Qaf: 19

"And the stupor of death will come with the truth..."

This speech follows the completion of the exposition by proving the resurrection—which they denied—with the clearest and most manifest proof, indicating that this thing you deny is what you shall encounter, so take heed. The use of the past tense here, and subsequently, is to indicate the certainty of its occurrence.

"The stupor of death" (sakrat al-mawt) refers to its intensity. It is a metaphor derived from the condition that overtakes a person and their intellect, based on the commonality that both cause the intellect to suffer what it suffers. It is also suggested that death is likened to a drink through the mechanism of an implied metaphor (isti'arah makniyyah), and that affirming the "stupor" for it is a form of imaginative representation (takhayyul), though this is not the strongest view.

The ba (in bil-haqq) is either for the purpose of transitivity, as in your saying: "The messenger came with the news," and the meaning is: "The stupor of death brought with it the reality of the matter that the books of Allah the Exalted and His messengers—peace be upon them—spoke of." It is also said: it means the truth of the matter and the clarity of the situation regarding the deceased's happiness or misery. Others say: it means with the truth that ought to be regarding death and retribution, for man was created for it.

Alternatively, it may be for accompaniment, as in the verse: "bringing forth oil" (tunbitu bid-duhn), meaning: accompanied by the truth, that is, by the reality of the matter. It is also said to mean: with wisdom and the beautiful end. It has been recited as "The stupor of truth through death" (sakrat al-haqq bil-mawt), the meaning being that it is the stupor decreed for man by the necessity of wisdom, and that due to its intensity, it necessitates the departure of the soul or follows it. It is also said that ba means "with."

Others say: "The stupor of Truth" refers to the stupor of Allah the Exalted, on the basis that "The Truth" (al-Haqq) is one of His names—Exalted is He—and the genitive construction is for the purpose of awe, for that which comes from the Great is great. Ibn Mas'ud recited it as "The stupors of death" (sakarat al-mawt) in the plural. This is supported by what Al-Bukhari, Al-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah recorded from Aisha: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had a rakwah or a container of water before him; he would dip his hands into the water and wipe his face with them, saying: "There is no god but Allah; indeed, death has its stupors." It also appears in a hadith authenticated by Al-Hakim from Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from Aisha as well, that she said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while he was dying, and by him was a cup of water. He would insert his hand into the cup, then wipe his face with the water, then say: 'O Allah, help me against the stupors of death.'"

"That is what you were trying to escape from."

This refers to the truth, and the address is to the transgressor, not to man in an absolute sense. The reference is to death, because the discourse concerns the disbelievers. The verse "And We have certainly created man" was brought forth to establish knowledge of the details of his conditions, and to include a veiled warning to them, transitioning from that to an explanation of his conditions in the Hereafter. Furthermore, His saying—Exalted is He—"You were in a state of neglect of this" aligns with the address to them, as does that which follows it, as is not hidden. As for the mention of their opposition, it is addressed where He—Exalted is He—says: "And Paradise is brought near..." (the verses).

Some eminent scholars say: The reference is to death, and the address is to man, encompassing both the righteous and the transgressor, as the aversion to death is naturally inherent in every one of its individuals.

Al-Tayyibi said: If His saying—Exalted is He—"And the stupor of death will come with the truth" is connected to His saying—Exalted is He—"But they are in confusion over a new creation" and His saying—Exalted is He—"The people of Noah denied before them," then it is appropriate that the reference be to the truth and the address be to the transgressor. If, however, it is connected to His saying—Exalted is He—"And We have certainly created man," then it is appropriate that the reference be to death and the address be to the genus (humanity), containing both the righteous and the transgressor. The shift in address does not conflict with either view, and the second is the more sound view due to His saying after that: "And every soul will come..." (etc.), and the elaboration of this with His saying: "Throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever... And Paradise is brought near to the righteous, not far." In this is what is known from what we have presented.

Al-Kashshaf recounts from some that Zayd was asked about this and said: "The address is to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)." He then recounted this to Salih ibn Kaysan, who said: "By Allah, this is not from the high level of speech, nor is it the eloquent tongue, nor is it knowledge of the speech of the Arabs; it is for the disbeliever." Then he recounted both views to Al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abbas, who said: "I differ with them both; it is for both the righteous and the transgressor." It is as if this disagreement is along the lines of what you have heard from Al-Tayyibi.

In some traditions, there is support for the view of generality. Ibn Sa'd recorded from 'Urwah, who said: When Al-Walid died, Umm Salamah wept and said: "O eye, weep for Al-Walid ibn Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah, as if Al-Walid ibn Al-Walid were the father of Al-Walid, the youth of the clan." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Do not say thus, O Umm Salamah, but say: 'And the stupor of death will come with the truth; that is what you were trying to escape from.'" Ahmad and Ibn Jarir recorded from Abdullah, the freed slave of Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, that when Abu Bakr was dying, Aisha recited this verse of poetry: O censurer, what does caution avail the youth when the decree descends one day and the chest becomes tight because of it? Abu Bakr said: "It is not so, O my daughter, but say: 'And the stupor of death will come with the truth; that is what you were trying to escape from.'" In a narration by Ibn al-Mundhir and Abu 'Ubayd, it is said that she had recited: And a white one, through whose face rain is sought, the refuge of the orphans, the protection of the widows. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Rather, say: 'And the stupor of death...'" for the recitation of the verse, assuming its generality, is more appropriate to the situation, as is not hidden.