Tafsir of Surah At-Tariq - Verse 17

Swearing to the Truthfulness of the Qur'an and the Failure of Those Who oppose it

Ibn `Abbas said, "Ar-raj` means rain." It has also been narrated from him that he said, "It means the clouds that contain rain." He also said,

وَالسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ

(By the sky (having rain clouds) which gives rain, again and again.) "This means that it rains and then it rains (again)." Qatadah said, "It returns the sustenance of the servants (creatures) every year. Were it not for this, they would all be destroyed and so would their cattle."

وَالاّرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ

(And the earth which splits.) Ibn `Abbas said, "Splitting to bring forth plant growths." This was also said by Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi and others. Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ

(Verily, this is the Word that separates.) Ibn `Abbas said (Fasl is), "True." Qatadah also said the same. Someone else said, "A just ruling."

وَمَا هوَ بِالْهَزْلِ

(And it is not a thing for amusement.) meaning, rather it is serious and true. Then Allah informs about the disbelievers saying that they reject Him and hinder others from His path. Allah says,

إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْداً

(Verily, they are but plotting a plot.) meaning, they plot against the people in their calling them to oppose the Qur'an. Then Allah says,

وَ اَكِيْدُ كَيْدًا

(and I, too, am plotting a scheme) meaning, I am plotting such that all disbelievers plots will fail and success will be attained by believers.

فَمَهِّلِ الْكَـفِرِينَ

(So, give a respite to the disbelievers;) meaning, wait for them and do not be in haste concerning them.

أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْداً

(deal gently with them for a while.) meaning, a little while. This means that you will see what befalls them of torment, punishment and destruction. This is as Allah says,

نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

(We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment.) (31:24) This is the end of the Tafsir Surat At-Tariq, and unto Allah is all praise and thanks.

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ (this is a decisive word..86:13) In other words, the Qur'an is truly a Decisive Word that decides between truth and falsehood, and there is no room for any doubt in it.

Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ says that he heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ as saying about the Holy Qur'an:

کتاب فیہ خبرما قبلکم و حکم مابعدکم وھو الفصل لیس بلھزل

'[ It is ] a book which describes the stories of past communities and [ it contains ] injunctions for future generations. It is truly a Decisive Word. It is no joke.'

Alhamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah At-Tariq

Ends here

It is quite evident that there is planning in the creation of man and the world. This planning strongly implies that there must be some purpose behind this creation. And indeed, this purpose has been revealed to man through divine revelation. However, only that individual learns a lesson from revelation who is of a receptive nature. Such people will be introduced to the eternal bounties of God. But those whose arrogance prevents them from accepting guidance, will be doomed to being cast into the flames of the eternal fire.