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Ayah
Word by Word
هَٰذَانِ
These two
خَصۡمَانِ
opponents
ٱخۡتَصَمُواْ
dispute
فِي
concerning
رَبِّهِمۡۖ
their Lord
فَٱلَّذِينَ
But those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieved
قُطِّعَتۡ
will be cut out
لَهُمۡ
for them
ثِيَابٞ
garments
مِّن
of
نَّارٖ
fire
يُصَبُّ
Will be poured
مِن
over
فَوۡقِ
over
رُءُوسِهِمُ
their heads
ٱلۡحَمِيمُ
[the] scalding water
هَٰذَانِ
These two
خَصۡمَانِ
opponents
ٱخۡتَصَمُواْ
dispute
فِي
concerning
رَبِّهِمۡۖ
their Lord
فَٱلَّذِينَ
But those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieved
قُطِّعَتۡ
will be cut out
لَهُمۡ
for them
ثِيَابٞ
garments
مِّن
of
نَّارٖ
fire
يُصَبُّ
Will be poured
مِن
over
فَوۡقِ
over
رُءُوسِهِمُ
their heads
ٱلۡحَمِيمُ
[the] scalding water
Translation
These1 are two adversaries who have disputed over their Lord. But those who disbelieved will have cut out for them garments of fire. Poured upon their heads will be scalding water
Footnotes
1 - i.e., the believers and the disbelievers.
Tafsir
These twain are two contenders, that is, the believers constitute one contending party, and the five [categories of] disbelievers constitute the other contending party (the term [khasm, 'contender'] may be used to refer to one or many) who contend concerning their Lord, that is to say, concerning His religion. As for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, [garments] which they will wear - meaning that the Hellfire will encompass them - and boiling water will be poured over their heads, [hameem is] water that has reached an extreme temperature,
Allah will judge between the Sects on the Day of Resurrection
Allah says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالصَّابِيِينَ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالْمَجُوسَ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
Verily, those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Majus, and those who worship others besides Allah; truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection.
Verily, Allah is over all things a Witness.
Allah tells us about the followers of these various religions, the believers (Muslims) and others such as the Jews and Sabians.
We have already seen a definition of them in Surah Al-Baqarah and have noted how people differ over who they are. There are also the Christians, Majus and others who worship others alongside Allah. Allah will (
يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
judge between them on the Day of Resurrection) with justice;
He will admit those who believed in Him to Paradise and will send those who disbelieved in Him to Hell, for He is a Witness over their deeds, and He knows all that they say and all that they do in secret, and conceal in their breast
Everything prostrates to Allah
Allah tells us that He alone, with no partner or associate, is deserving of worship. Everything prostrates to His might, willingly or unwillingly, and everything prostrates in a manner that befits its nature, as Allah says:
أَوَ لَمْيَرَوْاْ إِلَىخَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلَـلُهُ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَالْشَّمَأيِلِ سُجَّدًا لِلَّهِ وَهُمْ
Have they not observed things that Allah has created:(how) their shadows incline to the right and to the left, making prostration unto Allah, and they are lowly. (16:48)
And Allah says here:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الاَْرْضِ
See you not that whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth prostrate themselves to Him,
means, the angels in the regions of the heavens, and all the living creatures, men, Jinn, animals and birds.
وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدَهِ
and there is not a thing but glorifies His praise. (17:44)
وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ
and the sun, and the moon, and the stars,
These are mentioned by name, because they are worshipped instead of Allah, so Allah explains that they too prostrate to their Creator and that they are subjected to Him.
لَا تَسْجُدُواْ لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُواْ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى خَلَقَهُنَّ
Prostrate yourselves not to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate yourselves to Allah Who created them. (41:37)
In the Two Sahihs it was recorded that Abu Dharr said,
The Messenger of Allah said to me,
أَتَدْرِي أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ هَذِهِ الشَّمْسُ
Do you know where this sun goes?
I said, `Allah and His Messenger know best.'
He said,
فَإِنَّهَا تَذْهَبُ فَتَسْجُدُ تَحْتَ الْعَرْشِ ثُمَّ تَسْتَأْمِرُ فَيُوشِكُ أَنْ يُقَالَ لَهَا ارْجِعِي مِنْ حَيْثُ جِيْت
It goes (sets) and prostrates beneath the Throne, then it awaits the command. Soon it will be told,
Go back the way whence you came.
وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ
and the mountains, and the trees,
Ibn Abbas said, A man came and said,
`O Messenger of Allah, I ﷺ myself in a dream last night, as if I was praying behind a tree. I prostrated, and the tree prostrated when I did, and I heard it saying,
O Allah, write down a reward for me for that, and remove a sin from me for that, store it with You for me and accept it from me as You accepted from Your servant Dawud.'
Ibn Abbas said,
The Messenger of Allah recited an Ayah mentioning a prostration, then he prostrated, and I heard him saying the same words that the man had told him the tree said.
This was recorded by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Hibban in his Sahih.
وَالدَّوَابُّ
Ad-Dawabb,
means all the animals.
It was reported in a Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad that;
the Messenger of Allah forbade using the backs of animals as platforms for speaking, for, perhaps the one who was being ridden was better and remembered Allah more than the one who was riding.
وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنَ النَّاسِ
and many of mankind,
means, they prostrate willingly, submitting themselves to Allah of their own free will.
وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ
But there are many (men) on whom the punishment is justified.
means, those who refuse prostration, are stubborn and arrogant.
وَمَن يُهِنِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِن مُّكْرِمٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاء
And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honor him. Verily, Allah does what He wills.
It was recorded that Abu Hurayrah said,
The Messenger of Allah said:
إِذَا قَرَأَ ابْنُ ادَمَ السَّجْدَةَ اعْتَزَلَ الشَّيْطَانُ يَبْكِي يَقُولُ
يَا وَيْلَهُ أُمِرَ ابْنُ ادَمَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَسَجَدَ فَلَهُ الْجَنَّةُ وَأُمِرْتُ بِالسُّجُودِ فَأَبَيْتُ فَلِيَ النَّار
When the son of Adam recites the Ayat containing the prostration, the Shaytan withdraws weeping and says,
Ah! Woe (to me)! the son of Adam was commanded to prostrate and he prostrated, so Paradise is his; I was commanded to prostrate and I refused, so I am doomed to Hell.
This was recorded by Muslim.
In his book Al-Marasil, Abu Dawud recorded that Khalid bin Ma`dan, may Allah have mercy upon him, reported that Allah's Messenger said,
فُضِّلَتْ سُورَةُ الْحَجِّ عَلَى سَايِرِ الْقُرْانِ بِسَجْدَتَيْن
Surah Al-Hajj has been favored over the rest of the Qur'an with two prostrations.
Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr Al-Isma`ili recorded from Abu Al-Jahm that;
Umar did the two prostrations of (Surah) Al-Hajj when he was in Al-Jabiyah, and he said,
This Surah has been favored with two prostrations.
The Reason for Revelation
Allah tells:
هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ
These two opponents dispute with each other about their Lord;
It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Dharr swore that this Ayah --
هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ
(These two opponents dispute with each other about their Lord;)
was revealed concerning Hamzah and his two companions, and Utbah and his two companions, on the day of Badr when they came forward to engage in single combat.
This is the wording of Al-Bukhari in his Tafsir of this Ayah.
Then Al-Bukhari recorded that Ali bin Abi Talib said,
I will be the first one to kneel down before the Most Merciful so that the dispute may be settled on the Day of Resurrection.
Qays (sub-narrator) said, Concerning them the Ayah was revealed:
هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ
(These two opponents dispute with each other about their Lord),
He (Qays) said,
They are the ones who came forward (for single combat) on the day of Badr:
Ali, Hamzah and Ubaydah
vs.,
Shaybah bin Rabi`ah, Utbah bin Rabi`ah and Al-Walid bin `Utbah.
This was reported only by Al-Bukhari.
Ibn Abi Najih reported that Mujahid commented on this Ayah,
Such as the disbeliever and the believer disputing about the Resurrection.
According to one report Mujahid and Ata' commented on this Ayah,
This refers to the believers and the disbelievers.
The view of Mujahid and Ata' that this refers to the disbelievers and the believers, includes all opinions, the story of Badr as well as the others. For the believers want to support the religion of Allah, while the disbelievers want to extinguish the light of faith and to defeat the truth and cause falsehood to prevail.
This was the view favored by Ibn Jarir, and it is good.
The Punishment of the Disbelievers
Allah says:
فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِّن نَّارٍ
then as for those who disbelieved, garments of fire will be cut out for them,
meaning, pieces of fire will be prepared for them.
Sa`id bin Jubayr said:
Of copper, for it is the hottest of things when it is heated.
يُصَبُّ مِن فَوْقِ رُوُوسِهِمُ الْحَمِيمُ
يُصْهَرُ بِهِ مَا فِي بُطُونِهِمْ وَالْجُلُودُ
boiling water will be poured down over their heads. With it will melt (or vanish away) what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins.
meaning, when the boiling water --which is water that has been heated to the ultimate degree- is poured down over their heads.
Ibn Jarir recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said:
إِنَّ الْحَمِيمَ لَيُصَبُّ عَلَى رُوُوسِهِمْ فَيَنْفُذُ الْجُمْجُمَةَ حَتَّى يَخْلُصَ إِلَى جَوْفِهِ فَيَسْلُتَ مَا فِي جَوْفِهِ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ قَدَمَيْهِ وَهُوَ الصِّهْرُ ثُمَّ يُعَادُ كَمَا كَان
The boiling water will be poured over their heads and will penetrate their skulls until it reaches what is inside, and what is inside will melt until it reaches their feet. This is the melting, then he will be restored to the state he was before.
It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said it is Hasan Sahih.
This was also recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim, who then recorded that Abdullah bin As-Sariy said,
The angel will come to him, carrying the vessel with a pair of tongs because of its heat. When he brings it near to his face, he will shy away from it. He will raise a hammer that he is carrying and will strike his head with it, and his brains will spill out, then he will pour the brains back into his head. This is what Allah says in the Ayah:
يُصْهَرُ بِهِ مَا فِي بُطُونِهِمْ وَالْجُلُودُ
With it will melt what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins.
وَلَهُم مَّقَامِعُ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ
And for them are hooked rods of iron.
Ibn Abbas said,
They will be struck with them, and with each blow, a limb will be severed, and they will cry out for oblivion.
كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَن يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا مِنْ غَمٍّ أُعِيدُوا فِيهَا
Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein,
Al-A`mash reported from Abu Zibiyan that Salman said,
The fire of Hell is black and dark; its flames and coals do not glow or shine.
Then he recited:
كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَن يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا مِنْ غَمٍّ أُعِيدُوا فِيهَا
Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein,
وَذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ
Taste the torment of burning!
This is like the Ayah:
وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّذِي كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ
and it will be said to them:Taste you the torment of the Fire which you used to deny. (32:20)
The meaning is that they will be humiliated by words and actions.
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