(فَلاَ أُقْسِمُ بِالشَّفَقِ)
(16. But no! I swear by Ash-Shafaq;)
(وَالَّيْلِ وَمَا وَسَقَ)
(17. And the night and what it Wasaqa,)
(وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا اتَّسَقَ)
(18. And the moon when it Ittasaq.)
(لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقاً عَن طَبقٍ)
(19. You shall certainly travel from stage to stage.)
(فَمَا لَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ)
(20. What is the matter with them, that they believe not)
(وَإِذَا قُرِىءَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْءَانُ لاَ يَسْجُدُونَ)
(21. And when the Qur'an is recited to them, they fall
not prostrate.)
(بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُكَذِّبُونَ)
(22. Nay, those who disbelieve deny.)
(وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُوعُونَ)
(23. And Allah knows best what they gather,)
(فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ)
(24. So, announce to them a painful torment.)
(إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ
مَمْنُونٍ)
(25. Save those who believe and do righteous good deeds,
for them is a reward that will never come to an end.)
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 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.