Surah Al Inshiqaq Part 2: Nouman Ali Khan

9. Wa yann qalibu ilaa ahlihi masrura

Before the break we were speaking about this ayah number nine, and we talked about a few things.
Just to add a couple of more things before we move on, In Shaa Allah.
The last comment that has been made by a few scholars in regards to this ayah is the definition of
real love and concern, and finding real happiness with the family. [That] one has to realise that what
you think you're doing for the family now to make them happy isn't necessarily an act of love; it
could even be an act of animosity. So Allah (az) says, "Inna min azwaajikum wa awlaadikum
'aduwwalakum faHdharuhum” [64:14]. “Even out of your spouses and children there are enemies
for you. Then look out for them! Watch out! Watch out of them!”

Why does He say that? How can your spouse and your children be enemies to you? When you think
that you do things to make them happy, and they do things to make you happy that displease Allah.
So the real happiness, the real surur is when the family comes together, and they come to the
obedience of Allah. For example, Allah says, "Wa'mur ahlaka bis salah wa stabir 'alayha” [Qur’an
20:132]. Command your family to the prayer; tell your family to pray, and be perseverant in that
"wa stabir 'alayha."

You know, Umar Ibn Khattab (RA) used to wake up his family for Qyamul Layl (which isn't even
mandatory). He used to recite that ayah "Wa'mur ahlaka bis salah was stabir 'alayha” [Qur’an
20:132]. Subhanallah! Radhyiallahu 'anhu. So that's the attitude of real love, you know. And a lot
of times our children - and this is a side comment before we continue, In Sha Allah - our children,
our spouses perhaps, even, they feel like we're dragging them into Islam, or we're pulling them and
forcing it on them, and things like that. You should first of all make the Deen feel like something so
beautiful that they want to come to it; they want to come to it. And if they find it difficult, or you
find reluctance, in that you have to be patient with them. You have to keep at it. You can't give it
up. You can't say, "They don't want to hear it!" You have to remember the legacy of Nuh (AS). It's
easy for me to get up here and talk to you. I don't know your family and you don't know mine, etc.
But imagine [how] a man has to talk to his own family, you know, the people who have no holds
barred; they can say whatever they want; it's family. You get away with anything. Your family can
hurt your feelings the best, right? But, to have sabr with them, for the purpose of [guiding] them…
eventually, you and them finding eternal joy in the end. That's the real purpose. So, don't be lazy in
making dawah to your family; that's really important. A lot of times we get lazy in making dawah
to our family because it's hard. You know you'll become the object of ridicule every time you get
together with the rest of the family. Or, they get annoyed with you easily, right. It's very, very
difficult, but you have to stay on it because this is one of the goals, one of the great joys of paradise,
that we are together with our families. May Allah grant all of us that!

Last thing about the interpretation of ilaa ahlihi: it's not just any family member: "Ila 'asheeratihi
in kaanu mu'mineen" [Qur’an 3:31]. Number one: it is to his relatives, his large number of relatives,
[as] long as they have been believers, “Wa ila fariqil mu'mineen" [4.42] and of course to the group
of the believers, meaning the believers are like family. When we say "la ilaha illallah," that in itself
makes us family; it's a kind of family that's even stronger than blood in many ways. "Wa ila ahlihi
fil jannah minal Hur"[3:56]. Hur al'aïn that Allah has promised to us, that is part of the family.

10. Wa ammaman utiya kitaabahu waraa adhahrihi

Now, on the other hand, you see, in the previous surah we found "kitaabal abrar” [Surah Al
Mutaffifin 83:18] and "kitaabal fujar” [Surah Al Mutaffifin 83:7]. This is what we found in the
previous Surah: The book of the righteous and the book of the rebellious, the viciously rebellious.
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Here we find "As for the one who has been given his book behind his back, "waraa adhahrihi",
"wara" behind, "dhahr" the back, okay. So as for the one who's been given his book behind the
back. Now, remember the other Surah we mentioned, you know, "Fa ammaman utyia kitabahu
byiaminihi," there Allah says "Wa ammaman utyia kitabahu bi shimaalihi” [69:25]: as for the one
who's been given the book in his left hand. Here He doesn't say, "left hand." He says, "Behind his
back." Actually, this is how you study the passages of the Qur'an together to give you a complete
picture of something; you can't look at one portion of the Qur'an in isolation with the other. This is
one of the conditions of properly understanding Qur'an. “Al Qur’an yu fassiru ba'du ba'da" [4:47],
the Qur'an explains some parts of it with others. So even in the Salaf we find this understanding; we
find that two are put together. First of all, the people on the Day of Judgment - according to many
Tabi'een, and also by some Sahabah - when the people, the criminals are sent forward, they are
chained. Their right hand is chained around their neck, and their left hand is tied behind their back.
So that's how these criminals are walking, okay. The right hand is chained around their neck and
their left hand is tied behind their back; and they're chained like that. And now, which hand are they
getting the book in? The left, but it's where? It's behind the back. So here, the other part of the
image is fulfilled. They get their book handed to them behind their back. Now, there, in the other
Surah where we found they're getting the book in their left hand, what's their reaction? "Ya laytani
lam utha kitabyia” [69:25]: Oh! Destruction has fallen upon me! I wish I hadn't been given my
book. "Lam," if only I wasn't given my book. Now, the guy, can he even read his book? Think
about this. Where's the book? Behind his back! Can he even read it? But he knows. How does he
know it's bad in there? Because it's behind, it's on the left hand. That's already enough. So he knows
destruction is in there. He can't even see it but there's destruction in there: "Wa lam adrima
Hisaabia ya laitaha kanatil qaadhyia” [69:26-27]. He starts crying about whatever little thing he
can find in this book. He can try to turn around and look and see. He's terrified of it. So now, in this
Surah we found: "Wa ammaman utiya kitaabahu waraa adhahrihi."

11. Fasawfa yad'u thubura

These are very terrifying words. Then soon he will be crying "thubur". "Sawfa" means soon, so it's
not immediate; it's soon after. What does it mean "soon after"? First he's given his book, then
they're made to walk, and then what do they see? "Wa idhal jaHimu su' 'irat “ [81:12]. When the
Hellfire's blazed in front of them, the sa'eer is blazed in front of them. When he sees that, you know
what he cries? He cries out "thubur!", "thubur ahalak." Death, just kill me now, please! Just get it
over with! I don't want to go there! Just kill me right away! "Fasawfa yad'u thubura!" he will call
out, cry out. You know "da'wah" is different from "nidah" in Arabic. There are two words for
calling: Nidah is anybody, like if I make a nidah, like, "No class next Wednesday.” (By the way, we
are not having a session next Wednesday). So no session, that's a nidah. But if I point at someone
specifically, then that's not nidah; that is dawah. That's dawah; it's specific. So he's calling on the
Angels; he's calling on Allah, looking towards the Angels because Allah does not show Himself to
him: "Innahum 'arrabbihim yawma idhil lamaHjubun” [83:15]: They're veiled from their Lord. He's
begging now, he's trying to find an audience that would kill him; that would get this over with. So
we find the words, "Yawayla yathabura": “Oh, just kill me, just destroy me right now! He's going to
cry for this. The tafseer of this word "thubur" we find in another place: "Bal kaddhabu bi sa'a wa
a'tadna liman kaddhaba bi sa'ati sa'eera” [25:11]. Listen to these words carefully: They lied against
the Hour deliberately, and we have prepared for the one who deliberately lied against the Hour,
sa'eer. Now, so far in these surahs, in these series of surahs, the word for Hellfire has been
"jaHeem." Over and over and over again it has been "jaHeem." But now we're going to see a
switch; the switch is from "jaHeem" to "sa'eer."

The next ayah will say:

12. Wa yaslaa sa'eera
Now, when he sees "sa'eer," what does he cry? He cries, "Kill me! Destroy me!" In a completely
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different Surah, we find the mention of "sa'eer" and again the word "thubur." This is the
consistency of the Qur'an. When terms are connected with each other in one place, they're
connected to each other in another lace…even in the most subtle of ways. So, "thubur" and "sa'eer"
are associated together here, and elsewhere.

So let's look at what else we find: “Wa idhara at-hum mimakanim ba’idin sami’ulaha taghayiuzan
wa zafyira” [25:12]: And they see it from far off. They haven’t even got there yet. They see it far
away, the Hellfire. And they can hear its roar, and they can see its rage. They can hear its roar and
rage. So now, “wa idha ulqu minha makanan dhayiqan muqarraneen” [25:13]. Thus is fulfilling
that image for us. And when they are thrown from it into a place that is tight and they’re chained,
“da’awhuna lika thubura” [25:13]: they will call on that day. Immediately they will say “Death!”
They will call for death. Isn’t that what they’re doing in this surah too? “Fasawfa yad’u thubura”?
But then Allah responds with such a rattling response. He says, “Laa tad’u liawma thubura”
[25:14]: Don’t cry for death today. “Wa d’u thuburan katheera” [25:14]: Cry for death over and
over, cry for a lot of death! “Thumma laa yamutu feeha wa laa yaHia” [87:13]: He will not die; he
will not live. It’s a place between death and life. He’ll be crying for it over and over and over and
over again. “Wa d’u thuburan katheera.” This is the punishment that this person has been given. By
the way, even then, Allah doesn’t say “Faqaala lahu rabbuhu.” His Lord said to him. Allah doesn’t
mention Himself saying because He does not address them directly, Subhanallahu wa ta’ala, even
when they are addressed to, we find “Qila,” it was said. He doesn’t say His Lord said, He says, the
passive form is used, it was said, to veil Himself, (Subhanallahu wa ta’ala) from these criminals.
May Allah not make us from them.

In the previous surah [All Mutaffifin], we find a completely different thing. What were those people
talking about, what were they doing in the previous surah, these criminals? We found “Inna
ladheena ajramu kaanu minal ladheena aamanu yadh Hakun” [83:29]: They used to be poking fun
at the believers; they were laughing, “yadh Hakun”. “Wa idha marru bihim yataghaamazun”
[83:30]: When they were passing by they used to wink at each other, “Ah these Muslims.” They
used to wink at each other. And then they used to go back to their families all happy, “Wa idhan
qalabuu ila ahlihimun qalabu fakiheen” [83:31]. “Wa idha ra awhum qaalu inna haa ulaa
ilazaallun” [83:32]: And when they would see them, they would say, “These are the lost. These are
the confused.” This is what they were saying before, and now look at the change of tone... the
change of tone…entirely different scene. These same people, what will they be crying then? This is
the Qur’an’s way of making the criminal - if he has an inkling - an ounce of good left in him, an
ounce of fear left in him - to be able to visualise the consequences of what they’re doing. If there’s
nothing left, these words even will be the object of ridicule. But if there’s something left inside of
you in your nature that is good, that when you hear these words, you will take heed. You’ll at least
give it some consideration. You’ll stop what you’re doing and think. You know, Allah says “Afala
ta’qilun:” Why don’t you think? Why don’t you just stop and think? So this would be the response
of someone who truly had anything left inside of them that’s good.

Then we find, “Wa yasla sa’eera” another very powerful phrase. You know, “saalul jaHeem” in
the previous surah, “Thumma innahu lasaalul jaHeem” [83:16], that was the stronger phrasing:
they will cast themselves into the blazing Fire. Here, they will cast themselves – “sa’ara.” By the
way, is ‘enraged’ the flame that’s enraged until it reaches a towering height? That’s what “sa’eer”
means. So there’s this huge high wall of the Hellfire, made of fire, and they will throw themselves
in it on that day. It’s not even said “Yusalla” from “Taslyia,” right. “Salluhu” in another surah, that
(they will be thrown) it’s the active form; they will go in themselves. In other words, their body will
give up on them. You know, we find this in the Qur’an that our hands, our skin, they start testifying
against us, right? And they’re given speech, and one of the things these bodies and these hands do is
they cast themselves into the Hellfire. Normal human instinct, where would you go? Away! And

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you would think they’d be dragged to it; they don’t want to go into it. But they themselves will be
going into it because their own body has given up on them. The rebellion time is over.

13. Now we find you have to pay attention to the subtlety of language in the Qur’an: Innahu kaana
fee ahlihi masrura. “Innahu kaana.”

When Allah talked about the people of Paradise, He said: “Wa ian qalibu ila ahlihi masrura.” He
returned to his family, or he will return to his family full of joy. But the “fi’l,” the verbal form was
used “yan qalibu”; this is “tabee’e” in Arabic. Naturally in Arabic you use the verbal form. When
you switch to the nominal form, the noun form of sentence, that implies unnatural, “ ghir tabee’e”,
it’s not a normal situation. You, for example, you don’t say “hua qala”, normally, you just say
“qala”. You don’t say “hua qala”, that would be unnatural even. Ok, it’s used, but in an unnatural
kind of situation, not normally. Here, the unnatural form is used. Why, because naturally, they
should have been the people of Paradise. They were given that path. They were shown the way. It
was made easy for them. “Thumma sabeela yassarahu [80:20]”: He made the path easy for you,
right? We read that before. So here we find “Innahu kaana fee ahlihi masrura”, and there are two
muptadat here, “innahu” muptada, then “kaana” muptada, then “masrura” inkhabar. It sometimes
happens with complex sentence structures, and then mutta’allab bil khabar “fee ahlihi”. No doubt,
he used to be full of joy when he came to his family. There was no doubt that he, this person, used
to be full of joy with his family. This scene was described to us in the previous surah: “Wa idhan
qalabuu ila ahlihimun qalabu fakiheen [83:31]": when they return to their family, they return full of
joy on their face, a different word for joy. So, they used to have that internal joy with family which
shows no concern for the future. This is “surur”, there’s no concern left. But the believer didn’t
have “surur” in this life. The believer has “surur”, when? The next life… Even though we have
moments of joy in this life, they are not free of toil they are not free of concern. But the disbeliever
dis-concerned himself about the next life. Just, life’s good, live it up…that sort of thing. So, Ibn
Kathir, rahmahullahi, comments: “FarHan layiu fakkiru fil ‘awaqib”: he used to be happy all the
time with his family, never thinking deeply about the consequences of what he does. “Wa la
yakhafu mimma amamahu”: he was never afraid of what was in front of him “fa a’qabahu dhalikal
farH yasir alHuzen attawid”, subhanallah. Then Allah paid him , or gave him consequence of his
careless joy, and He replaced it with a lasting grief. With a lasting grief. So “Innahu kaana fee ahlihi
masrura”.

14. Let’s look at the next ayah, In sha Allah: Innahu thanna al la yaHur

It is he who is certainly convinced, or had assumed all along that he would not be brought back. The
word for bringing back here is “yaHur.” “Hara, yaHuru, Hawran”, or “Huran” also. You know,
when you stroll around, somewhere, and you come back where you started, the Arabic word for that
is “Hara”. “MaHwar” is, you know, in the olden days, to make thread and stuff like that, they have a
spindle and it goes around; the axis on which it spins is called “maHwar”, from the same root origin
of “Hara” here. The poet Lubayd, for example, he says that the coal returned back to dust after it
was inflamed, so it came back to its original state. So it’s used like that in poetry in Arabic also.
This word illustrates that this person never thought [by the way, another meaning before we go to
the discussion, another meaning, “mamraghib”, that’s very important, “al Hur attaraddud fil amar”:
it’s to have uncertainty about a matter]. This person that used to be happy with their family, Allah is
telling us, this guy was convinced that he will not be brought back, this thing will never come back
to haunt him, whatever he’s doing now. And he never felt doubt about what he’s doing. “Al la
yaHur”, he had no “taraddud”, he had no second thoughts about the wrong thing he’s doing. He just
did it, carefree.

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15. And now, Allah azzawajal says: Balaa inna rabbahu kanaa bihi baseera

No, rather, there's no doubt his Lord used to be in full view of him. Now to be in view of someone,
don't they have to do an act that you see them do? Like you're in view of me taking off from the
parking lot, you're in view of me talking to each other, etc... Allah says He was "basir", He saw
them. But look, pay attention to the verbs in the previous ayah; what verbs are used? Joy deeply felt
"masrur", right? "Thann", where's "thann"? Thinking! Thinking! Now in the previous surah, Allah
told us, subhana wa ta'ala, about the book that has been recorded. The one before that Allah told us
about the Angels who know what we do, but they only know what we do. This surah is about the
conclusion; in the end, Angels and everything else aside, who sees what you're even thinking, what
you're even feeling, right? It goes to that level "balaa inna rabbahu kaana bihi baseera", it's the
culmination of that entire discussion. Just a few things as a reminder, in surah An Naba we began,
all the Angels were mentioned "Yawma yaqumur ruHul malaaikatu saffan [78:38]": all of them
standing in a row. In the next surah, some Angels that plucked the soul "Wan nazi'at, Wa nashiTat
[79:1-2]". In the next surah, some other Angels, the Angels that record and guard the Revelation "Bi
aydi safaratin kiramim barara [80:15-16]", those Angels. Then the Angel was mentioned who brings
the Revelation down along with his entourage of security "Innahu laqawlu rasulin kareem, dhi
quwwatin 'inda dhil 'arshi makeen, muTa'een, thamma ameen, wamaa saHibukum bimajnun [81:19-
22]". Djibril (AS) and his security "muTa' ", his following was mentioned . Then we find the
Angels that are over here when Revelation comes, you respond to it in a good way or in a bad way,
who's recording it? These over here (NAK pointing to his shoulders); "Inna 'alaikum la Hafidheen,
kiraaman katibeen, ya'lamuna ma tafHalun [82:10-12]". So there's a progression, we've had this
discussion about Angels, right. And it comes to the point, now, once they've done recording it
where does it go? "Inna kitaabal abrar, inna kitaabal fujar" we find that in the next surah [Al
Mutaffifin], the book of the righteous, the book of the rebellious. That was the next stage. So now
all of this knowledge, but then there is knowledge of Allah even beyond that. And even beyond that
is the knowledge of what was inside the heart, what was inside the minds, and that's what's been
captured here in "Balaa inna rabbahu": if none of that fazed you, none of that affected you, all the
recordings of the Angels; even the way in which it was written was told to us "kitaabum marqum
[83:9]", Subhanallah, even that was told to us. But if that doesn't faze you, you should know your
Lord had been in full view inside out of you all along, of this person all along. So now this full view
that this person will not be returned, this assumption that this person will not be returned, what does
that mean, to return? You know when we were created, Allah took a covenant from us; this is
recorded in Surah Al A'raf. He says, "Alastu birabbikum qaalu balaa shahidna [7:172]": Am I not
your Lord? And we bore witness. When a person dies, what do we say? "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi
raji'un": No doubt we belong to Allah, and it is only to Him that we are to be returned. We are
returning only to Him. We understand that we will go back. This person assumed there's no going
back: "Innahu thanna al la yaHur". So the final evidence that this person can be given, that can
make them think beyond the Angels, the knowledge, and the book of the righteous, and the book of
the sinful etc., etc., etc. Your Lord had been watching. What bigger argument is there going to be?
So there's a progression of arguments in these surahs that reaches its culmination here: "inna
rabbahu kanaa bihi baseera". Now Allah calls us to a point of refection from the basis of gradation.

There's one thing I want to -- before we go forward -- explain to you very briefly, In sha Allah.
Qur'an is not trying to prove itself as a miracle. You know how we say scientific miracles in the
Qur'an, or linguistic miracles or this or that or the other? The Qur'an itself is not saying, "Hey look!
It's a miracle." It's not doing that. The Qur'an's line of argument, in its entirety almost, is
psychological, spiritual. Look inside yourself. Even Fir'aun was told "look inside yourself": "hal
laka ilaa anta zakka [79:18]". Even he was told that. And think, reflect. And so the Qur'an what it
does is it guides us to different ways of reflecting, different ways of thinking about things. In the
previous surah we found: "Think about this. Don't you have a sense of entitlement and justice?
When you deal with people you short change them, but when you 're the customer, how much do
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you want? Full. So you have a sense of justice. You have a sense of balance. Why don't you take
that sense of balance and reflect? Where did you get that balance from? And don't you think that if
you've been given that sense of balance, the world around you is not gonna be balanced? And the
One that gave you that doesn't have absolute balance in store for you? So it's a point of reflection, in
suratul Mutaffifin.

16. Another kind of reflection that is coming here and they are really for the people to reflect upon,
to think deeply about. This really goes beyond philosophy. Philosophy, I think, is an insulting word
for this. So it's just a deeply reflective thought process, the Qur’anic logic, I like to call it, even.
That Allah azzawajal wants us to indoctrinate ourselves into. What is this logic? Let's look at it:

Falaa uqsimu bish shafaq

Then no, by the way then, "fa" is used as a consequence of a previous discussion. So this is a
concluding remark now. Then, as a result, no, "laa" here is a negation of false ideas that may
precede contrary to the truth about to be presented. So "laa" here is no, forget about whatever you're
thinking. Leave those false assumptions aside. I give you the way to reflect, "uqsimu bish shafaq": I
swear by the redness of the evening. "Shafaq", where Maghrib time comes, and the sky starts
turning red, this is "shafaq". Now Allah swears by this shafaq. What does He mean? Let's go further
and see. He says, subhanallah,

17. Wa layli wama wasaq

And I swear by the night, as it envelops everything. "Wasaq, ma jama'a wa dhamma" the
Mufassirun say: what gathers and envelops inside of it everything. So the night covers everything
inside of it. Okay, first the red evening, then, the night. You see what this is? It's progression. When
you see the red sky, you know what's inevitable. What's next? You cannot avoid it. It's gonna be
night. It's going to envelope everything.

18. Let's look at the next, let's see if we find another sign of progression. The next thing Allah says:

Wal qamari idhat tasaq

I swear by the moon, I swear by the moon, as it reaches its fullness. "At tasaqa;" to become full; to
become complete. The way it's spoken of in "lugha" is "ijtama'a wa takaamala": it comes together.
It comes together. Now, isn't that gradation also, the moon goes through phases also until it
becomes full? So we find these few ayahs of gradual inevitability. You have the red sky inevitably
leading into... the night. You have the moon inevitably becoming what? Full. Nature all around you
is going through these gradations. It's Allah azzawajal letting us know like the clock is ticking,
every day is like the rounds of an hour. Or every time the moon becomes full, and then almost
nothing "Hatta 'adakal Hurjun alqadim [36:39]" you know, like an old twig, even, and then come
back to full again. These are like the rotations of an hour, time's passing by. These steps are taking
place. So, you know, in the previous passage, the central text was "Ya ayiuhal insan innaka
kaadiHun illa rabbika kadHan [84:6]": when the human being on this conveyor belt heading toward
their Lord, they can't stop it. Now look at this: the sky inevitably turns black, inevitably the moon
becomes full. It just keeps moving forward and forward.

19. And after calling for us to reflect on these things, what does He say?

Latarkabunna tabqan 'ann tabaq

All of you are going to ride, literally, ride like you're in a car or in the old days on a camel or
something, on one stage after another. The way the Mufassirun describe this is so amazing,
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subhanallah: you're going to be in the belly of your mother, that's a journey; then you're going to
come out of it; then you're going to be a little older and be able to walk; that's gonna be a stage; then
from there you'll go to a stage where you can talk; then there's gonna be a stage when you can walk;
and there's going to be a stage when you can become independent; then there's gonna be a stage
when you'll be more powerful than your parents; you go through these stages. And eventually,
you'll be at a stage where you can't even stand up straight. "Wama nu'ammirhu wa nunakkis hu fil
khalq [36:68]": whoever we give old age, we start reversing them in creation, weakening them in
their creation. So you'll go through these stages, just like every evening eventually leads to night.
Every half-moon eventually leads to a full moon. It's inevitable. But what's the final inevitability?
That's already been told to us. Where are you going to end up? To your Lord! You're going to meet
what you did. You're going to stand before Him. So that entire theme comes full circle in these
words.

A very subtle beauty in these ayahs that shouldn't be overlooked, let's go back a second: "Falaa
uqsimu bish shafaq", and give it some due. This phrasing "falaa uqsimu" occurs a few times in the
Qur'an. It occurs a few times in the Qur'an. Then "Fa", no, negating the ideas of the others, then I
swear by "uqsimu". It's a very strong phrasing, "Fa laa uqsimu". It occurs several times with one
exception: whenever it occurs, there's mention of the Qur'an. So, for example "falaa uqsimu bima
tubsirun wama laa tubsirun innaahu laqawlu rasulin kareem [69:38-40]": No, I swear, by what you
see and what you don't see, it, no doubt, it, meaning the Qur'an, is the word of a noble Messenger.
Another place, Allah says "Falaa uqsimu bima waqi'in nujum wa innahul ta'lamuna laqasamul
adheem innahu la Qur`an alkareem [56:75-77]", Qur`an again: I swear by the placement of the stars
and had you any idea this is an enormous oath, no doubt it is the Qur`an. It is a noble Qur`an,
Qur`an again. Then we find "Falaa uqsimu bil khunnas aljawaril kunnas wa layli idha 'as'as was
subHi idah tanaffas innahu laqawlu rasulinn kareem [81:15-19]", innahu again [meaning the
Qur`an], in Surah at Takwir, "falaa uqsimu" oaths ended also in the mention of Qur`an. But, you
know, these oaths "falaa uqsimu" - by the way there's one that's an exception, in Surah Al Ma'arij
"falaa uqsimu birrabbil mashaariqi wal maghaarib [70:40]" and it's exceptional because Allah is
swearing by Himself in there too; He is swearing by the Lord of the East and the West - but coming
back to this topic, when Allah swears by these phrases "falaa uqsimu", who are you expecting to
hear about then? Qur`an...something about the Qur`an. Not there, but is it eventually there? "Fa idha
quri`a 'alaymul Qur`an", Qur`an comes up. The ayah of sajda that we're gonna see, Qur`an comes
up , but it comes up eventually. Even from the style of the surah, we find that inevitability. If it's not
there rightaway, it is there still. It's coming up, subhanallah. So "wal qamari idha tasaq latarkabunna
tabqan 'ann tabaq": you're gonna be going through stage after stage after stage. Another reading of
this ayah, from the variant readings of the Qur`an, is "latarkabanna",  instead of "latarkabunna" it's
"latarkabanna". Now lam is called lam attawkeed, the lam of emphasis, and normally we say
"latarkabuuna", this is the mudhari', and you can make it "thaqeel", and you can make it "athqal",
what's called in grammar. You can say "latarkabun" and you can say "latarkabunna", you can make
it heavy or heaviest. Now what that implies is there is no doubt about it, certainly, certainly,
certainly you're going to ride stage after stage after stage in your life. Now that  "bunna", if you
make it "banna", "latarkabanna" that makes it singular. And from that the scholars have assumed
that this can also apply to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, that he will go from
the Makkan stage, to the Madani stage, to the stage of Badr, to the stage of Uhud, to the stage of
Ahzab, to the stage of conquest of Makkah. One stage after another. But the majority of opinion is
on "latarkabunna" with adhamma, and consistent with the Surah is talking about the journey of the
human life, it's talking about the stages that we all go through. You know Allah speaks about these
stages elsewhere in the Qur`an. He tells something about these stages: "I'lamu annama Hayatud
dunyia la'ibun wa lahwun wazyinatun wa tafaakhurun baynakum wa takaathurun fil amwali wal
awlad [57:20]", stages in life: worldly life is nothing more than games, play, when you're little, all
you wanna do is play, then, you get a bit older and you wanna sing songs, watch a story, read a
story, entertainment. "Wazyinatun", and an obsession to beautify yourself, you become a teenager,
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you wanna look good, fashion. "Wa tafaakhurun baynakum", the next stage, the next "tabaq", is to
prove yourself to one another, to show your accomplishments to the world, and then "wa
takaathurun fil amwali wal awlad" and then to have plenty in worldly, in assets and in children, to
have stability in the family, and stability financially. That's the final thing. A 14 year old is not
worried about financial stability. But ask a 40 year old. What are they worried about, right? It
changes, so you go through these stages in life "latarkabunna tabqan 'ann tabaq".

20. At the end of all of this discourse, these are the concluding ayahs:

Famaalahum la yu'minun

Then what is wrong with them?! They don't believe? What is wrong with them? They don't have
imaan? Where does imaan rest? Where does iman rest? In the Qur’an Allah says
((30:13))"Walaakin Allaha Hababa ilaykumul imaan wazzayiannahu fi qulubikum": Allah has made
iman beloved to you and has beautified it inside of your hearts. When Allah talks about people
having lost their imaan…are becoming corrupt, Allah talks about their hearts becoming hard. Here
Allah says "What's wrong with them? They don't have imaan". But in the previous Surah [Al
Mutaffifin] Allah told us what is wrong with them. He answered that question Himself in the
previous Surah, subhanallah. He says: "Kalla bal raana 'ala qulubuhim makaanu yaksibun [83:14]";
remember the rust that was placed on their heart because of the sins they earned? That is the rust
that leaves them no imaan, no time for reflection; nothing. This again is a contrast "Wa adhinat li
rabbiha wa Huqqat": the sky and the earth, they intently listen to the commandment of their Lord,
and it is only rightful that they obey, but the human being, forget listening, doesn't believe it's from
his Lord. "Famaalahum la yu'minun": what is wrong with them, then? They don't believe? "Wa idha
quri a 'alayhumul Qur’an": and when the Qur’an is recited onto them, "laa yasjudun".

21. Let's get the sajda done before we talk any further:

Wa idha quri a 'alayhimul Qur’anu la yasjudun [collective sajda]...

The basic meaning of the ayah: when the Qur’an is read onto them, they don't prostrate, they don't
make sajda. And this is an ayah of sajda. But we have to understand something more than the sajda
of the believers. In the tradition of the Arabs and the Egyptians, Ancient Egypt, and Arabs, there
was a tradition of prostrating when people were overwhelmed, in awe of something. This was a
tradition. We find evidences of that sprinkled all over the Qur'an. And also in the Seerah of the
Prophet (sallalahu 'alayhi wasallam), we find the Egyptians when they were overrun with magic,
what did they do? Sajda. They fell into sajda, immediately. We find the dream of Yusuf (AS),
interpreted as what? Sajda. And this was done out of appreciation, or being overwhelmed, this sort
of thing. We find in ancient Arab history, a poet named Lubayd. Lubayd was a very talented poet,
and when he recited his newest work, his Qasida, then the shu'ara, the poets of the Arabs, they made
sajda to him. They made sajda to him. And then they took his poetry and they hung it on the wall of
the Kaaba, from the "mu'allaqat", the hanging ones; these were the climax of poetry. So there's a
tradition of when you hear something powerful and overwhelming, your response is to fall into
sajda. So even from that point of view, Allah is calling unto them and saying "what's wrong with
them, they don't believe, and the Qur’an is read to them, they don't fall into sajda". Meaning, they
know it is so powerful, they've never heard anything like this before. Yet they still don't give in.
They know the majesty of its language is something the like of which they've never seen, they still
don't fall into sajda. They don't fall into sajda, rather, they hold themselves back, they hold
themselves back from making sajda, some argue that, the Sababun nuzul, the context of Revelation
of this ayah is, another ayah of sajda was revealed and the Messenger made sajda at they made fun
of him (SAW). And then here, they were told no, when the Qur’an is read they don't make sajda.
But the believer does, subhanallah. "Wa idha quri a 'alayhimul Qur’anu la yasjudun".
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Now the other thing here is they veil themselves from the Qur’an. They don't want to hear it. They
want to cut themselves off. You know, "la tasma'u li hadhal Qur’an wa alghaw fihi [41:26]": don't
listen to this Qur'an; plug your ears, make a lot of noise when it's being recited. As a consequence of
them veiling themselves from the Qur’an, the punishment is in the previous Surah, on the Day of
Resurrection, who's veiling themselves from them? "Innahum 'ar rabbihim yawma idhil
lamaHjubun [83:15]". Subhanallah, this hijab that Allah places, eventually He even places His hijab
here: "Ja'alna baynaka wa baynal ladhee la yu'minuna bil akhirati Hijaaban mastura [17:45]": We
placed between you and those you don't believe in the akhira a barrier, a consistent barrier, that
doesn't allow them to get the message across to themselves. This is because of the sins that they
earned.
 
22. Now Allah says: Balil ladheena kafaru yukadh dhibun

Rather, those who disbelieve, they are lying viciously against the truth, against the Messenger,
against Allah, against the ayat of the Qur'an. They know it it be the truth, they lie against it anyway,
calling it a lie. This is the continuation and the culmination of what we read in detail in the previous
Surah [Surah Al Mutaffifin]. In the previous Surah, we found this takdhib: "Waylu yawma idhin lil
mukadhdhibeen, alladheena yukadhdhibuna bi yawmideen, wama yukadhdhibu bihi illa kullu
mu'tadin atheem [83:10-12]". Takdhib, takdhib, takdhib. We found the ultimate destruction for
those who deliberately lie against the truth, and lie against the Messenger; accuse him of being a
liar: those who lie against the Day of Standing and the Day of Judgment. And who will lie against it
unless the most transgressing sinner? All that takdhib, the lying against the truth was mentioned
there, it's been concluded here: "balil ladheena kafaru yukadh dhibun".

23. Wallahu a'lamu bima yu'un

And Allah knows best. In the previous Surah we found, even before, "ya'lamuna ma taf'alun
[82:12]": they know, they know what you do, the Angels know what you do. Allah says "Allahu
a'lamu", Allah knows best. The illustration of that is in the Surah, remember, He even knows our
thoughts. The joy we feel deep inside our hearts, He even knows that. "Wallahu a'lamu bi ma
yu'un": He knows whatever, literally if you were to say, literally, what they bag; what they put in
the bag. You know, when you amass something, you put it in the bag ((36:04)) "wa jama'a fa aw'a"
we find, he gathered and he bagged it together, he put it together, "wi'aya". "Fabada bi aw'iatihim
qabla wi'aa i akheehi" [Surah Yusuf 12:76], we find Yusuf (AS) when he went through the bags of
his brothers, the same "wi'aya", "wi'a" is used. Then, similarly, we find a Hadith of the Prophet
(SAW): "Nadh dhalallahu 'abdan sami'a maqalati fa wa'aha": May Allah give joy to the slave who
heard my word and bagged it. Meaning, he internalised it and he securely memorised it all. He
protected it "fa wa'aha", subhanallah. So, this, what does it mean linguistically ((36:53))"yaktumuna
min af'alihim"? They hide from what they do. They bag it, they hide what their actions are, they
conceal the intent. That's one of the implications. The other is, their deeds are like things, like rocks
and pebbles that they're gathering. And this bag is getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And they
don't even know they're bagging all of this stuff. Who knows? "Wallahu a'lamu bima yu'un". Allah
knows best what is it they're gathering together. In the previous Surah [Al Mutaffifin], we got a
glimpse of what they bag. You remember they bag a little bit of profit, they slice off a little off the
top. "Waylul lil Mutaffifin, alladheena idha ktalu 'ala nnasi yastawfun" [Surah Al Mutaffifin 83:1-2]
in the previous Surah: they bag just a little bit of profits, and they want to get full when they get
from others. Allah says Allah knows best what they gather for themselves. 

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"Fabash shirhum", this is a continuation of the style of the previous Surah. It ended with sarcasm,
the previous Surah ended with sarcasm. Allah said "Hal thuwwibal kuffar [83:36]": have the
disbelievers been given full compensation for what they used to do? "Tathwib" is good
compensation, a good salary. Did they get a good salary for what they did? So it's a sarcastic
question.
 
24. Similarly here: Fabash shirhum bi'adhabin alim

Congratulate them of painful punishment. Congratulate them with painful punishment. Subhanallah.
This is the warning to these criminals after all the best warnings and points of reflection have been
given to you. Nothing works for you, the only thing now is, just like you've been sarcastic all along
about the akhira, now give them a sarcastic comment back "Fabash shirhum bi'adhabin alim". Give
them glad tidings, or give them good news, congratulate them of painful punishment that's coming
ahead for them. 

25. Illa lladheena amanu wa 'amilu ssaliHat

With the exception of those who believed and did righteous deeds. Now, this "illa", what this
illustrates is that there is still hope. As harsh are these words are, there is still hope, with the
exception of those who believed and did righteous deeds. "'Amilu ssaliHat": they did that which
corrects the situation. It is only for them "lahum ajrun", they have a pay, they have a reward.
"Ghayru mamnun", the last word we have to reflect upon, in sha Allah, is the word "mamnun", very
powerful word in the Arabic language. Rough translation, they will have a reward not to be
discontinued "ghayru mamnun". You know, in Arabic we say "Man", the root is "man", in Arabic
we say "yuqal manantul Habal ay qata'tuhu": meaning, I cut the rope. "Manantu": to cut.
"Mamnun": that which is cut. "Ghayru mamnun": that which will not be cut; that's one of the
meanings of it. Then it also means "Al maneen" has been described in Arabic as "Al ghubar", "Al
ghabar" even: dust, because it cuts itself off from the ground. It separates itself. So that which is
separated. Allah says "ghayru mamnun", that will not be separated from them, a reward they will
have that will stay with them. The other meaning here is, from "man" is a favour, like ((39:46))
"Mana llahu 'alal mu'mineen", to impose your favour upon someone, like, you know, somebody
does you a favour and they remind you "By the way remember that time I helped you out or
whatever?". Allah will give them this favour and will not impose it. Nobody will impose it on them
except who? Allah subhana wa ta'ala. They will thank Allah, but there is nobody else to owe credit
to. You know, Allah helps us in this world through other people. So we owe Allah thanks of course,
but we also owe them; the guy who helped you fix the flat tyre, or gave you directions, or whatever,
you owe them some gratitude also. The favours you will enjoy on that Day, you don't owe anybody
else, no one will impose those favours upon you. They're purely from Allah subhana wa ta'ala.
"Lahum ajrun ghayru mamnun", they will have a reward that will not be discontinued. The Surah
began with "Idha samaa unn shaqat": when the sky is completely ripped open, cracked open. And at
the end, on that day, one of the things that will happen "Fabash shirhum bi 'adhabin alim"; when
that sky is cracked open, you can give them good news of painful punishment. So what started this
Surah is now coming full circle.

The last comment, in sha Allah, the central ayah, you remember the central ayah of the Surah? The
central ayah was, "Ya ayiuhal insaan inna kaadiHun illa rabbika kadiHan fa mulaqih": O human
being, you are working diligently, whether you realise it or not, towards your Lord. And you'll get
to meet Him and the consequences of your deeds. That was the central idea of this Surah. Now,
what are those consequences? Either 'adhabun ali, in the conclusion; either a painful punishment, or
'ajrun ghayru mamnun', or a reward that will not be discontinued. So this Surah begins with
something and wraps it back together, ties it up, subhana wa ta'ala, in this incredible kalam.

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