بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Al-Haqqah 69:46
The Reality · Juz 29 · Page 568
ثُمَّ لَقَطَعۡنَا مِنۡهُ ٱلۡوَتِينَ ٤٦
Tafsir · in English
Ma'arif al-Qur'an
Detailed · A modern classic, with rulings and practical points.
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Commentary on 69:44–51
وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ ﴿44﴾ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ﴿45﴾ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ ﴿46﴾
And had he forged some statements in Our name, We would have certainly seized him by the right hand, and then severed his life-astery,…(69:44-46)
The word taqawwul means 'to forge, fabricate or concoct' and the word watin refers to 'aorta or life-artery'. This is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Once this artery is cut off, death occurs instantly.
The foregoing verses refute the outrageous thoughts of the disbelievers. They used to accuse the Prophet o ﷺ of being a poet and a soothsayer. They said that the Qur'an was the word of a poet or the word of a soothsayer. The Qur'an denounces their argument - it is not the word of a poet nor the word of a soothsayer; it is a revelation from Allah to His Messenger ﷺ . In other words, in verses [ 37-38] it was claimed that all visible and invisible things prove that the Prophet is Allah's true Messenger and that the Qur'an is Allah's revealed Word and not the imaginary flight of a poet's mind or the wild conjectures of a diviner. In this and the preceding three verses another invincible argument is given in support of his claim. The argument is to the effect that if the Prophet ﷺ had been a forger of lies against Allah, Allah's strong hand would have seized him by the throat and cut off his life-artery and he would have certainly met with a violent death. The invincible argument is put forward in a strong language - assuming the impossible - to make the ignorant realise the worst-case scenario. The expression 'right hand' is used probably because when a convicted criminal is to be executed, the executioner stands in front facing the condemned person. The executioner's left hand faces the guilty person's right hand. The executioner holds the condemned person with his left hand and attacks him with his right hand.
A Cautionary Note
This verse refers to a theoretical situation relating to the Apostle of Allah in particular that lest, God forbid, if he were to concoct a word and impute it to Allah, this is the way he would have been dealt with. A hypothetical situation is a possible situation, not an actual situation. Thus this does not necessarily set down a universal principle that any and every impostor, who lays claim to prophethood, would be destroyed as a matter of general rule. History records that many impostors laid claim to prophethood, but no such destructive punishment was ever imposed on them.
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.
سورة المعارج
Al-Ma'arij
The Ascending Stairways · Meccan · 44 ayahs
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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,