Commentary
'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Indeed, those who have denied Our signs and have been arrogant towards them, the gates of heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel passes through the eye of a needle. Thus do We recompense the criminals." "For them is a bed of Hellfire, and above them are coverings. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers." "And those who have believed and done righteous deeds, We do not burden a soul except with that within its capacity. Those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally." This verse is general concerning all disbelievers, both the ancient and the modern. Ibn Kathir, Asim, and Ibn Amer read: "The gates will not be opened" with the first 'taa' pronounced with a dammah and the second 'taa' emphasized. Abu Amr read: "They will be opened" with a dammah on the 'taa', a sukoon on the 'faa', and the second 'taa' lightened. Hamzah and Al-Kisai read: "It will be opened" with a yaa' from below and the 'taa' lightened. Abu Haywah and Abu Ibrahim read: "It will be opened" with a yaa', a fathah on the 'faa', and an emphasized 'taa'. The meaning of the verse is: "No deed, spirit, or supplication will be elevated for them." It is general in negating what is due to the believers in Allah, the Exalted. This was said by Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with him - and others. Al-Tabari mentioned the manner of taking the soul of the believer and the disbeliever, and I have summarized it, as it is not necessary for the verse, and the chains of narration are also weak. Then Allah - glorified and exalted is He - negated for them entry into Paradise and conditioned it upon an impossible occurrence, which will not happen, that is, for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle, where the thread enters. The camel, as is known, and the needle, as is known. The majority of Muslims read: "the camel" as the singular of camels. Al-Hasan said: It is the camel that stands at the barn. At one time, when they insisted on it, he said: It is the 'ashter', which is "the camel" in Persian. At another time, he said: It is the camel, the offspring of the she-camel. This was also said by Ibn Mas'ud. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This phrase indicates the hardship of the questioner, due to the suspicion of the questioners, there is no doubt about the wording, because of the differing readings. Al-Tabari mentioned from Mujahid, from Ibn Mas'ud that he used to read: "Until the yellow camel enters." Abu Al-Sammal read: "the camel" with a sukoon on the 'meem'. Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Mujahid, Ibn Jubair, Al-Sha'bi, Malik Ibn Al-Shakhir, and Abu Raja read: "the camels" with a dammah on the 'jeem' and an emphasized 'meem'. Salim Al-Aftas, Ibn Khayr, and Ibn Amer also read: "the camels" with a lightened 'meem' from "the camels". They said: It is the rope of the ships. Al-Kisai narrated that the one who narrated the emphasis of the 'meem' from Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with him - was non-Arabic, so he emphasized the 'meem' due to his foreignness. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This is weak due to the multitude of the companions of Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with him - on the mentioned reading. Sa'id Ibn Jubair read, in what was narrated from him: "the camels" with a dammah on the 'jeem' and a sukoon on the 'meem'. Ibn Abbas also read: "the camels" with a dammah on the 'jeem' and the 'meem'.
'And the 'samm': the hole of the needle and others; it is said 'samm' and 'summ' with the opening of the sīn, and its breaking, and its closing; and the majority read with the opening of the sīn; and Ibn Sirin read with the closing; and Abu Haywah read with the closing and with the breaking; and both readings were narrated from him; and 'al-khayāt' and 'al-mikhyāt': the needle; and Ibn Mas'ud read: 'in the summ of the mikhyāt' with the breaking of the mīm, and the stillness of the khā', and the opening of the yā'; and Talhah read: 'in the summ of the makh'yāt' with the opening of the mīm; and likewise Ubayy on this description; and with such a matter and others, the disbelievers are recompensed; and the people of crimes are upon Allah - blessed and exalted is He.
And His saying, 'For them is a bed in Hell' means that Hell is a bedding for them; and a dwelling; and a place to lie down that they make comfortable; and it is for them 'ghawāsh'; the plural of 'ghāshiyah'; and it is what covers a person; that is, it covers him and conceals him from above; Al-Dahhak said: 'The 'mihād' is the bedding; and 'al-ghawāshī' are the blankets; and the tanwīn entered in 'ghawāsh' according to Sibawayh due to its deficiency from the structure of 'mafā'il'; so when the structure that prevents it from being declined was removed by the deletion of the yā', it was deleted not for the meeting; but as it was deleted from His saying: 'By the night when it covers' [Al-Fajr: 4]; and 'That is what we were seeking' [Al-Kahf: 64]; and from the saying of the poet:
.................................. then it does not cease.
The prevention has ceased; and this is like their saying: 'dhuldhul' with tanwīn; and they mean 'al-dhalādhil'; when the structure was removed; Al-Zajjāj said: and the tanwīn in 'ghawāsh' according to Sibawayh is a substitute for the omitted yā'; and Abu Ali rejected that this is the doctrine of Sibawayh; and it is permissible to stop with yā' and without yā'; and the choice is without yā'.
And His saying, 'And those who believed and did righteous deeds'; this verse is a verse of promise informing that all believers are the companions of Paradise; and for them is eternity therein; then he interrupted during the saying with the condition that he stipulated for the believers with an interruption that lightens the condition and gives hope in the mercy of Allah - blessed and exalted is He; and informs that His religion is ease.
And this verse is a text that the Shari'ah does not impose anything from its obligations that is unbearable; and it has preceded the saying regarding the permissibility of imposing what is unbearable; and in its occurrence; it is sufficient to avoid repetition.
And 'al-wus' is its meaning: the capacity; and it is the amount that is sufficient for the capacity of human beings.
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