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

Tafsir of Surah Sad

This surah is Meccan, by consensus of the interpreters.

His saying, exalted is He:

﴿Sad, and the Quran of remembrance﴾ ﴿But those who disbelieved are in pride and opposition﴾ ﴿How many have We destroyed before them from a generation? They called out, but there was no longer a place of escape﴾ ﴿And they wondered that a warner had come to them from among themselves, and the disbelievers said, 'This is a magician, a liar'﴾ ﴿Has he made the gods into one God? Indeed, this is a remarkable thing﴾

Al-Hasan, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and Ibn Abi Ishaq read: 'Sad' with a kasrah on the dal, meaning it is a command from: sada yasadi if it resembles and is similar, meaning be like the echo that reflects the shouting. The meaning is: resemble the Quran with your actions, and compare it with your obedience. Thus, Al-Hasan explained: Look where your actions stand in relation to it?

The majority said that it is a letter of the known alphabet, and it includes what enters into other beginnings of the surahs from sayings. This place is distinguished by the fact that some people said: Its meaning is: Muhammad has spoken the truth, and Al-Dahhak said: Its meaning is: Allah has spoken the truth. Mujahid ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi said: It is the key to the names of Allah: 'Samad, truthful in promise, creator of creations.'

The majority read it with the dal being silent, and Ibn Abi Ishaq read it - differently from him - with a kasrah on the dal and with tanween [Sad], as an oath, as you say: By Allah, I will certainly do. Al-Tabari and others narrated from Ibn Abi Ishaq: without tanween, and he linked it to the saying of the Arabs: 'Hathith bathith, khazith bazith.' A group from them, including Isa ibn Umar, read [Sad] with a fatha on the dal, and he does this in pronouncing all the letters, saying: Qaf, and Nun, and makes them like 'Ayn and Layt. Al-Thaalabi said: 'It was said that its meaning is: Muhammad has won the hearts, by turning them towards faith.'

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Sad, and the Quran of remembrance﴾ is an oath. Al-Suddi, Ibn Abbas, and Sa'id ibn Jubair said: Its meaning is: of the lasting and eternal honor. Qatadah and Al-Dahhak said: of the reminder for the people and guidance for them. A group said: Its meaning is: of the remembrance for the nations, and the stories, and the unseen. As for the answer to the oath, there is disagreement about it. A group said: The answer is in His saying: 'Sad'; for it means: Muhammad has spoken the truth, or Allah has spoken the truth. The Kufans and Al-Zajjaj said: The answer is His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Indeed, that is the truth of the dispute of the people of the Fire﴾ [Sad: 64]. Some of the Basrians - among them is Al-Akhfash - said: The answer is in His saying: ﴿Indeed, every one has denied the messengers﴾ [Sad: 14].

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

These two sayings are distant.

Qatadah and Al-Tabari said: The answer is implied before 'but', and this is the correct one. Its implication is: 'And the Quran, what is the matter as they claim.' And similar to this is from the implication, so contemplate it. Al-Zajjaj narrated from a group that the answer is His saying, exalted is He: ﴿How many have We destroyed before them from a generation﴾ and this is very forced.

And 'pride' here means: opposition and confrontation. And 'opposition' is similar, meaning: they are in one side, and the truth is in another side.

'And 'kam' is for abundance. It is a news that contains an example and a warning. It is in the position of accusative with 'ahlakna.' 'Al-qarn' refers to a community of people gathered by one time. Its explanation has been previously clarified multiple times. And His saying, 'So they called out,' means: seeking help. The meaning is that they did that after witnessing, but it was of no benefit to them, and it was not at a time of benefit. 'Wa la' means: is not, and its name is estimated according to Sibawayh. Its estimation is: 'wa la't al-haynu hina manas.' It is 'la' that has been followed by a 'ta,' as 'rubbat' and 'thummat' have been followed. Al-Zajjaj said: It is like the 'ta' of 'jalasat' and 'qamat.' The 'ta' of the letters is like the 'ta' of the verbs that has entered upon what is not inflected in both ways. And 'la' is not used with 'ta' except in times, periods, and similar matters. From that is the saying of the poet: 'And there is no time for regret.' And another said: 'Remember the love of Layla, there is no time.' And some of them recited: 'They sought our reconciliation, and there is no time.' Al-Zajjaj recited with a broken 'ta,' and this is common. The reading of the majority is an open 'ta' in 'la't' and a 'nun' in 'hayna.' It has been narrated from 'Isa that he broke the 'ta' of 'la't' and raised the 'nun' of 'hayna.' It has also been narrated from him that he broke the 'nun' of it. They differed in stopping at 'la't.' Al-Zajjaj mentioned that the stop is with the 'ta,' while Al-Kisai stopped with the 'ha.' A group stopped - and Abu Ubaid preferred it - at 'la' and connected the 'ta' with 'hayna.' They said, 'There is no time,' and Abu Ubaid mentioned that it is thus in the Mushaf of Uthman. He supports this with the saying of Abu Juzza: 'The ones who are kind, there is no time for kindness.' He praises the family of Al-Zubair. Some people read: 'There is no time' by raising the 'nun' of 'hayna' on the implicit news. 'Al-manas' means: the escape. 'Nasa yanus' means to evade and flee. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The meaning is: there is no time for a leap or escape, the people have confirmed. The pronoun in 'And they were astonished' refers to the disbelievers of Quraysh. They were astonished that a human was informed among them who warned them and cautioned them, and that he affirmed the oneness of Allah. They said: How can there be one God who provides for all and oversees all their affairs? 'Ujab' is a form of exaggeration, as they said: 'sari' and 'sira.' This is common. Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami and 'Isa ibn Umar read: 'Ujab' with a strengthened 'jeem.' Similar is the saying of the poet: 'They came with a remarkable catch from the remarkable.' And they said: 'A generous man,' meaning: generous.