Surah No. 79

Introduction
Merits of the Surah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَالنَّازِعَاتِ غَرْقًا (1)

(79:1) (I swear) By those (angels) who tear out (souls of the unbelievers) violently.1

1. The word in the text is gharqa which implies tearing out the soul from the inmost parts of the body such as tearing it off from down under the nails, the root of every hair, and from down under the skin, etc., in a most rough and cruel manner (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Alusi, Shawkani). You will say naza`a fi ‘l-qaws when one pulls the arrow in the bow so hard as to touch the arrow-head to the bow (Razi).

وَالنَّاشِطَاتِ نَشْطًا (2)

(79:2) and those who withdraw (souls of the believers) gently.2

2. The term nasht is used for untying a knot, or removing a stopper. For example, removal of the stopper from the mouth of a water-skin to allow water to escape freely is nasht (Ma`arif).
Nasht is also used for withdrawing something gracefully, such as withdrawing of water from a well with a pail (Razi).
The Withdrawal of Souls
The difference between the two terms - gharq for the unbelievers and nasht for the believers - is that, with the removal of the veil between this world and the next at the approach of the angels, (or the soul-snatchers, as the Qur’an has put it), the soul of the former sees the punishment before its eyes and tries to hide around in every nook and corner of the body, requiring the angels to pull it out forcibly. In contrast, the soul of the believers, perceiving a blissful journeying into the realm of the Hereafter, offers no resistance, rather is too eager to be transported to the next world - painful though it is for the body to part with the soul, although not as painful as to the unbeliever.
The latter three verses speak of the speed at which the angels fly through the space carrying the soul to the heavens, trying to outstrip each other in doing so, and who will, when the time comes, conduct the affairs of the Day of Judgment, as ordered by Allah, the Almighty, the Powerful, the Self-sufficient.
That it is the angels that are alluded to in verses 1-5 is the opinion of the first and second generation scholars such as Ibn `Abbas, Masruq, Sa`id b. Jubayr, Abu Saleh, Abu al-Dhuhha and Suddi, as reported by Ibn Kathir, Alusi and Shawkani; although there have been other minority opinions also. Razi, for instance, quotes five other possibilities, each supported by more than one scholar (Au.).
Nafs and Ruh
Mufti Shafi` has abridged the following on nafs and ruh from “Tafsir al-Maz-hari” of Qadi Thana-’ullah Panipati.
“Humans are made up of three components: the body, nafs and the ruh (the soul). Similar to the body, the nafs is also composed of the four basic elements of nature - hence it is very much physical - but is much refined, subtle and almost ethereal in its substance. It pervades the whole of the dense physical being. The philosophers and the medical men mistakenly refer to it as the soul. It is not. It is only the nafs. Ruh (soul) is something more refined and subtle a substance which is related to nafs in a very complex manner. The existence of nafs itself depends on that of the ruh exactly as the existence of the body is dependent on that of the nafs. Ruh is directly from Allah: non-material, incorporeal. Nothing more is known about it since only Allah has the knowledge of it.
Nafs on the other hand is like a mirror which reflects light when placed before a shining body and itself begins to shine. This happens to it when a body incorporating it lives by the commandments of Allah. If it does not, then it tends to accept influences of the physical world which causes it to lose its shine and become dark. It is nafs which is taken up to the heavens and is ordered to be returned to the earth - either to be punished or receive blessings in accordance with what it made of itself during its earthly sojourn. It is this subtle but corporeal being (nafs) about which a verse of the Qur’an says that it has been made of the earth and will be returned to it. It is nafs which has to face the questioning in the grave and be punished or receive blessings. As for ruh, it is taken back to the heavens. Nonetheless, it also feels pain or pleasure at the pain and pleasure of the nafs, because of its subtle relationship with it. Hence, in one sense it is right to say that the ruh is being punished or blessed in the grave, as it is also correct to say that it is in the heavens."
The above, it might be noticed, goes some way in solving some of the riddles and apparent contradictions surrounding ruh and nafs, but is not as well substantiated as one would wish (Au.).

وَالسَّابِحَاتِ سَبْحًا (3)

(79:3) and those who cross (through the space) speedily.3

3. Another interpretation is that by the term al-Sabihat the allusion is to stars (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir); perhaps because they are swimming in their orbits (Au.).

فَالسَّابِقَاتِ سَبْقًا (4)

(79:4) and those who (in obedience of the commands) outstrip (each other) swiftly.

فَالْمُدَبِّرَاتِ أَمْرًا (5)

(79:5) and those that conduct the affairs (as ordered).4

4. The word amran has been used in the generic sense, hence verbally, it is in the nakirah form but can be understood in the plural sense (Razi).

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ (6)

(79:6) On the Day when the rattling (noise) will rattle (the world) violently.

تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ (7)

(79:7) followed by thunderous blast.5

5. The rattle and the blast refer to the first and second blow of the Sur. The first will destroy all life, and the second quicken the dead (Qurtubi). According to a hadith the interval between the first and the second blow will be forty (unspecified periods). See surah 78, n. 12 (Ibn Jarir, Alusi).
Razi adds that during this period it will continuously rain.
Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have reported a hadith according to which the Prophet (saws) said:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "جاءت الراجفة، تتبعها الرادفة، جاء الموت بما فيه". فقال رجل: يا رسول الله، أرأيت إن جعلت صلاتي كلها عليك؟ قال: "إذًا يكفيك الله ما أهَمَّك من دنياك وآخرتك".
“`The rattle has come. It will be followed by the blast. Death has come, with all that it implies.’ Someone asked: 'Supposing, O Messenger of Allah, I were to gift all my Prayers to you?’ The Prophet answered: 'If you do that then Allah will suffice you against everything that is of concern to you, both in this world as well as the next’” (Ibn Kathir).
The above narrative has been evaluated as Hasan (Au.).

قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ (8)

(79:8) The Day when the hearts (of the unbelievers) will throb (with fear).

أَبْصَارُهَا خَاشِعَةٌ (9)

(79:9) Ttheir sights downcast.

يَقُولُونَ أَإِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِي الْحَافِرَةِ (10)

(79:10) They ask, 'Are we to be given a new life in the graves?

أَإِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا نَخِرَةً (11)

(79:11) When we would be old hollow bones!?

قَالُوا تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ (12)

(79:12) If that is so then that surely will be a ruining return.’

فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ (13)

(79:13) That indeed will (will) be (but) a single blast.

فَإِذَا هُمْ بِالسَّاهِرَةِ (14)

(79:14) And behold! They will be on the surface of the earth.6 7

6. The translation of this verse is based on the explanation offered by Mujahid as stated in Ibn Kathir, Zamakhshari and Alusi.

7. Sahira of the original is for bright, white earth. But it is also applicable to an eye that has lost its sleep - in this case because of fear. However, the interpretation of Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id b. Jubayr, Qatadah, Abu Saleh, `Ikrimah, Hasan, Dahhak and Ibn Zayd is that the allusion is to the “earth.” The rendering then would be: “it will be but a blast, and, suddenly, they will be on the surface of the earth” (Ibn Kathir).
The addition of the word “surface” is from Qurtubi (Au.).

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ (15)

(79:15) Have you received the story of Musa?

إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى (16)

(79:16) When his Lord called out to him in the holy valley of Tuwa?8

8. “Tuwa is probably the name of a valley which lies to the right of Mount Tur, as one comes up from Madyan in North Hijaz” (Sayyid Qutb).

اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ (17)

(79:17) (Saying) Go to Fir’awn. Truly he has crossed all bounds.

فَقُلْ هَلْ لَكَ إِلَىٰ أَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ (18)

(79:18) And tell him: ‘Would you like to reform yourself?9

9. Note the softness of the words, but, as Sayyid Qutb has said, “This warm, friendly attitude, however, cannot win over a heart that has been hardened by tyranny, and, ignorance of the Lord of the universe.”

وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ (19)

(79:19) And may I help you on unto your Lord so that you may (learn to) fear?'10

10. That is, let me guide you to the ways that will lead you to the ma`rifah of Allah. It is with ma`rifah that taqwa grows in the heart, as Allah (swt) said (35: 28):
{إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ } [فاطر: 28]
“Verily. It is the knowledgeable of His slaves who fear Allah (truly),” and, as in a hadith (of Tirmidhi: Alusi),
من خاف أدلج ، ومن أدلج بلغ المنزل
“He who feared will travel the whole night; and he who traveled the whole night will reach his destination” (Zamakhshari, Razi).

فَأَرَاهُ الْآيَةَ الْكُبْرَىٰ (20)

(79:20) And he showed him the great sign.11

11. Opinions vary between “the Rod that became snake;” “the Hand which shone brightly,” and the “whole of the nine signs given to Musa” as being alluded to by the 'Great Sign.’

فَكَذَّبَ وَعَصَىٰ (21)

(79:21) But he laid the lie and rebelled.

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَىٰ (22)

(79:22) Then he retreated in haste,

فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ (23)

(79:23) summoned (his courtiers) and proclaimed:

فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَىٰ (24)

(79:24) ‘I’m your Supreme Lord,’ he said.12

12. Majid observes: “The Pharaohs believed themselves to be the visible gods, begotten by God, and themselves the Divine begetters of the sun-god, invested with the attributes of Divinity, and presumed to be of the like nature with the gods. `While it easily happened that conspicuous individuals after death came to be regarded by a later generation as effective gods, the cult of the actually living king prevailed in north Babylonia and Egypt and royal statues were objects of worship. In the Amarna Letters (about 1400 B.C.) the petty princes of Syria and Palestine address the reigning Pharaoh as ”my sun-god" or “my god”’ (EMK. II. p. 1046).
Razi has another point to make. When Fir`awn said: “I am your Supreme Lord,” he did not obviously mean that he was the Creator and Sustainer of the world. He was an atheist and was merely denying the existence of a Creator and Sustainer who would conduct the Resurrection and Reckoning. Now, since according to him there was no such Being in existence, he considered himself the Supreme Lord in the sense of being the sole law-giver in his Kingdom to whom all were required to submit ungrudgingly.

فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَىٰ (25)

(79:25) So Allah seized him with the chastisement of the life to come as well as of this first one.13

13. The word in the original for chastisement is nakal, which is used for an exemplary punishment (Ma`arif).
The present translation is in the light of one possible meaning of the original. The other is that Fir`awn had made two unforgivable statements. One (28: 38):
{مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي} [القصص: 38]
“I do not know of a Lord for you other than I,” and the other, mentioned here: “I am your Supreme Lord.” (There was a gap of several decades between the two statements). Allah punished him for both the blasphemies, to which the present verse is alluding. This is the opinion of Mujahid, Sha`bi, Sa`id ibn Jubayr, and also of Ibn `Abbas. The translation then should be: “Then Allah seized him as punishment for both the earlier and the later (crimes)” - Zamakhshari, Razi, Qurtubi, Shawkani.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَىٰ (26)

(79:26) In this indeed is a lesson for him who fears.

أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا (27)

(79:27) What? Are you more difficult to (re-)create than the heavens that He built?

رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا (28)

(79:28) He increased its expanse14 and then organized (and arranged) it.

14. When a thing is measured from its surface downwards then it is called “`umq” (depth). When it is measured from the surface upwards then it is called “samk” (thickness). Here Allah (swt) used the word samk, which is said to be the distance of 500 years (Razi). Hence the rendering here as “increased its expanse” (Au.).
The cosmologists say that the depth of the Universe is immeasurable. With the construction of every new and more sensitive telescope, the expanse of the Universe is increased by several million light years. And the speculation is that the exact expanse of the Universe might never be known since, with the distant-most bodies running away at speeds near to that of light, the signals emitted by them would never reach the earth. Theoretically however, it is being said that the universe is 93 billion light years, edge to edge (Au.).

وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا (29)

(79:29) Then He darkened its night and brought out its daylight.15

15. “The succession of darkness at night and light in the morning is a phenomenon recognized by all, but it may be overlooked because of its being so familiar. Here, the Qur’an reminds us of its permanent novelty. For it is repeated anew everyday, producing the same effects and reactions. The natural laws governing this phenomenon are so precise and miraculous that they continue to impress and astonish man as his knowledge increases” (Sayyid Qutb).

وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا (30)

(79:30) Then, after that, He readied16 its earth.17

16. The translation of the original daha as “readied” is based on the explanation of Ibn `Abbas as in Ibn Kathir. Linguistically, the word means 'to spread, stretch,’ etc. However, in practice the root “daha” is used as derivative for several round things. E.g., the hole that an ostrich makes for its eggs is called “mad-ha.” “Al-dahwu bi ‘l hijarah” is throwing stones by the hand. The pebbles or small stones that children play with, (in lieu of glass balls) is known as “ad dahwu” and the game of throwing them into a small hole dug in the ground is called as “mad-ha.” The round hole itself is known as “mid-ha” (Lisan). Muhammad Mohar Ali writes in his “Sirat al-Nabi and the Orientalists” (vol. 1, p. 305): “.. the exact and correct meaning of the term (dahaha), keeping in view its root, rather provides a very positive Qur’anic evidence in support of the spherical shape of the earth, as ‘daha’ means ‘to shape like an egg’, its noun being dahiyah, which the (Hijazi) Arabs still use to mean an egg” (Au.).
Sayyid elaborates: “Spreading out the earth (Sayyid’s translation of the word daha) is a reference to the leveling of its surface so that it becomes easy to walk on, and to the formation of a layer of soil suitable for cultivation. Setting the mountains firm is a result of the final shaping of the surface of the earth... Allah also brought out water ... and pastures.
“All this happened after the heaven was built, the night darkened, and the earth spread. The recent theories of geology support this Qur’anic statement, for they assume that the earth was moving in its orbit, with day and night succeeding each other for hundreds of millions of years before it was leveled and spread out, became suitable for growth of vegetation, and before its surface took its final shape of plains, valleys and mountains.”

17. That is, the earth of the first firmament.
It is reported that a man went to Ibn `Abbas and said, “I find two verses in the Qur’an which contradict each other:
{قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا ذَلِكَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (9) وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِينَ } [فصلت: 9، 10]
'Tell them, ”Do you disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days and set up equals unto Him - that is the Lord of all being. And then He placed pegs in it from above and blessed it and placed in it sustenance in measured quantity - (all) in four days,"’ 41: 9, 10), and this present verse: 'Then, after that, (i.e.. after the creation of the heavens) He readied its earth.’" (That is, the first verse says that Allah created the earth first, while the second verse says that He created the earth after the heavens. So, which is correct?: Au.). Ibn `Abbas told him: “Allah created the earth before He created the heavens. Subsequent to that He created the heavens. Then, after the creation of the heavens, He prepared and leveled the earth” (Alusi, Shawkani).
Alusi adds that it is possible that the basic matter for the heavens was there, already created, even before the earth was brought into being, but, given the present shape only after the creation of earth.
The verse, touching upon a scientific subject, is open to interpretation. The allusion could be to the darkness generally prevalent in the Universe which the weak background radiation is unable to overcome. The first part of the verse (Then He darkened its night) might be alluding to that situation. It was the creation of the sun, some 5 billion years ago (while the Universe is estimated to be about 10-12 billion years old), that brightened the area immediately surrounding it (Au.).

أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا (31)

(79:31) Therefrom brought out its water and its pastures.18

18. It is speculated that some of the newly-formed water molecules must have got trapped into the interior of the earth as the dust and gas clouds cooled and condensed to from the planet earth, early in its history. In the subsequent stages jets of steam spewed out to collect in oceans as water. The allusion here could be to that process of bringing out the water to its surface. See ch. 80, note 12 for reconciliation of this verse with the one occurring there speaking of water being sent down from the heavens (Au.).

وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا (32)

(79:32) And pitched its mountains.19

19. Imam Ahmad has preserved a hadith of Anas b. Malik who reports that the Prophet said:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْأَرْضَ جَعَلَتْ تَمِيدُ فَخَلَقَ الْجِبَالَ فَأَلْقَاهَا عَلَيْهَا فَاسْتَقَرَّتْ فَتَعَجَّبَتْ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ خَلْقِ الْجِبَالِ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَبِّ هَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنْ الْجِبَالِ قَالَ نَعَمْ الْحَدِيدُ قَالَتْ يَا رَبِّ هَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنْ الْحَدِيدِ قَالَ نَعَمْ النَّارُ قَالَتْ يَا رَبِّ هَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنْ النَّارِ قَالَ نَعَمْ الْمَاءُ قَالَتْ يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنْ الْمَاءِ قَالَ نَعَمْ الرِّيحُ قَالَتْ يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنْ الرِّيحِ قَالَ نَعَمْ ابْنُ آدَمَ يَتَصَدَّقُ بِيَمِينِهِ يُخْفِيهَا مِنْ شِمَالِهِ
“When Allah created the earth it began to quiver. He created the mountains and placed them in the earth. That stabilized it. The angels were amazed. They asked: "O Lord. Have you created anything more powerful than the mountains?" He said: “Yes. Iron.” They asked: “Have You created anything more powerful than iron?” He said: “Yes. Fire.” They asked: “Have You created anything more powerful than fire?” He said: “Yes. Water.” They asked: “And have you created anything more powerful than water?” He replied: “Yes. The winds.” They said: “And have you created anything more powerful than the winds?” He said: “Yes. Son of Adam who spends with the left hand without the knowledge of the right hand” (Ibn Kathir).
The report is in Tirmidhi who evaluated it as Ghareeb (Au.).
Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir report a statement of `Ali, which runs as follows:
لما خلق الله الأرض قمصت وقالت: تخلق عَلَيّ آدم وذريته، يلقون علي نتنهم ويعملون عَلَيّ بالخطايا، فأرساها الله بالجبال، فمنها ما ترون، ومنها ما لا ترون، وكان أول قَرَار الأرض كلحم الجزور إذا نحِر، يختلج لحمه
“When Allah created the earth it protested and said, 'Will you place Adam and his progeny to contaminate me and commit sins upon me?’ So Allah placed the mountains on it, of which you see some part and do not see the rest. With that the earth stabilized, like the quivering flesh of the lamb just slaughtered.”
Ibn Kathir calls this report also Gharib (a variety of report considered weak because of its meaning; which of course must have sounded strange in those early times: Au.). At all events, it is interesting to note how close it comes to describing what the geologists have begun to say since the 60’s of this century. They say that the mountains have roots that extend below the earth, several times their elevation above the surface, and that the outer portion might have once been elastic (quivering, flesh-like) which has only lately stabilized. See note 4 of the previous surah for more details.

مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ (33)

(79:33) (All) for your benefit as well of your cattle.

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الطَّامَّةُ الْكُبْرَىٰ (34)

(79:34) Then, when the all-embracing great Catastrophe comes.

يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا سَعَىٰ (35)

(79:35) Man will that day call to mind what he earned (of the deeds).

وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِمَنْ يَرَىٰ (36)

(79:36) And Hell-Fire20 will be brought nigh for him who’ll see.

20. The word in the text is Jahim which is for extremely hot fire. Ibn Jurayj has said that Hell has seven levels. Jahim is one of them (Lughat al-Qur’an).

فَأَمَّا مَنْ طَغَىٰ (37)

(79:37) Then, as for him who rebelled.

وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا (38)

(79:38) And preferred the life of this world (over the next),21

21. What does this preference of this world over the next imply? The answer is, it is to do something for the sake of ease of this world at the risk of punishment in the Hereafter (Ma`arif).

فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (39)

(79:39) Hell-Fire shall be the abode.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ (40)

(79:40) And as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and curbed the self’s base desires,22

22. Hence wise men say that if you (are in doubt about an affair, and) want to find out the truth, look for what your base self tells you; then do the opposite (Alusi).
Sayyid Qutb writes: “There are two types of freedom. The first is that which is achieved through scoring a victory over one’s desires and releasing oneself from the chains of caprice. When man achieves such a victory, he finds himself able to fulfill his desires and caprices in a balanced and controlled way which emphasizes his freedom of choice. This type of freedom is the human type, the one which suits the honor Allah has bestowed on man. The other type is the animal freedom, represented in man’s defeat, his enslavement by his desires, and his loss of control over himself. This type of freedom is advocated by those who have lost their humanity. So they try to cover their slavery with a dress of deceptive freedom.”
Mufti Shafi` points out that according to Maz-hari there are three stages in this “curbing of one’s base desires.” One, to abandon all that is opposed to the true faith and belief coming from Islam. Two, to oppose one’s wishes as soon as one realizes that what he is doing is sin. In this stage, one gives up even that which has any trace of doubt, in fear of falling into sin. And three, to busy oneself so much with what is approved by Allah that the inner self does not even think of committing a wrong. The Prophet (saws) was referring to this last stage of perfection in belief when he said:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم : لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يكون هواه تبعا لما جئت به - حديث حسن صحيح
“You will not attain to (true) faith without the wishes of your base self confirming to what I have brought.”
The report from Nawawi’s Arba`een was declared Hasan Sahih by him (Au.).

فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (41)

(79:41) surely, Paradise shall be the abode.23

23. These verses, although common for all, were first applicable to two brothers: `Uzayr b. `Umayr and Mus`ab ibn `Umayr. According to some reports Mus`ab had killed his brother, but according to other, his brother was taken prisoner and dealt kindly because of Mus`ah. But Mus`ab instructed that he be shown no mercy. Mus`ab himself was killed defending the Prophet during the battle of Uhud. A man of riches before Islam, they could not find a cloth large enough to cover his head as well as his feet at the time of burial (Zamakhshari, Razi, Qurtubi, Alusi).

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا (42)

(79:42) They ask you concerning the Hour of Doom, ‘When will it come’?

فِيمَ أَنْتَ مِنْ ذِكْرَاهَا (43)

(79:43) In what way are you concerned with it?24

24. A hadith of `A’isha (ra) says that the Prophet used to quite often inquire about the Hereafter (probably under pressure of the unbelievers: Au.) until Allah (swt) revealed this verse. After this he stopped enquiring (Zamakhshari, Razi).
Alusi and Shawkani add: “The above hadith is in Bazzar, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Marduwayh and Hakim. (The last mentioned has evaluated it as a trustworthy report). A similar report is in Nasa`i.”
Ibn Marduwayh has also reported `A’isha (ra) as saying that:
كَانَ رِجَالٌ مِنْ الْأَعْرَابِ جُفَاةً يَأْتُونَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَيَسْأَلُونَهُ مَتَى السَّاعَةُ فَكَانَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى أَصْغَرِهِمْ فَيَقُولُ إِنْ يَعِشْ هَذَا لَا يُدْرِكْهُ الْهَرَمُ حَتَّى تَقُومَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَاعَتُكُمْ
Whenever a group of Bedouins came to the Prophet (saws) and enquired about the Hour, he would say, pointing to the youngest of them: “If he lived long enough, it would have arrived upon you” (Shawkani).
That is, you will die if this lad lives long enough, and your death would be `the Hour’ for you. The report is in Bukhari (Au.).
Summary of Interpretations
“This surah is just one example of many in this thirtieth part of the Qur’an which have one common objective, namely, to drive home to man the reality of the hereafter, its inevitability, its awesome and serious nature, and to stress its importance to the Divine planning of man’s life in this world. Such planning culminates in man’s death and subsequent resurrection for the life to come. As it sets out to drive the idea home, the surah touches the emotions in different ways which are directly relevant to its central idea.
“First we have an ambiguous opening which creates an air of fear and worried expectation. The rhythm here is quick and throbbing: it helps evoke feelings of fear, surprise and wonder.
“This equivocal, shaking opening is followed by the first of the scenes of the hereafter. The scene shares style and tempo with the opening which thus serves as a framework for the scene...
“Having spread an air of awe, the surah gives an account of the end met by some of the disbelievers in the story of Moses and Pharaoh. Here the rhythm is quieter and more relaxed to suit the narrative style...
“Leaving history aside, the surah takes up the open book of the universe. It paints some of the great scenes of the universe which testify to the limitless power and careful planning of Allah, the Creator of the universe, Who controls its destiny both in this life and in the life to come. These scenes are drawn here with powerful style and strong rhythm in harmony with the opening of the surah and its general cadence...
“After all these introductory scenes and inspiring touches comes the statement concerning the ”Greatest Catastrophe" accompanied by the distribution of rewards for actions alone for this life. The rewards are portrayed in scenes which fit in harmoniously with the “Greatest Catastrophe”...
“At this point when we are overwhelmed with the effects of the scenes of the Greatest Catastrophe, Hell brought near, the end of the transgressors who prefer this life to the next, and that of the godfearing who restrain themselves and do not give in to their caprice - at this point, the surah turns to those who deny the Resurrection and ask the Prophet to fix its time. The rhythm here is superb: it adds to the feeling of the awe produced by the account of the Hour of Doom” (Sayyid Qutb).

إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ مُنْتَهَاهَا (44)

(79:44) (It is) your Lord for Whom is the final word concerning it.

إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرُ مَنْ يَخْشَاهَا (45)

(79:45) You are but a warner to him who fears it.

كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا (46)

(79:46) The day they see it, (they will feel) as if they did not tarry (in the world) but an evening or a morning.