Tafsir of Al-Waqi'ah 56:82

(That you deny)

"You say: 'We have been given rain by the setting of such-and-such star, and by the star of such-and-such'." This has been narrated by Imam Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi (who classified it as hasan), ad-Diya in al-Mukhtarah, and a group of scholars, on the authority of Ali—may Allah be pleased with his face—from the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. This is either an indication from him—upon him be peace and blessings—that there is an implied added word in the speech, meaning "the gratitude for your provision," or an indication that "provision" is a metaphor for its necessary consequence, which is gratitude.

Al-Haytham ibn 'Adi related that in the dialect of Azd Shanu'ah, "to provide for someone" (razaqa fulanan) means to thank him. It is reported from al-Kirmani, in his commentary on al-Bukhari, that he recorded that al-rizq (provision) is among the names for gratitude, though he considered this view weak. Perhaps this refers to what al-Haytham related. In al-Bahr and elsewhere, it is mentioned that Ali—may Allah be pleased with his face—and Ibn Abbas read shukrakum (your gratitude) instead of rizqakum (your provision). Some commentators on al-Bukhari interpreted this as an exegesis without the intention of recitation, though this contradicts the apparent meaning.

Ibn Marduyah narrated from Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, who said: "Ali—may Allah be pleased with his face—recited Surat al-Waqi'ah during the dawn prayer and said: 'And you make your gratitude that you deny.' When he finished, he said: 'I knew someone would ask why I recited it this way. I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, recite it likewise: "They used to say, when it rained, 'We have been rained upon by the setting of such-and-such star.' So Allah, the Exalted, revealed: 'And you make your gratitude that when you are rained upon, you deny'."'"

The meaning of making their gratitude a denial is to place denial in the position of gratitude, as if it were synonymous to them. This is like the saying: A greeting between them, a painful blow. And the poet’s verse: The gratitude of the people upon being gifted was (the breaking of the teeth and the gouging of the eyes).

Most reports state that the saying of the Exalted, "And you make..." refers to those who say: "We were given rain by the star of such-and-such," without the preceding context. Muslim, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Marduyah narrated from Ibn Abbas: "Rain fell during the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, said: 'Among the people, some have become grateful and some have become disbelievers.' They said: 'This is a mercy which Allah has placed.' But some of them said: 'The setting of such-and-such star has spoken truly.' Thus, this verse was revealed: 'I swear by the locations of the stars' until it reached: 'And you make your provision that you deny.'"

Ibn Asakir narrated a similar report in his history from Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her. This occurred, according to what Ibn Hatim narrated from Abu Urwah—may Allah be pleased with him—during the expedition of Tabuk. They descended upon al-Hijr, and he, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered them not to carry any water from it. Then they departed and arrived at another place where there was no water. They complained of this to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. He stood up, prayed two rak'ahs, and supplicated; they were rained upon and watered. A man of the Ansar, suspected of hypocrisy, said: "We have only been rained upon by the star of such-and-such," and so the verse was revealed.

Perhaps a number of the disbelievers also said something similar, or rather, they never ceased saying it. The narrations are numerous that the verse pertains to those who speak of the stars (al-anwa'). Ibn Atiyyah said: "The exegetes are unanimous that it is a rebuke to those people."

The apparent contrast between gratitude and disbelief in the aforementioned hadith suggests that "disbelief" here means ungratefulness for the blessing if it is attributed to other than its Source—Glory be to Him. This has been validated as distinct from faith (iman). Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Nasa'i, and others narrated from Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, led us in the morning prayer at al-Hudaybiyyah following rain that fell during the night. When he turned to us, he said: 'Do you know what your Lord said tonight?' They said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said: 'He said: "I have not bestowed a favor upon My servants but that a group among them became disbelievers in it. As for him who believed in Me and thanked Me for My rainfall, he is the one who believed in Me and disbelieved in the star. As for him who said, 'We were rained upon by the setting of such-and-such star,' he is the one who believed in the star and disbelieved in Me."'"

The verse, based on the view that it was revealed concerning those who said this, is evident regarding their disbelief which stands in opposition to faith. It is as if they were saying it out of the conviction that the stars are truly influential and the actual creators of the rain, which is undoubtedly disbelief. This is contrary to saying it while believing that it is from the grace of Allah, the Exalted, and that the star is merely a timing and a sign, which is not disbelief. It has also been said that calling it disbelief is because it leads to it, should one believe that the star is truly effective.

It is also said: The meaning of the verse is: "And you make your gratitude for the blessing of the Quran that you deny it." This is pointed to by what Qatadah narrated from al-Hasan: "Wretched is what the people have taken for themselves; they were not provided from the Book of Allah, the Exalted, except with denial." In al-Irshad, it is noted that this is more appropriate to the context of the noble arrangement and what preceded it.

I say: What we have presented is the transmitted interpretation, spoken by the tongues of the accepted scholars, and it is the view favored by the majority. There is nothing in it that prevents the intention of a meaning that corresponds to the occasion of revelation while also agreeing with the context of the noble structure. This is by saying: He, the Almighty, after describing the Quran with what indicates the majesty of its status and the honor of its place, and implying that it contains what leads to the purification of souls and adorning them with what necessitates their perfection—such as the true beliefs and the like—said: "A revelation from the Lord of the worlds." He—Glory be to Him—expressed His own Self by the word "the Lord," which refers to tarbiyah (nurturing), which is bringing a thing to its perfection, stage by stage.

This may also be derived from describing it as "noble" (karim), based on the meaning that it is one who provides abundant benefits, for there is no benefit more noble than that which has been mentioned. It has also been mentioned, not far from here, that which indicates that He, the Exalted, is the One who sends down the rain, and no one else—neither independently nor in partnership. He said: "Is it with this Quran, of great status, containing true beliefs, guiding to what is of benefit to you, that you are dismissive?" You do not thank Allah for it, and you make, instead of your gratitude, your denial of it. Among that is that you say when you are rained upon: "We were rained upon by the setting of such-and-such star," thereby attributing the sending of rain to the stars, even though He has guided you more than once to beliefs that reject this, and guided you that He, the Exalted, is the One who sends the rain, not the stars nor anything else at all.

Therefore, the interpretation of "denying" as "saying: We were rained upon by the star of such-and-such" is merely to explain the type of denial required by the situation—denial of the Quran described with those noble qualities. That this is done in the manner the disbelievers claim is a denial of it is a fact beyond dispute. There is no far-fetchedness in this.

It may also be said—under the assumption that "provision" refers to rain and that "you deny" means you deny that the rain is from Allah, the Exalted, as you attribute it to the stars—that although I have not encountered an explicit statement of this in a reliable narration, the meaning is: "Is it with this noble Quran, which guides to the fact that every blessing is from Him alone, and which stated recently that He alone sends the rain, that you are ungrateful?" That is, you deny—as you have heard from Ibn Abbas and al-Zajjaj. And among that is that you "make" in place of gratitude for the provision of rain which He sends down for you, your denial that it is from Allah, and you attribute it to the stars. The blame that follows is based on their denial of the Quran, understood from "you deny" or from His saying: "you are dismissive." However, the denial of it is by way of denying some of what it has spoken, as previously mentioned. The dependence of the verse's meaning on the report is not strange in the Holy Quran. The state of conjoining "And you make your provision that you deny" to what precedes it is not hidden to its people; so reflect, and Allah the Exalted is the Granter of success to the understanding of His Holy Book.

Al-Mufaddal read from Asim, "you deny" (tukathibun), with light articulation, from the root al-kidhb (lying), which is their saying of the Quran that it is—and God forbid—a fabrication. Their saying regarding the rain, that it is from the stars, returns to this, because the Quran speaks to the contrary.