Tafsir of Al-Muddathir 74:31

The majority hold that they are the chieftains (nuqaba'). The meaning of them being "over it" is that they manage its affairs and the totality of its wardens is entrusted to them. Otherwise, it has been narrated: "Hell will be brought forth on that day, having seventy thousand reins, and with each rein are seventy thousand angels dragging it."

Some have suggested that the omitted distinction is "class" (saff), or it is said "a row" (saff). The original [meaning] is: "Over it are nineteen classes" or "Over it are nineteen rows." However, this is made unlikely by what was mentioned earlier in the report from the 'Hibr' (Ibn Abbas), as well as the saying of the Almighty: "And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve." For what readily comes to mind is that their trial lies in their [the disbelievers'] own estimation—their deeming it far-fetched that nineteen should be assigned to torment the majority of mankind, and their mocking of that. With the estimation of "class" or "row," that [the mockery] does not hold.

Many have stated in the reasoning for making them angels: that they might inspire fear in the kind of those being tormented, so that they would not show them mercy, nor would the [tormented] find solace in them; and because they are the strongest of creation, the most steadfast in upholding the right of Allah the Almighty, the most fiercely wrathful for His sake, and the most severe in might. In the Hadith: "Their eyes are like lightning, and their words are like thunderbolts; they drag their hair; they possess the strength of both mankind and jinn combined; one of them will seize a community of people and carry them on his shoulders like a mountain until he casts them into the Fire, then he casts the mountain upon them." It is not unlikely that the nunation (tanwin) implies the greatness of their affair.

The meaning of His saying: "And We have not made their number except..." to the end, according to what some eminent scholars have chosen, is: "And We have not made the number of the keepers of the Fire except the number which necessitated the trial of those who disbelieve, through [their] estimation and mockery, which is the nineteen." It is as if the origin was: "And We have not made their number except nineteen." Thus, the effect—which is the trial of those who disbelieve—is expressed in place of the cause—which is the specific [number] nineteen—because, as is known, it is the cause of their mockery.

It is said that "except as a trial for those who disbelieve" is a substitute for "except nineteen," to alert that the effect here is inseparable from its cause; because of their interdependence, they are as one thing, where the name of one is used to express the other. The meaning of making their number—the absolute number—the specific number, is to give information about their count as being such-and-such, for the "making" (ja'l) does not relate to the number itself, but rather to the counted. So, the meaning is: "We informed that their number is nineteen and no other, so that those who were given the Scripture might be certain"—that is, that they might attain certainty of his prophethood (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the truthfulness of the Qur'an, due to the agreement of those mentioned [the keepers] with their mention in the Qur'an by this number, and in the two Books likewise. This is distinct from the creation of the angels upon that specific number, for that is an act of bringing into existence (ijad). Some investigators say it is not valid to make their creation upon that description a cause for the aforementioned certainty, for it is only [the cause] through the agreement. Some have troubled themselves to validate it by saying that the "creation" is the cause for the "informing," and the "informing" is the cause for the "certainty," so it is a remote cause for it; and a thing, as it is attributed to its remote cause, is also attributed to its near cause—but, as he said, this is not sound.

The interpretation of expressing the effect for the cause was necessary, and the speech was not left to its literal meaning, because the "making" (ja'l) is of the category of the subject and predicate. Whatever follows it follows by considering the relation of one of the two objects to the other. Like your saying: "I made the silver into a ring for adorning," and likewise: "I did not make the silver except a ring for such-and-such." There is no meaning to the consequence of "attaining certainty" and what follows it on the "making of their number a trial for the disbelievers," nor does their being tried by that specific number have any relevance to that. What has relevance is the number itself—that is, the number in consideration of it being the specific number and the informing of it, as you have heard. This is neither a distortion of the Book of Allah nor is it based on the observation of a false school of thought, as imagined.

Some have burdened themselves to explain the causality on the literal meaning in a way that exhausts the ears, so we shall not blacken these pages with it. In Al-Bahr, it is stated: "so that they may be certain" is a final cause (maf'ul min ajlih), and it is connected to "We have made," not to "a trial." Thus, the trial is not the caused effect of the certainty, rather the caused effect is making the number a cause of the trial. In Al-Intisaf, it is permitted that His saying "so that they may be certain" refers back to what is before the exception: that is, "We made their number a cause for the trial of the disbelievers and the certainty of the believers." The Imam mentioned two facets regarding this; the second is what we have presented as chosen by some eminent scholars. The first is that the estimation is: "And We have not made their number except a trial for the disbelievers, AND so that those who were given the Scripture might be certain." He said: "This is as you would say, 'I did such-and-such for your glorification and for the humiliation of your enemy.'" The conjunctive 'wa' (and) may be mentioned in this place at one time and omitted at another. Others have said that it is connected to an omitted [verb], meaning: "We did that so that those who were given the Scripture might be certain," etc. All of this is as you see.

Carrying "those who were given the Scripture" to mean the people of the two Books is a view held by a group. It is said they are the Jews, for Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah, and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Ba'th narrated from Al-Bara' that a group of Jews asked a man from the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the keepers of Hell. He said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He came and informed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and at that very moment, [Over it are nineteen] was revealed. Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Marduyah narrated from Jabir that he said: "Some people of the Jews said to people of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): 'Does your Prophet know the number of the keepers of Hell?' They informed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he said: 'Like this, and like this, and like this,' sometimes ten and sometimes nine." It is sensed from this that the Surah is Madani, because the Jews were only there [in Medina]. This is a weak sensing, for the questioning was to a companion, so perhaps he was a traveler and he was confronted by a Jew wherever he was. Also, there is nothing to prevent the Jews from coming toward Makkah at that time. Furthermore, the two reports do not mandate carrying the described [group] to the Jews, as is hidden. Thus, it is better to leave the definition as a genus and to include both groups in the description; that is, that the People of the Scripture, both Jews and Christians, may attain certainty.

And those who believe may increase in faith—that is, their faith increases in quality by what they saw of the submission of the People of the Scripture and their confirmation that it is as stated; or in quantity, by adding their faith in this to their faith in all that was sent down. And those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt—this is a confirmation of the aforementioned certainty and increase in faith, and a negation of any doubt the certain one might encounter due to neglecting some premises or the emergence of something that might be imagined as contradictory at first glance. Because of this addition, it is permissible to connect it to the confirmed [statement] with the 'wa' (and), due to their difference in the sentence.

The believer was not organized into the negation, and the People of the Scripture were not included in the negation of doubt—as it did not say: "And they shall not doubt"—to alert to the contrast between the two negations in state. For the negation of doubt from the People of the Scripture is concurrent with the rejection that contradicts it, while from the believers, it is concurrent with what their faith necessitates—and how great is the difference between them! It is also said that it did not say "And they shall not doubt," but rather "And those... will not doubt," to specify the confirmation of both matters, due to the possibility of the pronoun in "that" referring only to the believers.

The expression of the believers by the active participle (al-mu'minun) after mentioning them with the relative pronoun (alladhina) and the verbal subordinate clause—which indicates occurrence—is to indicate their steadfastness in faith after their increase and rootedness in it.

And that those in whose hearts is a disease—that is, doubt or hypocrisy (this being based on the premise that the entire Surah is Meccan, and hypocrisy only emerged in Medina; thus, it is information about the unseen that will occur after the migration)—and the disbelievers—those who persist in denial—might say: "What did Allah intend by this as a similitude?"—that is, what did the Almighty intend by this number, which is regarded as strange, as a similitude? In the first case, "what" (madha) is a single name for questioning in the accusative case by the verb "intended." In the second, it is composed of the word "what" (ma), an interrogative noun as a subject, and "this" (dha), a relative noun as its predicate, and the sentence following it is the conjunctive, with the return pronoun omitted. "As a similitude" (mathalan) is in the accusative as a specifier (tamyiz) or as a state (hal), as in His saying: "This is the she-camel of Allah for you as a sign."

It is apparent that the words of this sentence are recounted, and by the pointing, they intended contempt. Their purpose was to deny that this is from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, in the most eloquent way, not to genuinely question the wisdom, nor to attack its inclusion of wisdom while they acknowledge that the information regarding it originated from Him, the Exalted. It is permissible that "Allah intended" is from the recounting, and they said: "What did He intend?" and the like. It is also said that "similitude" might be in its other meaning, which is what is likened to a proverb, in that they considered it—due to its strangeness—a proverb struck [at them] and attributed it to Him, the Exalted, in mockery and ridicule.

Singling out this [verse] with this reason, while it is of the category of their trial, is said to be to indicate its independence in infamy. In the Shahabiyyah annotations, the 'lam' (in lithaydi) is repeated to distinguish between the two causes; for the preference of the first is the guidance intended in essence, while the preference of this is the misguidance intended accidentally, arising from the evil deeds of the misguided. The attribution of His actions to wisdoms and interests is permissible according to the investigators. It is also permissible for this 'lam'—as with the first—that it be of consequence ('aqibah).

Thus Allah misguides whom He wills—this points to what preceded it regarding the meaning of misguidance and guidance. The position of the 'kaf' (in kadhalika) originally is that it is an adjective for an omitted verbal noun (masdar). The original estimation is: "Allah misguides whom He wills and guides whom He wills, a misguiding and a guiding, being like what was mentioned of misguiding and guidance." Then the verbal noun was omitted and its adjective was raised in its place, then it was brought before the verb to signify restriction, so the arrangement became: "Like that misguidance and that guidance, Allah the Almighty misguides whom He wills to misguide—by diverting his choice according to his evil disposition toward the side of misguidance when observing the signs of Allah which speak of guidance—and guides whom He wills to guide—by diverting his choice according to his good disposition when observing those signs toward the side of guidance—not a misguiding and guidance lower than them." It is also permissible that the indication is to what follows, as in His saying: "And thus We have made you a middle nation," as verified in its place.

And none knows the soldiers of your Lord—the plural of soldier (jund). It became well-known for the army, in consideration of the hardness of the jund—that is, the hard earth that contains stones. It is said for every group: "And none knows the multitudes of His creation, the Exalted, among whom are the angels mentioned, as they truly are, except He, the Almighty and Majestic." For there is no way for anyone to encompass the possibilities, nor to grasp their realities and qualities, let alone have insight into the details of their states—their number, their nature, and their relations. This is a refutation of their mockery of the keepers being nineteen, due to their ignorance of the aspect of wisdom in that.

Muqatil said: "It is an answer to Abu Jahl's saying: 'Does the Lord of Muhammad have no helpers except nineteen?'" Its essence is that when he belittled the helpers, he was answered that they are uncountable in number, and that those appointed over the Fire are only these specific ones; it does not mean that "none knows the strength and violence of the angels except He," contrary to Al-Tayyibi, for the wording is not clearly indicative of this meaning.

There is disagreement regarding the majority of the soldiers of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It is said: the angels, for the heavens have groaned, and it is right for them to groan, for there is not a space of a footstep in them but there is an angel standing, or bowing, or prostrating. In some reports: "The creatures of the land are ten times the creatures of the sea, and the total is ten times the creatures of the air, and the total is ten times the creatures of the angels of the lowest heaven, and the total is ten times the angels of the second heaven," and so on until the seventh heaven, and the total is ten times the angels of the Throne, and the total is a lesser-than-little in comparison to what none knows but Allah. It is said the total is a lesser-than-little in comparison to the Angels of Consternation (muhayyimin), who do not know that Allah the Almighty created anyone. And the total is a lesser-than-little in comparison to what He, the Exalted, knows of His creatures. It is narrated from Al-Awza'i that he said: "Musa (peace be upon him) said: 'My Lord, who are the nearest to You in the heaven?' He said: 'My angels.' He said: 'How many are they?' He said: 'Twelve tribes.' He said: 'What is the count of each tribe?' He said: 'The count of the dust.'" If the authenticity of this is established, it is from the ambiguous (mutashabih), and I do not assert the majority of [any specific] row. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except He. It is not authenticated to me, but it prevails in the conjecture that the majority are the angels (peace be upon them). This verse and its likes from the verses and reports encourage saying that it is probable that in the celestial bodies there are soldiers from the soldiers of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, the realities and states of which none knows except He, the Mighty and Majestic. The domain of the kingdom of Allah, may His Majesty be glorified, is greater than that which the belt of limitation could encompass or the bird of thought could reach the center of—far be it, far be it, even if efforts and times were exhausted!

There is disagreement regarding the one who specified this number—I mean nineteen. It is said that the difference in human souls in reflection and action is due to the twelve animal powers—namely, the five internal senses, the five external senses, the motive force (such as the irascible and the appetitive), and the moving force. These are twelve. And the seven natures, three of which are served—the growing, the nourishing, and the generative powers—and four are servants—the digestive, the attractive, and the retaining. This, along with its basis in philosophy, is hardly complete, as is not hidden to one who has studied its books.

It is said that Hell has seven gates, six of which are for the classes of disbelievers. Every class is tormented for the abandonment of belief, acknowledgment, and action by types of torment that suit it. So, multiplying the six by the three yields eighteen, and for each type, there is an angel or a class that manages it. And one is for the sinners of the [Muslim] nation, who are tormented in it for the abandonment of action by a type that suits it, and an angel or a class manages it, and by this, the nineteen are completed with the classes of disbelievers and one for the classes of the nation. They did not make the torment of the disbelievers in five [gates], leaving two for the believers—one for the people of major sins and the other for the people of minor sins, or one for the male sinners and the other for the female sinners—because since the Fire was prepared for the disbelievers primarily and essentially, it is fitting that they occupy it entirely and be distributed over all its places as much as possible. But when His will, the Exalted, became attached to the torment of the nation therein, one of them was set aside for them.

It is said that the hours are twenty-four; five of them are spent for prayer, so no wardens were created corresponding to them due to the blessing of the prayer, which encompasses those who did not pray, so nineteen remain.

It is said that Hell has seven gates; six are for the classes of disbelievers, and due to the concern for their torment and its continuity, it is fitting that three stand over it—one in the middle and two on the ends—so these are eighteen; and one is for the sinners among the believers, and it is fitting that one stands over it. With this, the nineteen are completed.

It is said that the number is of two types: small, which is from one to nine; and large, which is from ten to whatever has no end. So, it combined the end of the small and the beginning of the large.

Others have said things beyond this. What most scholars have leaned toward is that this is something the wisdom of which is not known in truth except by Allah, the Almighty and Majestic. It is like the ambiguous; one believes in it and delegates its knowledge to Allah the Almighty. All that has been mentioned is of what one should not rely upon, as is not hidden to anyone who has turned even the slightest attention toward it. Allah the Almighty is the Guide to the correctness of the correct, and the Bountiful to whom He wills; He knows with no doubt or uncertainty accompanying it.

Abu Ja'far and Talha ibn Sulayman read "nineteen" (tis'ata 'ashar) with the silencing of the 'ayn' (sukun). It is a dialect therein, disliking the succession of vowels in what is [effectively] a single noun. Anas ibn Malik, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Qutb, and Ibrahim ibn Quta read "nine" (tis'atu) with a damma on the 'ta'—it is a vowel of construction (bina'), turned away from the fatha because of the succession of five fathas; it is not to be imagined as a vowel of inflection (i'rab), and "ten" ('ashara) is not inflected. Anas also read "nine" with damma and "ten" ('ashura) with fatha. The author of Al-Lawami' said: "It is possible he pluralized 'ten' as 'a'shur' (tens), then treated it like 'nineteen'." From him also: "nine" and "ten" ('ushur) with damma, and turning the hamza into a pure waw for ease. The 'ta' in both is marked with a damma of construction, for the reason you heard just now. From Sulayman ibn Quta (the brother of Ibrahim): he read "nine" with a damma of inflection, and added it to "tens" (a'shur), and made it genitive with nunation. This, according to the author of Al-Lawami', is the plural of 'ten' ('ashara). He clearly stated that the angels, according to the reading of this plural—whether inflected or indeclinable—are ninety angels. Al-Zamakhshari said: "It is a plural of 'ashir', like 'yamin' and 'ayman'." It is narrated from him that he said: "Nine of the angels, each one of them is an 'ashir' (a group of ten), so they, with their associates, are ninety." And 'ashir' means ten, which indicates that the chieftains are nine. This was countered by saying that its indication of this meaning is not clear; for this reason, Ibn Jinni said: "There is no aspect for that reading except that he means nineteen is the plural of 'ashir', and they are the associates." So let it be revisited.

And what is it—that is, Saqar, as required by the speech of Mujahid—except a reminder to mankind? That is, a reminder for them. The conjunction, it is said, is to His saying: "I will cast him into Saqar." And "And We have not made the keepers of the Fire" until here is a parenthetical sentence. Its aspect is that it was said "Over it are nineteen," and as an addition in terrifying the affair of Hell, it was followed by what confirms their strength, their dominance, and their difference in severity from all other creatures, then by what confirms the quantity. And whatever confirms the confirmed is also a confirmation. It is said the pronoun is for the verses speaking of the states of Saqar. It is said for the count of its wardens. The reminder and the admonition therein are from the aspect that in His creation, the Almighty, there is that which is at the peak of greatness, such that a few of them are tormentors and destroyers of what is uncountable; this is a sign that He, the Almighty and Majestic, is not estimated at His true worth, His greatness cannot be described, and thoughts cannot reach the sanctuary of His majesty. It is said the pronoun is for the soldiers. It is said for the fire of the world—this is the weakest of the statements.

The strongest of them, according to what has been said, is what preceded. The [word] bashar (mankind) here and the bashar in the previous occurrence—that is, His saying: "A scorcher of the skin [bashar]"—according to the interpretation of the majority, is a perfect homonym, both in wording and in writing, and few are those who are reminded.