Tafsir of Al-Lail 92:17

Meaning: He shall be distanced from it—the one who is extreme in his taqwa (piety) against disbelief and sins, such that he does not hover around them.

A problematic question arises: "Burning" (al-sali) in the Fire implies either entering it or enduring its heat, and according to the popular opinion, this is synonymous with entering it. Therefore, the aforementioned restriction [in the previous verse: "None shall burn therein except the most wretched"] implies that a sinful believer will not burn in the Fire, because he is not included in the generality of the "most wretched" who is described with the aforementioned traits. Furthermore, the statement "and the most righteous shall be kept far away from it," by its implication (mafhum), suggests that he who is not "the most righteous"—that is, the generally righteous person, such as the sinful believer—shall not be kept away from it, but rather shall burn in it. Thus, there is a contradiction between the two restrictions.

The response to this is that "burning" is not absolute entry into the Fire, nor is it absolute endurance of its heat; rather, it is enduring its heat in a state of maximum intensity (al-ashiddiyah). Ibn al-Munir narrated from the masters of language that "burning" (al-sali) is when they dig a trench, gather much firewood in it, and then take a sheep and thrust it into the midst of the flames, between the layers of heat. Thus, the meaning is: None shall be tormented between its layers, nor shall anyone endure its heat in a state of maximum intensity, except the "most wretched." As for the "most righteous," he shall be distanced from it, meaning he shall not enter it at all, let alone endure such [intensity].

Consequently, the first restriction implies that someone who is not "the most wretched"—that is, the sinful believer—shall not be tormented within its layers, nor shall he endure its heat in a state of maximum intensity; however, it does not necessarily mean he will not enter it or be tormented in it at all. It is possible that he may enter and be tormented in it, but with a torment less than that [extreme] intensity. Furthermore, the second restriction implies that he who is not "the most righteous" is not kept far away from it; however, it does not necessarily mean that someone who is not "the most righteous"—i.e., the generally righteous person, the sinful believer—will burn in it and be tormented in it with the most intense torment. Rather, the ultimate limit of that statement is that he is not [guaranteed to be] kept far away from it, meaning it is possible he may be kept away, and it is possible he may not be kept away, but instead enters without being "burned" [in the intense sense]. Thus, there is no contradiction between the two restrictions. Some have considered "intensity" a condition for the term "burning" due to the aforementioned reason, and the necessity [of this interpretation] arises here because of its juxtaposition with His saying: "And he shall be kept far away from it." This is how it has been argued.

It has been suggested that the sin (in sa-yujanabu) is for emphasis, so that the meaning becomes: "The most righteous shall inevitably be kept away from it." According to the argument of the mafhum (implication), this benefits that someone else—the sinful believer—is not necessarily kept away, meaning it is possible he might be kept away, and it is possible he might not; he might enter it without "burning."

Al-Zamakhshari formulated the problem by stating: It is known that every wretch shall burn in it, and every righteous person shall be kept away from it; "burning" is not exclusive to the most wretched of the wretched, nor is "being kept away/salvation" exclusive to the most righteous of the righteous, even though the literal appearance of the two sentences suggests that. He replied—summarized—that since the verse was revealed to balance between the states of a great man among the polytheists and a great man among the believers, the restriction is hyperbolic (mubalagha) and not literal (haqiqi). Thus, he who is not this "most wretched" is not a "burner," and he who is not this "most righteous" is not one who is "kept away" in an absolute sense. This was deemed good in al-Kashshaf, as he said: "It is excellent." You are aware, however, that the foundation of what he said rests upon the doctrines of the Mu'tazila and the eternal abiding of sinners in the Fire.

Al-Qadi said that the words of the Almighty, "None shall burn therein," do not indicate that only disbelievers enter the Fire, as the Murji'ah claim. This is because the Almighty used the indefinite form "a fire" (naran)—meaning a fire from among the fires; none shall burn in it except he who is of such and such a state. The Fire has levels (darakat), as is known from the verses. From where is it known that other groups do not burn in this [specific] fire? Al-Zamakhshari countered him by asking: What will he do with the Almighty's saying, "And the most righteous shall be kept far away from it"? For it is known that the sinful among the Muslims are kept away from that specific fire, not just the most righteous among them. It was replied that perhaps this speaker does not subscribe to the mafhum of the attribute and its like; thus, for him, the aforementioned verse does not indicate a restriction. For him, the distinction of this "most righteous" is by the combination of being "kept away" and what will be mentioned thereafter. Perhaps for everyone who does not subscribe to the mafhum, the only issue that presents a challenge is the restriction in "None shall burn therein," for it appears, at first glance, like a text supporting what the Murji'ah claim, as they interpret "burning" as absolute entry. They supported this with what Imam Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Marduyah narrated from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "None shall enter the Fire except he who is wretched." It was asked: "And who is the wretched one?" He said: "The one who does not perform obedience to Allah, nor abandon a sin for the sake of Allah." The people of Sunnah interpret such authentic reports in light of the texts that indicate the tormenting of some who have committed major sins, as has been explained in its proper place.

It has also been said in the response that the intention behind "the most wretched" and "the most righteous" is simply "the wretched" and "the righteous." The superlative form (af'al) is common in such instances, such as the statement of Tarafa: "Men hoped that I would die, but if I die, that is a path on which I am not the only one (bi-awhad)." He intended by awhad (the most unique/only one) simply "one." This was objected to on the grounds that it does not resolve the root of the problem, since the "wretched one" in the verse is none other than the disbeliever. Therefore, the restriction would necessitate that no one else enters the Fire or is tormented in it, which is contrary to the true doctrine. Furthermore, the "righteous one" in the verse has been described with the attributes [mentioned]; thus, according to the doctrine of mafhum, it would necessitate that the righteous person who is not described as such—like the righteous person who has no wealth, or other obligated beings like children and the insane—would not be kept away from it, even though the truth is that they are kept away from it.

Other things have been said. Perhaps, after perusing this, examining closely everything that has been said, and keeping in mind what the community holds regarding the people of Qibla, you will find the view of the author of al-Kashshaf regarding the aforementioned [interpretation] to be excellent, even if you are not one who holds to the eternal abiding of the sinful believers in the Fire. So ponder it.

Jana (to distance) is transitive to two objects; the pronoun here is the second object, and "the most righteous" is the first object and is the substitute for the subject (na'ib al-fa'il). It is said: "He distanced (janaba) so-and-so from good," and "He distanced him from evil." When used absolutely—"He distanced so-and-so"—it means, according to al-Raghib, "He distanced him from good." The root of janabtuhu is as it is said: "I placed him on a side (janb) of it." Often it is intended to mean "to distance," and from this is what we have here; that is why we said: "Meaning the most righteous shall be distanced from it."