Al-Muzzammil: 17

Ayah

Word by Word

فَكَيۡفَ

Then how

تَتَّقُونَ

will you guard yourselves

إِن

كَفَرۡتُمۡ

you disbelieve

يَوۡمٗا

a Day

يَجۡعَلُ

(that) will make

ٱلۡوِلۡدَٰنَ

the children

شِيبًا

gray-headed

Translation

Then how shall ye, if ye deny (Allah), guard yourselves against a Day that will make children hoary-headed?-

Tafsir

The Command to be Patient with the Harms of the Disbelievers and a Discussion of what They will receive because of it

Allah says,

وَاصۡبِرۡ عَلَى مَا يَقُولُونَ وَاهۡجُرۡهُمۡ هَجۡرًا جَمِيلًا

And be patient with what they say, and keep away from them in a good.

Allah commands His Messenger to be patient with what the foolish who reject him among his people say.

Allah also commands him to keep away from them in a nice way. This means in a way that is not blameworthy.

Then Allah says to him, as a threat and a warning to his people - and He (Allah) is the Most Great, Whose anger nothing can stand before

وَذَرۡنِي وَالۡمُكَذِّبِينَ أُولِي النَّعۡمَةِ

And leave Me alone to deal with the deniers, those who are in possession of good things of life.

meaning, `leave Me to deal with the rich rejectors, who own great wealth.'

For verily, they are more able to obey than others besides them, and they are requested to give the rights (to people) because they have what others do not have.

وَمَهِّلۡهُمۡ قَلِيلً

And give them respite for a little.

meaning, for a little while.

This is as Allah says,

نُمَتِّعُهُمۡ قَلِيلً ثُمَّ نَضۡطَرُّهُمۡ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

We let them enjoy for a little, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment. (31:24)

Thus, Allah says

إِنَّ لَدَيۡنَا أَنكَالاً

Verily, with Us are Ankal, and these are fetters.

Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Tawus, Muhammad bin Ka`b, `Abdullah bin Buraydah, Abu `Imran Al-Jawni, Abu Mijlaz, Ad-Dahhak, Hammad bin Abi Sulayman, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ibn Al-Mubarak, Ath-Thawri and others have all said this.

وَجَحِيمًا

and Jahim, (This is a blazing fire)

وَطَعَامًا ذَا غُصَّةٍ

And a food that chokes,

Ibn `Abbas said,

This means it will get stuck in the throat and it will not enter or come out.

وَعَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

يَوۡمَ تَرۡجُفُ الاَۡرۡضُ وَالۡجِبَالُ

and a painful torment. On the Day when the earth and the mountains will (Tarjuf) shake,

meaning, they will quake.

وَكَانَتِ الۡجِبَالُ كَثِيبًا مَّهِيلً

And the mountains will be a heap of sand poured out.

meaning, they will become like hills of sand after they had been firm rocks. Then they will be utterly destroyed and nothing will remain of them. This will occur until the entire earth becomes a flat land and no curvature will be seen in it. Thus, there will be no valleys and no hills. This means that no part of it will be low or elevated.

Your Messenger is like the Messenger to Fir`awn, and You know what happened to Fir`awn

Then addresses the disbelievers of the Quraysh, and along with them the rest of mankind

إِنَّا أَرۡسَلۡنَا إِلَيۡكُمۡ رَسُولاً شَاهِدًا عَلَيۡكُمۡ

Verily, We have sent to you a Messenger to be a witness over you,

meaning, witnessing your deeds.

كَمَا أَرۡسَلۡنَا إِلَى فِرۡعَوۡنَ رَسُولاً

فَعَصَى فِرۡعَوۡنُ الرَّسُولَ فَأَخَذۡنَاهُ أَخۡذًا وَبِيلً

as We did send a Messenger to Fir`awn. But Fir`awn disobeyed the Messenger; so We seized him with a severe punishment.

أَخۡذًا وَبِيلً

severe punishment,

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, As-Suddi, and Ath-Thawri said:

this means severe.

This means, `you should beware of denying this Messenger, lest you be afflicted by that which befell Fir`awn. Allah seized him with the seizing of One Mighty and Powerful.'

This is as Allah says,

فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الاٌّخِرَةِ وَالاٍّوۡلَى

So Allah seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression. (79:25)

`Therefore, you will be even more deserving of destruction and ruin if you deny your Messenger, because your Messenger is more noble and a greater than Prophet Musa, the son of `Imran.'

This has been reported from Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid.

The Threat of the Day of Judgement

Allah says,

فَكَيۡفَ تَتَّقُونَ إِن كَفَرۡتُمۡ يَوۡمًا يَجۡعَلُ الۡوِلۡدَانَ شِيبًا

Then how can you protect yourselves from the punishment, if you disbelieved, on a Day that will make the children gray-headed?

Ibn Jarir quoted in the recitation of Ibn Mas`ud:

How can you, O people, fear a Day that makes the children grey-headed, if you disbelieve in Allah and do not testify to Him

So the first interpretation would mean,

- `how can you attain safety for yourselves from the Day of this great horror if you disbelieve'

It could imply the meaning,

- `how can you all attain piety if you disbelieve in the Day of Judgement and reject it.'

Both of these meanings are good. However, the first interpretation is closer to the truth. And Allah knows best.

The meaning of Allah's statement,

يَوۡمًا يَجۡعَلُ الۡوِلۡدَانَ شِيبًا

On a Day that will make the children gray-headed, is that this will happen due to the severity of its horrors, its earth- quakes and its disturbing confusion. This is when Allah will say to Adam,

Send a group to the Fire.

Adam will say, How many

Allah will then reply, From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine to the Fire, and one to Paradise.

Then Allah says

السَّمَاء مُنفَطِرٌ بِهِ

Whereon the heaven will be cleft asunder.

Al-Hasan and Qatadah both said,

This means, because of it (the Day of Judgement), due to its severity and its horror.

Then Allah says,

كَانَ وَعۡدُهُ مَفۡعُولاًا

His promise is certainly to be accomplished.

meaning, the promise of this Day will be fulfilled.

This means it will occur and there is no way around it, and it will come to pass and there is no avoiding it.