Tafsir of Al-Qamar 54:52

Surah Al-Qamar 54:52

ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ

And everything they did is in written records.

Tafsir

Ruh al-Ma'ani

Verse range: 54:52

Open in Qurani

Al-Qamar: 52

(And everything they have done) refers to disbelief and acts of disobedience. The pronoun in the nominative case [implicit in the verb] refers to the people [the followers], as has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, al-Dahhak, Qatadah, and Ibn Zayd. The sentence "they have done" is an adjective for "everything," and the connective link is the pronoun in the accusative case. His saying, "in the scriptures (al-zubur)," is linked to a specific implied predicate, meaning: everything they have done in this world is written in the books of the recording angels and is not neglected. The interpretation of "al-zubur" as the Preserved Tablet, as mentioned by al-Tabarsi, is unfounded.

The reciters have not differed regarding the nominative case of "everything" (kullu). The verse is not an instance of grammatical preoccupation (ishtighal); therefore, the accusative case is not permissible, because the meaning achieved by the nominative case would not remain if the preoccupied verb were to govern the preceding noun, as is required in that grammatical chapter. For the meaning here would then become: "They did (in the scriptures) everything," if we were to link the prepositional phrase to the verb "did." Or [it would mean] they did not perform their deeds in the books, but rather they performed them in their own places, and the angels—peace be upon them—wrote them down for them in the books. Or [it would mean] they did everything that is written "in the scriptures," if we were to make the prepositional phrase an adjective for "everything." While this is a sound meaning, it contradicts the intended meaning in the state of the nominative case, which is what was previously mentioned.