Al-Fajr 89:21
The Dawn · Juz 30 · Page 593
كـَلَّآۖ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ دَكّٗا دَكّٗا ٢١
No! When the earth has been leveled - pounded and crushed
Tafsir · in English
Ibn Kathir (abridged)
Medium · The classic, abridged: ayahs explained by ayahs and hadith.
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Commentary on 89:21–30
On the Day of Judgement Everyone will be recompensed according to what He did of Good or Evil
Allah informs of what will happen on the Day of Judgement of the great horrors. He says,
كَلاَّ
(Nay!) meaning, truly.
إِذَا دُكَّتِ الاٌّرْضُ دَكّاً دَكّاً
(When the earth is flatened, Dakkan Dakka.) meaning, the earth and the mountains will be flattened, leveled and made even, and the creatures will rise from their graves for their Lord.
وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ
(And your Lord comes) meaning, for the session of Judgement between His creatures. This is after they requested the best of the Sons of Adam -- Muhammad ﷺ-- to intercede with Allah. This will occur only after they have requested the other great Messengers, one after another. Yet, all of them will say, "I cannot do that for you." This will continue until the beseeching of the men reaches Muhammad ﷺ, and he will say, "I will do it, I will do it." So he will go and seek to intercede with Allah as the session of Judgement will have come, and Allah will allow him to intercede for that (the Judgement). This will be the first of the intercessions, and it is the praiseworthy station that has already been discussed in Surat Subhan (Al-Isra'). So Allah will come for the session of Judgement as He wills, and the angels will also come, lined up in rows upon rows before Him. Then Allah says,
وَجِىءَ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِجَهَنَّمَ
(And Hell will be brought near that Day.) In his Sahih, Imam Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«يُؤْتَى بِجَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَهَا سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ زِمَامٍ مَعَ كُلِّ زِمَام سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ يَجُرُّونَهَا»
(Hell will be brought on near that Day and it will have seventy thousand leashes, and each leash will have seventy thousand angels pulling it.) At-Tirmidhi also recorded the same narration. Allah said:
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ الإِنسَنُ
(On that Day will man remember,) meaning, his deeds, and what he did before in his past and recent times.
وَأَنَّى لَهُ الذِّكْرَى
(but how will that remembrance avail him) meaning, how can remembrance then benefit him
يَقُولُ يلَيْتَنِى قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِى
(He will say: "Alas! Would that I had sent forth for my life!") meaning, if he was a disobedient person, he will be sorry for the acts of disobedience he committed. If he was an obedient person, he will wish that he performed more acts of obdedience. This is similar to what Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded from Muhammad bin Abi `Amirah, who was one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said, "If a servant fell down on his face (in prostration) from the day that he was born until the day he died as an old man, in obedience to Allah, he would scorn this act on the Day of Judgement. He would wish to be returned to this life so that he could earn more reward and compensation." Allah then says,
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لاَّ يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُ أَحَدٌ
(So on that Day none will punish as He will punish.) meaning, there is no one more severely punished than those whom Allah punishes for disobeying Him.
وَلاَ يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُ أَحَدٌ
(And none will bind as He will bind.) meaning, there is no one who is more severely punished and bound than those the Az-Zabaniyah punish the disbelievers in their Lord. This is for the criminals and the wrongdoers among the creatures. In reference to the pure and tranquil soul -- which is always at rest and abiding by the truth it will be said to it,
يأَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ارْجِعِى إِلَى رَبِّكِ
(O tranquil soul! Come back to your Lord.) meaning, to His company, His reward and what He has prepared for His servants in His Paradise.
رَّاضِيَةٍ
(well-pleased) meaning, within itself.
مَّرْضِيَّةً
(well-pleasing.) meaning, pleased with Allah, and He will be pleased with it and gratify it.
فَادْخُلِى فِى عِبَادِى
(Enter then among My servants,) meaning, among their ranks.
وَادْخُلِى جَنَّتِى
(And enter My Paradise!) This will be said to it at the time of death and on the Day of Judgement. This is like the angels giving glad tiding to the believer at his time of death and when he rises from his grave. Likewise is this statement here. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn `Abbas concerning Allah's statement,
يأَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ - ارْجِعِى إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً
(O tranquil soul! Come back to your Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing!) He said, "This Ayah was revealed while Abu Bakr was sitting (with the Prophet ). So he said, `O Messenger of Allah! There is nothing better than this!' The Prophet then replied,
«أَمَا إِنَّهُ سَيُقَالُ لَكَ هَذَا»
(This will indeed be said to you.)" This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Fajr, and all praise and blessings are due to Allah.
Page 593
89:1
وَٱلۡفَجۡرِ ١
By the dawn
89:2
وَلَيَالٍ عَشۡرٖ ٢
And [by] ten nights1
1 translator’s note
- Usually interpreted as the first ten nights of the month of Dhul-Ḥijjah. ↩
89:3
وَٱلشَّفۡعِ وَٱلۡوَتۡرِ ٣
And [by] the even [number] and the odd
89:4
وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذَا يَسۡرِ ٤
And [by] the night when it passes,
89:5
هَلۡ فِي ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمٞ لِّذِي حِجۡرٍ ٥
Is there [not] in [all] that an oath [sufficient] for one of perception?1
1 translator’s note
- Based upon the following verses, what has been sworn to by Allāh is that He will certainly punish the disbelievers. ↩
89:6
أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ ٦
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ʿAad -
89:7
إِرَمَ ذَاتِ ٱلۡعِمَادِ ٧
89:8
ٱلَّتِي لَمۡ يُخۡلَقۡ مِثۡلُهَا فِي ٱلۡبِلَٰدِ ٨
The likes of whom had never been created in the land?
89:9
وَثَمُودَ ٱلَّذِينَ جَابُواْ ٱلصَّخۡرَ بِٱلۡوَادِ ٩
And [with] Thamūd, who carved out the rocks in the valley?
89:10
وَفِرۡعَوۡنَ ذِي ٱلۡأَوۡتَادِ ١٠
And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes?1
1 translator’s note
- By which he tortured people. ↩
89:11
ٱلَّذِينَ طَغَوۡاْ فِي ٱلۡبِلَٰدِ ١١
[All of] whom oppressed within the lands
89:12
فَأَكۡثَرُواْ فِيهَا ٱلۡفَسَادَ ١٢
And increased therein the corruption.
89:13
فَصَبَّ عَلَيۡهِمۡ رَبُّكَ سَوۡطَ عَذَابٍ ١٣
So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment.
89:14
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِٱلۡمِرۡصَادِ ١٤
Indeed, your Lord is in observation.
89:15
فَأَمَّا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَأَكۡرَمَهُۥ وَنَعَّمَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّيٓ أَكۡرَمَنِ ١٥
And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me."1
1 translator’s note
- He is proud rather than grateful, attributing the favor to his own merit. ↩
89:16
وَأَمَّآ إِذَا مَا ٱبۡتَلَىٰهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيۡهِ رِزۡقَهُۥ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّيٓ أَهَٰنَنِ ١٦
But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me."
89:17
كـَلَّاۖ بَل لَّا تُكۡرِمُونَ ٱلۡيَتِيمَ ١٧
No!1 But you do not honor the orphan
1 translator’s note
- It is not like you imagine. Rather, Allāh tries people through prosperity and hardship and rewards both gratitude and patience with honor in the Hereafter. ↩
89:18
وَلَا تَحَٰٓضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلۡمِسۡكِينِ ١٨
And you do not encourage one another to feed the poor.
89:19
وَتَأۡكُلُونَ ٱلتُّرَاثَ أَكۡلٗا لَّمّٗا ١٩
And you consume inheritance, devouring [it] altogether,1
1 translator’s note
- Not caring whether it is lawful or unlawful. ↩
89:20
وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلۡمَالَ حُبّٗا جَمّٗا ٢٠
And you love wealth with immense love.
89:21
كـَلَّآۖ إِذَا دُكَّتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ دَكّٗا دَكّٗا ٢١
No! When the earth has been leveled - pounded and crushed
89:22
وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلۡمَلَكُ صَفّٗا صَفّٗا ٢٢
And your Lord has come1 and the angels, rank upon rank,
1 translator’s note
- To pass judgement. See footnote to 2:19. ↩
89:23
وَجِاْيٓءَ يَوۡمَئِذِۭ بِجَهَنَّمَۚ يَوۡمَئِذٖ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ ٢٣
And brought [within view], that Day, is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but how [i.e., what good] to him will be the remembrance?
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy