'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah Al-Hijr

This surah is Meccan.

His saying, exalted and glorified is He:

﴿Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur'an﴾ ﴿Perhaps those who disbelieve wish they were Muslims﴾ ﴿Let them eat and enjoy, and let hope distract them. So they will soon know﴾ ﴿And We did not destroy any city except that it had a known decree﴾ ﴿No nation can advance its appointed time, nor can they delay it﴾.

"Alif Lam Ra," the discussion about the disjointed letters at the beginnings of the surahs has preceded. And "These" may refer to the disjointed letters according to some opinions. It is possible that it refers to the wisdoms and lessons contained in the verses of the Torah and the Gospel, and the Qur'an is included with it. Mujahid and Qatadah said: "The Book" in the verse refers to what was revealed from the books before the Qur'an. It is also possible that by "the Book" the Qur'an is meant, and then the description is attributed to it.

Nafi' and Asim read "Perhaps" with the lightening of the letter 'b', while the others read it with emphasis. However, Abu Amr read it in both ways, and they are two languages. It has been narrated from Talhah ibn Musarif as "Rubbatama" with the addition of 't', and it is a language. And "Perhaps" is for the minimization, and it may come rarely for the maximization. Some people said that this is from that, and from it:

Perhaps a cup you spilled, O son of Lu'ayy.

Zujaj denied that "Rubb" could come for maximization.

And the "what" that enters upon "Rubb" may be an indefinite noun like "something," and that is if there is a pronoun referring to it in the speech, as in the poet's words:

Perhaps the souls dislike something for which there is an opening like the solution of the tie.

The estimation is: Perhaps something. And it may be a sufficient particle for "Rubb" and a precursor for it to enter upon the verb, since it is not in its nature to enter except upon nouns, and that is if there is no referring pronoun, as in the poet's words:

Perhaps I will fulfill in a matter that raises my garment to the left.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And likewise, "what" can enter upon "from" in the manner of his saying: "And the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was among those who moved his lips," and in the manner of the poet's words:

And indeed, we are among those who strike the ram with a blow that causes the tongue to fall from the mouth.

Al-Kisai and Al-Farra said: The rule regarding "Perhaps" is that it can enter upon the past tense, and it has entered here upon the future since these future actions of the words of Allah, exalted and glorified is He, are true and will certainly occur, and they run in the manner of the past that has occurred.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And "Rubb" can enter upon the past that is intended for the future, and it can enter upon the opposite.

And the apparent meaning in "Perhaps" in this verse is that "what" is a sufficient particle. Thus said Abu Ali. He said: It is possible that it is a noun, and there is a pronoun referring to it in "wish." The estimation is: Perhaps a wish, or something that those who disbelieve wish for if they were Muslims, and "if they were Muslims" would be a substitute for "what."

(p-272) And a group said: The meaning of the verse is: Perhaps those who disbelieved wished. Abu Ali said: And this is not permissible according to Sibawayh, because 'was' is not implied by him.

And the interpreters disagreed about the time when those who disbelieved would wish if they had been Muslims. A group said: It is at the time of witnessing death in this world. This was reported by Al-Dahhak, and there is a consideration in it; for there is no certainty for the disbeliever at that time of the good state of the Muslims. And a group said: It is at the time of witnessing the horrors of the Day of Resurrection. This was said by Mujahid, and this is clear; for the good state of the Muslims is apparent, and they would wish. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is at the time of their entering the Fire and their knowing of the entrance of the believers into Paradise. This saying was supported by a hadith narrated in this regard from the direction of Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, which is: 'When Allah, the Exalted, admits the sinners among the Muslims into the Fire, the disbelievers will look at them and say: Are not these from the Muslims? So what benefit did

And the meaning of His saying: "And We did not destroy any city except that it had a term and a decree" is: do not be impatient for their destruction. There is no city except that it is destined for destruction by a term and a decree. And the meaning [is known] and limited. The 'wa' in His saying: "and it had" is the 'wa' of the state. Ibn Abi Abla read: "except that it had" without the 'wa'. And Mundhir ibn Sa'id said: this 'wa' indicates that the state that follows it in the wording is in time before the state that accepts the 'wa'. And from this is His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Until when they come to it and its gates are opened" [Az-Zumar: 73]. And the rest of the verse is clear.