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

Tafsir of Surah An-Naba

It is agreed that it is Meccan, and there is no abrogation or ruling in it except for what some people said regarding His saying, the Exalted: ﴿They will remain in it for ages﴾ [An-Naba: 23] that it is abrogated. This is a statement that has been refuted, for news cannot be abrogated. We mention this statement as a warning against its invalidity.

His saying, the Exalted:

﴿About what are they asking one another﴾ ﴿About the great news﴾ ﴿In which they disagree﴾ ﴿Indeed, they will know﴾ ﴿Then indeed, they will know﴾ ﴿Did We not make the earth a resting place﴾ ﴿And the mountains as pegs﴾ ﴿And We created you in pairs﴾ ﴿And We made your sleep a time of rest﴾ ﴿And We made the night a covering﴾ ﴿And We made the day a means of livelihood﴾ ﴿And We built above you seven strong [heavens]﴾ ﴿And We made a blazing lamp﴾ ﴿And We sent down from the rain clouds water pouring﴾ ﴿That We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation﴾ ﴿And gardens, dense﴾

The origin of "'Amma" is from "ma," then the noon was assimilated after it was changed, so "'Amma" remained in the news and in the question. Then they omitted the alif in the question to differentiate it from the news. Among the Arabs are those who lighten the meem, so they say: "'Am." This question with "'Amma" is a question of pause and amazement from them. Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Ibn Mas'ud, Ikrimah, and Isa read: "'Amma" with the alif, and Al-Dahhak read: "'Ammah" with a pause. This occurs only at the stop.

As for "the great news," some said: it is the legislation brought by Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. Mujahid and Qatadah said: it is specifically the Qur'an. Qatadah also said: it is the resurrection from the graves. It is possible that the pronoun in "they are asking" refers to all of humanity, and in this case, "the disagreement" would mean the affirmation of the believers and the denial of the disbelievers and the whispers of the skeptics. It is also possible that the pronoun refers to the disbelievers from Quraysh, and in this case, "the disagreement" would be the doubt of some and the denial of others, and their saying: magic, sorcery, madness, and other than that. His saying, the Exalted: ﴿About the great news﴾ is related to "they are asking" in the apparent sense, as if He, the Exalted, said: why are they asking about this news? Al-Zajjaj said: the speech is complete in His saying, the Exalted: ﴿About what are they asking one another﴾, then it was necessary for someone to respond and say: they are asking about the great news. Thus, the brevity of the Qur'an with its eloquence necessitated that the one arguing should hasten to the answer that the situation and proximity require, in order to cut off their argument and hasten to the point of their refutation. This is similar to His saying, the Exalted: ﴿Say, what is greater in testimony? Say, Allah is Witness﴾ [Al-An'am: 19], and there are many similar examples, and the warning about them has occurred in its places.

And the seven reciters, Al-Hasan, Abu Ja'far, Shaiba, and Al-Amash read: "Nay, they will surely know" with the letter 'ya' in both places, referring to the absent. The apparent meaning of the words is that it is a rebuttal to the disbelievers in their denial, and a warning to them in the future. He repeated the admonition for emphasis. Al-Dhahhak said: The meaning is: "Nay, they will surely know," meaning the disbelievers in terms of the warning. Then, "Nay, they will surely know," meaning the believers in terms of the promise. Ibn 'Amir - as narrated from him - and Malik ibn Dinar, and Al-Hasan read differently: "Nay, you will surely know" with the letter 'ta' in both places, addressing the present audience, as if He, the Most High, is saying: Say to them, O Muhammad, and repeat the admonition and the promise for emphasis. Any interpretation of this reading other than this is forced. Some people read: "Nay, they will surely know" with the letter 'ya' in terms of the rebuttal and the warning to the disbelievers, then "Nay, you will surely know" with the letter 'ta' from above in terms of the rebuttal to the disbelievers and the promise to the believers. The knowledge in this verse means "you will know," and that is why it does not exceed.

Then He, the Most High, stopped them at His verses and the wonders of His creations and His power, which necessitates reflection upon them, acknowledging resurrection and believing in Allah, the Most High. "Al-Mihād": the spread-out bedding, and likewise the earth for its structure. Mujahid, 'Isa, and some of the Kufans read: "Mihādan," and the meaning is similar to the first. He likened the mountains to pegs because they hold, weigh down, and prevent the earth from swaying. And "pairs" means types in your colors, shapes, and tongues. Some said: Its meaning is: two kinds, male and female.

And "Al-Subat" means stillness. When a man rests, it means he relaxes, takes a break, and leaves work. From it, "Al-Subat" is a known ailment; it was named so because stillness or silence excessively affects a person until it becomes harmful and deadly. Sleep is similar to it except in harm. Abu 'Ubaidah said: "Subatan": interruptions to work and actions. "Al-Sabt": cutting, and from it, "The hair of a man is cut" when his hair is cut. And from it, the sabti shoes, which are those from which the hair has been cut.

And "Libas" is a source, and the night is likewise in that it covers people, so it dresses them and envelops them. It is said: He made it a 'libas' because it obscures the light of the eyes and confuses them about things. The wording weakens this saying because it should be "malbas," and "libas" is only said from wearing clothes. "And We made the day a means of livelihood" with an omitted addition, or in relation, just as you say "a sleeping night." And "The seven strong ones": the heavens, and the more eloquent in the word of the heavens is the feminine form. He described it as strong because no corruption quickly reaches it due to its firmness. And "Al-Sirāj": the sun, and "Al-Wahhāj": the hot, blazing fire, the high flame. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As said: The sun in the fourth heaven appears to us, and its flame is blazing high.

And the people differed regarding "the mu'risat." Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Ibn Jubayr, Zayd ibn Aslam, Muqatil, and Qatadah said: They are the heavens. Ibn Abbas, Abu al-Aliyah, al-Rabi', and al-Dahhak said: The mu'risat are the rain-bearing clouds. This is taken from 'asr, because the clouds are squeezed and water comes out of them. This is the opinion of the majority, and with it, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Anbari, the judge, explained the verse of Hassan:

Both are the milking of the juice.....

The verse.

Some of those named said: They are the clouds that contain water but have not yet rained, like a woman who is about to menstruate but has not yet menstruated. Ibn Kaysan said: The clouds are called mu'risat because they bring relief, so they are from "al-'asrah" and from His saying, the Exalted: "And therein they press." Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, and Mujahid said: The mu'risat are the winds because they squeeze the clouds. Ibn al-Zubayr, Ibn Abbas, al-Fadl ibn Abbas, Qatadah, and Ikrimah read: "And We sent down with the mu'risat," which strengthens that He meant the winds. And "al-thajjaj": the rapid flow, as blood flows from the veins of the slaughtered animal. From this is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, when he was asked: What is the best pilgrimage? He said: "The loud supplication and the rapid flow," meaning the earnestness in supplication and the slaughtering of the sacrificial animal. And "al-habb": the type of grains that benefit animals, and "al-nabat": the grass that is used fresh for a person or livestock. Allah, the Exalted, mentioned the place of the two benefits. And "al-lafafan" is the plural of "luff" with a dammed lam, and "luff" is the plural of "laffah." The meaning is the entwined branches and leaves, and this is always present with freshness and irrigation. Some people said: "al-lafafan" is the plural of "lif" with a broken lam, and "liff" means the garden entwined with branches. Al-Kisai said: "al-lafafan" is the plural of "lafif." The poet said:

The entwined branches have distinct offshoots, And their roots are separate from the lineage of the close ones.