Tafsir Surah Al-Waqi'ah ayah 88 | Learn Quran Tafsir

When the Soul reaches the Throat at the Time of Death, it cannot be brought back; this proves Reckoning shall occur

Allah the Exalted said,

فَلَوۡلَا إِذَا بَلَغَتِ

Then why do you not (intervene) when it reaches,

in reference to the soul,

الۡحُلۡقُومَ

Al-Hulqum,

i.e., the throat, at the time of death.

Allah the Exalted said in other Ayat,

كَلَّ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ التَّرَاقِىَ

وَقِيلَ مَنۡ رَاقٍ

وَظَنَّ أَنَّهُ الۡفِرَاقُ

وَالۡتَفَّتِ السَّاقُ بِالسَّاقِ

إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَوۡمَيِذٍ الۡمَسَاقُ

Nay, when (the soul) reaches to the collar bone, and it will be said:

Who can cure him (and save him from death)

And he will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death); And one leg will be joined with another leg (shrouded). The drive will be on that Day to your Lord (Allah). (75:26-30)

Allah said here,

وَأَنتُمۡ حِينَيِذٍ تَنظُرُونَ

And you at the moment are looking,

at the dying person and witnessing the stupor of death that he is experiencing

وَنَحۡنُ أَقۡرَبُ إِلَيۡهِ مِنكُمۡ

But We are nearer to him than you,

with Our angels,

وَلَكِن لاَّ تُبۡصِرُونَ

but you see not.

you cannot see the angels.

Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

وَهُوَ الۡقَاهِرُ فَوۡقَ عِبَادِهِ وَيُرۡسِلُ عَلَيۡكُم حَفَظَةً حَتَّى إِذَا جَأءَ أَحَدَكُمُ الۡمَوۡتُ تَوَفَّتۡهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمۡ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ

ثُمَّ رُدُّواۡ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَوۡلَـهُمُ الۡحَقِّ أَلَا لَهُ الۡحُكۡمُ وَهُوَ أَسۡرَعُ الۡحَـسِبِينَ

He is the Irresistible over His servants, and He sends guardians (angels) over you, until when death approaches one of you, Our messengers (angel of death and his assistants) take his soul, and they never neglect their duty.

Then they are returned to Allah, their true Protector. Surely, for Him is the judgement and He is the swiftest in taking account. (6:61-62)

Allah's statement,

فَلَوۡلَا إِن كُنتُمۡ غَيۡرَ مَدِينِينَ

تَرۡجِعُونَهَا

Then why do you not -- if you are not Madinin -- return the soul,

means, `Will you not return this soul, that has reached the throat, to its body as it used to be, if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense?'

Sa`id bin Jubayr and Al-Hasan Al-Basri said,

فَلَوۡلَا إِن كُنتُمۡ غَيۡرَ مَدِينِينَ

(Then why do you not -- if you are not Madinin. ..),

If you do not believe that you will be reckoned, recompensed, resurrected and punished, then why do you not return this soul to its body

Mujahid said that,

غَيۡرَ مَدِينِينَ

(...if you are not Madinin), means,

if you are not certain.

إِن كُنتُمۡ صَادِقِينَ

if you are truthful?

The Condition of People at the Time of Their Death

These are the three types of conditions that people face upon their death.

Either they are among the near believers or

those below their rank on the right, or

those who denied the truth, were led astray from the guidance and were ignorant about Allah.

Allah said,

فَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ

Then if he,

in reference to the dying person,

مِنَ الۡمُقَرَّبِينَ

be of the Muqarrabun,

who fulfilled the obligations and the recommended acts of worship and avoided the forbidden and disliked matters and even some of the allowed,

فَرَوۡحٌ وَرَيۡحَانٌ وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ

then for him Rawh, Rayhan and a Garden of Delights.

Theirs will be Rawh and Rayhan; and the glad tidings of these traits will be conveyed to them by the angels at the time of death.

We mentioned before the Prophet's Hadith narrated from Al-Bara' in which the angels of mercy say (to a dying, believing person),

أَيَّتُهَا الرُّوحُ الطَّيِّبَةُ فِي الۡجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ كُنۡتِ تَعۡمُرِينَه اخۡرُجِي إِلَى رَوۡحٍ وَرَيۡحَانٍ وَرَبَ غَيۡرِ غَضۡبَان

O good soul in the good body that you inhabited, come to Rawh, Rayhan and a Lord Who is not angry.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas,

Rawh means rest, and Rayhan means place of rest.

Mujahid said similarly that Rawh means rest.

Abu Hazrah said that Rawh means:Rest from the world.

Sa`id bin Jubayr and As-Suddi said that it means to rejoice.

And from Mujahid,

فَرَوۡحٌ وَرَيۡحَانٌ

(Rawh and Rayhan) means:

Paradise and delights.

Qatadah said that Rawh means mercy.

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Rayhan means provisions.

All of these explanations are correct and similar in meaning. The near believers who die will earn all of these; mercy, rest, provision, joy, happiness and good delights,

وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ

(and a Garden of Delights).

Abu Al-`Aliyah said,

None of the near believers will depart (this life) until after he is brought a branch of the Rayhan of Paradise and his soul is captured in it.

Muhammad bin Ka`b said,

Every person who dies will know upon his death if he is among the people of Paradise or the people of the Fire.

In the Sahih, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ أَرۡوَاحَ الشُّهَدَاءِ فِي حَوَاصِلِ طُيُورٍ خُضۡرٍ تَسۡرَحُ فِي رِيَاضِ الۡجَنَّةِ حَيۡثُ شَاءَتۡ ثُمَّ تَأۡوِي إِلَى قَنَادِيلَ مُعَلَّقَةٍ بِالۡعَرۡش

The souls of the martyrs live in the bodies of green birds flying wherever they wish in the Gardens of Paradise, and then rest to their nests in chandeliers hung from the Throne of the Almighty....

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ata' bin As-Sa'ib said,

The first day I ﷺ Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Layla, I ﷺ an old man whose hair had become white on his head and beard. He was riding his donkey and following a funeral. I heard him say, `So-and-so narrated to me that he heard the Messenger of Allah say,

مَنۡ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللهِ أَحَبَّ اللهُ لِقَاءَهُ وَمَنۡ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللهِ كَرِهَ اللهُ لِقَاءَه

He who likes to meet Allah, Allah likes to meet him, and he who hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him.

The people around him started weeping, and he asked them why they wept.

They said, `All of us hate death.'

He said,

لَيۡسَ ذَاكَ وَلكِنَّهُ إِذَا احۡتُضِرَ

It does not mean that. When one dies:

فَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الۡمُقَرَّبِينَ

فَرَوۡحٌ وَرَيۡحَانٌ وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ

Then, if he be of the near believers, then for him are Rawh, Rayhan, and a Garden of Delights.

فَإِذَا بُشِّرَ بِذلِكَ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَاللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِلِقَائِهِ أَحَبُّ

and when this good news is conveyed to him, he likes to meet Allah the Exalted and Most Honored and Allah the Exalted and Most Honored likes, even more, to meet him,

وَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الۡمُكَذِّبِينَ الضَّالِّينَ

فَنُزُلٌ مِّنۡ حَمِيمٍ

وَتَصۡلِيَةُ جَحِيم

But if he be of the denying, the erring, then for him is an entertainment with Hamim. And entry in Hellfire.

فَإذَا بُشِّرَ بِذلِكَ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللهِ وَاللهُ تَعَالَى لِلِقَايِهِ أَكۡرَه

and when this news is conveyed to him, he hates to meet Allah and Allah hates, even more, to meet him.

This is the narration that Imam Ahmad collected; and in the Sahih, there is a Hadith with this meaning collected from A'ishah.

Allah's statement,

وَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ أَصۡحَابِ الۡيَمِينِ

And if he be of those on the right,

means, if he, the dying person, is among those on the right,

فَسَلَمٌ لَّكَ مِنۡ أَصۡحَابِ الۡيَمِينِ

Then Salam (peace) to you from those on the right,

meaning, the angels will deliver the good news to them by saying, Peace be upon you, i.e., be calm, you will be led to safety, you are among those on the right, as Ikrimah said, The angels will greet him with the Salam and convey to him the news that he is among those on the right.

This is a good explanation, and it conforms with Allah's statement,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواۡ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقَـمُواۡ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡمَلَـيِكَةُ أَلاَّ تَخَافُواۡ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُواۡ وَأَبۡشِرُواۡ بِالۡجَنَّةِ الَّتِى كُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ

نَحۡنُ أَوۡلِيَأوُكُمۡ فِى الۡحَيَوةِ الدُّنۡيَا وَفِى الاٌّخِرَةِ وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَا تَشۡتَهِى أَنفُسُكُمۡ وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ

نُزُلاً مِّنۡ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ

Verily, those who say:Our Lord is Allah. and then they stand firm, on them the angles will descend (at the time of their death) (saying):Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised! We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your souls desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask. An entertainment from the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (41:30-32).

Allah's statement,

وَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الۡمُكَذِّبِينَ الضَّالِّينَ

فَنُزُلٌ مِّنۡ حَمِيمٍ

وَتَصۡلِيَةُ جَحِيمٍ

But if he be of the denying, the erring, then for him is an entertainment with Hamim (boiling water) and entry in Hellfire.

meaning, if the dying person is one of those who denied the truth, who were led astray from guidance,

فَنُزُلٌ

(then for him is an entertainment), meaning, as a guest

مِّنۡ حَمِيمٍ

(with Hamim), that dissolves his intestines and skin,

وَتَصۡلِيَةُ جَحِيمٍ

(And entry in Hellfire). he will reside in Hellfire, which will engulf him from every direction.

Allah the Exalted said, next,

إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ حَقُّ الۡيَقِينِ

Verily, this! This is an absolute truth with certainty.

meaning, this news is the truth; there is no doubt about it, nor escape from it for anyone,

فَسَبِّحۡ بِاسۡمِ رَبِّكَ الۡعَظِيمِ

So, glorify with praises the Name of your Lord, the Most Great.

Jabir narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَنۡ قَالَ سُبۡحَانَ اللهِ الۡعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمۡدِهِ غُرِسَتۡ لَهُ نَخۡلَةٌ فِي الۡجَنَّة

He who says, Glory be to Allah the Magnificent and with His praise! then a date tree will be planted for him in Paradise.

This Hadith was collected by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i;

At-Tirmidhi said, Hasan Gharib.

Al-Bukhari recorded in his book (Sahih) that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

كَلِمَتَانِ خَفِيفَتَانِ عَلَى اللِّسَانِ ثَقِيلَتَانِ فِي الۡمِيزَانِ حَبِيبَتَانِ إِلَى الرَّحۡمنِ

سُبۡحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمۡدِهِ سُبۡحَانَ اللهِ الۡعَظِيم

(There are) two statements that are light on the tongue, but heavy on the Balance, and most beloved to Ar-Rahman:

Glory be to Allah and with His praise, glory be to Allah the Magnificent.

The Group, with the exception of Abu Dawud, collected this.

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Waqi`ah, all praise and thanks are due to Allah and all the favors come from Him.

Al-Waqi'ah: 88

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Al-Waqi'ah: 88