بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Al-Haqqah 69:42
The Reality · Juz 29 · Page 568
وَلَا بِقَوۡلِ كَاهِنٖۚ قَلِيلٗا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٤٢
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.
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Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 69:38–43
The Qur'an is the Speech of Allah
Allah swears by His creation, in which some of His signs can be seen in His creatures. These also indicate the perfection of His Names and Attributes. He then swears by the hidden things that they cannot see. This is an oath swearing that the Qur'an is His Speech, His inspiration and His revelation to His servant and Messenger, whom He chose to convey His Message, and the Messenger carried out this trust faithfully. So Allah says,
فَلاَ أُقْسِمُ بِمَا تُبْصِرُونَ - وَمَا لاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ
(So I swear by whatsoever you see, and by whatsoever you see not, that this is verily the word of an honored Messenger.) meaning, Muhammad ﷺ. Allah gave this description to him, a description which carries the meaning of conveying, because the duty of a messenger is to convey from the sender. Therefore, Allah gave this description to the angelic Messenger in Surat At-Takwir, where he said,
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ ذِى قُوَّةٍ عِندَ ذِى الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ مُّطَعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ
(Verily, this is the Word of (this Qur'an brought by) a most honorable messenger. Owner of power (and high rank) with Allah, the Lord of the Throne. Obeyed and trustworthy.) (81:19-21) And here, it refers to Jibril. Then Allah says,
وَمَا صَحِبُكُمْ بِمَجْنُونٍ
(and your companion is not a madman. ) (81:22) meaning, Muhammad ﷺ.
وَلَقَدْ رَءَاهُ بِالاٍّفُقِ الْمُبِينِ
(And indeed he saw him in the clear horizon.) (81:23) meaning, Muhammad ﷺ saw Jibril in his true form in which Allah created him.
وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ
(And he is not Danin with the Unseen.) (81:24) meaning, suspicious.
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَيْطَنٍ رَّجِيمٍ
(And it (the Qur'an) is not he word of the outcast Shaytan.) (81:25) This is similar to what is being said here.
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلاً مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلاَ بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ قَلِيلاً مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
(It is not the word of a poet, little is that you believe! Nor is it the word of soothsayer, little is that you remember!) So in one instance Allah applies the term messenger to the angelic Messenger and in another instance He applies it to the human Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ). This is because both of them are conveying from Allah that which has been entrusted to them of Allah's revelation and Speech. Thus, Allah says,
تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَلَمِينَ
(This is the revelation sent down from the Lord of all that exists.)
Page 568
69:35
فَلَيۡسَ لَهُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ هَٰهُنَا حَمِيمٞ ٣٥
So there is not for him here this Day any devoted friend
69:36
وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنۡ غِسۡلِينٖ ٣٦
Nor any food except from the discharge of wounds;
69:37
لَّا يَأۡكُلُهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلۡخَٰطِـُٔونَ ٣٧
None will eat it except the sinners.
69:38
فَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِمَا تُبۡصِرُونَ ٣٨
So I swear by what you see
69:39
وَمَا لَا تُبۡصِرُونَ ٣٩
And what you do not see
69:40
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوۡلُ رَسُولٖ كَرِيمٖ ٤٠
[That] indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is the word of a noble Messenger.
69:41
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوۡلِ شَاعِرٖۚ قَلِيلٗا مَّا تُؤۡمِنُونَ ٤١
And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
69:42
وَلَا بِقَوۡلِ كَاهِنٖۚ قَلِيلٗا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٤٢
Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.
69:43
تَنزِيلٞ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٤٣
[It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
69:44
وَلَوۡ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيۡنَا بَعۡضَ ٱلۡأَقَاوِيلِ ٤٤
And if he [i.e., Muḥammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings,
69:45
لَأَخَذۡنَا مِنۡهُ بِٱلۡيَمِينِ ٤٥
We would have seized him by the right hand;1
1 translator’s note
- Another interpretation is "by [Our] right hand," i.e., Allāh would have exacted revenge with might and power. ↩
69:46
ثُمَّ لَقَطَعۡنَا مِنۡهُ ٱلۡوَتِينَ ٤٦
Then We would have cut from him the aorta.1
1 translator’s note
- Causing immediate death. ↩
69:47
فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنۡ أَحَدٍ عَنۡهُ حَٰجِزِينَ ٤٧
And there is no one of you who could prevent [Us] from him.
69:48
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَتَذۡكِرَةٞ لِّلۡمُتَّقِينَ ٤٨
And indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is a reminder for the righteous.
69:49
وَإِنَّا لَنَعۡلَمُ أَنَّ مِنكُم مُّكَذِّبِينَ ٤٩
And indeed, We know that among you are deniers.
69:50
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَحَسۡرَةٌ عَلَى ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ٥٠
And indeed, it will be [a cause of] regret upon the disbelievers.
69:51
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَحَقُّ ٱلۡيَقِينِ ٥١
And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.
69:52
فَسَبِّحۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ ٥٢
So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.
70:1
سَأَلَ سَآئِلُۢ بِعَذَابٖ وَاقِعٖ ١
A supplicant asked for a punishment bound to happen1
1 translator’s note
- In the Hereafter. Disbelievers had challenged the Prophet (ﷺ) by invoking Allāh to bring on His punishment. See 8:32. ↩
70:2
لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَافِعٞ ٢
To the disbelievers; of it there is no preventer.
70:3
مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ذِي ٱلۡمَعَارِجِ ٣
[It is] from Allāh, owner of the ways of ascent.
70:4
تَعۡرُجُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيۡهِ فِي يَوۡمٖ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٖ ٤
The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
70:5
فَٱصۡبِرۡ صَبۡرٗا جَمِيلًا ٥
So be patient with gracious patience.
70:6
إِنَّهُمۡ يَرَوۡنَهُۥ بَعِيدٗا ٦
Indeed, they see it [as] distant,
70:7
وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبٗا ٧
But We see it [as] near.
70:8
يَوۡمَ تَكُونُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ كَٱلۡمُهۡلِ ٨
On the Day the sky will be like murky oil,1
1 translator’s note
- Or "molten metal." ↩
70:9
وَتَكُونُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ كَٱلۡعِهۡنِ ٩
And the mountains will be like wool,1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., in the process of disintegration. ↩
70:10
وَلَا يَسۡـَٔلُ حَمِيمٌ حَمِيمٗا ١٠
And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend,
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy