Tafsir of Surah Ghafir - Verse 15

Allah sends the Revelation to warn His Servants of the Day of Mutual Meeting

Allah tells us of His might and pride, and that His Mighty Throne is raised above all of His creation like a roof. This is like the Ayah:

مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ - تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ

(From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent. The angels and the Ruh (Jibril) ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.) (70:3-4). If Allah wills, we will discuss below which is the most correct view the distance between the Throne and the seventh earth according to a group of earlier and later scholars. More than one scholar said that the Throne is made of red rubies. The width between two corners of it is the distance of a fifty thousand year long journey and its height above the seventh earth is the distance of a fifty thousand years long journey.

يُلْقِى الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ

(He sends the revelation of His command to any of His servants He wills,) This is like the Ayat:

يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ بِالْرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرُواْ أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَ أَنَاْ فَاتَّقُونِ

(He sends down the angels with the Ruh (revelation) of His command to whom of His servants He wills (saying): "Warn mankind that none has the right to be worshipped but I, so have Taqwa of Me.") (16:2), and

وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ - نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الاٌّمِينُ - عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنْذِرِينَ

(And truly, this is a revelation from the Lord of all that exits, Which the trustworthy Ruh (Jibril) has brought down Upon your heart that you may be (one) of the warners.) (26:192-194) Allah says:

لِيُنذِرَ يَوْمَ التَّلاَقِ

(that he may warn (men) of the Day of Mutual Meeting.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "The Day of Mutual Meeting is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, of which Allah warns His servants." That is the Day when everyone will find out about his deeds, good and bad.

يَوْمَ هُم بَـرِزُونَ لاَ يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌ

(The Day when they will come out, nothing of them will be hidden from Allah.) means, they will all appear in the open, with nothing to give them shelter or shade, or cover them. Allah says:

يَوْمَ هُم بَـرِزُونَ لاَ يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌ

(The Day when they will come out, nothing of them will be hidden from Allah.) meaning, everything will be equally known to Him.

لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ

(Whose is the kingdom this Day It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistible!) We have already mentioned the Hadith of Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that Allah will roll up the heavens and the earth in His Hand and will say,

«أَنَا الْمَلِكُ، أَنَا الْجَبَّارُ، أَنَا الْمُتَكَبِّرُ، أَيْنَ مُلُوكُ الْأَرْضِ؟ أَيْنَ الْجَبَّارُونَ؟ أَيْنَ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ؟»

("I am the King, I am the Compeller, I am the Proud, where are the kings of the earth Where are the tyrants Where are the proud") In the Hadith about the Trumpet, it says that Allah will take the souls of all of His creatures, and there will be none left but Him Alone, with no partner or associate. Then He will say, "Whose is the kingdom today" three times, and He will answer Himself by saying,

لِلَّهِ الْوَحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ

(It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistible!) meaning, He is the Only One Who has subjugated all things.

الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَـسَبَتْ لاَ ظُلْمَ الْيَوْمَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

(This Day shall every person be recompensed for what he earned. This Day no injustice (shall be done to anybody). Truly, Allah is swift in reckoning.) Here Allah tells us of His justice when He judges between His creation; He does not do even a speck of dust's weight of injustice, whether it be for good or for evil. For every good deed He gives a tenfold reward and for every bad deed He gives recompense of one bad deed. Allah says:

لاَ ظُلْمَ الْيَوْمَ

(This Day no injustice (shall be done to anybody).) It was reported in Sahih Muslim from Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah said:

«يَا عِبَادِي إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا إلى أن قال يَا عِبَادِي إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ أُحْصِيهَا عَلَيْكُمْ ثُمَّ أُوَفِّيكُمْ إِيَّاهَا، فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَلُومَنَّ إِلَّا نَفْسَه»

("O My servants, I have forbidden injustice for Myself, and made it unlawful for you, so do not commit injustice to one another ...") up to: ("O My servants, these are your deeds, I record them for you then I will recompense you for them. Whoever finds something good, let him give praise to Allah, and whoever finds something other than that, let him blame no one but himself.")

إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

(Truly, Allah is swift in reckoning.) means, He will bring all His creation to account as if He is bringing just one person to account. This is like the Ayah:

مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلاَ بَعْثُكُمْ إِلاَّ كَنَفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ

(The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single person) (31: 28).

وَمَآ أَمْرُنَآ إِلاَّ وَحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ

(And Our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye.) (54:50)

Commentary

The word: دَرَجَات (darajat, translated above as 'stations' ) in: رَ‌فِيعُ الدَّرَ‌جَاتِ (He is High in stations - 40:15) has been taken by some commentators as meaning 'attributes.' If so, the sense of the expression would be that His attributes of perfection are most exalted. Ibn Kathir has relied on the words as they appear outwardly and has said that it refers to the most exalted 'arsh' (throne) for it comprehends all land masses and heavens and is located above them all like a roof as in Surah Al-Ma'arij: مِّنَ اللَّـهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِ‌جِ ﴿3﴾ تَعْرُ‌جُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّ‌وحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُ‌هُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ (From Allah, the Lord of the stairways to whom ascend the angels and spirit, in a day the length of which is fifty thousand years - 70:3, 4).

According to some further investigation into this verse by Ibn Kathir, it should be borne in mind that this measure of fifty thousand years is a description of the travel distance from the seventh level of the earth up to the 'arsh, and this is what has been declared as the preferred position by a majority of earlier and later scholars. He has also said that according to many scholars, 'arsh is made of a red ruby the diameter of which is so big as would take a travel distance of fifty thousand years to cover. Similarly, its height would take an identical travel distance to cover. Then there are commentators who have said that رَ‌فِيعُ الدَّرَ‌جَاتِ (rafi` u-d-darajat) appears in the sense of رَافعُ الدَّرَ‌جَاتِ (rafi'u-d-darajat: that is, the One who elevates others in ranks), that is, Allah Ta'la is the one who elevates the ranks of believers who have His fear in their hearts as borne by verses of the Qur'an, such as: نَرْ‌فَعُ دَرَ‌جَاتٍ مَّن نَّشَاءُ (We raise in ranks whom We will -Al-An am, 6:83) and هُمْ دَرَ‌جَاتٌ عِندَ اللَّـهِ (They are of various ranks with Allah -'Al-'Imran, 3:163).

There are countless signs in the universe which teach us lessons in symbolic language. One of these is the system of rains. This natural phenomenon is symbolic of God’s inspiration. Just as rains are useful for fertile land and useless for barren land, similarly the inspiration from God brings forth fruit in some but not in others. This ‘rain’ enters the souls of those who have kept their hearts open and makes their existence lush green. On the contrary, those whose hearts are full of the greatness of beings other than God are like barren lands. God is fully aware of His subjects. Whoever He finds capable, He chooses for the purpose of conveying His message. The main aim of this message is to warn the people of the fast approaching day when they will be presented before the Lord of the Universe, from whom nothing will be hidden and whose judgement will not be influenced by anybody.