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Ayah
Word by Word
وَلَقَدۡ
And certainly
خَلَقۡنَا
We created
ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ
man
وَنَعۡلَمُ
and We know
مَا
what
تُوَسۡوِسُ
whispers
بِهِۦ
to him
نَفۡسُهُۥۖ
his soul
وَنَحۡنُ
and We
أَقۡرَبُ
(are) nearer
إِلَيۡهِ
to him
مِنۡ
than
حَبۡلِ
(his) jugular vein
ٱلۡوَرِيدِ
(his) jugular vein
وَلَقَدۡ
And certainly
خَلَقۡنَا
We created
ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ
man
وَنَعۡلَمُ
and We know
مَا
what
تُوَسۡوِسُ
whispers
بِهِۦ
to him
نَفۡسُهُۥۖ
his soul
وَنَحۡنُ
and We
أَقۡرَبُ
(are) nearer
إِلَيۡهِ
to him
مِنۡ
than
حَبۡلِ
(his) jugular vein
ٱلۡوَرِيدِ
(his) jugular vein
Translation
And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer1 to him than [his] jugular vein.
Footnotes
1 - In absolute knowledge of everything about him. "We" has also been interpreted to mean the angels who are mentioned in the following verse.
Tafsir
And verily We created man and We know (wa-na'lamu is a circumstantial qualifier with an implicit [preceding] nahnu) what (maa relates to the verbal action) his soul whispers to him, [what] it speaks [to him] (the bi- [of bihi, 'him'] is extra, or it is [required] for the intransitive verb to become transitive [and take a direct object]; the [suffixed] personal pronoun [in bihi, 'him'] refers to man); and We are nearer to him, in knowing [him], than his jugular vein (habli'l-wareedi: the genitive annexation is explicative; al-wareedaan are two [principal] veins on either side of the neck).
Reminding the Quraysh of the Destruction of earlier Disbelieving Nations
Allah the Exalted warns,
كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَأَصْحَابُ الرَّسِّ
Denied before them the people of Nuh, and the Dwellers of Rass,
Allah the Exalted warns the disbelievers of Quraysh and reminds them of the punishment and painful torment that He sent in this life on their likes, who disbelieved before them. For instance, Allah the Exalted punished the people of Nuh by drowning them in the encompassing flood that touched all the people of earth. There is also the end that struck the people of Ar-Rass, and we mentioned their story before in Surah Al-Furqan,
وَثَمُودُ
وَعَادٌ وَفِرْعَوْنُ وَإِخْوَانُ لُوطٍ
and Thamud, and `Ad, and Fir`awn, and the brethren of Lut,
the people of Sadum (Sodom) and the surrounding areas, to whom Lut was sent. Allah the Exalted shook the earth beneath them and turned their area into a reeking lake, as stinking as the disbelief, tyranny and defiance of the Truth that they had
وَأَصْحَابُ الاْأَيْكَةِ
And the Dwellers of Al-Aykah,
they are the nation of Shu`ayb, peace be upon him,
وَقَوْمُ تُبَّعٍ
and the people of Tubba`,
King of Yemen; we explained his story in the Tafsir of Surah Ad-Dukhan, and therefore, we do not need to repeat it here. All praise is due to Allah.
كُلٌّ كَذَّبَ الرُّسُلَ
Everyone of them denied (their) Messengers,
means, all of these nations and their generations belied their respective Messenger, and whoever denies even one Messenger, is as if he has denied all Messengers.
Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,
كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
The people of Nuh denied the Messengers. (26:105)
even though only one Messenger was sent to them, and indeed, if all the Messengers were sent to them, they would have disbelieved in them as well.
Allah said,
فَحَقَّ وَعِيدِ
so My threat took effect.
meaning, the promise of torment and punishment that Allah delivered to them on account of their denial took effect. Therefore, all those who fear suffering the same end should be warned, especially since the latter have denied their Messenger, just as the former denied their Messenger.
Repeating the Creation is Easier than originating It
Allah the Exalted said
أَفَعَيِينَا بِالْخَلْقِ الاَْوَّلِ
Were We then tired with the first creation?
meaning, `did starting the creation bring fatigue to Us, so as to cause doubt in them that repeating the creation was not possible?'
بَلْ هُمْ فِي لَبْسٍ مِّنْ خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
Nay, they are in confused doubt about a new creation.
meaning, `starting the creation did not tire Us, and repeating it is even easier.'
Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,
وَهُوَ الَّذِى يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ
And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it; and this is easier for Him. (30:27),
and,
وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلً وَنَسِىَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ مَن يُحىِ الْعِظَـمَ وَهِىَ رَمِيمٌ
قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِى أَنشَأَهَأ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ
And he puts forth for Us a parable, and forgets his own creation. He says:Who will give life to these bones after they are rotten and have become dust
Say:He will give life to them Who created them for the first time! And He is the All-Knower of every creation! (36:78-79)
We mentioned earlier a Hadith collected in the Sahih,
يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى يُوْذِينِي ابْنُ ادَمَ يَقُولُ لَنْ يُعِيدَنِي كَمَا بَدَأَنِي وَلَيْسَ أَوَّلُ الْخَلْقِ بِأَهْوَنَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ إِعَادَتِه
Allah the Exalted said,
Son of `Adam insults Me when he says, `He will not resurrect me as He created me before!'
But surely, originating creation is not easier for Me than reproducing it again.
Allah encompasses and watches all of Man's Activity
Allah the Exalted says,
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الاِْنسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ
And indeed We have created man, and We know what his self whispers to him.
Allah the Exalted affirms His absolute dominance over mankind, being their Creator and the Knower of everything about them. Allah the Exalted has complete knowledge of all thoughts that cross the mind of man, be they good or evil.
In the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah said,
إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى تَجَاوَزَ لاُِمَّتِي مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَقُلْ أَوْ تَعْمَل
Verily, Allah the Exalted has forgiven my Ummah (Muslims) for what they talk (think) to themselves about, as long as they do not utter or implement it.
The statement of Allah the Exalted,
وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ
And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.
means, His angels are nearer to man than his jugular vein.
Those who explained `We' in the Ayah to mean `Our knowledge,' have done so to avoid falling into the idea of incarnation or indwelling; but these two creeds are false according to the consensus of Muslims. Allah is praised and glorified, He is far hallowed beyond what they ascribe to Him. The words of this Ayah do not need this explanation (that `We' refers to `Allah's knowledge'), for Allah did not say, `and I am closer to him than his jugular vein.' Rather, He said,
وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ
(And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein). just as He said in the case of dying persons,
وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَكِن لاَّ تُبْصِرُونَ
(But We are nearer to him than you, but you see not). (56:85), in reference to His angels (who take the souls).
Allah the Exalted the Blessed said,
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَـفِظُونَ
Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr and surely, We will guard it. (15:9) Therefore, the angels brought down the revelation, the Qur'an, by the leave of Allah, the Exalted, the Most Honored. Thus, the angels are closer to man than his own jugular vein, by the power and leave of Allah. Consequently, the angel touches mankind, just as the devil touches them, for the devil is as close to them as the blood that runs in their veins; just as Allah's Prophet, who is truthful and was told the truth, told us.
Allah's statement here
إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ
(Remember) that the two receivers receive,
in reference to the two angels who receive and record the deeds of mankind.
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ
one sitting on the right and one on the left.
means ready to note
مَا يَلْفِظُ
whatever he utters,
(in reference to the human),
مِن قَوْلٍ
of a word,
means any word that he or she speaks,
إِلاَّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ
but there is a watcher by him ready.
means, but there is a scribe whose job is to record it, leaving no word or movement unrecorded.
Allah the Exalted said,
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَـفِظِينَ
كِرَاماً كَـتِبِينَ
يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
But verily, over you (are appointed angels) to watch you, Kiraman (honorable) Katibin writing down (your deeds), they know all that you do. (82:10-12)
Therefore, the scribe records every word that is spoken, according to the explanation of Al-Hasan and Qatadah.
This is also the apparent meaning of this Ayah.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Bilal bin Al-Harith Al-Muzani said,
The Messenger of Allah said,
إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللهِ تَعَالَى مَا يَظُنُّ أَنْ تَبْلُغَ مَا بَلَغَتْ يَكْتُبُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ بِهَا رِضْوَانَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَلْقَاهُ
وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللهِ تَعَالَى مَا يَظُنُّ أَنْ تَبْلُغَ مَا بَلَغَتْ يَكْتُبُ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ بِهَا سَخَطَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَلْقَاه
Verily, a man might utter a word that pleases Allah the Exalted, unaware of how highly it will be regarded, and on its account Allah the Exalted and Most Honored decrees His pleasure of him until the Day he meets Him.
A man might indeed utter a word that angers Allah the Exalted, unaware of how dreadful it will be and on its account Allah the Exalted decrees for him His anger until the Day he meets Him.
Alqamah used to say,
How many words did I not utter because of the Hadith that Bilal bin Al-Harith narrated.
At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah collected this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said, Hasan Sahih.
There is a Hadith similar to this in the Sahih.
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