Al-Waqi'ah: (2) There is no denying its occurrence.

(There is no denying its occurrence.)

This is either a parenthetical clause emphasizing the certainty of its occurrence, or a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for the "occurrence" (al-waqi'ah), as Ibn Atiyyah stated.

(Kadhibah) is an active participle acting as an adjective for an elided noun, meaning: "no soul." It has also been said that the elided noun is "a statement." The first view is superior, because describing a person as a liar is more common than describing a report as such.

(Al-Waqi'ah) signifies a powerful descent; it became common usage for the occurrence of a momentous event, and it may be specific to war—hence it is expressed here. The lam is for timing, similar to your saying: "I wrote it for five days remaining" (li-khamsin khulun). That is, at the time of its occurrence, there will not be a "denying soul"—meaning one that lies against Allah, the Exalted, and lies in its denial of Him regarding His forewarning of it.

The clarification of this is that the denier of the Hour now is a liar against the Exalted regarding its occurrence, and he is a liar in his denial of the Glorious One because his claim contradicts the reality. But when it occurs, he will no longer be a liar (denying) but rather one who is truthful (conceding/acknowledging).

It is also said: The meaning is that at the time of its occurrence, there is no soul that is false in any matter. It is not hidden that the validity of this is based on the opinion that no lie will emanate from anyone on the Day of Resurrection, and that their statement, "By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists," is answered in the appropriate place.

Alternatively, the lam is in its literal sense, and (kadhibah) is an adjective for that same elided noun. That is: "There is no denying soul for its occurrence," meaning no one will deny its happening, and no one will say to the Hour, "You will not be," because existence has already been realized—just as they say to it in this world, whether by tongue or by deed. For whoever is deceived by the adornments of this world has lied about the Hour in its occurrence through the tongue of state, saying, "You will not be." This is like saying to someone you are addressing, "We have no king for your favor who is a liar," meaning no one will deny it by saying it is not real. There is a representational metaphor here, because the Hour cannot be addressed except in that manner, either by way of imagination—in the vein of saying to fat, "Where are you going?" which is the most apparent view—or by way of reality.

It is also permitted that (kadhibah) is derived from their saying, "His soul lied to him" (kadhabat nafsuhu)—meaning it deluded him with wishes, made distant matters seem near, and encouraged him to undertake a great task. The lam is said to be in its literal sense also: meaning, when it occurs, there is no soul that tells its possessor that he can endure its intensity and bear it, or that he can overcome it. In al-Kashf, it is stated that the lam in this view is for timing, as in the first view.

It is also permitted that (kadhibah) is an infinitive (masdar) meaning "denial"—which is to discourage or hold back. The matter of the lam is clear: there is no recoil or retreat from its occurrence, like a true assault by one of overwhelming power. A similar account is narrated from al-Hasan and Qatadah. It is mentioned that the essence of denial in this sense returns to the soul’s denial in its lying, alluring, and encouraging. One recited for this the lines of Zuhayr: A lion of Bouthar that hunts men, when the lion "denies/withholds" from his peers truthfully.

It is also permissible to interpret al-kadhibah as "falsity" regarding the occurrence: it is a true occurrence that is unbearable, just as one speaks of a "true assault" (hamla sadiqah) and "an assault of his that is true" (hamla lahu sadiq). Or it bears the meaning that it is not, in its occurrence, a lie, because it is the truth, in which there is no doubt. Perhaps this is more apparent than what preceded, even if a similar view was narrated from whom you heard. Yes, it has been said against this that the coming of the infinitive on the pattern of the active participle is rare. And the saying of the Almighty...