the specificity of the cause does not preclude the generality of the judgment.
Verses 34, 35:
34,35Devastation is very close to you! Again, devastation is very close to you!
The expressions in these verses are threatening expressions such as the Turkish expressions “You shall see!”, “Shame on you!”, “You need trouble, trouble!”. Taking the previous verses into consideration, these verses can be appreciated as follows:
“You will soon find your doom. When death comes, you will realize the truth, you will regret it, and you will look for a place to escape. Those around you will look for a doctor or medicine to keep you from dying, or they will say, ‘Let us get rid of him as soon as possible. But to your Lord alone is the destination, to your Lord alone is the path!”
Verse 36:
36Does man think that he will be left neglected?
This verse indicates that the infidel should not think that he is an unattended, meaningless being who is not held responsible in this world, who is not commanded any duty, who is not forbidden, and who does not have to account for his actions in the Afterlife.
The word “سدى suda” in the verse means “neglected, ignored, left unattended”. This word is usually used for a camel that is unattended, wandering in the field, eating whatever it wants from wherever it wants, and no one benefits from its meat, milk or strength.[13]
Based on the explanations in Lisan al-Arab, the following meaning can be deduced from the verse:
“Does that infidel think that he has no obligation, that the Creator has created him like a free camel to eat whatever he wants from wherever he wants, and that he will not be asked about the intellect and intelligence given to him? He is not a camel. He has equipment that a camel does not have. This equipment is not for this world but for the Afterlife. He will not be left unattended; he will be taken to the Afterlife whether he likes it or not.”
This warning in Surah Al-Qiyamat, “man is not an unattended creature and is under constant control”, is repeated in detail in different parts of the Qur’an:
1-4The scholars and At-Tariq; group of Ayat of the Qur’an that pierces are witness that, there are definitely some protectors over every creature that has completed its self .79
(Tariq/1-4)
115And did you think that We formed you only uselessly and you would not be returned only to Us?
(Mu’minun/115)
178Do not let those who disbelieve in the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb think that the respite that We give them is better for them. Surely, We give them respite so they may waste their time/delay the good/be reluctant for the good/harm more. And there will be a humiliating punishment for them.
(Ali-Imran/178)
4-6Or do those who do evil deeds think that they can outrun/escape from Us? How evil is that which they have adopted as principle! Whoever expects to meet Allah, indeed, the term that Allah has decreed is to come. And He is the One Who hears best, knows best. And whoever strives, strives only for himself. Indeed, Allah is free of need of all universes.
(Ankebut/ 4-6)
We can also refer to the following verses on this subject: Al-Jathiya 21, Al-Kahf 102, Ankebut 2, 4, Muhammad 29, At-Tawbah 16.
Verses 37-39:
37Was not he a drop of semen from a measured semen? 38Then he was an embryo and then He formed and proportioned him, 39and made two mates from it; male and female.
In verses 1 and 2, the proofs referred to with the phrases “I show proof of the Day of Resurrection!” and “I show proof to that very condemning soul!” are the proofs described in these verses. The proofs in these three verses are nothing but the miracles of our Lord. In these three verses, our Lord gives evidence of His miracles both for the “Resurrection” and “the soul that condemns too much” mentioned in verses 1 and 2, and for His “power to raise the dead” mentioned in verse 40.
These biological miracles, for which our Lord has given evidence, should be thoroughly studied and learned by believers. Believers, who believe that these miracles are more necessary for infidels than for themselves, need to guide infidels to belief by learning about them and telling them about them. This is a religious duty that should be considered in the context of “recommending the truth” and should never be neglected.
Two of the biological miracles of human creation are “semen” and “nutfe and Al-Alaq”. Some explanation of these has already been given in the analysis of Surahs Najm and Al-Alaq.
The miracle of the Qur’an can be witnessed by examining the scientific research on the stages of Nutfe, Al-Alaq and Embryo.
Verse 40:
40So, is the One Who does all these not the One Who is able to resurrect the dead?
This is a question posed not only to infidels, but to every intelligent person. The answer of intelligent people who are not slaves to their own interests cannot be anything other than, “Yes, He who does all these things will also raise the dead!”
This question is addressed to people not only in this verse but also in many other verses with explanations that can answer this question:
15And We have enjoined upon man as a liability, good treatment to his mother and father. His mother carried him with hardship and delivered/gave birth to him with hardship. And his gestation and weaning is thirty months. And when man reaches maturity and comes to forty years, he has said: “My Rabb! Make me repay for Your blessings You have bestowed upon me and my mother and my father and make me do righteous deeds with which You will be pleased. Amend in my lineage/bestow upon me righteous. Indeed, I have turned to you. And indeed, I am of the Muslims”.
(Qaf/ 15)
57Indeed, formation of the heavens/universe and the earth is greater than formation of the mankind. But most of the people do not know.
(Al-Mu’min/57)
5O people! If you doubt that you will be resurrected after you die, know that We formed you from dust, and then from a drop of semen, and then from an embryo, and then a disfigured piece of flesh so We may make clear to you what you are. And We keep whom We will in the wombs for a specified term. Then We bring you out as a child so that then you may reach time of maturity. And some of you are reminded that which you did in the past and failed to do while being obliged to/lives of some of you are taken. And some of you are made to reach to miserable time of his life to have no knowledge after his previous knowledge. And then you see the earth barren; then it quivers, swells and grows plants of every beautiful kind when We send down water on it.
6This is because Allah is the truth, He is the only One Who gives life to the dead and indeed He is the only One Who is the most competent over everything.
7The day of Qiyamat [Resurrection] will certainly come. There is no doubt about it. And indeed, Allah will resurrect those who are in the graves.
(Hajj/ 5-7)
The topics in verses 5-7 of Hajj are also mentioned in verses 12-16 of Surah al-Muminun and verse 39 of Surah Fussilat.
5Therefore, let man see from what he was formed; 6,7he was formed starting from an ejected liquid which emerges from between backbone and breastbone; “estrogen” and “testosterone”.
8,9No doubt that, the Creator is the One Who is able to return him on the day when all secrets are put forth.
(Tariq/ 5-9)
33Have they not seen/thought about that Allah, the One Who formed the heavens/universe and the earth and did not get weary in their formation, is able to resurrect the dead? Yes, indeed, He is the One Who is competent over everything.
(Al-Ahqaf/ 33)
97,98And whomever Allah guides, he is the one who follows the righteous path. And whomever Allah leads astray, you will not find a familiar who is helper, protector, guide for him from among those that are inferior to Allah. And We will gather them on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection] on their faces as they are blind, dumb and deaf. Jahannah [Hell] is their final destination. Every time Jahannah [Hell] subsides, We will increase the fire to them. This is their recompense because they concealed Our Ayat/evidences/signs and said: “Will we be resurrected with a new formation when we have become pile of bones and crumbled dust?”.
99Did they not see that Allah, the One Who formed the heavens/universe and the earth, is capable of forming humans like them and He has predetermined for them an end of the term about which there is no doubt? But those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah, refused except concealing the truth/always tried to conceal the truth.
(Isra/ 97- 99)
78And he has presented for Us an example, not considering his own formation: He said: “Who will resurrect those bones? While they are decomposed!”.
79,80Say: “The One Who formed them the first time will resurrect them. And He is the One Who knows every formation very well. He is the One Who made fire/oxygen from a green tree for you. Now, you burn oxygen.
81Is the One Who formed the heavens/universe and the earth, not the One Who possesses the power to form many more like them? Yes, indeed, He is! And He is the One Who forms perfectly, knows very well.
(Ya Sin/78-81)
The following verses on the subject should also be taken into consideration:
Az-Zukhruf /11, Fatir/ 9, Qaf/ 9-11, Araf /57, Ya Sin/ 33, Ar-Rum/ 24, Ar-Rum/ 50, Ar-Rum/ 19, An-Nahl/ 65, Ankebut/ 63, Casiye/ 5, Al-Hadid/ 17
The fact that Allah created the heavens and the earth is proof that He is able to resurrect after death. Earlier in the Surah, our Lord declared that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It is widely acknowledged that creating the heavens and the earth is a greater and more difficult task than bringing human beings back to life after death. From this point of view, people are invited to think with the message, “So, He who is able to do the most difficult and the most perfect, is He not able to do the easier and the lesser?”
260Once Abraham said: “My Rabb! Show me how You resurrect the dead!”. Allah said: “Have you not believed?”. Abraham said: “I have, but I ask it so my heart may be assured by eliminating all question marks”. Allah said: “Then take four of the birds and make them bound to you. Then, leave each of them on every mountain. Then call the birds, they will hasten to you. And know that Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible”.
(Al-Baqara/260)
As we have seen, the last example, verse 260 of al-Baqara, is an actual proof of Allah’s ability to raise the dead. In this verse, the bond between our Prophet Abraham and the birds is pointed out and this bond is associated with how Allah will resurrect the dead. Accordingly, just as the bond formed between Prophet Abraham and the birds enables the birds to come under the control of Prophet Abraham and return to him, the bonds formed between Allah and living and non-living beings enable everything to return to Allah, for which Allah only needs to say, “Be!”.
Cell phones, TVs, wind power plants, drones, many objects in the sky… are controlled by this connection. In QUANTUM PHYSICS, it has been determined by scientists that SUB-ATOMIC BEINGS ARE CONNECTED TO AND CONTROLLED BY a remote ENERGY.
There are a number of untrue narratives and explanations about verse 260 of Surah al-Baqara that were put forward in the name of early exegetes. In these narratives, birds are slaughtered and their meat is mixed and distributed to various mountains. Later on, these birds, which had been slaughtered and their meat distributed to the mountains, were revived by the call of Ibrahim (as) and came running towards him. However, none of these long narratives fits the sentence structure of the verse.
Consequently, an intelligent person who is familiar with Allah’s miracles described above cannot be expected to give any other answer to verse 40, “Is He not able [to do all this] to raise the dead?” than the following:
“سبحانك بلى Subhaneke bela! [I sanctify You from all deficient attributes, surely You are the Almighty.”
Allah is the one who knows best
The following research is also remarkable:
American and Japanese scientists succeeded in restoring the “lost” memory of mice.
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Riken Institute for Brain Science used a protein to sensitize the brain cells of mice to blue light. The blue light pulses were then used to activate nerve cells that are activated during memory formation. To do this, the scientists first gave some mice a compound called anisomycin to inhibit memory formation. Then the mice were given an electric shock that caused them to freeze and the animals were moved to another compartment. When the mice that received anisomycin and thus suffered memory loss were brought back to the section where the electric shock was given, they did not feel the sensation of freezing, while other mice were observed to be frightened. When the brain cells were activated with blue light, it was determined that the mice with memory loss were also frightened and felt the sensation of freezing. Susumu Tonegawa, one of the scientists who reminded the studies that for years it was assumed that memory loss was caused by diseases such as head trauma, stress or Alzheimer’s and that memories could not be stored, emphasized that this research shows that past memories are not erased. Tonegawa, winner of the 1987 Nobel Prize in Medicine, pointed out that only the mechanism of access to memories is affected in memory loss. The results of the research, which shed light on the biological mechanism and treatment of amnesia (memory loss), were published in the American journal “Science”.
BRAIN ACTIVITY
EURONEWS TURKISH
The last brain activity of a dying person in the US was accidentally recorded for the first time.
Scientists in the United States have accidentally recorded the last brain activity of a dying person for the first time.
In the US, an 87-year-old patient being treated for epilepsy was undergoing an electroencephalography (EEG) study of his brain activity when he suddenly suffered a heart attack.
The patient’s last brain activity was recorded for 15 minutes as he was dying, thanks to the electroencephalography.
Scientists found that a dying person’s brain functions in the same way as the brain of a person who is “dreaming, remembering the past or meditating”.
It was revealed that the brain activity of the 87-year-old deceased person continued for 15 minutes, and it was noted that this discovery shed light on what happens at the moment of death.
Dr. Ajmal Zemmar from the research team at the University of Louisville in the US pointed out that before a person dies, the brain can remember important moments in a person’s life for the last time.
Zemmar pointed out that brain activity can change perceptions of when life ends and the timing of organ donation.
The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Life can actually flash to death before your eyes – new study
Artist: Holly Honderich BBC
News, Washington
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
What happens when you die? A new study may give some ideas
New data from a scientific “accident” suggests that life can pass before our eyes as we die.
A team of scientists was caught up in an epileptic illness. But during the neurological recording he suffered a fatal heart attack, offering an unexpected recording of a dying brain.
30 seconds before and after, it revealed that the man’s brain waves followed the same patterns as when dreaming or recalling memories.
This type of brain activity may suggest that a person’s last moments may be a last “recollection of life,” the team wrote in their study published Tuesday in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Dr. Ajmal Zemmar, one of the study’s co-authors, said what the team, then based in Vancouver, Canada, accidentally took was the first recording of a dying brain.
He told the BBC: “This was actually pure chance, we didn’t plan to do this experiment or record these signals.”
Will we have a glimpse back in time with our loved ones and other happy memories? Dr. Zemmar said it was impossible to say.
“If I jumped into the philosophical realm, I would guess that if the brain makes a flashback, it would probably want to remind you of good things rather than bad things,” he said.
“But what is memorable would be different for each person.”
Dr. Zemmar, now a neurosurgeon at the University of Louisville, said that in the 30 seconds before the patient’s heart stopped supplying blood to the brain, brain waves followed the same patterns as when we perform highly cognitive demanding tasks such as concentrating, imagining or recalling memories.
It continued 30 seconds after the patient’s heart stopped beating – the point at which a patient is typically declared dead.
“This could possibly be a final recollection of memories we have experienced in life, and they replay in our brains in the last seconds before we die.”
The study also raises questions about exactly when life ends, when the heart stops beating or the brain stops working.
Dr. Zemmar and his team cautioned that broad conclusions cannot be drawn from one study. Complicating matters further is the fact that the patient is epileptic, bleeding and has a swollen brain.
“I never felt comfortable when I’m reporting a case,” Dr. Zemmar said. And for years after the first recording in 2016, he searched for similar cases to help strengthen the analysis, but to no avail.
But a 2013 study – conducted on healthy rats – may offer a clue.
In that analysis, US researchers reported high levels of brain waves at the point of death up to 30 seconds after the rats’ hearts stopped beating, similar to findings found in Dr. Zemmar’s epileptic patient.
Dr. Zemmar said the similarities between the studies were “astonishing”.
They now hope that the publication of this one human case could open the door to other studies of the last moments of life.
“I think there is something mystical and spiritual about this near-death experience,” Dr. Zemmar said. “And findings like this – it’s a moment that scientists live for.”
[1] Ana britanica; vol: 16, p:275)
[2] [Jurjani, al-Ta’rifat, p: 243; al-Tehanawi, Kashshaf al-Istılahat al-Fünun, 1998 II. 222; Abu Hizam, Mu’cemu Mustalahat al-Sofiya, p: 174]
[3] Jurjani, al-Ta’rifat, p: 243; Abu Hizam, Mu’cemu Mustalahati’s Sofiya, p: 178]
[4] [Jurjani, al-Ta’rifat, p: 243; al-Tehanawi, Kashshaf al-Istılahat al-Fünun, 1998 II. 222; Abu Hizam, Mu’cemu Mustalahat al-Sofiya, p: 174]
[5] (Lisan al Arab, Vol. 6, p. 148, article “uzr” )
[6] (Lisan al Arab, Vol. 6, p. 148, article “uzr” )
[7] Bukhari, Tafsir, Qiyamah 1, 2; Bed’u’l-Wahy 4; Fedail al-Qur’an 28; Tawhid 43; Muslim, Salat 147, [448]; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, Qiyamah, [3326]; Nasa’i, Salat 37, [2, 149, 159])
(Ibrahim Canan, Translation and Commentary of Qutub-i Sitte, Akçağ Publications: 4/364)
[8] (Razi; al-Mefatih al-Ghayb)
[9] (Lisan al Arab, article “ndr” )
[10] (Lisan al Arab, article “nzr” )
[11] (Lisan al Arab, Vol: 7, p. 141, article “fakr” )
[12] (Lisan al Arab, Vol: 4, p: 752, article “sevk” )
[13] (Lisan al Arab, Vol: 4, p. 542, article “suda” )