Tafsir of Surah An-Nazi'at - Verse 34

The Day of Judgement, its Pleasures and Hell, and that its Time is not known

Allah says,

فَإِذَا جَآءَتِ الطَّآمَّةُ الْكُبْرَى

(But when there comes the Great Catastrophe) This refers to the Day of Judgement. This has been said by Ibn `Abbas. It has been called this because it will overcome every matter. It will be frightful and horrifying. As Allah says,

وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ

(And the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter.) (54:46) Then Allah says,

يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الإِنسَـنُ مَا سَعَى

(The Day when man shall remember what he strove for.) meaning, at that time the Son of Adam will reflect upon all of his deeds, both the good and the evil. This is as Allah says,

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ الإِنسَـنُ وَأَنَّى لَهُ الذِّكْرَى

(On the Day will man remember, but how will that remembrance avail him) (89:23) Then Allah says,

وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَى

(And Hell shall be made apparent for whoever sees.) meaning, it will become apparent for the onlookers, so the people will see it with their own eyes.

فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَى

(Then for him who transgressed) meaning, who rebels and behaves arrogantly.

وَءاثَرَ الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَا

(And preferred the life of this world,) meaning, he gives it precedence over the matters of his religion and his Hereafter.

فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِىَ الْمَأْوَى

(Verily his abode will be the Hell;) meaning, his final destination will be Hell, his food will be from the tree of Zaqqum, and his drink will be from Hamim.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى

(But as for him who feared standing before his Lord and forbade himself from desire.) meaning, he fears the standing before Allah, he fears Allah's judgement of him, he prevents his soul from following its desires, and he compels it to obey its Master.

فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِىَ الْمَأْوَى

(Verily Paradise will be his abode.) meaning, his final abode, his destination, and his place of return will be the spacious Paradise. Then Allah says,

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَـهَا - فِيمَ أَنتَ مِن ذِكْرَاهَا - إِلَى رَبِّكَ مُنتَهَـهَآ

(They ask you about the Hour -- when will be its appointed time What do you have to mention of it. To your Lord it is limited.) meaning, its knowledge is not with you, nor with any creature. Rather the knowledge of it is with Allah. He is the One Who knows the exact time of its occurrence.

ثَقُلَتْ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ لاَ تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلاَّ بَغْتَةً يَسْـَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِىٌّ عَنْهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ اللَّهِ

(Heavy is its burden through the heavens and the earth. It shall not come upon you except all of a sudden. They ask you as if you have a good knowledge of it. Say: "The knowledge thereof is with Allah.") (7:187) Allah says here,

إِلَى رَبِّكَ مُنتَهَـهَآ

(To your Lord it is limited.) Thus, when Jibril asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the time of the last Hour he said,

«مَا الْمَسْؤُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِل»

(The one questioned about it knows no more than the questioner.) Allah said,

إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرُ مَن يَخْشَـهَا

(You are only a warner for those who fear it,) meaning, `I sent you to warn mankind and caution them to beware of the torment and punishment of Allah. So whoever fears Allah, fears standing before Him, and His threat, then he will follow you, and thus be successful and victorious. However, whoever denies you and opposes you, then he will only suffer loss and failure.' Allah then says,

كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُواْ إِلاَّ عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَـهَا

(The Day they see it (it will be) as if they had not tarried (in this world) except an (`Ashiyyah) afternoon or its (Duha) morning.) meaning, when they stand up from their graves to go to the place of Gathering, they will feel that the period of the worldy life was short, it will seem to them that it was only the afternoon of one day. Juwaybir reported from Ad-Dahhak from Ibn `Abbas:

كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُواْ إِلاَّ عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَـهَا

(The Day they see it (it will be) as if they had not tarried (in this world) except an (`Ashiyyah) afternoon or its (Duha) morning.) "As for `Ashiyyah, it is the time between noon until the setting of the sun.

أَوْ ضُحَـهَا

(Or its (Duha) morning) what is between sunrise and midday (noon)." Qatadah said, "This refers to the time period of the worldly life in the eyes of the people when they see the Hereafter." This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat An-Nazi`at. And to Allah belongs all praise and thanks.

فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّـهُ نَكَالَ الْآخِرَ‌ةِ وَالْأُولَىٰ (So, Allah seized him for the deterrent punishment in the Hereafter and the present world....79:25). The word nakal means an 'exemplary punishment' or 'an extremely severe punishment given to an offender to deter others against committing a similar offence or sin'. The phrase 'punishment of the 'akhirah' refers to the punishment of the Hereafter that will be meted out to Fir'aun (the Pharaoh). The phrase 'punishment of the 'al a' refers to the punishment meted out to Fir'aun (the Pharaoh) and his army in this world whereby they were destroyed by drowning.

Further, the Qur'an again disposes of the doubt of the rejecters of resurrection who pose the question: "Are we going to be brought back to our former state (of life)? Is it when we will have turned into decayed bones?" [ 10-11] In other words, this is a negative rhetorical question. They purport to say that it is not possible for them to be restored to life after death when they have become perished and worm-eaten bones. Allah responds that the Supreme Creator, Who drew out this universe without any pre-existing matter and without any instrument, certainly has the Supreme power to give existence to things after destroying them. Why should it be a surprise?

In the verses that follow, the horrors of the Day of Judgment are depicted. It is mentioned that on that Day, every person will be presented with his deeds. Described also are the abodes of the inmates of Paradise and Hell. Towards the end, special traits of the people of Paradise and those of Hell are portrayed by which a man can decide in this very world whether, according to the rules, his abode would be Paradise or Hell. The expression 'according to the rules' has been used because many verses and narratives indicate that there could be 'exceptions to the rules'. For example, a person might attain freedom from Hell and enter Paradise by virtue of intercession or directly through the grace of Allah. This is an exception to the rule. The general rule is the same as has been mentioned in these verses.

Man is between two domains. One is the present world, which is before him, and the second is the world of the Hereafter, which is hidden from view. The real test of man is that he should prefer the Hereafter to the present world. But this can be done only by one who has the courage to exercise control over the base desires of the self and not behave arrogantly.