Tafsir of An-Nazi'at 79:1-5

"In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. By those who extract vehemently, and those who remove with ease, and those who swim with ease, and those who race ahead with a race, and those who arrange the command."

These are oaths from Allah the Almighty by groups of the angels of death—peace be upon them—who extract souls from bodies absolutely. This is as stated in a narration from Ibn Abbas and Mujahid, or [who extract] the souls of the disbelievers, according to what Sa'id ibn Mansur and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Ali—may Allah ennoble his face—and Juwaybir in his tafsir from the Master (Ibn Abbas), and Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn Mas'ud, and 'Abd ibn Humayd from Qatadah. It is also narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr and Masruq.

They "remove" them—meaning they extract them from the bodies—similar to extracting a bucket from a well. They "swim" in their extraction, like one who extracts from the sea what he extracts. Then they "race ahead"—they hasten with the souls of the disbelievers to the Fire and with the souls of the believers to Paradise. Then they "arrange the command" of their punishment and reward by preparing them to perceive what has been prepared for them of pains and delights.

Some have leaned toward restricting the extraction (al-naz') to the souls of the disbelievers, and the removal (al-nashat) and swimming (al-sab'h) to the souls of the believers, because naz' implies pulling with intensity. It is followed by the words of the Almighty: "vehemently" (gharqan), which is an emphatic verbal noun (masdar) where the extras are elided; meaning, sinking deeply into the extraction from the extremities of the bodies. It is said that it is a species while naz' is a genus; meaning, in this particular place, which is more appropriate for the disbelievers. Ibn Mas'ud said: "The angels extract the soul of the disbeliever from his body from beneath every hair and from beneath the nails and the soles of the feet, then they sink it into his body, then they extract it, until when it is about to emerge, He returns it into his body repeatedly." This is their work regarding the disbelievers.

As for nashat, it is extracting with gentleness and ease, which is more appropriate for the believers. Likewise, sab'h (swimming) is manifest in moving with gentleness and grace. Some of the predecessors said that the angels draw out the souls of the believers smoothly, then they leave them to rest gradually, then they extract them with gentleness and kindness, like one who swims in water, for he moves gently so as not to drown. They are gentle in that extraction so that no pain or intensity reaches the believer.

In the Taj, it states that nashat is untying gently. It is said, as in the Bahr, "I untied (anshattu) the hobble," if you pull its slip-knot so it unravels. An anshutah is a knot that is easy to unravel when pulled, like the knot of a drawstring. If al-nashitat is derived from nashat in this sense, it is more consistent with the indication of gentleness and compassion.

The conjunction of all of them—treating the variation in titles as equivalent to a variation in essence, as has passed more than once—is to intimate that each of the enumerated attributes is among the most momentous of matters, worthy in itself to be the basis for the object described to deserve honor and veneration by swearing by it without adding another to it. If al-nazi'at (the extractors) were made the angels of torment and al-nashitat (the removers) the angels of mercy, then the conjunction would be for an essential variation, according to the rule. The fa (conjunction) in the latter two [attributes] is to indicate their following upon what preceded them without delay.

The accusative case of nashatan, sab'han, and sabqan is due to them being verbal nouns, just as the accusative of gharqan. As for the accusative of amran (command), it is as the object of al-mudabbirat (the arrangers), not by eliding a preposition—meaning "by a command from Him, the Almighty," as has been said and claimed to be the more correct view. Its indefiniteness is for the sake of terrifying and aggrandizing.

It is permissible that gharqan be a verbal noun interpreted as a descriptive adjective, and its accusative is also as an object for al-nazi'at, or as an adjective for the object of it; meaning, souls sunk in bodies. Some understood its "sinking" into them as the intensity of their attachment to them and the dominance of their qualities over them. That would be based on the immateriality of souls, as held by the philosophers and some eminent Muslims.

This said, we have not encountered a text regarding whether the angels, when seizing and extracting souls, enter into the bodies or not. The apparent meaning of the interpretation of al-nashitat is that they are, in the state of extraction, outside the body, like one standing; and [that] al-sabihat implies their entering into it to extract them, according to what has been said. You know that sab'h (swimming) is not in its literal sense, and there is no impediment to meaning by it mere connection and the like, which does not necessitate entry.

It is permissible that what is meant by al-sabihat and what follows are groups of angels who "swim" in their progression, thus racing ahead in it to what they have been commanded of worldly and otherworldly affairs, then they arrange its command regarding its modality and what is necessary for it. This includes both the angels of mercy and the angels of torment, and the conjunction here is for the variation of the described subjects.

Whatever the case, the answer to the oath is omitted, indicated by what follows of the conditions of the Resurrection, and to which the mentioned oaths point. The estimation is: "By the extractors, etc... you will surely be resurrected." To this, al-Farra and a group went.

It is said that these are oaths by the wandering stars which "extract"—meaning move, from "extracting the horse" if it runs—from east to west, "sinking" in the extraction, striving in the journey, until they traverse the celestial sphere as it appears to people, until they descend in the far west. They "remove" from one zodiac sign to another—meaning they exit, from "the removal of the bull" if it exits from one place to another. From this is the saying of Himyan ibn Qafah: “I see my sorrows removing the removers / Sometimes in the Levant, and sometimes in the middle of the Hijaz.”

They "swim" in the sphere, and some of them race ahead in the journey because they are faster in movement, then they arrange a command linked to them, such as the variation of seasons, the estimation of times, and the appearance of the times for worship and deferred transactions. Since their movements from east to west are fast and forced—dependent on the movement of the Great Sphere by necessity—and their movements from [one] zodiac sign [to another] are by their own volitions without coercion, and they are not fast, the term "extraction" (naz') was applied to the first because it is a pulling with intensity, and "removal" (nashat) to the second because it is with gentleness.

The interpretation of al-nazi'at as the stars is narrated from al-Hasan, Qatadah, al-Akhfash, Ibn Kaysan, and Abu Ubaydah; and the interpretation of al-nashitat as such from Ibn Abbas and the first three; and the interpretation of al-sabihat as such from the former; and Abu Rawq attributed it to the night, the day, the sun, and the moon among them; and al-mudabbirat to them [the stars] from Mu'adh, and the attribution of arrangement to them is figurative.

It is said that they are oaths by the noble souls in the state of separation—it must be by death—as they are extracted from the bodies "vehemently" (gharqan), i.e., an intense extraction—from "the extractor sank into the souls" if it reached the end of the draw, reaching the blade, because of the difficulty of their separation from them, as they had become familiar with them and they were a mount for acquiring good and a site for its increase. So they "remove" (tanshatu) with longing toward the realm of the Malakut, and "swim" in it, so they "race ahead" with it to the enclosures of holiness. By their nobility and strength, they become among the "arrangers," meaning attached to the angels, or they themselves become fit to be arrangers, as the Imam said that after separation, they may manifest traces and states in this world. A person may see his mentor after his death, and he guides him to what concerns him. It is reported of Galen that he fell ill with an ailment that sages were unable to cure, so he was prescribed his cure in a dream, and he awoke, performed it, and recovered. Al-Ghazali mentioned this. Hence it was said—though it is not a Hadith as some suppose: "You have become bewildered in matters, so seek help from the people of the graves," meaning the people of the noble souls who have passed away. There is no doubt that their visitor receives spiritual aid through their blessings, and often the knots of matters are untied by the fingertips of seeking intercession with Allah the Almighty by their sanctity. Some have interpreted it as the living who exemplify the command "Die before you die."

The interpretation of al-nazi'at as souls is narrated from al-Suddi, except that he said: "They are the group of souls extracted by death to their Lord." And al-nashitat by them from Ibn Abbas also, except that he said: "They are the believing souls that remove at death to exit." And al-sabihat by them from Ibn Mas'ud, except that he said: "They are the souls of the believers to the angels—peace be upon them—and those who seize them, while they have witnessed the joy, longing for the meeting of Allah the Almighty."

It is also said that they are oaths by the souls in the state of their wayfaring and the purification of their outer and inner [selves] through struggle in worship and ascending in divine knowledge, for they "extract" from desires, and "remove" to the realm of holiness, so they "swim" in the ranks of ascension, and "race ahead" to perfections until they become from those who perfect the deficient souls.

It is said that they are oaths by the souls of warriors or their hands which "extract" the bows by sinking the arrows, and "remove" with the arrow for shooting, and "swim" in land and sea, then "race ahead" to the war against the enemy, then "arrange" their command. The attribution of swimming and what follows to the hands in this view is figurative, due to association. The interpretation of al-nazi'at as warriors is narrated from 'Ata, except that he said: "They are those who extract with bows and other things."

It is said [they are oaths] by the qualities of their horses, for they "extract" at their reins "vehemently," i.e., pull their reins strongly until they cling to their necks without slacking, so it becomes as if they were immersed in them, and they exit from the House of Islam to the House of Disbelief, and "swim" in their running, and "race ahead" to the enemy, and "arrange" the command of victory. The attribution of arrangement to them is an attribution to the cause. The interpretation of al-sabihat as horses is narrated from 'Ata also and a group.

It is not hidden that most of these statements are not worthy of the magnificence of the Revelation, nor do they have a strength appropriate to the context. Among them is what contains statements held by the ancient astronomers regarding the voluntary movement of the planet, which is its specific movement and the like—which is not in the speech of the predecessors, and no proof has been established for it; hence the modern philosophers have said the opposite. In the interpretation of al-mudabbirat as the stars, there is an insinuation of the correctness of what the practitioners of astrology and the ignorant among the star-gazers claim, which is false in reason and in text, as we have clarified previously. Likewise, in interpreting them as the separated souls, there is an insinuation of the correctness of what many of the feeble-minded claim: that the saints dispose [of matters] after their death, such as healing the sick, saving the drowning, and victory over enemies, and other things that occur in the realm of generation and corruption, in the sense that Allah the Almighty has delegated that to them. Some of them restricted this to five of the saints, and all of it is ignorance—though the latter is [a more severe] ignorance.

Yes, there should be no hesitation in that Allah the Almighty may honor whom He wills of His saints after death, as He honors him before it, with whatever He wills. So He—Glory be to Him—heals the sick, saves the drowning, grants victory over the enemy, sends down rain, and such and such, as a miracle for him. And perhaps the Almighty makes manifest someone who resembles him in appearance, so it does what was asked of Allah by his sanctity—of what is not sinful—in response to the seeker. And perhaps the request occurs in a manner prohibited by the Law, so He—Glory be to Him—manifests something like that as a deception for the seeker and a gradual leading.

The Imam reported in this context from al-Ghazali that he said: "Noble souls, if they part from their bodies, then a human resembling the first human happens to exist in spirit and body, it is not unlikely that the separated soul could have an attachment to this body until it becomes like assistance to the soul attached to that body in works of goodness. So that assistance is called 'inspiration' (ilham), and its counterpart on the side of evil souls is 'whispering' (waswasah)." He finished. I have not seen what bears witness to its correctness in the Book, the Sunnah, or the speech of the predecessors of the nation. The Imam himself mentioned in Al-Mabahith al-Mashriqiyyah the impossibility of more than one soul being attached to a single body, and likewise the impossibility of a single soul being attached to more than one body. He did not follow up on what he reported here, so it is as if he understood that the attachment there is different from the impossible attachment, so do not be heedless.

He said regarding the aspect of interpreting the aforementioned as the angels: "The angels—peace be upon them—have negative attributes and additive attributes. As for the first, they are those cleared of desire, anger, blameworthy morals, death, aging, illness, composition, limbs, humors, and elements; rather, they are spiritual substances cleared of these states. So 'extracting vehemently' is an indication of their being extracted from these states, a total extraction from all aspects, provided the form is for relation. And 'removing with ease' is an indication that their exit from that is not like the exit of humans by way of exertion and difficulty, but according to the requirement of their essence. So the two words are indications of the definition of their negative states.

As for their additive attributes, they are of two types. The first is their rational power, and the clarification of their state in knowing the Kingdom of Allah and His dominion—Glory be to Him—and observing the light of His Majesty—Glory be to Him. So He—Glory be to Him—described them in this context with two descriptions: one of them is 'swimming with ease,' for they swim from the beginning of their creation in the seas of His Majesty—the Almighty—then there is no end to their swimming because there is no end to the greatness of Allah, the height of His Samadiyyah (Everlasting Sustenance), and the light of His Majesty and Pride; so they are forever in that swimming. The second is 'racing ahead with a race,' and it is an indication of the disparity of their ranks in the degrees of knowledge and in the ranks of manifestation. The second is an explanation of their active power and a clarification of their state in it. So He—Glory be to Him—described them in this context with His saying: 'And those who arrange the command.' Since arrangement is not completed except after knowledge, He put the explanation of the rational power before the explanation of the active power." He finished. This, despite the objection in some of it, is not strongly appropriate for the context.

More than one [scholar] reported opinions other than what was mentioned in the interpretation of the aforementioned. From Mujahid: The extractors are the deaths extracting the souls. Yahya ibn Salam narrated that they are the wild beasts extracting toward fodder. From the first [narrator], the interpretation of the removers as the deaths also. From 'Ata, the interpretation of it as the wild cows and what runs in their path of animals that move from region to region. From him also, the interpretation of the swimmers as ships. From Mujahid, the interpretation of it as the deaths swimming in the souls of the animals. From some, the interpretation of it as the clouds. From another, as the beasts of the sea. From some, the interpretation of the racers as the deaths, in the sense that they race ahead of hopes. From more than one, the interpretation of the arrangers as Gabriel arranging the winds, the armies, and the revelation; and Michael arranging the rain and the vegetation; and Azrael arranging the seizing of souls; and Israfil arranging the command sent down upon them, because he descends with it, and arranging the blowing in the Trumpet.

The majority interpret them as the angels absolutely. Rather, Ibn 'Atiyyah said: "I do not memorize a difference [of opinion] that they are the angels." There is nothing in the interpretation of anything of what was mentioned of an authentic report from the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as far as I know. What I mentioned first is the reference according to me, considering the context. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

His saying—Glory be to Him—...