The Illuminating Lantern: Commentary of the 30th Part of the Qur'an

PREFACE

In the name of Allāh, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful

Peace and blessings be upon the one to whom He sent down the Clear Book, Muḥammad, the Chosen Prophet, and upon his noble progeny, whom Allāh has made the balance of His noble book.

Dear reader,

When we look at the library of books written about the Qurʼān, we see that the methods of Qurʼānic commentary(tafsīr) vary considerably—there are those that focus on the linguistic and literary import of the scripture; others that rely on narrations to explain it; some that affirm its spiritual and ethical dimensions; others that set out to produce an erudite scholarly analysis of it; and others still that attempt to do all of the above. What unites all of these various commentaries is the great length and detail with which they speak, placing considerable strain on a reader who wishes to gather all relevant knowledge diffused throughout the pages of these texts, which are truly at the pinnacle of humanity’s written heritage.

But in addition to these methods of Qurʼanic commentaries, with their various sources, I saw fit, by Allāh’s grace, to produce another kind of work, one which, first of all, divides sūrahs into collections of similar verses that share the same context and meaning and then extracts the subtleties of their meaning in the form of self contained points. In doing so, I wanted to help the reader to focus on each individual idea and ponder it, even if one only has a little time to do so, whether at home or while traveling, so that we can be people who ponder (mutadabbir) on the Qurʼān and benefit from its verses in our movements towards Allāh, just as Allāh himself expects from all free-willed individuals:

• Do they not contemplate the Qurʼān? (4:82)

• "This is an explanation for mankind, and a guidance and advice for the Godwary." (3:138)

• "Certainly We have made the Qurʼān simple for the sake of admonishment. (54:17)

• We have sent down the Book to you as a clarification of all things and as a guidance and mercy and good news for those who submit. (16:89)

• We have sent the Qurʼān in [discrete] parts so that you may read it to the people a little at a time. (17:106)

• A blessed Book that We have sent down to you, so that they may contemplate its signs. (38:29)

• This is a proclamation for mankind, so that they may be warned thereby. (14:52)

• "…there has come to you in this [sūrah] the truth and an advice and admonition for the faithful." (11:120)

• We have made it an Arabic Qurʼān so that you may apply reason. (43:3)

• These are the signs of the Manifest Book. (26:2)

I wanted this commentary to be like a helper for the reader in this regard so that Allāh’s book could become a remembrance, a proclamation, a guidance, an admonition, a clarification, an explanation, a criterion, and a clear book for a reader—which is the essence we extract from the above verses.

Something that I should mention here is that this commentary has a hue of moral education to it in that I have tried to lead the one who ponders it towards the realm of spiritual refinement and self- development which was the Qurʼānic revelation’s very raison d’etre. So it owes itself to this fact that I have, in some areas, chosen to focus on those points that are most useful for practically implementing the verse in our lives, rather than interrogating its corresponding concepts, to avoid making the verses appear inanimate and abstract. In this way, we have tried to stay true to the original goal of this work, which was to transform the knowledge gained from these verses into action in the sphere of our daily lives. I hope that this is possible by pondering the merest paragraph concerning any verse in this book.

I began this work, by Allāh’s grace, dealing with the final part (juzʼ) of the Qurʼān, assuming that readers will have had a general familiarity with the short suwar therein from a young age because they have often recited them in prayer or at other times which would require them to have at least a basic grasp of their meanings. Hence, I present this work hastening to good deeds, and I hope to complete the commentary [of the entire Qurʼān] with Allāh’s kindness and generosity in what days and nights remain of my life.

Finally, I would like to give thanks to the Lord Almighty who blessed me with success in this endeavor, for I know well that the hours spent reciting the Qurʼān and pondering its meanings were some of the sweetest hours of my life because it was pondering the words of someone I love, and when you love someone, you love to speak to them, you love to understand their speech, and you love to comprehend their meaning.

And there is no doubt that the best books to be composed, read, studied, or pondered are those whose subject is the best book in existence—namely, the book that falsehood cannot approach from any direction.

SŪRAT AL-NABAʼ

(78: THE TIDING)

Verses 1–5

In the name of Allāh, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful

78:1 What is it about which they question each other?

78:2 [Is it] about the tremendous tiding,

78:3 the one about which they differ?

78:4 No indeed! They will soon know!

78:5 Again, no indeed! They will soon know!

Commentary

1. Describing the tiding (nabaʼ) which, according to some, refers to the Day of Resurrection, as tremendous (aḍhīm) demonstrates the important place of that belief in a person’s spiritual development. Belief in the resurrection causes a person to vigilantly observe their own behavior (murāqaba), as not everyone can [otherwise] experience the fear of standing before their Lord.¹

The Day of Resurrection has been described as tremendous in another verse, Do they not know that they will be resurrected on a tremendous day…?(83:4-5). The tiding has been described as tremendous elsewhere, too, "Say, ‘It is a great tiding’’’(38:67).

2. Despite being unanimous in their disbelief, the faithless still differ amongst themselves, even in their false doctrines. We understand this from the expression they differ (mukhtalifūn). Those who deny the resurrection in its true Qurʼānic sense fall into a number of groups:

• Those who deny bodily resurrection: ‘‘Who shall revive the bones when they have decayed? Say, ‘He will revive them who produced them the first time…’’’ (36:78-79).

• Those who consider it to be far-fetched: Far-fetched, far- fetched is what you are promised! (23:36).

• Those who are in doubt concerning it: No, they are in doubt about it. (27:66).

The expression question each other (yatasāʼalūn) shows that this was an issue they were discussing amongst themselves, even if only to deride the idea of the resurrection.

3. When a question is asked with a genuine innocence and desire to understand, it is appropriate to give a proper answer, such as when the Prophet (s) was questioned about the nature of the Spirit,¹ the division of spoils,² or wine and gambling.³ But this is not the case when the question is asked out of obstinacy and derision, whereat the answer is connected to a kind of threat, as we can see in Allāh’s words, No indeed! They will soon know! Moreover, Allāh disparages the questioning of the faithless with the words What is it about which they question each other?! because they are asking a question to which they already know the answer!

4. Doctrinal challenges must be met firmly and frankly without any deference. The verses of the Qurʼān repeat the expression no indeed! (kallā) as an explicit rejection of the claims of the faithless group. The verse repudiates their very act of questioning without undertaking to offer an answer. Whoever sees the signs of Allāh’s power in this creation cannot rightly deny His ability to produce another, and nor can anyone who sees the wisdom of the Creator in this fleeting abode deny His wisdom that necessitates an accounting and recompense in the everlasting one!

5. In terms of outcome, the main difference between those who believe in the resurrection and those who doubt it is that the former will live with genuine knowledge of what will come after the resurrection. The Commander of the Faithful (as) describes them, They are, with regards to paradise, like one who has seen it already!⁴ This is in contrast to the faithless who will soon know but only after they have lost the opportunity to attain it. When the veils are lifted from them, they will see the truth of the matter, but this revelation will not help them in the slightest.

6. The words they will soon know, which suggest something soon to occur, show that while we imagine the resurrection as though it is an event far off in the future, it is actually near at hand, but we do not sense it. Death is all that stands between us and our resurrection—as soon as we die, it sets in. From the Prophet (s), it is narrated that he said, Whoever dies, his Resurrection has set in.¹ The Qurʼān affirms this fact in another verse, Indeed they see it to be far off, and We see it to be near (70:6-7). Assuming that ‘near’ (qarīb) in this verse means an impending reality and not merely a possible one.

Verses 6–16

78:6 Did We not make the earth a cradle?

78:7 and the mountains stakes?

78:8 and create you in pairs?

78:9 and make your sleep for rest?

78:10 and make the night a covering?

78:11 and make the day for livelihood?

78:12 and build above you the seven mighty heavens?

78:13 and make [the sun for] a radiant lamp?

78:14 and We send down water pouring from the wringing rain clouds,

78:15 that with it We may bring forth grains and plants,

78:16 and luxuriant gardens?

7. A believing person looks at everything as being ultimately connected to the Cause of Causes. Hence, one turns their attention to the Maker whenever they look at what He has made, recalling the words of their Lord, Did We not make…? When they look to the earth, they see a resting place. When they look to the mountains, they see stakes. An insightful person’s gaze does not look merely at the act, nor at the proximate causes for that act, but towards the original cause, which is considered the source of its emanation and not merely its visible traces. Imām Ḥusayn (as) says in his supplication for the Day of ‘Arafa, Hesitancy in following the trail makes one’s arrival unlikely.¹

8. Mentioning Allāh’s signs in creation after mentioning the resurrection could allude to the fact that one of the proofs of the resurrection is the power of the Creator we see manifested in this first creation—whoever has the power to initiate something must also have the power to conclude it!

This is why these verses use the first person plural pronoun (We built, We made, We sent down, That We may bring forth) to continuously remind the audience of the active force behind the changing phenomena of this existence. The speaker attributes this to Himself in these verses that incorporate both affirmative (We did) and negative (Did We not?) statements.

9. After denying those false ideas in the first set of verses, we must establish the correct beliefs through reasoned arguments and evidence, to have the power of denial and affirmation at the same time. Just as the rule of purification followed by illumination (takhliya thumma tajliya) applies in their aim of spiritual purification, this also applies in the realm of intellectual purification. Without first freeing the mind of the audience from falsehoods, it is not easy to convince them of truths, and this meaning is realized in the first testimony of faith (there is no god except Allāh—lā ilāha ill allāh) as well.

10. When obstinacy and stubbornness are removed from a person and one considers the material phenomena that surround us—whether these appear to be fixed like the earth and mountains or ephemeral and changing like the restfulness of sleep or the livelihood we seek by day—we will connect to the Origin and the Destination. This is because the wisdom manifest in the particular phenomena of this existence did not spontaneously kindle from their inert matter. There must be a wise, controlling power that is beyond them that acts throughout this amazing universe.

11. Calling the earth a cradle (Did we not make the earth a cradle?) reminds us of the cradle of a newborn infant. This cradle is a temporary resting place for us because we will soon depart from it in this life to something that is more spacious and comfortable, like an enormous palace!

Hence we say that the earth and everything upon it, when compared to the hereafter, is like a small cradle in comparison to that enormous palace. In fact, the difference between the two is even greater because anyone who is familiar with this earth is like a newborn child who is barely familiar with a tiny cradle, let alone a great palace!

12. Allāh, who created the mountains and made them stakes, is He who will one day reduce these mountains to dunes of shifting sand,¹ carded wool,² scattered dust,³ and level plain,⁴ as has been described in the Qurʼān. This, in turn, shows that all the beautiful and majestic phenomena of this world will one day be returned to nothingness and annihilation. All that will remain is the countenance of our Lord, the Master of Majesty and Nobility.

13. The health of the body is, in some way, connected to its continuous alternation between movement and rest. So it is Allāh who made the day a time for livelihood after the slumber of sleep.

Therefore, someone who does not set aside time for rest— represented by the cover of night—after his daily striving for livelihood is opposing the law of nature and shall suffer afflictions as a result.

14. The act of sleeping then waking is very similar to the process of death and resurrection, so servants who vigilantly observe themselves will be reminded of the coming resurrection every time they awaken, which in turn reminds them to prepare themselves for that critical day.

It is on this basis that the supplication prescribed to be recited when waking from sleep draws a connection between waking and resurrection, Praise be to Allāh who made me live after causing me to die, to Him is the Resurrection, and praise be to Allāh who returned to me my spirit that I might praise and serve Him.¹

15. Allāh, the All-Powerful and All-Wise, has made every single thing in this existence disposed to a specific pose, as the verses of this sūrah mention:

• Sleep is necessary for rest and relaxation: and make your sleep for rest.

• Wakefulness during the day is necessary to seek one’s livelihood: and make the day for livelihood.

• Being pairs is necessary for mankind to produce offspring and multiply: and create you in pairs.

• The gravitational attraction of planets and stars in the firmament is necessary for the earth to be a proper home for the human race: and build above you the seven mighty heavens.

• And sending down rain is necessary for the earth to produce crops and beautiful vegetation: that with it We may bring forth grains and plants.

Of course, we know that Allāh intends another goal beyond this universe, or else this worldly existence would end with death. Namely, He desires to bring His servants to the perfection for which they were created. This is also one of the evidences for the resurrection because the events that take place therein represent the ultimate purpose of bringing the universe into being.

16. After mentioning the resurrection, this sūrah mentions many of Allāh’s signs in creation such as reviving the earth and bringing forth vegetation. But all of these point to a single power in both creations (the first and the next)—one that is able to revive the dead in all forms. This is why it calls revival (iḥyāʼ) ‘bringing forth’ (ikhrāj), an expression that refers to both bringing forth vegetation and the dead from the earth.

17. By calling rainclouds mu‘ṣirāt, the Qurʼān ascribes the act of wringing out to the clouds themselves (from the wringing rain clouds) which wring themselves out to bring forth pouring water. But from another aspect, Allāh ascribes this to Himself (and We send down…) so He is the one who sends down this water as a cause behind all causes. This is true in all cases where Allāh acts through intermediaries in this existence, including causing death:

• Allāh ascribes death to Himself sometimes: "Allāh takes the souls at the time of their death…" (39:42).¹

• But at others He ascribes it to the angel of death: Say, ‘You will be taken away by the angel of death, who has been charged with you’ (32:11).

18. We must adorn ourselves with Allāh’s manners in that every one of His actions is motivated by a penetrating wisdom. The sending down of water is followed by the bringing forth of plants and vegetation, but He uses the lām of causation (translated as that… way may…) to convey this meaning, as in His words that with it We may bring forth grains and plants.

In the same way, wise servants must never act haphazardly as they direct all of their efforts in this world toward their everlasting happiness, as alluded to by the verse Say, ‘Indeed my prayer and my worship, my life and my death are for the sake of Allāh, the Lord of all the worlds’ (6:162).

Verses 17–30

78:17 Indeed the Day of Separation was the tryst,

78:18 the day the Trumpet will be blown, and you will come in groups,

78:19 and the sky will be opened and become gates,

78:20 and the mountains will be set moving and become a mirage.

78:21 Indeed hell is an ambush,

78:22 a resort for the rebels,

78:23 to reside therein for ages,

78:24 tasting in it neither any coolness nor drink,

78:25 except boiling water and pus

78:26 —a fitting requital.

78:27 Indeed they did not expect any reckoning,

78:28 and they denied Our signs mendaciously,

78:29 and We have figured everything in a Book.

78:30 So taste! We shall increase you in nothing but punishment!

18. Calling the Day of Judgement the Day of Separation (yawm al-faṣl) alludes to the severing of social bonds, even that between a father and his son, and this strengthens the bonds that join a servant to his Lord between whom and His servant there is no separation in either of the creations, unlike the bond between one servant and another, Your relatives and your children will not avail you on the Day of Resurrection: He will separate you from one another…(60:3).

This motivates us to turn ourselves voluntarily towards our Master before we are forced to turn towards Him with the rest of mankind.

Of course, what we have said here does not contradict having relations with other people that attain the pleasure of our creator. For example, maintaining our ties with relatives and the faithful is important because these ties are one of the affairs of our Lord who has placed observing the rights of relatives (arḥām) next to wariness of Himself, Be wary of Allāh, in whose Name you adjure one another, and the relatives….(4:1).

19. People who have suffered injustice but are certain the resurrection will come to pass will not be thirsty for revenge because they know that there will be a reckoning. By the same token, the sense that the victims of injustice are powerless will not embolden their oppressors, because they too know that there will be a day when their deeds are weighed upon the scales of justice¹ and all disputes will be settled. These are all blessings that result from paying attention to the fact that the Day of Resurrection is a tryst and that people will be completely cut off from one another on that day, Indeed the Day of Separation was the tryst.

20. When we talk about a time being a tryst (mīqāt), this expression suggests that the fruit of all our struggles will appear at the time in which we will be called to account. Any rational person who is sure that this tryst will come to pass will prepare for this meeting that shall be without punishment or rebuke.

21. Even those transient, worldly pleasures that are without benefit will seem worthless to someone who believes in the truth of this tryst, let alone those things which are forbidden to him. This is because he knows he will meet the Master of the Heavens and the Earth, and the rebuke that one would receive for unnecessary worldly concerns and speech contains an element of punishment for those who understand the gravity of standing before their Lord in those tremendous stations.

23. The tryst of the resurrection was promised from pre-eternity, on the day that Allāh created the heavens and the earth, and this is why Allāh uses the past tense (…was the tryst). Because those who are wise pay attention to the outcomes of their actions even when they are only beginning them, as without this outcome the very wisdom behind creation and origination is lost, and the righteous and the sinner will be equal in their requital!

24. There is no contradiction between the statements you will come in groups and "each of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection" (19:95) as we can say:

• These two statements refer to two different stages of the final judgement—everyone will be brought forth together, but each person will be held to account individually.

• Even if the outward manifestation of mankind being brought forth will be as a group, as we understand from the first verse, the inner reality will be as individuals because each person will be completely focused on his own fate and indifferent to that of others—a mother will even neglect her suckling child!

It should be remembered that the people mentioned in both of the above states, coming forth in groups and as individuals, will be resurrected under a single banner according to their state in this world, as we understand from Allāh’s words The day We shall summon every group of people with their imam (17:71).

25. The nature of the heavens is such that they are firmly sealed on all sides without opening while the nature of the mountains is that they are fixed as pegs in the earth…but on the Day of Resurrection, the very essence of things will change. Sealed doors will be thrown open (the sky will be opened) and things that appear fixed will be set in motion (the mountains will be set moving). The same applies to the measuring of deeds—they will transform. That which appeared true will be shown false and vice versa, hence, why it is called lowering, exalting (56:3).

26. All forms of enjoyment in this worldly life are like a fleeting mirage. Their outward appearance entices, but they are hollow and devoid of reality. Yet, this statement, which is a figure of speech in this world, will become manifestly real on the Day of Judgement. Mountains, which are the firmest manifestation and the most towering creation on the face of the earth, will become, as the Qurʼān says, a mirage which refers to the fading of their very reality, not merely their visible appearance.

27. Calling hell an ambush, as Allāh does in His saying Indeed hell is an ambush suggests that there is someone waiting to ambush wayfarers, even if they do not perceive them, as is the common practice of bandits. Therefore, someone who lives in this world and knows that hell exists and that it is lying in wait or that it is the place where an ambush will be sprung—according to the two meanings of the Arabic word for ‘ambush’ (mirṣād)—should live with a fear that restrains one from forbidden things.

28. Hell is like a path that one must traverse, a road upon which there are people who ambush travelers (There is none of you but will come to it… (56:3)), but the question is who will traverse it safely (the believers) and those who will fall into the ambush (the wrongdoers).

29. One of the attributes of hell fire’s inhabitants is rebellion (ṭughyān), which means to overstep the bounds of moderation (i‘tidāl). Therefore, every act of rebellion that takes the servant beyond the bounds of moderation in everything, no matter how little it may be, is a step towards amassing sins to the extent that one of them becomes a rebel (ṭāghūt), in which case they become a manifestation of their own corruption and the corruption of others.

30. Hell is described as "a resort for the rebels" as though it is their natural place of return. They were familiar with it, even if they did not realize this, in the abode of this world, so they returned to it in the hereafter. Their rebellious nature is only compatible with remaining in this place of return.

From this perspective, we can also understand why they must remain forever in hell fire. Their immutable nature (ṭabī‘a thābita) requires this constant punishment, as the recompense on the Day of Resurrection, is appropriate to the deeds of the servant (a fitting requital) So there is no reason to imagine that this punishment is excessive once we understand the essential kinship between hell fire and its inhabitants. The one who metes out this requital is absolutely just and the wisest of the wise!

31. Some inhabitants of hell fire are not condemned to remain therein forever. Sinners who are not faithless will actually reside therein for ages. But residing in hell fire, even for merely ages of time, should still give us cause to tremble! We must imagine remaining in hell fire for a prolonged and uncertain amount of time as we can grasp from the word ‘ages’ (aḥqāb). This is a recompense that the servant would not have expected in the abode of this world.

32. Hell is a view of utter punishment, for there is nothing to drink nor even anything drinkable, or any shade in which to seek the slightest respite. Whoever has any hope of coolness, their recompense can be gleaned from Allāh’s words tasting in it neither any coolness nor drink. In fact, there is nothing to give relief to the inhabitants of hell, not even a transient moment of pleasure or a fleeting hope. We know this because the words ‘coolness’ (bard) and ‘drink’ (sharāb) appear as indefinite nouns in the context of a negation.

Graver still is that instead of drink they shall be quenched with boiling water (ḥamīm) that shall be poured over them as well (and drink boiling water on top of it (56:54)).

33. Denying the resurrection is one of the causes of rebellion because it entails a denial of any recompense for one’s actions that, in turn, would act as a check on man’s defiance. About this, the verse says they did not expect any reckoning so, in practice, someone who does not expect any recompense is like one who denies it outright, even if they accept it on a theoretical level.

34. One of the ways in which a servant can become righteous in life is through continuous vigilance (murāqaba muttaṣila), and this vigilance has two corollaries:

• First: Reminding oneself of the Day of Recompense: when a person will observe what his hands have sent ahead.

• Second: Certainty that Allāh will figure every deed, whether great or small, in a book in which all of that is recorded: We have figured everything in a Book.

In short, the source from which vigilance springs, is reminding oneself of one’s origin and return in a way that penetrates the very depths of one’s soul.

35. When the person who has been wronged (ṣāḥib al-ḥaqq) rebukes the wrongdoer directly, this causes greater psychological pain for the latter when they face judgement, even more so when the person who has been wronged has power (qudra) as well. So the verse So taste represents a transition from referring to them in the third person (‘they’) to addressing them directly. This is a more eloquent form of censure and reproach, as it emanates directly from the creator of hell and the one who sustains its fires.

36. In the abode of this world, the rebels only increase in aversion the more they are preached to (but it increases them only in aversion (56:54)). So their recompense in hell reflects this condition of theirs. Their pleas for relief are only followed by an increase in punishment (So taste! We shall increase you in nothing but punishment!). Just as the preaching of the prophets had no effect on them save to increase them in aversion, so too do their entreaties in hell fire have no effect save to increase their punishment!

It has been narrated that this verse is one of the harshest descriptions of the condition in which the inhabitants of hell fire will find themselves. The Prophet (s) is narrated to have said, This verse is the harshest part of the Qurʼān for the inhabitants of hellfire.¹

Verses 31–38

78:31 Indeed a triumph awaits the Godwary:

78:32 gardens and vineyards,

78:33 and buxom maidens of a like age,

78:34 and brimming cups.

78:35 They shall hear neither vain talk therein, nor lies

78:36 —a reward from your Lord, a bounty sufficing,

78:37 the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the All-Beneficent, whom they will not be able to address

78:38 On the day when the Spirit and the angels stand in an array. None shall speak except whom the All-Beneficent permits and who says what is right.

37. The method of the Qurʼān alternates between instilling fear (tarhīb) and hope (targhīb). After mentioning the different kinds of painful punishment in hell, the verses shift and mention the different kinds of eternal comforts in paradise. This is a practical lesson for preachers, both then and now, that both methods must be used to kindle people’s innermost feelings. Too much fear might cause them to despair, just as too much hope might lead them to feel complacent and assume they are safe from Allāh’s stratagems.

38. Just as gardens (ḥadāʼiq) represent paradise’s material comforts, so too does its elevation above vain speech and lies represent its spiritual comforts. This means that a worldly life that is free from vain talk and lies is already imbued with a kind of blessing enjoyed by the inhabitants of paradise, and this can only be found in the lives of righteous men and women and a faithful family.

39. It is the nature of worldly comforts to remove the inhibitions of those who enjoy them and turn their conversations towards vanity, whereas the inhabitants of paradise, who enjoy the ultimate degrees of comfort, remain vigilant of their Master in such a way that prevents them from allowing vanity into their talk. They shall hear neither vain talk therein in the form of them calling one another liars, nor lies for there is no quarrelling between them, as Allāh says, We will remove whatever rancour there is in their breasts… (7:43).

We know that every form of vanity and deceit is removed from paradise because both of these words appear as indefinite nouns in the context of a negation which indicates a general negation.

40. The choice not to call others liars as one of the blessings of paradise might be a kind of compensation (ta‘wīḍ) for the faithful who suffered in the abode of this world because the faithless called them liars. We know that they only suffered this for the sake of Allāh (fī sabīl illāh), so it is as though the verse alludes to the fact that they will be relieved of this terrible persecution in the everlasting abode of paradise having endured it in this world. This compensation is like a type of reward that matches their good deeds as required by the wisdom of the one bestowing rewards upon them.

41. Recompense on the Day of Resurrection is a combination of being through accounting (ḥisāb) first and through giving (‘aṭāʼ) second, which is why the verse puts these two together saying, a reward sufficing (‘atāʼan ḥisāban). So the matter is never beyond the compass of precise accounting, which is the mark of existence (simat al-wujūd), nor beyond the compass of liberal giving, which is the mark of generosity (simat al-jūd), otherwise how could a few years of obedience possibly compare to the eternal recompense!?

42. The careful accounting of recompense that is attributed to the Lord Almighty requires the servant to be unswerving in obedience to Him because of the inseparability of abundant obedience from abundant reward that is without limit (There they will have whatever they wish, and with Us there is yet more. (50:35)).

Therefore, we must never feel complacent or content with a certain level of obedience, taking the magnanimity of our Master for granted, because even His magnanimity is proportional to the servant’s good deeds.

43. Were we to ponder the recompense of the faithful and the faithless, we would see a reciprocity like that found between opposites that reflects the fate of each group on that day:

• The believers drink "a pure drink (76:21) while the faithless consume boiling water and pus."

• The outcome of the faithful is a triumph while the fate of the faithless is an ambush.

• The recompense of the faithful is a reward (‘atāʼ) which signifies generosity and open-handedness while that of the faithless is a requital (wifāq) befitting their crimes in this world.

44. Allāh appends the Prophet (s) to Himself in the station of recompense saying, a reward from your (sing.) Lord before appending to that the heavens and the earth saying, the Lord of the heavens and the earth as though the universe in its entirety is in one hand and His beloved Muṣtafā (s) is in the other. This is the natural corollary of the entire universe having been created for his (s) sake and those noble members of his Household who are attached to him.

45. Standing in ranks is usually the mark of those disciplined in affairs. The angels who do not precede Him in speech are organized in their affairs, as on the Day of Resurrection they will stand in ranks and not speak save with His permission (…in an array. None shall speak except whom the All-Beneficent permits.). Silence is the natural state for all creations on the day of gathering, while speaking requires someone to permit it.

46. The presence of the Lord is a presence in which manners are observed and attention is given, so anyone who will not say what is right will not be permitted to speak as he will fall in the estimation of his Master! This means, even if the context in which it will be realized is the hereafter (as the verse itself states), the believer is also attentive to this rule in the worldly life. Believers know that if they do not say what is right, they will fall in the estimation of their Master, and this is a most difficult thing to bear for those who are vigilant of their Lord.

47. This verse demonstrates that intercession on the Day of Resurrection will only happen by Allāh’s leave, for it is a kind of right speech that is permitted