"What Led You into Hell Fire?"
-Surat al-Muddassir continues-
The second part of the Surat al-Muddassir begins with three swearings. It draws our attention to moon, to night, and to day and it invites us to deep thinking about these three miracles:
kalla wal-qamar
74:32. Nay! I swear by the moon!
wal-layli iz adbar
33. And by the night when it withdraws!
was-subhi izaa asfar
34. And by the dawn when it shines!
When the day turns into night and fades away, imagine what would happen to mankind if the sun had not risen in the next morning? And how about the beautiful skies which are painted with so adorable colors every morning and every evening? And the moon...the moon that illuminates the dark night...isn't it so lovely? What do you think the night tells us while it covers everything into darkness? In these longest nights of the year one just can't help getting lost in thoughts: Indeed! Who would know which night is really the longest night? And who would know anything about the night in which one rejoins The One?
Our Lord has mentioned about the hell named "saqar" at the end of the first part of the Surat al-Muddassir. This second part continues with it. This hell is a great thing, a clear warning. But to whom?
innahaa laihdal-kubar
35. Verily, it is one of the greatest calamities
nazeeran lil-bashar
36. a warning to mankind
liman shaaa minkum an yataqaddama aw yataahhar
37. to any of you who wishes to go forward or to remain behind
So then, the hell is a warning to frighten those who wish to go forward or to remain behind. This ayat can be interpreted in two diifferent ways. According to one interpretation the hell is a warning to those who wish to go forward by doing righteous deeds and by not committing sins. Or according to some other interpretation, the hell is a warning to those who remain behind by not doing good deeds and by committing sins. Moreover, that in the ayat the verb "to wish" is used for man, is a clear sign for the fact that human beings indeed have an irada-i juzziyya (partial will, partial capability of conscious choice and decision).
kullu nafsim-bimaa kasabat raheena
38. Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns,
illaa ashaabal-yameen
39. except ashaabal-yameen (i.e. those on the right)
So then everybody is held in pledge in proportion to the bad deeds he does; except the ashaabal-yameen, except those blessed people who will receive their book of deeds from their right sides on the Day of Judgement. Sinful persons are held in pledge for their sins, like a debtor who is held in pledge for his debts.
What do those blessed people do in the heaven:
fee jannaatin yatasaaaluun
40. in gardens they will ask one another
'anil-mujrimeen
41. about the sinners
maa salakakum fee saqar
42. "What led you into hell fire?"
This is a method we often see while reading Quran; information is transferred through conversations. A method which develops the ability of empathy; a very interesting, powerful, and effective method of education. This increases our attention and so we ask all together: What led them into hell fire?
qaaluu lam naku minal-musalleen
43. They will say: "We were not of those who prayed,
walam naku nut'imul-miskeen
44. nor were we of those who fed the poor,
wakunnaa nahuudu ma'al-haaideen
45. and we used to talk falsehood with vain talkers,
wakunnaa nukazzibu biyawmid-deen
46. and we used to deny the Day of Judgement,
hattaa ataanal-yaqeen
47. till death overtook us".
The word yaqeen in the last ayat generally means faith (in Allah) with certainty, without any doubt. Here it refers to death...maybe because death is the most certain truth in this life.
48-51. No intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them. Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from admonition? As if they were frightened (wild) donkeys, fleeing from a lion!
It is normal for a frightened donkey to flee from a lion; since if it does not flee, it will sure be killed. But how about the people who flee from The Book? Why do they run away? What do they want?
52. Nay, everyone of them desires that he should be given pages spread out.
In the tafsir of al-Razi, this demand of the people of Mecca is mentioned as follows: "Let spread-out pages come down from the skies so that we believe". Allah says that this demand is not sincere and they just ask for it due to their arrogance.
53-55. Nay! But they do not fear the hereafter.
Nay! Verily, this (Quran) is an admonition.
Let any who will, keep it in remembrance!
wamaa yazkuruuna illaa an yashaa Allah
56. But none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills
huwa ahlut-taqwaa wa ahlul-magfira
He is the Lord of Righteousness, and the Lord of Forgiveness.
The second part of the Surat al-Muddassir begins with three swearings. It draws our attention to moon, to night, and to day and it invites us to deep thinking about these three miracles:
kalla wal-qamar
74:32. Nay! I swear by the moon!
wal-layli iz adbar
33. And by the night when it withdraws!
was-subhi izaa asfar
34. And by the dawn when it shines!
When the day turns into night and fades away, imagine what would happen to mankind if the sun had not risen in the next morning? And how about the beautiful skies which are painted with so adorable colors every morning and every evening? And the moon...the moon that illuminates the dark night...isn't it so lovely? What do you think the night tells us while it covers everything into darkness? In these longest nights of the year one just can't help getting lost in thoughts: Indeed! Who would know which night is really the longest night? And who would know anything about the night in which one rejoins The One?
Our Lord has mentioned about the hell named "saqar" at the end of the first part of the Surat al-Muddassir. This second part continues with it. This hell is a great thing, a clear warning. But to whom?
innahaa laihdal-kubar
35. Verily, it is one of the greatest calamities
nazeeran lil-bashar
36. a warning to mankind
liman shaaa minkum an yataqaddama aw yataahhar
37. to any of you who wishes to go forward or to remain behind
So then, the hell is a warning to frighten those who wish to go forward or to remain behind. This ayat can be interpreted in two diifferent ways. According to one interpretation the hell is a warning to those who wish to go forward by doing righteous deeds and by not committing sins. Or according to some other interpretation, the hell is a warning to those who remain behind by not doing good deeds and by committing sins. Moreover, that in the ayat the verb "to wish" is used for man, is a clear sign for the fact that human beings indeed have an irada-i juzziyya (partial will, partial capability of conscious choice and decision).
kullu nafsim-bimaa kasabat raheena
38. Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns,
illaa ashaabal-yameen
39. except ashaabal-yameen (i.e. those on the right)
So then everybody is held in pledge in proportion to the bad deeds he does; except the ashaabal-yameen, except those blessed people who will receive their book of deeds from their right sides on the Day of Judgement. Sinful persons are held in pledge for their sins, like a debtor who is held in pledge for his debts.
What do those blessed people do in the heaven:
fee jannaatin yatasaaaluun
40. in gardens they will ask one another
'anil-mujrimeen
41. about the sinners
maa salakakum fee saqar
42. "What led you into hell fire?"
This is a method we often see while reading Quran; information is transferred through conversations. A method which develops the ability of empathy; a very interesting, powerful, and effective method of education. This increases our attention and so we ask all together: What led them into hell fire?
qaaluu lam naku minal-musalleen
43. They will say: "We were not of those who prayed,
walam naku nut'imul-miskeen
44. nor were we of those who fed the poor,
wakunnaa nahuudu ma'al-haaideen
45. and we used to talk falsehood with vain talkers,
wakunnaa nukazzibu biyawmid-deen
46. and we used to deny the Day of Judgement,
hattaa ataanal-yaqeen
47. till death overtook us".
The word yaqeen in the last ayat generally means faith (in Allah) with certainty, without any doubt. Here it refers to death...maybe because death is the most certain truth in this life.
48-51. No intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them. Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from admonition? As if they were frightened (wild) donkeys, fleeing from a lion!
It is normal for a frightened donkey to flee from a lion; since if it does not flee, it will sure be killed. But how about the people who flee from The Book? Why do they run away? What do they want?
52. Nay, everyone of them desires that he should be given pages spread out.
In the tafsir of al-Razi, this demand of the people of Mecca is mentioned as follows: "Let spread-out pages come down from the skies so that we believe". Allah says that this demand is not sincere and they just ask for it due to their arrogance.
53-55. Nay! But they do not fear the hereafter.
Nay! Verily, this (Quran) is an admonition.
Let any who will, keep it in remembrance!
wamaa yazkuruuna illaa an yashaa Allah
56. But none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills
huwa ahlut-taqwaa wa ahlul-magfira
He is the Lord of Righteousness, and the Lord of Forgiveness.
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