Tafsir of Ad-Dukhan 44:16

"The Day We shall seize [them with] the greatest seizure" is the Day of Badr, according to Ibn Mas'ud. This was recorded by 'Abd ibn Humayd and Ibn Jarir on the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Mujahid, al-Hasan, Abu al-'Aliyah, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Muhammad ibn Sirin, Qatadah, and 'Atiyyah. Ibn Mardawayh also recorded it on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas.

Ibn Jarir and 'Abd ibn Humayd recorded, with a sound chain of narration, from 'Ikrimah who said: Ibn 'Abbas said: Ibn Mas'ud said, "The greatest seizure is the Day of Badr," and I say: It is the Day of Resurrection. In al-Bahr, the narrative that it is the Day of Resurrection is also attributed to al-Hasan and Qatadah.

The adverbial phrase is governed by what is indicated by His saying, the Almighty: "Indeed, We will take retribution" (meaning: Indeed, We will take retribution on the day We seize [them]). It is also said it is governed by "retribution," but al-Zajjaj and others rejected this on the grounds that what follows "inna" (indeed) cannot govern what precedes it. It is also said it is governed by "you are returning," in the sense of: "Indeed, you will return to the punishment on the day We seize."

It is also said it is governed by "removers of the punishment," though this is baseless. It is also said it is governed by "their mention," or "mention" as an implied imperative. It is also said it is a substitution for "the day [when] it comes," etc.

It is read "nabtishu" with a damma on the ta. Al-Hasan, Abu Raja’, and Talhah (according to one narration from him) read "nubtishu" with a damma on the nun, from the form if'al, meaning: "We will incite the angels (upon them be peace) to seize them," or "We will empower them to do so," in which case the object of the verb is omitted due to clarity and to increase the sense of terror. On this reading, "the seizure" (al-batshah) is made a cognate accusative (maf'ul mutlaq) after the fashion of saying "I planted you [with] a plant." Ibn Jinni and Abu Hayyan said: It is in the accusative case due to an implicit verb indicated by the explicit one, meaning: "The day We seize whom We seize, then We inflict the greatest seizure."

Ibn Jinni also said: You may put it in the accusative as an object, in the sense that it is said: "We will inflict the greatest seizure upon them and empower it over them," like your saying: "The day We unleash slaughter upon them and extend the seizing of them." In al-Qamus: "He batasha by him, yabtishu and yabtushu, meaning he seized him with violence and force," similar to abtashahu. Al-batsh is the severe seizure in all things, and it is al-ba’s (might/adversity). So do not do [it].