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1. By those (angels) who pull out (the souls of the disbelievers and
the wicked) with great violence 2. By those (angels) who gently
take out (the souls of the believers) 3. And by those that swim
along (i.e. angels or planets in their orbits, etc.) 4. And by those
that press forward as in a race (i.e. the angels or stars or the
horses, etc.).5. And by those angels who arrange to do the
Commands of their Lord, (so verily, you disbelievers will be called
to account) 6. On the Day (when the first blowing of the Trumpet
is blown), the earth and the mountains will shake violently (and
everybody will die) 7. The second blowing of the Trumpet follows
it (and everybody will be raised up) 8. (Some) hearts that Day will
shake with fear and anxiety 9. Their eyes cast down 10. They say:
"Shall we indeed be returned to (our) former state of life? 11.
"Even after we are crumbled bones?" 12. They say: "It would in
that case, be a return with loss! 13. But only, it will be a single
Zajrah (shout) 14. When, behold, they find themselves over the
earth alive after their death

Assalamualaikum Warahmathullahi wabarakaathuh

Insha Allahu thaala we are beginning our study of Surah An-Naziat
today. The first comments, very briefly that well make is that its a
Makki Soorah, just like the Soorah before it, Soorah An-Naba. And were
going to try to understand the conclusion of Soorah An Naba connected
to the introduction to Soorah An-Naziat. Towards the end of Soorah An
Naba, the Soorah right before this one, Allah AzzawaJal said :

Yawma Yaqmu Ar-Ru Wa Al-Mal'ikatu affan L Yatakallamna

'Ill Man 'Adhina Lahu Ar-Ramnu Wa Qla awban
Dhlika Al-Yawmu Al-aqqu
There is reference over and over again to the final day, the Last Day.
Thats the conclusion to Soorah An-Naba. Right after the introductory
comments of this Soorah are done, we go back to the Last Day again.
Yawma Tarjufu Ar-Rjifahu Tatba`uh Ar-Rdifahu Qulbun
Yawma'idhin Wjifahun (again Yaum) Abruh Khshi`ahun
When we get to these Aayath, InshaAllah, well see the commentary on
them. But, it seems like its a continuation with a small lapse, its again a
continuation of that Final Day. Wow, how the previous Soorah
concluded, its tied to the introduction of this Soorah. Now in the
beginning of the Soorah there are a series of oaths, Aksaam, and this is a
dedicated subject in the Quran, Al Aksaam fil Quran Al Hakeem, Allah
AzzawaJal He swears by things. So before we talk about these oaths
particularly, we need to understand some fundamental things about
Aksaam in the Quran, the oaths in the Quran.
From among the thaabioon and the earliest of scholars, there has been
commentary on the function and the wisdom on the oaths in the Quran.
And one of the most common opinions has been, that when Allah
swears by something, it is something sacred or it is something powerful,
or something awe inspiring. So for instance, Allah AzzawaJal swears by
the sun: Wa Ash-Shamsi Wa uh, or by the moon: Wa Al-Qamari
'Idh Talh, or by the morning: Wa As-Subahi 'Idh Asfar, or by the
bright morning: Wa A-u, or by the night: Wa Al-Layli 'Idh Saj; you
know these famous oaths in the Quran, or: Wa Al-`Ari. These are the
many many many cases of oaths in the Quran. One of the opinions of
the thabioon has been: that these oaths have to do with something
sacred. But that in and of itself is not enough. There is more to know
about the oaths than just that they are speaking of something sacred or
honoured by Allah AzzawaJal. Actually a contrary opinion also exists. For
example, Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahu Allah) in his book: Al-Muin fi AlAksam fil Al-Quran, he dedicated himself just to the study of oaths in the

Quran. And he says: just saying that the oaths are sacred is not enough.
Because when we have: Wa At-Tni Wa Az-Zaytni, Wa ri Snna, Wa
Hadh Al-Baladi Al-'Amni.
These are oaths in one Soorah. And then you have oaths in another
Soorah: Wa Ash-Shamsi Wa uh, Wa Al-Qamari 'Idh Talh.
If the only thing to know is that they are sacred, then you could take the
ones from here and put them there; and take the ones from there and
put them here: what difference does that make?? There necessarily has
to be more to it than that. So he argues that actually the fundamental
thing to know is not the sanctity of the object that is being sworn by; but
rather how it connects to the rest of the Soorah. So when an oath is
taken, its an introduction, its a powerful means of introducing a topic
that is coming in the rest of the Soorah. And thats really how the entire
precedent of the Soorah is set.
For example: one of the biggest example or the easiest to understand
even would be: L 'Uqsimu Biyawmi Al-Qiymah. Allah AzzawaJal, in the
beginning He swears by two things: He swears by the Day of
Resurrection: Yawmi Al-Qiymah Wa L 'Uqsimu Bin-Nafsi AlLawwmahi: the blame worthy self. He swears by two things. When you
study Soorah Al Qiyamah: you will find only two things: you will find the
mention of Al-Qiyamah and you will find the mention of the blameworthy self: Kall Bal Tuibbna Al-`jilaha, Wa Tadharna Al-'khiraha.
Etc etc, right? So these are the only two things youre going to find in the
entire Soorah, connected to the introductory oaths that have been
mentioned.
So long story short, some other things that you should know about
oaths: in daily speech, in peoples common discourse: when is an oath
used? Especially in ancient times: It is used 1. When the audience that
you are speaking to, they do not believe what you are saying. For
example, when you speak to someone: you say to them: I was at this
place yesterday; they dont believe you, you say: I swear I was there
yesterday. Right? And even we do this nowadays right? In the olden
times, you had to swear by something to make yourself believable. So I

swear by Allah Subhanahua Thaala or something like this, right? Even

the mushrikoon would swear by other things. He would swear by his
child or by his tribe or by his family or by his health. Right? That he was
such at such and such place. So its a means of giving testimony, which is
why even in contemporary society, people take an oath or they swear
before they testify in court. They have to swear that they are telling the
truth. This is one function of oaths. Another function of oaths is that it is
an illustration of anger. Because the one who swears is someone who is
not being taken seriously or what they have to say isnt being given its
full due, so they are brought to a point where they have to swear. In
common language nowadays, we say to each other: Man,I swear to you,
you better stop. Right?? We say something like that. And when do we
say this? When the other person is making us angry. Or two friends may
be at an argument and one of them may say: I swear Im gonna kill you if
you do this; or you dont do this. Right? So, they dont really mean it but
its an expression of anger.
In Quran, sometimes the oath is an expression of anger. Other times it is
an expression of, Subhanahua Thaala, the idea what is being presented
coming forward is not being taken seriously by most people. Whatever
Allah is about to present, people are taking it lightly. So to give it
importance and to make them realize this is a heavy thing, Allah
AzzawaJal swears. So this is the second reason. And by the way when
you swear, I dont use it in the modern sense. You know. In the modern
sense, to swear is to use profanity, to use foul language. But I mean it in
the sense of the ancient English: to take an oath, by something. Then
finally, the oath as a consistent component of the Quran, is necessarily
an introduction, or precursor to arguments that are coming in that
Soorah, in that very Soorah: and thats what we are going to see here,
InshAllahu Thaala.
For the very beginning oath we have An- Nzi`t:
Wa An-Nzi`ti Gharqan.
Allah swear by An-Naazi, comes from Naze, which means to yank
something out violently to pull something out with full force. Ok? An-

Nzi`t, Allah swears by the ones that pull out. Gharq: having dove
(past tense of dive) in. Gharq, here is Mafool muthlaq. Actually its
called (i.e) the gramatic term is called Mafool muthlaq min ghairi
lafdhihi. Meaning the word Gharqan is used to emphasize the act of
pulling out without using the same root instead of saying Wa An-Nzi`ti
Nz, its Wa An-Nzi`ti Gharqa. And the idea is, whatever Allah is
swearing by; these are some creatures or some objects that dives deep
in and yanks whatever is deep inside and pulls it out. The vast majority
of the mufassiroon in regards to what these things are, they mention
that these are angels: the vast majority of them. And they are actually
sourced in one opinion. Baghwi reports on behalf of Ibn Abbas Radhi
Allahu anhu, that Ibn Abbass opinion (Radhi Allahu anhu) that the AnNzi`t, and then An-Nshit and so on: all of the oaths here that have
`t at the end, all of them are referring to angels, and thats become the
popular opinion among the mufassiroon. The second opinion about this
is: that these are the An-Nujoom, that these are the stars. That also
exists. For example: HassanAl-Basri, rahimuhu Allah, his opinion is that
these are stars that Allah is speaking about. Stars that are being yanked
out of the sky, or that are falling, which was from the experience of the
Arabs when they would see a comet or something like that: that they
would comment on that: that this is Najm: that this is yanked out of the
sky.
Anyhow, the third opinion that I will present InshaAllah; of these two
obviously the most popular one is the angels. Thats the one youve
probably heard also. But there is a third opinion that I would like to
share and then tie them all together, InshaAllahu Thaala. The thing we
have to understand about Quran is that sometimes the text is
ambiguous. Allah AzzawaJal didnt spell out explicitly that these are
angels. First we should be honest and know that that is the case. Allah
did not spell out specifically that these are angels. The second thing to
know is: when there are a variety of opinions especially in the first
generation; that in itself is an illustration that this was ambiguous. That
in itself is a proof that this is not something mutlaq, its not absolute, its
not one way and everything else is kufr. So youll find in the history of
the mufassiroon, you have argument supporting: ok, this is your opinion:

what are the evidences that make this opinion stronger than that
opinion. Or what are the evidences that this opinion is rather weak as
opposed to other opinions. So even though these opinions exists, there
are opinions among later ulama that critique these opinions, and try to
weigh, not just by popularity, but by what other supporting evidence is
there to see what opinion is the strongest. So Ill present you one such
opinion.
One such opinion is that An-Nzi`t refers to the winds. (*repeat) that
An-Nzi`t refers to the winds.The alif tha at the end has been used
consistently in the Quran in other places with strong linguistic evidence
that its also winds: Al-Mursalti (Wa Al-Mursalti `Urfan), Ath`thari`t,
Al-Jaari`t. There are many instances where the language suggests and
the context suggests that they are in fact referring to winds. So one
opinion is that: it is referring to winds. But again, we already said: whats
the most popular opinion? That its the angels. So we have to try to
figure out what criticism do these scholars have, for example Islahi
rahimahuAllah, has the opinion that this is winds, what basis does he
have.
The first criticism that he offers is this: An-Nzi`t is the feminine plural:
its called Jama Muannas Salim, the alif tha at the end, this is the
feminine plural. And Allah AzzawaJal, in the Quran, speaks against
attributing femininity to the angels. In the Quran itself Allah speaks
against attributing femininity to the angels And He speaks about those
who attributed femininity to the angels in one place, and in another
place: waththakhdha min al mala-ikathi inatha? Has
your lord taken daughters? Or from the angels, has he taken these
feminine creatures? right? So theres a criticism in the Quran of this.
The second issue that he brings up is, when Allah does speak about the
angels in the Quran, what we find consistently is Jama Muzakkar Salim
We find munzaleen, musawwimeen, murdafeen, yadriboona
wujoohahum wa adbaarahum qaaloo so you have these words that
are all masculine in nature. When the plurality of the angels is
mentioned consistently in the Quran, we find the masculine.

Another case, is that Allah AzzawaJal, even when he does say something
like Qalathil malaaika: for those of you who know a little bit of Arabic,
Qaalath is feminine, right?: So even when that does occur thats not
because of femininity, that coz of jamm thakseer: broken plurals in
Arabic: you use the feminine singular for them, so thats in the beginning.
But after this, like if you say qaalathil malaaika, if you reverse it, you
dont say al malaaikathu qulna, you say al malaaikathu qaaloo. You use
the masculine ones again. Ok? So that how its found in the Quran. So
thats his literary criticism. That in the Quran consistently the masculine
is used so why would this be angels if the feminine is being used. Thats
one criticism.
The other criticism thats tied together with this is that: you know how
Allah AzzawaJal speaks about the souls being pulled out after the angels
diving in, Gharqan, right, so they are going into the body. But if you
study the ahaadeeth about the soul leaving, that the soul leaves from
where, do you know? Where is it pulled out of? From the toe. And the
imagery depicted and the depictions in the ahaadeeth are of such that
the angels are not entering the body rather they are pulling the soul out
of the body. So he argues this as the criticism of this position. Also,
furthermore that its not explicitly mentioned anywhere else.
So we have both opinions now. We have a majority of ulama saying that
this is angels, but also a pretty strong position that its not. It may be
something else. Now, how do you reconcile these two? This actually has
to do with the versatility and the comprehensive nature of the message
of the Quran. We have to understand, first and foremost, Makkan Quran
is talking to whom? Who is it talking to? Its talking to people who dont
believe. Its the kalam thats coming out of the mouth of RasooluAllah
SallaAllahu alihi wa sallam, that the angel has revealed to him, but the
audience, the vast majority of them are people that dont believe him.
And when they hear these words, they are not gonna come to him and
say give me tafseer of Naaziat, what is your opinion of what this
means?. They are not going to come. They hear this and they walk
away. They take it at face value. So one of the most important
considerations in interpreting Makkan Quran especially is: when these

words were used in the Quran, what was going on in the head of the
mushrik Arab. How did he understand these words? How is he
processing this information? And that is the, probably, if you want to
understand the methodology of daawah in the Quran, that takes
precedence. This doesnt nullify the other opinions. Because it may have
relevance for us as Muslims in a more spiritual sense, in a deeper sense,
but, and for the mushrik perhaps in a more shallow sense, but still it has,
you know, some relevance to them. And may be the first thing that
doesnt come to the mushriks mind is angels. The last thing you want to
think is the mushrik heard Quran and they said what is that they are
talking about, I dont get it. No the Quran was very relevant daawah to
the mushrik. It was directly talking to him. And this is what baffled the
mushrikoon that it was speaking to them in clear, bi lisaanin arabiyan
mubeenan, clear and clarifying Arabic speech.
So, one more example of this, before we go on, to just wrap this subject
up, inshaAllah, Allah AzzawaJal says: Yalamu ma yaliju fil ardi wama
yakhruju minha (34:2) He knows what enters into the earth and what
comes out of the earth. When the mushrik hears that, whats he
thinking? Hes thinking of the rain going into the earth and the plant
coming out of the earth. This is as far as his imagination goes. But when
the believer hears that theres more going on, theres deeper
knowledge. And the deeper knowledge is: no, we also will go into the
earth and we will also be coming out of the earth. So its the same
statement but people are understanding it at different depths. So these
are not contradictory statements Im putting before you, these are at
different levels. Or, different audiences are getting different levels of the
same statement, appreciating different things.
So, Islahis arguments and others, basically the summary of it is: this is
perhaps how the mushrik processed it: he thought of the winds. And
then how would he then understand the rest of the message of the
Soorah. But we keep the interpretation of the angels as ,still of course,
as valid and majority.
Anyhow,
Wa An-Nzi`ti Gharqa. Finally the evidence that
is suggested among some scholars that this is referring to the winds is,

Allah AzzawaJal says: inna arsalana alaihim reehan sarsaran fi yaumi

nnahsi musthamir, thenzi un-nasa: the word thenziu, in the Quran, to
snatch and yank out and pull out has been used for reeh, has been used
for wind. So he uses this as further supporting evidence.
Anyhow, so if it is winds, then what this means is Allah is swearing by
hurricanes or tornado winds that yank trees out of their roots, or
buildings out of their foundations, like its digging deep into the ground
and pulling them up, plucking them up right away. Right? And on the
other hand if this is referring to angels, its the angels that are diving
deep into the body and they are pulling and ripping the soul out that
wants to stay inside the body. This is the soul of the kaafir.

Wa An-Nshiti Nasha.
And then Nasht, Nasht in the Arabic language: it refers to undoing a knot
without making any effort. It refers to undoing a knot without making
any effort (*repeat). Another way nasht is used, is when you have a
loose knot and you kind of leave the animal and it wiggles a little bit and
kinda gets undone by itself without any effort, this is also where nashata
is used. So this is mafool muthlaq which means these winds or the
angels: if its referring to the angels, its referring to angels that
seamlessly enter the body and take out the soul. Very smooth process
like the undoing of a loose knot, no force necessary to apply. And if its
referring to the winds, its referring to smooth breeze: the breeze that is
a source of calm and peace and even pleasure, on the face of the one
experiencing it. So two contradictory kinds of wind, if this is wind, right:
the winds that are a means of destruction, and then winds that are a
means of comfort, and a means of even relaxation, of course especially
in desert life.
Then Allah AzzawaJal says:
Wa As-Sbiti Saba
This, if referring to the angels, its been interpreted as: Sabh, by the way,
literally means to swim quickly, or to swim in a rapid smooth way: you
know you can swim and youre splashing and its not smooth, or when
youre swimming smoothly? Then this is sabh. Ok? So, this perhaps is
referring to the angels as a dive in, and they are diving inside the body of

the person, thats how some ulama have commented on this. That they
swim into the body seamlessly and they are looking for the soul and they
pull it out. Others have commented: no, if this is the wind, these are the
clouds that are swimming in the air, floating in the air by means of the
clouds that are or the winds that are pushing them.
And then, finally,
Flssbiqti Sabqa.
Then the word sabaq is actually in the reference to race. When one thing
is taking the lead over the other, this is Flssbiqti. And theres a Fa
there, if you notice for those of you are following along. What this
means is it is connected to Wa As-Sbit. So, Wa As-Sbiti Saba
Flssbiqti Sabqa, are together. The others are separated and we
already knew they were opposites, right? Wa An-Nzi`ti Gharqa Wa
An-Nshiti Nasha were two very different kinds of wind. Or very
different kind of angel situations. So they are separated by a waw. But
Wa As-Sbiti Saba Flssbiqti Sabqa, is necessarily a process: a
and then b: a. being Wa As-Sbiti Saba, b. being Flssbiqti
Sabqa. So the angels are racing back, taking these souls racing back for
their judgment. Also, the clouds, from the view of the Arab, he would
see the cloud: some of the cloud moving faster than the others, some of
them taking a lead over the others. So this is part of the view of the
arab. Flssbiqti Sabqa.
And then, finally,
Flmudabbirti 'Amra.
This is very powerful statement, and should be understood both ways:
one in terms of the angels that we spoke of, and also in terms of the
interpretation that its wind. First of all lets look at the word thadbeer.
The word mudabbiraath is an ism faail from the word thadbeer.
Thadbeer, includes the meaning of planning, organization, executing a
matter, its complete, you know, execution. And its similar and has
contrast with another word that will come in this Soorah, where Allah
says: Thumma 'Adbara Yas`. Its a similar word but its a different
structure. And it creates a different kind of meaning. But for now,
understand, thadbeer, is thorough planning, thorough organization,
thorough execution of a plan. So Allah is swearing by: again fa, these

Sbiti and Flssbiqt continuing these three, that these are the ones
that execute the command of Allah, 'Amr. Amran being the
command mafool bihi. So Allah swears by those who execute the
command of Allah, diligently in an organized fashion. If this is referring
to the angels, it is the angels that are assigned different tasks by Allah
AzzawaJal and they do a diligent, organized job of executing those
commands. If its referring to the clouds, as is the case of Soorah alMursalat, we find Wa An-Nshirti NashraFlfriqti Farqa, ok?
There also we find the winds: they distribute clouds in every direction.
And these clouds are racing against one another. What else does the
wind distribute? The wind also distributes dust; and pollen. Also by
means of the winds, the clouds that are distributing, the clouds are
gonna bring rain. So, if you think about it, winds are the means by which
life is sustained on the earth. Everything you need for life on the earth is
plant life, and plant life cant be sustained without pollen, which we
know is now delivered by wind. And on the other hand, the rain from the
sky, without which plant life cant exist: the clouds are delivered by the
wind. So, Allah has executed this organized plan of delivering these
clouds: some places wont get any; some places will be dried up and
become places of death, and famine; other places will be flooded with
water, other places will turn into lush gardens; all part of an executed
plan from Allah Subhanahu Wa Thaala. All of these plans are being
executed by means of the wind. So this is the other interpretation of
Flmudabbirti 'Amran.
There are other words for planning that we should know about, that are
used in the Quran. So, we used the word thadbeer: mudabbiraath. Then,
we find the word kayd also. Like Allah says: fa inkaanalakum kaydun fa
keedoon, right? Also, we find wa kadhalika kidna li yousuf. Whats the
difference between thadbeer which is planning, and kayd which is also
planning? Kayd is actually a secret plan. The fundamental element in
kayd is secrecy. So, its a plan which you dont want anybody else to find
out about because part of exposing it will be to spoil the plan. It wont
be any good if it comes out in the open. Another word used for planning
is makr. And makr has an element of conflict in it: a plan that necessarily
has to do with retaliation against an enemy. And when Allah is used with

makr: like wa makaru makar Allahu wallahu khair ul-maakireen: its only
used in the retaliatory sense: meaning whenever Allah mentions he is
planning against an opposing force, its always mentioned that they took
the first step. They did makr first.so, wa makaru, first and then makar
Allahu wallahu khair ul-maakireen. So theres a difference. We dont
usually normally typically use makr with Allah Subhanahu wa thaala
unless in that reaction, to the makr that was done by the wrong doer to
begin with. Then finally, we have another word heela: like wal wildaan la
yasthathioona heelathan. Heela is a kind of plan that you make to..
nowadays there is a lot of heela in society by the way; its a clever plan,
the idea of which is to maximise ones benefit or minimise ones harm,
without breaking the law, but at least trying to bend it, manipulating the
system, working around the system. So, accountants are really good at
heela for example during tax season, right? Some of the scholars spoke
about the heela in the ancient times: in the times of Islamic rule: that
the person would give all of their wealth as a gift to their wife right
before zakah season, and then they would make the wife gift it back to
them after the zakah season is done. So, this was kind of you know,
working around the law. Dont get any ideas. But this was the kind of
heela that was done before. Anyhow, so these are different kinds of
plans Allah AzzawaJal specifically mentions. Flmudabbirti 'Amra here.
The word includes planning, organization, execution, diligence and
actually means taking a step back before you take an action: because it
comes from Dubr, which is the back of something. And is to turn back
from the affair, think it through and then come back and execute it.
Thats the interpretation of the word thadbeer.
Anyway, now that Allah AzzawaJal has taken an oath by these few
things; Wa An-Nzi`ti Gharqa, by those who dive deep in and yank
out; Wa An-Nshiti Nasha , those who sail smoothly like the undoing
of a knot; then Wa As-Sbiti Saba Flssbiqti Sabqa: those who
swim or float effortlessly, seamlessly; those who race against one
another diligently; and then finally those that plan the, or execute the
affair with thorough planning. After all of these oaths, Allah AzzawaJal
moves on to another subject. And yes, last time we talked about, the
subject matters of the Quran, the paragraphs in the Quran, incredibly

organized in the sense of even their rhyme scheme. So the first few were
uffs in the Quran and they all rhyme. So if you recite them, you will hear
the rhyme scheme:
Wa An-Nzi`ti Gharqa
Wa An-Nshiti Nasha
Wa As-Sbiti Saba
Flssbiqti Sabqa
Flmudabbirti 'Amra
Now, if you look at the next few aayaath, youll just hear it even. Even if
you dont read tafsir youll hear it:
Yawma Tarjufu Ar-Rjifah
Tatba`uh Ar-Rdifah
Qulbun Yawma'idhin Wjifah
You hear the scheme, right? Because its a united subject. So even
phonetically its united, Subhana Allah. Now we come to this next part,
but before we do, understand that when an oath is taken: you took an
oath, but now you wanna say something. Like: I swear by X, Im gonna
do this. Now, the Im gonna do this part. What am I swearing by, what
is the statement that Im about to make? That is actually hadf here. The
mahdoof here, its not mentioned. The reason its not mentioned is
because this is a part of a series of Soorahs where it has been
mentioned. And it forces us to look at the tafsir of this Soorah in soorahs
that are similar to it. So for instance: you find: Wa Al-Mursalti `Urfa
Fl`ifti `Afa Wa An-Nshirti Nashra Flfriqti Farqa
Flmulqiyti Dhikra `Udhran 'Aw Nudhra and then, jawab alqasam: 'Innam T`adna Lawqi`un. All of those oaths were taken for
what conclusion?: No doubt about it, whatever you have been
promised, is bound to occur. That conclusion is understood here
because its part of that chain of discourse. Its understood that when
they hear these oaths, the next thing to expect is resurrection. But Allah

AzzawaJal doesnt spell it out, which has benefits. One of the benefits is
that it forces you to look at other texts in the Quran. AlQuranu yufassiru
baedahu wa baeda. The other thing it forces to do is: the person who
hears oaths is expecting to hear what these are oaths about, whats he
going to talk about? So now they are in more anticipation of what is to
come. But Allah doesnt give them what they were expecting, so they
keep on listening. They still havent figured out what exactly is this thing
about.
So now Allah AzzawaJal speaks about the depiction of the day of
resurrection. Here, before continuing, understand a contrast with
Soorah An- Naba. In Soorah An- Naba in the beginning we had `Amma
Yatas'alna `Ani An-Naba'i Al-`Ami Al-Ladh Hum Fhi
Mukhtalifna. You know, there was a depiction of the sceptic. They are
asking each other: what is this, when is this gonna happen, you know.
And Allah threatens them they will soon find out. And then He starts
talking about the hereafter. So He spoke of the sceptic first, and the
hereafter second. In this Soorah, He reverses the sequence. Here He
mentions the hereafter first, and He will mention the sceptic later:
Yaqlna 'A'inn Lamarddna F Al-firahi: thats later. So there is a
reversal. This actually in Arabic literature is a mechanism called al- laf wa
an-naksh ala al-aqs: that you fold something up and then you unfold it
in its reflexion or in the opposite. So you know how the mirror, if you put
an object before the mirror, they are exactly the same except that they
are organized opposite? You lift your right hand; the mirror is lifting the
left hand, etc, right? So thats the idea here. One soorah is organized one
way and this will do the flip organization of the ideas presented in
Soorah An-Naba in many ways: one of which is this.
Yawma Tarjufu Ar-Rjifahu
You know Rajaf in Arabic is related to some other words, insha Allah
well discuss some of these words, bi ithniAllah. The first thing to note is:
rajaf has to do with rattling or shaking, ok? And there are bunch of
words in the Quran for this. And its important when you come to a word
that has other synonymous terms in the Quran, that you should highlight
the differences between them: because it gives clarity to one particular

text over the other. Other words that are used in the Quran, for example
zalzala: iza zulzilathil ardu zilzaalaha. The origin of that word is from
zalla, which means when someones feet slip; and zalzala because of the
repetition of the phonetics, you know, in the sounds; it actually alludes
to repetition meaning that someones feet keep on slipping, keep on
slipping. When does that happen: during an earth quake. Thats why its
called zalzala, because ones feet keep on tripping up. So thats one. The
other is rajj: itha rujjathil ardu rajja. Allah AzzawaJal speaks about rajj.
And this is actually an initial jerk: like something was stationary and all of
a sudden it was put into motion. This is rajj. Ulama commented this is
the first moment of the experience of an earthquake, thats rajj: very
beginning of the experience of the earthquake. Then we have maara,
yauma thamooru as-samaa-u Maura. This is actually used when youre,
for example, riding a horse or running really fast, or somebody for
example a large animal passes by you running fast and it simulates the
feeling of an earthquake. Its not really an earthquake but everything is
shaking because of the rapid motion; that is called maara. Finally we
come to this word thats used in this ayah; Allah uses, Yawma Tarjufu ArRjifahu. That which is meant to rattle, rajifah, the rattling one, will
eventually rattle. Allah AzzawaJal did not here, mention the earth. In
another place in the Quran, Allah says yauma tharjufu ul ardu wa aljibaal wa kaanath al-jibaalu katheeban maheela; the day on which the
land, the earth, and the mount, the large boulder mount, they are going
to rattle, they are going to shake and vibrate. As though they were
katheeban maheela:as though they were sand dunes. You know, when
you shake a pile of sand, the sand keeps tripping over, and falling off,
right? As though they were that soft. Thats how the earth is going to
shake that Allah describes. Imagine salt in a salt shaker, basically. Thats
the image that Allah depicts. But, there He said the earth and the
mountains are going to shake. Here he said: Yawma Tarjuful ardu wal
jibaal? No, Yawma Tarjufu Ar-Rjifahu. Ar-Rjifahu means that which is
meant to shake. What this illustrates is the purpose of the creation of
the heavens and the earth, its final destination is the point where its
going to shake. Its gonna be rattled. This is its destiny, it cant be
avoided. So much so that its called Ar-Rjifahu. So much so that the fail

isnt ardh or jibaal, that its Ar-Rjifahu itself. So, its a profound
declaration in the Quran about the reality of that shaking. Finally, just a
comment about the word rajaf, its a highly uncomfortable motion. And
it actually doesnt just depict the motion itself, it depicts the state of the
one who is affected by that motion That they are in a state of
discomfort and disarray.
Now,

Yawma Tarjufu Ar-Rjifahu. Then Allah says:

Tatba`uh Ar-Rdifahu
It will be followed by a raadifah. Radf in Arabic implies, you know when
youre riding a camel or a horse and somebodys sitting behind you, then
they are raadif. They are riding behind you. People sitting in the back
seat in your car nowadays: they are raadif. They are following right
along: where ever you go, they are going: coz they are on the same ride.
So Allah AzzawaJal mentions that it will be followed by another
vibration, another jerking, another violent movement: one successively
following the other. One meant to follow the other. A lot of the ulama
are pretty much in agreement on this raadifah: this following shaking
and vibrating: that the first one/the first time the trumpet will be blown:
you know, in the previous Soorah we said: wa nufikha fi al-soor: right,
youve heard those words, and now thats being opened up. There is the
tafsir of the pervious text in the next Soorah. Ok. So now, how many
times will the trumpet be blown? Twice. The first one: Yawma Tarjufu
Ar-Rjifahu. Then the second one: Tatba`uh Ar-Rdifahu. So there is a
long gap between them but they are one to succeed the other one: one
comes so necessarily the other is on its way. Radf literally implies: like
we said to sit behind: and you know when words come one after
another in meaning, if they are very close to each other in meaning but
they are not exactly the same, but theyre still very close, they are called
mutharaadiff. So synonyms in Arabic are called mutharaadifaath for
example: because they are very close to one another. Other words that
speak of following in the Quran are khalfa. Khalfa actually refers to

when you follow something chronologically. Meaning: something came,

then thereafter something else came. Thats khalf . Radf literally right
behind, like we said, situated right behind and moving along with. Then
we have thala, which is to follow something carefully and repeatedly.
Like, for example, its used for the sun and the moon. Because the sun
and the moon follow a path repeatedly. Anyhow.
Qulbun Yawma'idhin Wjifah

Allah says, first of all, the earth will violently shake when the trumpet is
blown. And then the second time it will be shaken another time. And this
other time is when we will be raised. The first one was for death, and
the second one is for resurrection. So, now at the time of this
resurrection, Allah depicts the first thing. He says Qulbun Yawma'idhin
Wjifah. Hearts on that day: and actually quloobun, by mentioning it first
and not putting the Al on it, which is normally the case in jumla ismiyya,
by not putting Al on it, theres interesting nuanced meaning thats
generated. Some hearts on that day: some hearts particularly on that
day: will experience what Allah depicts as Wjifah. Here I know this is a
long list, but I still want to illustrate this list, or atleast express some of
the meaning in this list, before we go onto the word Wjifah: because
its critical for you to appreciate the depth of the words in Arabic. One of
my agendas in these duroos is to try to highlight how incomplete
translations are. Even my own translation: how incomplete it is! Because
how deep the words go and how intricate the meanings are connected
to one another. And we have to be careful in coming to conclusions
about tafaaseer of Quran.
Allah AzzawaJal speaks about the word Wjif and most translations will
say petrified, horrified. You know, terrified, scared. These are the words,
basically words associated with fear. Now here are some words in the
Quran that are used for fear. Just so we know how they are different.
One of the words used for fear is khauf. You probably heard this word
before, its a very famous word: la khaufun alaihim wa la hum
yahzanoon. Khauf is used for a perceived danger. When you actually
perceive a physical danger, then the word used is khauf. Another word is
khashya. Like: wala thakthulu awlaadakum khashyatha imla. Ok.

Khashya is used when you are afraid of the magnitude of something.

Specifically out of the magnitude of whatever is coming that is scaring
you: that is khashya. Khauf is more of a physical danger, while khashya is
you know the greatness of something. The magnitude/implications of
losing ones job, or the magnitude or just the idea of the day of
judgement, will lead you to khashya for example. Then there is the
word, khushoo, which we use for example in salah. This is a fear that
manifests not only in your heart but it actually takes hold of your face
and your limb. This fear shows on your face and your limb: an
overpowering and instilling kind of fear. And this is the kind of fear we
are supposed to have in salah. That actually our faces have khushoo not
just our hearts. That khushoo comes out of the heart and starts
affecting other limbs of the body. Then there is the word taqwa, which is
very common, ithaqa yathaqi, this is actually to fear the consequences
of ones actions, to fear not something dangerous, but the consequences
of what Im doing myself. This is actually called taqwa. It comes from
wiqaya which is to protect. And taqwa literally means to protect yourself
from the consequences of your own future actions. Ok. Thats how in
the literary sense its understood. Then there is hadhr, like hadhar almouth, right: out of fear of death. Again the translation will say hadhr
means fear: but hadar is actually: out of fear to try to escape something
or to be very careful of something. You see something scary and you try
to escape it, this is hadhar. That specific kind of fear: Which means you
are in proximity of the thing that is dangerous. Or the thing you are
trying to get away form. Then there is raaa: to startle someone. When
you jump up on somebody or you show up out of nowhere or the person
was just reading and they unexpectedly heard the door open, the initial
reaction is raav: the fear is immediate but it subsides immediately also.
This is the kind of fear that Ibrahim AS first felt when the angels came
but it departed from him. It left from him. This is raaa. ok. Then there is
awjasa, or wajs: it comes from. And this is actually a fear when you hear
something. You know, like when you hear something you get scared? Or
you hear something that scared you: some news or some event you
overheard and it scared you. That is awjas. Also means to actually hide
your fears within you, you dont let the person that is scaring you or the

thing that is scaring you know that you are actually scared. Ok.
Naqarahum wa awjasa minhum kheefa. This is actually spoken about
Ibrahim AS. Like you know, he saw them, he didnt recognize them, he
dint know who these guys are. So he was kind of scared but he didnt let
them see that he was scared. Awjasa is used; he ddint let them see that
he was scared. Then there is waja: itha zukira Allah wajihath
quloobuhum. Now waja is to have a fear that penetrates deep into your
heart, a fear that penetrates into the very depths of your heart. Rahb is a
fear that is actually mixed with love. So its a kind of fear you have, of
disappointing the one you love. When youre afraid of disappointing the
person that you love, then rahb is used. Allah AzzawaJal speaks for
example of believers saying yadoonana rahban rahban. They call on us
with inclination: they are inclined towards their lord and they are also
afraid. But what kind of fear? The fear of disappointing Allah Subhanahu
Wa Thaala. Thats rahb. Then finally: raab: actually to be overwhelmed
with intense fear. This is: waqatha fi quloobihim ruba: also rub comes
from this, right? To have overwhelming terrified fear of someone that
makes you lose your reason. Then ashfaqa: this is a kind of fear all of us
have: this comes from, its actually related to the word shafiqa ala, to
have you know shafqa over someone: is to take care of them, to be
concerned with their wellbeing etc. right? To show good to them. But
then ashfaqa means that youre afraid that some harm will come to
them. The one youre taking care of, youre also scared that some harm
might come their way.
So many different kinds of fear, illustrated in so many different places
where it is supposedly best situated in the Quran. Of all of these finally,
we come to the word wajaf, which is Qulbun Yawma'idhin Wjifah.
Thats the word thats used here. What is special about this kind of fear?
Its a fear mixed with discomfort. And actually it is illustrated: the one
who is feeling wajf is the one whose heart is pounding so hard they can
feel it, out of fear. Thats when wajaf is used. And this is also used when
you, you know, you strike your horse, and its heart starts pounding and
it races forward; so you say awjafthul khaila: I made my horse race
forward by making its heart race. So thats the kind of fear that Allah
depicts on that day. When that second strike will fall, when that second

shaking will occur: some hearts on that day will be basically beating out
of their chests. Thats the illustration here. Qulbun Yawma'idhin
Wjifah. Especially on that day some hearts will be beating out of their
chests. The language/sentence structure here also illustrates that these
hearts right now- they are not scared. Right now they are at peace. They
have no discomfort at all. But these are the very same hearts, especially
on that day: Yawmaidhin: they are going to experience this wajifa. Then
also, wajifah is an ism fail, its a nominal form: what that illustrates is:
you know when your heart starts pounding, a few minutes later it comes
to rest, it calms down. The choice of the word in the ayah illustrates that
the heart will start pounding and it wont come to rest. Itll continuously
keep pounding. You know the terror wont subside. Qulbun
Yawma'idhin Wjifah.
Then Allah says something beautiful:

' Abruh Khshi`ah
Again: depicting the terror of that day. You know sometimes Allah
depicts the terror of that day by things that are ginna happen on that
day like the sun and the moons collision, and big big things. Sometimes
he depicts the terror of that day looking at the person and how scared
they are: not at the scary things that are happening: but their reaction to
those things. So this is a Soorah that is highlighting more so the reaction
to the events of the day of judgement of this person. Allah says
'Abruh Khshi`ahun: their vision: the visions of those hearts: their
here refers to the hearts, not the people: because its not absaruhum, its
absaruha. What this tells us is that the vision is directly connected to the
heart. Thats a very important reality to understand. What you see and
how you perceive what you see is directly affected by what you have in
your heart. When you have iman in your heart, what you see will be a
reminder for you. When you feel the wind, when you see the sun, when
you see the clouds, you get a reminder out of it. When you dont have
iman in your heart, those same eyes will do nothing for you. So now, on
that day, people will not see except from a believing heart because now
iman is haq-ul-yaqeen and ayn ul-yaqeen. Theyve seen it. So now those
hearts/those eyes that are connected to the hearts that are petrified:

whats going to happen to those eyes? Khshi`ah. They will be

overpowered, overwhelmed, humbled. Their muscles will be relaxed.
These eyes will be overwhelmed by the fear that is going to be
presented before them. Now this was the state of these some hearts:
that dont feel any fear now; but they will fear this terrifying day then.
Now immediately there is an ilthifa: there is a transition. This transition
illustrates irony. The irony of the whole thing is: as it stands now


Yaqlna 'A'inn Lamarddna F Al-firahi
Rough translation: they say is it really the case that were going to be
returned to the original state. Were gonna come back to life as we are
now? Right back where we started is the expression we use in English:
thats for hafirah, you know. If somebody says for example in Arabic:
fulaanun rajaa ila haafiratihi or fi hafiratihi: this is expression in ancient
Arabic. This person came back right where they started. So when they
hear this whole thing about us coming back to life, our hearts pounding,
you know, the first reaction they have is: oh come on is this where we
are going to come back right to this again? Some of the scholars
commented on the word haafirah which is an important word here. But
a couple of things here: number one: the word mardood. 'A'inn
Lamarddna: are we really going to be returned? But this radd: refers
to a kind of return, when you go somewhere and you werent accepted
and you were returned. Like you tried to cross the border and they
didnt accept your paper work and they sent you back. This is radd. So
they are saying we are going to be rejected and sent back like this? Our
death wasnt acceptable enough, now we have to be brought back to
life? This is a means of sarcasm of the disbeliever. Then He says alhaafira. Al hafira is literally from hufr, which is a ditch in the ground that
you dig. Or mihfar is actually a shovel. Thats how its used. So theyre
basically saying: you know the imagery in language, you have to
understand imagery in classical Arabic is: you know when you dont dig
the ground the way its supposed to be. And then you make all this
effort of digging it. And then you are asked to bring it back exactly where
it used to be: back to normal again. So theyre saying come on! Our
graves are dug, were set the way we are, were not gonna come out of

this now. Its done deal. Inn Lamarddna F Al-firahi. This

resurrection after death doesnt seem like its a very possible prospect
A'idh Kunn `Iman Nakhirah
And it might have been possible may be if I just died, right, my muscles
are still intact. The only thing is that Im not breathing any more, right
may be in a couple of hours may be somebody will be able to revive me:
I still might believe it. But youre talking about the time 'A'idh Kunn
`Iman Nakhirahan: even at the time when our bones will have been
decayed to the point Nakhir: means that the bone will be empty on the
inside from decay, all thats left is a shell and air passage thru it, right,
and produces a smelly kind of experience. When we are reduced to that
much decay, youre saying we are going to be raised again. 'A'idh
Kunn `Iman Nakhirahan
Ql Tilka 'Idhan Karratun Khsirah
Now, notice, before we said Yaqlna 'A'inn Lamarddna; Yaqlna is
the present tense: they say and they will say. But Qalu is past tense.
What this illustrates is: this statement, that we are about to read about,
was only made once or twice. Its lesser in its frequency. Ok. Because almaadhi yadonnona ala al-qudooth.(45:05) Past and present in
nowadays: when you hear of the past tense you think of the past; and
when you hear present tense, you think of the present. In classical
Arabic, past present future tense; they had different functions. Not just
timelines. They actually serve the function of something being a onetime
thing and something being a continuous thing. If its a onetime thing:
past tense; if its continuous: present tense. For example, we find: when
Allah speaks about murder: you know there are two kinds of murder,
simply speaking, there is the guy who kills somebody by accident and
there is the guy who committed, you know, murder on purpose.
Homicide, right? So there is manslaughter which is kind of by mistake
and homicide which is on purpose. When Allah spoke of manslaughter,
when you kill somebody by mistake, He said: wa man qathala muminan
khatha an. Whoever killed: past tense: killed a believer by mistake.
When He speaks about killing on purpose, He says: wa man yakthul

muminan muthaammilan: whoever kills a believer on purpose. So

whats the difference? The one who kills on purpose might do it again.
There is going to be continuity and may have done it before, so the
present tense is more appropriate. And when the past tense is used for
singular event. So the one who killed by mistake, chances are hes not
gonna do it again. He is not gonna come back in a few weeks and say:
guess what I made another mistake. Thats not likely. So qathala is used.
Here qaaloo illustrates that some of them actually gave this some
thought. They actually gave this some thought. Even though they said
this in a sarcastic tone, it illustrates that some of them did reach the
conclusion: if there is the slight possibility that what youre saying is the
truth: that we will be revived from death again, if that is even the
slightest possibility, then they made the statement
Tilka 'Idhan Karratun Khsirahun
Then this is going to be a karra: a return that is full of loss, khasirah: A
return full of loss. Its gonna be a terrible return. Now karra: the word
literally doesnt just mean return. It actually, in Arabic its also used for
attack. So this will be an attack on us. You know the Arabs used to say,
one of the military strategies they had was called karra wa farra. What
that means is you attack, and you run away. Then you attack later and
then you run away, right. This was a military strategy. So karra here not
just to return but this will be an attack against us thats gonna cause a
lot of damage to us. Now theyre saying this in a sarcastic tone, but it
actually illustrates at least they entertained the idea. At least once,
somebody entertained the idea that if this does happen we will, in fact,
be in very big trouble. Ql Tilka 'Idhan Karratun Khsirah.
Now Allah ends all of this discourse. In Soorah An-Naba the way Allah
ended that discourse: Kall Saya`lamna Thumma Kall Saya`lamna.
Allah ended it: No, not at all! They are going to find out. We read about
those ayaat. Now Allah ends this discourse in another way. There He
yelled at them directly saying they will find out. Here He says:

Fa'innam Hiya Zajratun Widahun

There is only going to take one yelling. Zajara really nowadays when a
parent is yelling at their child, this is zajara. There are different kinds of
yelling but when its very loud and its offensive to the one youre yelling
at, then zajr is used. Its used against the Messenger sallaAllahu
alaihiwasallam :wa qaloo majnoonun wa az-zdujir. Right. That they said
he is insane, and he was yelled at in order to make him run away. Like
they started howling at him and cussing at him: maa zallaAllah, so that
he would run off and not give then daawa anymore. Thats the aayah
wa az-zdujir. Here zajara is used. Zajara literally in the meaning of Allah
AzzawaJal will basically scold them and that scolding will be enough.
Some have commented that this zajara is the blowing of the second
trumpet. That in itself is a scolding, thats all its going to take. Zajratun
Widahun.
Fa'idh Hum Bis-Shirahi
Then as a consequence: we know its consequence because its fa
sababiya, it illustrates consequence, then as a result: idh: all of a
sudden, Hum Bis-Shirah: they are going to be at displace, that is in
Arabic its illustrated as as-Shirah. Lets talk briefly about what Shirah
means. Sahr literally means that your sleep has disappeared. Its
disappeared. You cant sleep anymore. And it was used to in reference
to an open field. So the Arab imagined as travelling and this open open
open field: as far as the eye can see. Hes got nowhere to rest. So he
sticks his bag on the ground and he lies down. But you know when you
can see far in the distance, hes worried if he goes to sleep, somebody
will see him from a distance, come and rob him and run off. So he loses
his sleep because hes not hidden. Hes too exposed. So sahr was used in
the reference of an open field but also in the sense of losing ones sleep
because the two things are related to the Arab experience ok. So now
Allah speaks: they will be in this place where they will lose their sleep.
Saahira: also it will be an open field.
Here are some comments that the ulama have made about it: one is:
we talked about the open field. Also, its referred to as a mirage. Like
one travelling in the desert and they see a mirage and what do they see
in the mirage? Water, right? So when youre almost asleep out of the

exhaustion in the travel of the desert, what you see.. a possibility of

water in front of you, what happens to your sleep? It disappears. Now
you cant sleep because now there is a goal in front of you. So some of
them have commented saahira is used for this reason. Others have said,
this is actually the field or the opening: and saahir literally is a kind of
ground that is pale and crusty, its one colour, its almost white and its
flat, completely completely flat, as far as the eye can see. This is a
saahira. And some have commented this is actually the field and the
land in which all human beings will be gathered for resurrection. So
Fa'idh Hum Bis-Shirah. Immediately they will be at the location of asShirah.
In tafsir Haqqani we find one additional comment on this aayah. He says
this is like losing your sleep coming out of the grave. That as soon as the
trumpet is blown, you will come out of your grave and you will lose your
sleep forever because you know, in another place Soorah Yaseen for
example: man bathana min marqadina. Who has raised us from this
place of sleep? This has been used. So now their sleep is gone forever.
The sleep has been lost forever. Because once the paradise comes and
the hell fire comes, and the Day of Judgement comes, theres no more
sleep. Theres no more partial death. Theres no escape: from either the
pleasures or the tortures. So, Fa'idh Hum Bis-Shirahi
Hal 'aTka adthu Ms
Complete shift of subject. You had: in the beginning a few oaths,
regarding the power of Allah subhanaHu wa thaala, especially in regards
to the winds. Last time we talked about why the winds are important, Ill
recap some things. The winds are critical because the Arabs said whats
this hereafter, this whole unseen punishments you talk about that
seems so far off. The closest thing to the unseen in this seen world is
the wind. The closest thing that we can experience but we cant see is
the wind. And Allah illustrates His power of destruction and His mercy by
means of the wind. Some winds come and destroy entire towns, other
winds come and they are the means by which entire life on the earth is
sustained, right? So basically the idea is Allah doesnt need to make
special arrangements for the kafir to bring some special military

arrangement to bring him to punishment. All Allah needs to do is

unleash his wind. Thats enough for him. So whose power are you
questioning? Thats the idea of winds being used as an oath. Then you
come forward and Allah AzzawaJal started talking about the day itself.
The day on which, what your state of affairs is gonna be. Watch what
youre saying. Before Allah even mentions what He says, He says your
hearts are going to be like that that day, by the way, you seem to be
talking, you know, all this trash now, Yaqlna 'A'inn Lamarddna F
Al-firahi'A'idh Kunn `Iman Nakhirahan Ql Tilka 'Idhan
Karratun Khsirahun. Now, all of this, Allah brings to an end and takes us
back to judgement day again: Fa'innam Hiya Zajratun Widahun
Fa'idh Hum: all of them together: Bis-Shirahi. Now, youre not the first
ones to rebel. Youre not the first one to be sceptics. Youre not the first
ones to poke fun at the truth and make smart comments. Allah turns his
attention to his Messenger, sallaAllahu alaihi wasallam, how do we know
he turned his attention to the messenger? Hal 'aT ka adthu Ms:
did the news of Musa come to you, oh Muhammed, sallaAllahu alaihi
wasallam. This ilthifaat, what this illustrates is: imagine there is an
audience in front of us, right. Allah AzzawaJal is speaking, one of the
audience is the believers, one of the audience is the disbelievers, part of
the audience is the messenger himself sallaAllahu alaihi wasallam. And
imagine there is a teacher, put it in human terms, imagine there is a
teacher in an auditorium. Theres a section A, theres a section B, theres
a Section C and there is the TA standing next to him, right. Sometimes
the teacher is talking to A, sometimes hes talking to B, sometimes hes
talking to C, sometimes hes talking to the TA. Sometimes for example A
did really well on the exam. So hes talking to B and he says to B: you
know you guys should be more like A, right. So hes not talking to A but
hes talking about them, even though everybodys listening. Sometimes
hes telling his TA: dont worry about them, I know they are getting
rowdy now but you should relax, well get them under control or
something. In other words, the true instructor, the true teacher has
different audiences in different scenarios of education. Allah says about
Quran, allam al-Quran: He taught the Quran. And these are
components of teaching. You talk to someone, when they are being bad

students, when they are not listening; these people are poking fun: now
Allah turns to Musa AS and starts talking to him instead. Even though
they are still listening, they learn now that Allah is no longer addressing
them. Hes tired of talking to them pretty much in this discourse. So He
turns to the messenger sallaAllahu alaihi wasallam and says: Hal 'aT ka
adthu Ms. The word hadeeth, which is interesting; Allah didnt say
khabar; or Allah dint say you know, naba or other words that are used
in other places. Hadith specifically. Hadith is used for something that is
manifest. Its also used for so old and its forgotten that when you are
reminded of it, it sounds like its new: altogether new. And the power of
that word here is when Allah says: did the hadith of Musa come to you.
In other words, roughly translated: did the news of Musa come to you?
You are being reminded of this legacy and you will feel like this is the
first time you are hearing it. Thats how relevant it is to this discussion.
Thats why the word hadith is used. So did the hadith or the event of
Musa, didnt it already come to you?
'Idh Ndhu Rabbuhu Bil-Wdi Al-Muqaddasi an
When his lord called onto him, nida in Arabic is to call someone. Loudly.
So when his lord forcefully called him, with a tremendous voice He called
him, Bil-Wdi Al-Muqaddas, in the sanctified valley. Thaqdees in Arabic;
like we do thaqdees of Allah: wa nuqaddisu lak for example, right.
Thaqdees is to speak of Allah in a way that is appropriate of Allah. And to
remove from Allah any attributions that are not appropriate to Him.
Muqaddas is a place/it can be a place that is specified for declaring the
perfection of Allah. A place that is specially arranged, specially designed
to exalt Allah subhanaHu wa Thaala. In simple English words, its a holy
place or a sanctified place is probably a better term. So Bil-Wdi AlMuqaddas: in the sanctified valley of thua. Already there is a parallel.
Remember Allah is talking to His Messenger sallaAllahu alaihiwasallam,
Allahs messenger called his Lord. Without even him realizing He called
him to the cave of Hira. He called him to that cave. And He gave him
revelation. Here He reminds him, Musa AS was called to the valley of
thua. Why, for what? For revelation. And then the revelation was given,
idh/hab 'Il Fir`awna 'Innahu agh

Go to Firoun. Now, in other places we find faithya firaun. Go approach

Firaun all the way. Here it says idhhab 'Il: go to: head in that direction:
meaning: get started on your mission. The ila here illustrates: just get
started on this mission right away. So, who is the Messenger to go to?
He is to go to Quraish. He is to go to the disbelievers. Just like Musa AS
was to go to Firaun. Now, why was he to go to Firaun? 'Innahu agh:
There is no doubt that he has engaged in an act of rebellion. Tughyaan is
used in Arabic when you, for example, if you have a pot and you fill
water in, and you put too much in and it starts spilling out, this is
tughyaan. Tughyaan is used for oceans when they start boiling over, like
a flood. This is tughyaan also. So there are limits set on a human being of
the things they can do and say, when they cross those limits, they have
engaged in tughyaan. So he has done tughyaan in two ways that weve
learnt of in Quran. First: he declared himself rabb; second: he enslaved
bani-Israel. Because when Musa AS came to him, he addressed these
two things. Inna rasool ur-rabbil aalameen an arsil maa ala bani Israel.
These are the two great acts of rebellion of Firaun. Anyhow: so, go to
Firaun: he has rebelled just like you people have rebelled. What this
actually illustrates is your problem really isnt that you dont believe in
the hereafter, or youre sceptical. Your real problem is, just like it was
illustrated in the previous Soorah, your real problem is your love of
rebellion. You dont want any limits put on you. You dont want to be
told you can do this you cant do this, you cant live like this, you cant
live like this. These are putting limits on you and you love your free
lifestyle. Nowadays we call it freedom. We love our freedom, right, a
carefree lifestyle. This is what you are really in love with and that was
the crime of Firaun before you. 'Innahu agh.
Faqul Hal Laka 'Il 'An Tazakk
Well conclude after this aayah. Well conclude the Soorah after the
salah.
Then say to him, and this statement is very powerful, Hal Laka 'Il 'An
Tazakk: the closest thing to, we can figure in English, hall laka maylun
first of all, theres a word understood here: do you have any inclination
inside you at all that you want to cleanse yourself of the filth that you

are infested with. Do you have any voice or reason inside you that wants
to make you a better person? Meaning the messengers: their mission
was yathloo alaihim aayaathi wa yuzakkihim wa uallimuhum alazaaba wa al- hikmah: tazkiya- purification was one of the core
components of the work of the messengers. What does tazkiya mean?
Purification. It is to take the elements of ones personality that are
flaws, that are evil, that are rebellious, and to cleanse oneself of them.
So the question Musa AS asks Firaun is the same question that is now to
be put to the people who fear or who dont fear the hereafter. The real
question is do you find any voice or reason, any conscience deep buried
inside yourself that tells you that you should become a better person? Is
that little bit of voice still alive because if it is then there is hope for you?
But if that voice is gone, then there is nothing left in you. Theres nothing
left making dawah to. So thats not only my message is convincing; and
my message has good reason. Part of the dawah is what is the goodness
that is inside of you: that is clicking with the message that I am giving
you. There has to be something inside you for the two lights to come
together, noorun ala noor. So, Faqul Hal Laka 'Il 'An Tazakk
Finally, insha Allahu Thaala, as far as this word the Hal Laka 'Il, its a
very powerful expression in Arabic, in that it illustrates not just the
presence of goodness, but ones desire to bring out that goodness. So
Musa is asking Firaun, hes not questioning the goodness, coz Allah put
goodness inside of every human being, they deny that goodness. Thats
a separate story. Hes saying do you have any desire left in you to let
that goodness in you flourish. This is basically the last resort. Ive given
you all the daawa I could, and youve rebelled beyond all reason, but
there still might be hope for you, if you will let your own conscience be
the better judge of the truth. Insha Allahu thaala with this we take a
break
Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdik, ash hadu an la ilaha illa antha
asthagfiruka wa athoobu ilaik.