Tafseer of Surah Ghaashiyah

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

ہَلۡ  اَتٰىکَ حَدِیۡثُ  الۡغَاشِیَۃِ ؕ﴿۱﴾وُجُوۡہٌ  یَّوۡمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَۃٌ ۙ﴿۲﴾عَامِلَۃٌ  نَّاصِبَۃٌ ۙ﴿۳﴾تَصۡلٰی نَارًا حَامِیَۃً ۙ﴿۴﴾تُسۡقٰی مِنۡ عَیۡنٍ  اٰنِیَۃٍ ؕ﴿۵﴾لَیۡسَ لَہُمۡ طَعَامٌ   اِلَّا مِنۡ ضَرِیۡعٍ ۙ﴿۶﴾لَّا یُسۡمِنُ وَ لَا یُغۡنِیۡ مِنۡ جُوۡعٍ ؕ﴿۷﴾وُجُوۡہٌ  یَّوۡمَئِذٍ نَّاعِمَۃٌ ۙ﴿۸﴾لِّسَعۡیِہَا  رَاضِیَۃٌ ۙ﴿۹﴾فِیۡ  جَنَّۃٍ  عَالِیَۃٍ ﴿ۙ۱۰﴾لَّا تَسۡمَعُ  فِیۡہَا  لَاغِیَۃً ﴿ؕ۱۱﴾فِیۡہَا عَیۡنٌ جَارِیَۃٌ ﴿ۘ۱۲﴾فِیۡہَا سُرُرٌ  مَّرۡفُوۡعَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾وَّ  اَکۡوَابٌ مَّوۡضُوۡعَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۴﴾وَّ نَمَارِقُ مَصۡفُوۡفَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۵﴾وَّ زَرَابِیُّ  مَبۡثُوۡثَۃٌ ﴿ؕ۱۶﴾اَفَلَا یَنۡظُرُوۡنَ  اِلَی الۡاِبِلِ کَیۡفَ خُلِقَتۡ ﴿ٝ۱۷﴾وَ  اِلَی السَّمَآءِ کَیۡفَ رُفِعَتۡ ﴿ٝ۱۸﴾وَ  اِلَی الۡجِبَالِ کَیۡفَ نُصِبَتۡ ﴿ٝ۱۹﴾وَ  اِلَی الۡاَرۡضِ کَیۡفَ سُطِحَتۡ ﴿ٝ۲۰﴾فَذَکِّرۡ ۟ؕ  اِنَّمَاۤ  اَنۡتَ مُذَکِّرٌ ﴿ؕ۲۱﴾لَسۡتَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ  بِمُصَۜیۡطِرٍ ﴿ۙ۲۲﴾اِلَّا  مَنۡ  تَوَلّٰی  وَ  کَفَرَ ﴿ۙ۲۳﴾فَیُعَذِّبُہُ  اللّٰہُ  الۡعَذَابَ الۡاَکۡبَرَ ﴿ؕ۲۴﴾اِنَّ  اِلَیۡنَاۤ  اِیَابَہُمۡ ﴿ۙ۲۵﴾ثُمَّ  اِنَّ  عَلَیۡنَا حِسَابَہُمۡ ﴿٪۲۶﴾

Has there come to you the news of the overwhelming event (of Qiyaamah). (Some) faces on that day will be humbled, working hard, exhausted. They will enter into an intensely hot (burning) fire. They will be given drink from a boiling spring. There will be no food for them except from a bitter, thorny plant that will neither nourish (them) nor satisfy (their) hunger. (Some) faces on that day will be happy, pleased with (the reward of) their striving. (They shall be) in a lofty paradise wherein they will not hear any unsuitable speech. Therein will be a flowing spring. Within it are couches raised high, and cups put in (their) place, and cushions lined-up, and carpets spread out. Then, do they not look at the camels, how they are created? And at the sky, how it is raised? And at the mountains, how they are firmly fixed? And at the earth, how it is spread out? So, remind (O Muhammed [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam]), (as) you are only a reminder. You are not (appointed) over them as a controller. But whoever turns away and disbelieves, then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment. Surely to Us is their return, then indeed upon Us is their account.

Commentary

وُجُوۡہٌ  یَّوۡمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَۃٌ ۙ﴿۲﴾عَامِلَۃٌ  نَّاصِبَۃٌ ۙ﴿۳﴾

(Some) faces on that day will be humbled, working hard, exhausted.

On the Day of Judgement, there will be two groups of people, the believers and disbelievers. The faces of the believers and disbelievers will be different. This verse describes the faces of the disbelievers.

The faces of the disbelievers on that day will be humbled, humiliated and downcast.

The word “خَاشِعَة” stems from the root word “خُشُوْع” which means to be humble, humiliated, and cast down. This very word is used in the Ahaadith which explain how the person performing salaah should stand before Allah Ta‘ala, lowering his gaze while standing in a humble manner.

The Ulama explain that people who did not humble themselves before Allah Ta‘ala in this world through bringing imaan in Him and submitting to His commands, on the Day of Judgement, their faces will be downcast with humiliation and disgrace.

The Kuffaar Tiring Themselves in a Futile Effort

After describing the faces of the disbelievers on the Day of Qiyaamah, Allah Ta‘ala describes the bodies of the kuffaar on the Day of Qiyaamah by saying “عَامِلَةٌ نَاصِبَة”.

The word “عَامِلَةٌ” in Arabic is used for a person who works hard continuously until he becomes tired.

Similarly, the word “نَاصِبَةٌ” is derived from the word “نَصَب”. This word also refers to one who goes on toiling until he becomes extremely exhausted.

Some commentators explain that these two qualities of the kuffaar relate to this worldly life, in the sense that they toiled and exhausted themselves in acquiring the wealth of this world, on account of which they will be in humiliation and disgrace in the Hereafter.

Some say that it refers to the kuffaar who in the world would exert themselves in their false rituals and acts of worship e.g. the Hindu yogis and many Christian monks who tire themselves in spiritual exercises, thinking that they are upon the right path.

Sayyiduna Hasan Basri (rahimahullah) reports that when Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) went to Syria, a Christian monk came to him. The Christian monk was an old man, and on account of his religious exercises, his skin was completely dry, his body was extremely weak, and his clothing was dirty and dusty.

When Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) looked at him, he began to weep. People asked Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) about the reason for his weeping, to which he replied, “I am weeping over the condition of this poor man who is working so hard to achieve something, but he will never acquire it, and he has great hope (of entering Jannah), but he is on the wrong path (by ascribing partners with Allah Ta‘ala and thus he will never attain salvation in the Hereafter).”

Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) then recited the following verses

وُجُوۡہٌ  یَّوۡمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَۃٌ ۙ﴿۲﴾عَامِلَۃٌ  نَّاصِبَۃٌ ۙ﴿۳﴾ تَصۡلٰی نَارًا حَامِیَۃً ۙ﴿۴﴾

(Some) faces on that day will be humbled, working hard, exhausted. They will enter into an intensely hot (burning) fire.

(Tafseer Qurtubi 20/27 & Tafseer Ibnu Katheer 4/488)

Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) said regarding this verse:

وُجُوۡہٌ  یَّوۡمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَۃٌ ۙ﴿۲﴾عَامِلَۃٌ  نَّاصِبَۃٌ ۙ﴿۳﴾

(Some) faces on that day will be humbled, working hard, exhausted.

The kuffaar will be humbled on the Day of Qiyaamah before Allah Ta‘ala, but this action of humility will be of no benefit and avail to them on that day, as they were required to be humble before Allah Ta‘ala in the worldly life.

تَصۡلٰی نَارًا حَامِیَۃً ۙ﴿۴﴾

They will enter into an intensely hot (burning) fire

The word “حَامِيَة” literally means “hot and scorching”. Although this is the natural property of fire, that it is hot and scorching, and there was no need for Allah Ta‘ala to mention this quality describing the fire, the reason for Allah Ta‘ala mentioning this quality with the fire is to show that it is unlike the fire of this world

The heat of the fire of this world will at some point reduce or come to an end, but the fire of Jahannum is everlasting and eternal. Its heat will neither reduce nor end. Furthermore, the fire of Jahannum is far hotter and more intense than the fire of this world.

تُسۡقٰی مِنۡ عَیۡنٍ  اٰنِیَۃٍ ؕ﴿۵﴾لَیۡسَ لَہُمۡ طَعَامٌ   اِلَّا مِنۡ ضَرِیۡعٍ ۙ﴿۶﴾

They will be given drink from a boiling spring. There will be no food for them except from a bitter, thorny plant

When the abovementioned verse was revealed, in which it was mentioned that the inmates of Jahannum will get food like “ضَرِيْع”, some of the pagans of Makkah Mukarramah mockingly said that their camels eat ضريع, yet they are fat and healthy.

In response to their statement, the following verse of the Quraan was revealed:

لَّا یُسۡمِنُ وَ لَا یُغۡنِیۡ مِنۡ جُوۡعٍ ؕ﴿۷﴾

It will neither nourish (them) nor satisfy (their) hunger.

The meaning of this verse is that they should not compare the ضريع of this world to the ضريع of the Hereafter. The ضريع of the Hereafter will neither provide nourishment to them nor satisfy their hunger.

The Amazing Bounties Enjoyed by the People of Jannah

وُجُوۡہٌ  یَّوۡمَئِذٍ نَّاعِمَۃٌ ۙ﴿۸﴾لِّسَعۡیِہَا  رَاضِیَۃٌ ۙ﴿۹﴾فِیۡ  جَنَّۃٍ  عَالِیَۃٍ ﴿ۙ۱۰﴾لَّا تَسۡمَعُ  فِیۡہَا  لَاغِیَۃً ﴿ؕ۱۱﴾

(Some) faces on that day will be happy, pleased with (the reward of) their striving. (They shall be) in a lofty paradise, wherein they will not hear any unsuitable speech.

After describing the faces of the disbelievers on the Day of Qiyaamah, in this verse, Allah Ta‘ala describes the faces of the believers – the people of Jannah. Allah Ta‘ala says  that many faces, on that day, will be full of joy and happiness, while being pleased with the great rewards they will receive for the good deeds they carried out in this worldly life. They will live in lofty gardens of paradise in which they will not hear any futile speech.

The word “لَاغِيَة” includes all types of futile speech, whether words of disbelief, vain and idle talk, obscene language, false accusations or any other talk that causes hurt to the feelings of people.

In another verse of the Quraan, Allah Ta‘ala says “لَا يَسْمَعُ فِيْهَا لَغْوًا وَلَا تَاثِيْمًا” the people in Jannah will neither hear futile speech nor things leading to sin. In other words, Allah Ta‘ala describes the pure and happy atmosphere among the inmates of Jannah, that at every moment, there will be happiness and joy perceived among them, and no such foolish words will enter their ears which may pollute their hearts.

فِیۡہَا عَیۡنٌ جَارِیَۃٌ ﴿ۘ۱۲﴾فِیۡہَا سُرُرٌ  مَّرۡفُوۡعَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾وَّ  اَکۡوَابٌ مَّوۡضُوۡعَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۴﴾

Therein will be a flowing spring. Within it are couches raised high, and cups put in (their) place.

In Jannah will be a flowing spring for them to enjoy the water or swim in the springs if they wish. Similarly, there will be couches raised high for them to sit on in honour and dignity, and cups and goblets put in their places for them to drink with honour and dignity.

The word “أَكْوَاب” is the plural of “كُوْب” and refers to a goblet, glass or a cup for drinking water.

In the above verse, Allah Ta‘ala describes the cups and glasses of Jannah, that they will all be placed in their correct places. This signifies that the glasses or cups will have set places, close to the water, for the ease of those who wish to drink.

This description which Allah Ta‘ala gives of the glasses, that they will be put in their correct places, opens up an important chapter of laying down some important rules pertaining to social etiquette. In this verse, Allah Ta‘ala is teaching us the social etiquette of how a person should live in this world and how he should lead his life in a systematic manner.

Everything in his life should have system, and the things he arranges in his house should also be put in their designated places. The drinking glasses should be put in their place and they should not be misplaced so that other members of the household are inconvenienced by not finding them in their correct place at the time when they need to drink water.

Similar is the case of all other household items of daily use. Everything should be arranged and put in its correct place, and a person’s life should be arranged in a manner where he prioritizes his goal and objectives, thereby giving preference to what Allah Ta‘ala wants from him at all times over worldly pursuits.

وَّ نَمَارِقُ مَصۡفُوۡفَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۵﴾وَّ زَرَابِیُّ  مَبۡثُوۡثَۃٌ ﴿ؕ۱۶﴾

And cushions lined-up, and carpets spread out.

In Jannah, there will be cushions lined up and carpets spread out to show honour and dignity to those who enter the gathering and remain in it. While remaining in any company or gathering, they will be in comfort, luxury and happiness.

Signs of the Magnificent Power of Allah Ta‘ala

اَفَلَا یَنۡظُرُوۡنَ  اِلَی الۡاِبِلِ کَیۡفَ خُلِقَتۡ ﴿ٝ۱۷﴾وَ  اِلَی السَّمَآءِ کَیۡفَ رُفِعَتۡ ﴿ٝ۱۸﴾وَ  اِلَی الۡجِبَالِ کَیۡفَ نُصِبَتۡ ﴿ٝ۱۹﴾وَ  اِلَی الۡاَرۡضِ کَیۡفَ سُطِحَتۡ ﴿ٝ۲۰﴾

Then, do they not look at the camels, how they are created? And at the sky, how it is raised? And at the mountains, how they are firmly fixed? And at the earth, how it is spread out?

After describing the conditions of Jannah and Jahannum in the preceding verses and depicting the great rewards for the believers in Jannah, and the retribution and punishment of the disbelievers in Jahannum, in these verses, Allah Ta‘ala turns the attention of those who deny the Hereafter towards the great favours which Allah Ta‘ala granted them in this worldly life.

Allah Ta‘ala invites their conscience and minds towards pondering over His great power and might which they witness on a daily basis in this worldly life. Through them turning their gazes towards these creations of Allah Ta‘ala, they perhaps will be able to recognize the Creator – Allah Ta‘ala – which will then lead them to the straight path. They will then believe in Allah Ta‘ala and his Rasul (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and accept resurrection after death.

The kuffaar rejected resurrection after death on the grounds that after a person’s demise, the body decomposes and perishes. Therefore, they could not get to terms with understanding how one could be resurrected after his death. For their guidance, Allah Ta‘ala invites their attention to reflect carefully on a few of His great signs.

There are uncountable signs of Allah Ta‘ala in the universe. However, here, in this surah, Allah Ta‘ala refers to four of his special signs that are specially suited and relevant to the condition of the Arabs who lived in the desert.

The Arabs who lived in the desert often travelled through the desert. All they saw were the camels which they travelled on. Above them was the sky and beneath them was the earth. Similarly, all around them (left, right, front and back) they saw mountains, as they lived in the mountainous region of Makkah Mukarramah.  Hence, Allah Ta‘ala commands them to ponder over these four natural phenomena (viz. the camel, the sky, the earth and the mountains) through which they will be able to recognize the power of Allah Ta‘ala.

Among animals, the camel has certain special qualities and features that can be a reflection of the divine wisdom and power of Allah Ta‘ala. The camel is the largest, most robust and enduring animal. Although the elephant is much larger than the camel, Allah Ta‘ala has mentioned the camel rather than the elephant because the Arabs were very familiar with camels and seldom saw elephants.

Despite the fact that a camel is such a huge animal, a Bedouin Arab will not find it difficult to look after it, even if he is poor. If he is unable to gather or afford food for it, he will leave it loose and allow it to gather its own food through it eating from the leaves of trees. The camel has a long neck through which it is able to reach the top of high trees. On the other hand, the food of elephants and other animals is expensive and it is thus costly to feed them.

In Arabian deserts, water is a scarce commodity. It is not available everywhere or at any time, yet the camel can survive for about a week without water, as Allah Ta‘ala’s power has provided it with a small, narrow-mouthed pouch in its belly wherein it stores extra water (which it uses up gradually for 7 or 8 days). Thus, the camel is a superb drought beast. Allah Ta‘ala has created it in a unique manner so that it can perfectly adapt  to the harsh climate of the desert and survive all types of hardships.

Similarly, there is no need for one to place a ladder to climb up and sit on the camel. Allah Ta‘ala has divided its legs into three levels. Each leg has 2 knees that it manoeuvres to sit down so that it becomes easy for riders to climb up and down.

The camel is the chief beast of burden in deserts, and as such, it is able to carry large loads. It is most difficult to travel in the day time in Arabia because of the scorching sunlight. Allah Ta‘ala has made it possible for the camel to keep on traveling the whole night.

Camels are so obedient that even a little child can lead them along anywhere. Camels are very valuable and useful to the Arabs in many other ways that teach man that Allah Ta‘ala is omnipotent and has complete wisdom in His creation.

The Duty of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was Only to Preach and Remind

فَذَکِّرۡ ۟ؕ  اِنَّمَاۤ  اَنۡتَ مُذَکِّرٌ ﴿ؕ۲۱﴾لَسۡتَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ  بِمُصَۜیۡطِرٍ ﴿ۙ۲۲﴾اِلَّا  مَنۡ  تَوَلّٰی  وَ  کَفَرَ ﴿ۙ۲۳﴾فَیُعَذِّبُہُ  اللّٰہُ  الۡعَذَابَ الۡاَکۡبَرَ ﴿ؕ۲۴﴾اِنَّ  اِلَیۡنَاۤ  اِیَابَہُمۡ ﴿ۙ۲۵﴾ثُمَّ  اِنَّ  عَلَیۡنَا حِسَابَہُمۡ ﴿٪۲۶﴾

So, remind (O Muhammed [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam]), (as) you are only a reminder. You are not (appointed) over them as a controller. But whoever turns away and disbelieves, then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment. Surely to Us is their return, then indeed upon Us is their account.

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) used to be grieved at all times, as he was concerned about the condition of the disbelievers and the wrong actions of shirk and disbelief which they were involved in.

Hence, in these verses, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is comforted by Allah Ta‘ala and informed that he should only preach to the kuffaar and leave their plight to Allah Ta‘ala thereafter. He must not worry about anything beyond this, as Allah Ta‘ala is the One who will call the disbelievers to Him, and He is the One who will render an account of their deeds and actions and punish them accordingly.