Tafsir of Al-Mutaffifeen 83:8-9

{And what will make you know what Sijjin is? A written book.}

The apparent meaning is that "a written book" (kitabun marqum) is a substitute for Sijjin, or it is the predicate of an omitted subject, which is a pronoun referring back to it—meaning: "It is a book." Its root is a derivative of al-sijn (imprisonment), with a fatḥa on the sīn. The book was nicknamed this because it is the cause of confinement; thus, it is originally a faʿīl form in the sense of an active participle (fāʿil). Alternatively, it may be that it is cast—as has been said—beneath the earths in a desolate place, as if it were imprisoned, making it in the sense of a passive participle (mafʿūl). Assigning it as a proper noun due to the aforementioned reasons does not necessitate that the "book" is a vessel for the book, according to what you have heard regarding the interpretation of the "book of the wicked." Thus, the aforementioned book is a vessel for the work written therein, or a vessel for the act of writing.

It is said that "the book" is to be taken at its literal meaning, and the statement is analogous to saying: "The ledger of the accounts of such-and-such village is in such-and-such record," because it encompasses its accounts and the accounts of its counterparts; the containment here is the containment of the whole for the part. From the Imam [it is narrated that] there is no implausibility in one of them being placed literally, or that what is in one is transferred to the other.

According to Abū ʿAlī, His saying, "A written book," means: "The place of a book." Thus, "book" is at its literal meaning, and Sijjin is a place near it. This is supported by what Ibn Jarīr recorded from Abū Hurayrah as a raised report (marfūʿ): "The Falaq is a pit in Hell that is covered, and Sijjin is a pit therein that is uncovered." Based on this, Sijjin is the worst place in Hell. It has come in several traditions that it is a location beneath the seventh earth. There is no contradiction between this and the aforementioned report, based on the view that Hell is beneath the earth. In al-Kashf, it is mentioned that it is not unlikely that Sijjin is a proper noun for the book and also for the location, as a way to reconcile the literal meaning of the verse and the literal meanings of the reports.

Some who hold that it is a proper noun for the location in the verse said: "And what will make you know what Sijjin is," is based on an omitted genitive addition (muḍāf); meaning: "And what will make you know what the book of Sijjin is." Ibn ʿAṭiyyah said that whoever says this, then "book" in his view is in the nominative case as the predicate of "that" (anna), and the prepositional phrase "in Sijjin" is voided (mulghan). This was challenged on the grounds that its voiding is not permissible unless it is an operative for the predicate—that is, "book"—or for its modifier—that is, "written." That is not allowed because "book" is described, so it cannot act [as an operative], and because "written," which is its modifier, cannot have the lām enter into its operative, nor can its operative precede the modified noun. There is a critique regarding this.

It is said that "book" is a second predicate of "that" (anna). And it is said that it is the predicate of an omitted subject, a pronoun referring back to the "book of the wicked," and the point of benefit is the description, with the sentence in between being parenthetical. Both statements are contrary to the apparent meaning.

From ʿIkrimah, it is [narrated] that Sijjin is an expression for loss and disgrace, just as you would say, "So-and-so reached the ḥaḍīḍ (bottom)," if he became in a state of extreme abasement. The discussion regarding "And what will make you know..." is understood from what we have mentioned, and this is contrary to the well-known view.

Some linguists claimed that its nūn is a replacement for a lām, and its root is Sijjīl, like Jibrīn for Jibrīl; thus, it is not derived from al-sijn at all.

"Written" (marqūm) comes from raqama the book, meaning he made it clear and distinct so it would not be ignored; that is, a book that is made clear so that the one who sees it knows there is no good in it. Ibn ʿAbbās and al-Ḍaḥḥāk said: "Written" means "sealed" in the Himyaritic language. Some mentioned that it is said "he raqama the book" in the sense of "he sealed it," and they did not restrict it to one language over another. In al-Baḥr, "written" means "established like a brand," which does not decay or fade; and this is as you can see. The term raqm became common in writing. Abū Ḥayyān said: "It is the root of its meaning, and from it is the saying of the poet: 'I will write upon the clear water for you / In your absence, if the water has a writer.'"

As for the raqm known to the scholars of arithmetic, the apparent meaning is that it is in the sense of a sign, and it was specified as a sign for numbers among them. And His saying, "A written book..."