Tafsir of Surah Al-Inshiqaq - Verse 21

Swearing by the Various Stages of Man's Journey

It has been reported from `Ali, Ibn `Abbas, `Ubadah bin As-Samit, Abu Hurayrah, Shaddad bin Aws, Ibn `Umar, Muhammad bin `Ali bin Al-Husayn, Makhul, Bakr bin `Abdullah Al-Muzani, Bukayr bin Al-Ashaj, Malik, Ibn Abi Dhi'b, and `Abdul-`Aziz bin Abi Salamah Al-Majishun, they all said, "Ash-Shafaq is the redness (in the sky).`Abdur-Razzaq recorded from Abu Hurayrah that he said, "Ash-Shafaq is the whiteness." So Ash-Shafaq is the redness of the horizon, either before sunset, as Mujahid said or after sunset, as is well known with the scholars of the Arabic Language. Al-Khalil bin Ahmad said, "Ash-Shafaq is the redness that appears from the setting of sun until the time of the last `Isha' (when it is completely dark). When that redness goes away, it is said, `Ash-Shafaq has disappeared."' Al-Jawhari said, "Ash-Shafaq is the remaining light of the sun and its redness at the beginning of the night until it is close to actual nighttime (darkness)." `Ikrimah made a similar statement when he said, "Ash-Shafaq is that what is between Al-Maghrib and Al-`Isha'." In the Sahih of Muslim, it is recorded from `Abdullah bin `Amr that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«وَقْتُ الْمَغْرِبِ مَا لَمْ يَغِبِ الشَّفَق»

(The time of Al-Maghrib is as long as Ash-Shafaq has not disappeared.)" In all of this, there is a proof that Ash-Shafaq is as Al-Jawhari and Al-Khalil have said. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and Qatadah, all said that,

وَمَا وَسَقَ

(and what it Wasaqa) means "What it gathers." Qatadah said, "The stars and animals it gathers." `Ikrimah said,

وَالَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ

(And by the night and what it Wasaqa,) "What it drives into due to its darkness, because when it is nighttime everything goes to its home." Concerning Allah's statement,

وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا اتَّسَقَ

(And by the moon when it Ittasaqa.) Ibn `Abbas said, "When it comes together and becomes complete." Al-Hasan said, "When it comes together and becomes full." Qatadah said, "When it completes its cycle." These statements refer to its light when it is completed and becomes full, as the idea was initiated with "The night and what it gathers." Allah said,

لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقاً عَن طَبقٍ

(You shall certainly travel from stage to stage.) Al-Bukhari recorded from Mujahid that Ibn `Abbas said,

لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقاً عَن طَبقٍ

(You shall certainly travel from stage to stage.) "Stage after stage. Your Prophet has said this." Al-Bukhari recorded this statement with this wording. `Ikrimah said,

طَبَقاً عَن طَبقٍ

(From stage to stage.) "Stage after stage. Weaned after he was breast feeding, and an old man after he was a young man." Al-Hasan Al-Basri said,

طَبَقاً عَن طَبقٍ

(From stage to stage.) "Stage after stage. Ease after difficulty, difficulty after ease, wealth after poverty, poverty after wealth, health after sickness, and sickness after health."

The Disapproval of Their Lack of Faith, giving Them Tidings of the Torment, that the Ultimate Pleasl

Allah said,

فَمَا لَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَإِذَا قُرِىءَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْءَانُ لاَ يَسْجُدُونَ

(What is the matter with them, that they believe not And when the Qur'an is recited to them, they fall not prostrate.) meaning, what prevents them from believing in Allah, His Messenger and the Last Day, and what is wrong with them that when Allah's Ayat and His Words are recited to them they do not prostrate due to awe, respect and reverence Concerning Allah's statement,

بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُكَذِّبُونَ

(Nay, those who disbelieve deny.) meaning, from their mannerism is rejection, obstinacy, and opposition to the truth.

وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ

(And Allah knows best what they gather,) Mujahid and Qatadah both said, "What they conceal in their chests."

فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

(So, announce to them a painful torment.) meaning, `inform them, O Muhammad, that Allah has prepared for them a painful torment.' Then Allah says,

إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ

(Save those who believe and do righteous good deeds,) This is a clear exception meaning, `but those who believe.' This refers to those who believe in their hearts. Then the statement, "and do righteous good deeds," is referring to that which they do with their limbs.

لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ

(for them is a reward) meaning, in the abode of the Hereafter.

غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ

(that will never come to an end.) Ibn `Abbas said, "Without being decreased." Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak both said, "Without measure." The result of their statements is that it (the reward) is without end. This is as Allah says,

عَطَآءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ

(A gift without an end.) (11:108) As-Suddi said, "Some of them have said that this means without end and without decrease." This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Inshiqaq. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and He is the giver of success and freedom from error.

Therefore, the verse concludes:

فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿20﴾ وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ۩

So, what has happened to them that they do not believe, and when the Qur'an is recited to them, they do not offer sajdah [ prostration ] ۩? (84:20-21)

It means that when the Qur'an, replete with clear guidelines, is recited to them, they do not bow in submission.

The word sajdah /sujud literally denotes 'to bow' and it connotes 'obedience'. Obviously, the word here is not used in its technical sense. It is used in the sense of bowing in submission with respect, humbleness and humility. The reason [ for this interpretation ] is quite clear. This verse does not command to prostrate at the time of recitation of a particular verse. It is related to the entire Qur'an. If the word sajdah had referred to the technical prostration, it would necessarily entail that prostration be offered at every verse of the entire Qur'an, which by unanimous agreement of the Ummah is not the case. Neither salaf nor khalaf subscribe to this view. Now remains the question whether or not a sajdah is obligatory when this verse is recited. (There is a disagreement among the jurists on this point) By a long stretch of imagination, it is possible to use this verse in evidence or support of arguing in favour of prostration being obligatory on recitation of this verse, as some of the Hanafi jurists have done. According to them, the definite article ال al- 'the' in the word al-Qur'an stands for the article that is used to indicate previous knowledge, and thus the word al-Qur'an here refers to this particular verse under comment, not to the entire al-Qur'an or the Holy Book. However, this interpretation is after all merely a possibility, but the clear context of the verse indicates that it seems to be far-fetched to take the verse in this sense. And Allah knows best! The true interpretation can be determined by prophetic narratives, the practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ " and that of the noble Companions ؓ . The narratives pertaining to sajdah of tilawah differ. Some indicate that it is an obligatory duty to make sajdah on this verse, and others indicate that it is not. As a result, there is a difference of opinion among jurists. Imam Abu Hanifah رحمۃ علیہ holds the view that prostration at this verse is an obligatory duty as is obligatory at other verses of mufassal. Imam A` zam رحمۃ علیہ adduces the following Ahadith in favour of his opinion:

Bukhari recorded from Abu Rafi` ؓ that he prayed the ` Isha' [ Night ] prayer behind Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، and the latter recited: إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انشَقَّتْ (When the sky will split apart) and at the relevant verse, he prostrated. So, Sayyidna Abu Rafi` ؓ asked him what type of prostration it was. Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ replied: "I prostrated at this verse behind Abul Qasim in a salah, and I will never cease prostrating during its recitation until I meet him on the Plain of Gathering." Muslim transmitted a narrative from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that they prostrated with the Holy Prophet ﷺ at relevant verses of this Surah, and of اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ.

Qurtubi reports from Ibn-ul-` Arabi that the veritable view is that this verse is one of the verses at which it is an obligatory duty to prostrate when read or recited or heard being recited. However, the people among whom Ibn-ul-` Arabi lived' it was not customary among them to prostrate at this verse. They probably followed an Imam, according to whom the prostration was not obligatory. As a result, Ibn-ul-` Arabi says that whenever he led the congregational prayer, he would avoid reciting Surah Al-Inshiqaq, because in his view prostration at the relevant verse is obligatory. If he does not perform the prostration, he would be sinning. If he does perform the prostration, the entire congregation would regard it an unnecessary act. Therefore, he felt he should not unnecessarily split the community. And Allah knows best!

Alhamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah Al-Inshiqaq

Ends here

In spite of such clear indications, there are those who do not believe in the Hereafter and live out their lives without ever taking it into account. Such individuals are certainly committing a crime which is deserving of the punishment mentioned above.