Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
القيامة
Al-Qiyamah
The Resurrection · Meccan · 40 ayahs
75:1–15Page 577
لَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ ١
I swear by the Day of Resurrection
وَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِٱلنَّفۡسِ ٱللَّوَّامَةِ ٢
And I swear by the reproaching soul1 [to the certainty of resurrection].
أَيَحۡسَبُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ أَلَّن نَّجۡمَعَ عِظَامَهُۥ ٣
Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?
بَلَىٰ قَٰدِرِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن نُّسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُۥ ٤
Yes. [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips.
بَلۡ يُرِيدُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ لِيَفۡجُرَ أَمَامَهُۥ ٥
But man desires to continue in sin.1
يَسۡـَٔلُ أَيَّانَ يَوۡمُ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ ٦
He asks, "When is the Day of Resurrection?"
فَإِذَا بَرِقَ ٱلۡبَصَرُ ٧
So when vision is dazzled
وَخَسَفَ ٱلۡقَمَرُ ٨
And the moon darkens
وَجُمِعَ ٱلشَّمۡسُ وَٱلۡقَمَرُ ٩
And the sun and the moon are joined,
يَقُولُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ يَوۡمَئِذٍ أَيۡنَ ٱلۡمَفَرُّ ١٠
Man will say on that Day, "Where is the [place of] escape?"
كـَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ ١١
No! There is no refuge.
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوۡمَئِذٍ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقَرُّ ١٢
To your Lord, that Day, is the [place of] permanence.
يُنَبَّؤُاْ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ يَوۡمَئِذِۭ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ ١٣
Man will be informed that Day of what he sent ahead1 and kept back.2
بَلِ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ عَلَىٰ نَفۡسِهِۦ بَصِيرَةٞ ١٤
Rather, man, against himself, will be a witness,1
وَلَوۡ أَلۡقَىٰ مَعَاذِيرَهُۥ ١٥
Even if he presents his excuses.
Man has the innate capacity to distinguish between good and evil. By his very nature he wants anyone indulging in evil to be punished and anyone doing righteous deeds to be rewarded. It is this consciousness which is called in the Quran the self-reproaching soul or an-nafs al-lawwamah. This faculty bears testimony at the psychological level to the reality of the world of the Hereafter. If, in spite of this inner testimony, an individual does not fulfill its demands, it means that he negates what he has already accepted.
75:16–19Page 577
لَا تُحَرِّكۡ بِهِۦ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعۡجَلَ بِهِۦٓ ١٦
Move not your tongue with it, [O Muḥammad], to hasten with it [i.e., recitation of the Qur’ān].
إِنَّ عَلَيۡنَا جَمۡعَهُۥ وَقُرۡءَانَهُۥ ١٧
Indeed, upon Us is its collection [in your heart] and [to make possible] its recitation.
فَإِذَا قَرَأۡنَٰهُ فَٱتَّبِعۡ قُرۡءَانَهُۥ ١٨
So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation.
ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيۡنَا بَيَانَهُۥ ١٩
Then upon Us is its clarification [to you].
When revelations, wahi, were made to the Prophet Muhammad, he used to make haste to receive them. Here, he has been asked not to do this. It is further stated that he should pay full attention to that part of the Quran which had already been revealed and which had already been addressed to him and should not concern himself with that portion which had not till then been revealed and had not been addressed to him. This shows that the individual should pay the fullest attention only to that portion of the Quran for which he is accountable at that moment. To make a point of seeking out that portion of the Quran for which he has not yet been made accountable, is being over-hasty and is entirely against Quranic wisdom.
75:20–30Page 578
كـَلَّا بَلۡ تُحِبُّونَ ٱلۡعَاجِلَةَ ٢٠
No! But you [i.e., mankind] love the immediate
وَتَذَرُونَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَ ٢١
And leave [i.e., neglect] the Hereafter.
وُجُوهٞ يَوۡمَئِذٖ نَّاضِرَةٌ ٢٢
[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant,
إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٞ ٢٣
Looking at their Lord.1
وَوُجُوهٞ يَوۡمَئِذِۭ بَاسِرَةٞ ٢٤
And [some] faces, that Day, will be contorted,
تَظُنُّ أَن يُفۡعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٞ ٢٥
Expecting that there will be done to them [something] backbreaking.
كـَلَّآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلتَّرَاقِيَ ٢٦
No! When it [i.e., the soul] has reached the collar bones1
وَقِيلَ مَنۡۜ رَاقٖ ٢٧
And it is said, "Who will cure [him]?"
وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُ ٱلۡفِرَاقُ ٢٨
And he [i.e., the dying one] is certain that it is the [time of] separation
وَٱلۡتَفَّتِ ٱلسَّاقُ بِٱلسَّاقِ ٢٩
And the leg is wound about the leg,1
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوۡمَئِذٍ ٱلۡمَسَاقُ ٣٠
To your Lord, that Day, will be the procession.1
There is only one reason for neglect of the Hereafter and that is the desire to obtain an immediate reward for all one’s striving (kalla bal tuhibbuna’l ‘ajilah). In relation to the Hereafter, the result of one’s actions seems infinitely remote. Therefore, man disregards it. But in relation to this world, instant gratification appears to be a distinct possibility, so man rushes towards it. It is obvious that ultimately death overtakes every human being and nullifies all successes. Yet nobody learns a lesson from this, until he himself faces death—which takes away all opportunities for learning lessons.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences