Tafsir of Maryam 19:71-72

Surah Maryam (19): Verses 71–72

Verse 71: {وَإِن مِّنكُم إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا ۚ كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا} (And there is none of you but shall come to it [Hell]; that is a decree upon your Lord, determined.)

After Allah mentioned earlier: {By your Lord, We shall surely gather them and the devils} (19:68), and then: {Then We shall surely bring them around Hell} (19:69), He followed it up with: {And there is none of you but shall come to it [Hell]}.

There is a difference of opinion regarding whom this addresses:

1. Some scholars hold that it refers only to the disbelievers previously mentioned. They argue that the shift from the third-person pronoun (absence) to the second-person address (direct speech) is used here. They support this view with several points:
   • Allah says: {Indeed, those about whom the best word has preceded, they will be kept far away from it} (Al-Anbiya: 101). One who is kept far away cannot be described as one who "arrives at" (wārid) it.
   • Allah says: {They will not hear its slightest sound} (Al-Anbiya: 102). If they entered Hell, they would hear its sound.
   • Allah says: {while they, on that Day, will be safe from terror} (An-Nahl: 89).

2. The majority hold that it is general, encompassing every believer and disbeliever, due to the unqualified statement: {And there is none of you but shall come to it}. They argue that this is a new address, distinct from the previous one. Evidence for this is the subsequent verse: {Then We shall save those who were righteous}. This implies that only those who were righteous among the arrivals will be saved. It would be illogical to say: {Then We shall save those who were righteous, and leave the wrongdoers therein kneeling} unless everyone arrived there first. Narrations also support this view.

Those who hold the general view differ on the meaning of al-wurūd (arriving):

Opinion 1: Wurūd means approaching or being near Hell (the place of reckoning).

• Evidence: They cite verses where wurūd means proximity, such as: {Then they sent their water-drawer} (Yusuf: 19), meaning he was sent to the well, not necessarily that he entered the water. Also: {And when he arrived at the water of Madyan, he found there a group of people watering} (Al-Qasas: 23), meaning he reached the vicinity of the water. Similarly, a caravan is said to have waradat (arrived at) a town even if it didn't enter it.
• Conclusion based on this view: Jinn and humans will be gathered around Hell, which {was a decree determined upon your Lord} (i.e., an obligatory promise based on the threat). Then, {We shall save those who were righteous}, meaning those who feared Allah will be kept far away from Hell, as stated in {they will be kept far away from it} (Al-Anbiya: 101).
• Supporting Narration: It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "No one who witnessed Badr and Hudaybiyyah will enter the Fire." Hafsa asked: "But doesn't Allah say: {And there is none of you but shall come to it}?" The Prophet replied: "Then [He said]: {Then We shall save those who were righteous}." If wurūd meant entering, Hafsa's question would have been necessary.

Opinion 2: Wurūd means entering Hell.

• Evidence from Quran:
  • {Indeed, you and that which you worship besides Allah are fuel for Hell. You will all enter it} (Al-Anbiya: 98).
  • {And He will lead them into the Fire, and wretched is the resting place} (Hud: 98).
• Evidence from {kept far away}: Being kept far away implies that without this removal, they would have been close to it, which only happens if they were in the Fire.
• Evidence from {leave the wrongdoers therein kneeling}: This implies they remain in the place they arrived at, and they only remain in the Fire if they have entered it.
• Evidence from Hadith:
  • When 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah mentioned the arrival (wurūd) but not the departure (ṣudūr), the Prophet (PBUH) told him to read the next part: {Then We shall save those who were righteous}. This indicates Ibn Rawahah understood wurūd as entering, and the Prophet did not correct him.
  • Jabir narrated that when asked about this verse, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "The arrival (al-wurūd) is entering. No righteous or wicked person will be left out except that they will enter it, and it will be cold and safe for the believers, to the extent that people will make a noise because of its coolness."

How Believers Enter Without Harm (According to Opinion 2): Believers enter without fear or harm, rather with joy and pleasure, because:

1. Allah informed that they {will not be grieved by the Greatest Terror} (Al-Anbiya: 103).
2. The Hereafter is the abode of recompense, not obligation (taklīf). Causing distress is only permissible in the abode of obligation.
3. Authentic narrations state that angels give good tidings to the deserving in the grave, showing them their place in Paradise. How could they arrive at the Reckoning doubtful of their fate? Such distress only affects the people of the Fire, who do not know their final destination.

How the Harm of Fire is Averted:

1. Varying Locations: Hell might contain areas that are not fire, which believers pass through to reach the lower depths, while disbelievers are in the actual flames.
2. Extinguishing the Fire: Allah extinguishes the Fire, and believers cross it while it collapses upon others. Ibn Abbas narrated: "They will arrive at it as if it were old ashes." Jabir narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said that when the people of Paradise enter, some will ask others: "Did our Lord not promise us that we would arrive at the Fire?" They will be told: "You arrived at it while it was extinguished."
3. Altering Nature: The heat of the Fire is not inherent. Allah makes the parts touching the disbelievers burning and harmful, but makes the parts touching the believers cold and safe, similar to what happened with Abraham (PBUH). Just as one cup of water would turn to blood for an Egyptian but remain sweet water for an Israelite.

The Purpose of Believers Entering Fire (If Harmless):

1. It increases their joy upon realizing their salvation from it.
2. It increases the grief of the wrongdoers, seeing their enemies (the believers) escaping while they remain.
3. It increases the grief of the wrongdoers as their shame is revealed before the believers, the righteous, and those they used to warn about the Fire but who paid no heed.
4. If believers are with them in the Fire, they rebuke them, increasing the disbelievers' sorrow and the believers' joy.
5. Believers used to warn them about the Gathering and Resurrection and presented clear proofs, which they rejected. Their entry into Hell alongside them proves the truthfulness of the believers and the falsehood of the deniers of Resurrection.
6. Witnessing the punishment serves as a cause for greater appreciation of Paradise's bliss, as the poet says: "By opposites, things become clear."

Regarding those who rely on {they will be kept far away from it} (Al-Anbiya: 101) and {They will not hear its slightest sound} (Al-Anbiya: 102), we have already explained that the former implies removal from the punishment, and the latter implies removal from the sound/essence of the Fire.

Regarding the Manner of Entry and Exit: It is established by narrations that the reckoning takes place on Earth or where the Earth was, supported by {The Day the earth will be changed to another earth} (Ibrahim: 48). Hell is near the Earth, and Paradise is in the heavens. At the place of reckoning, everyone gathers, then they enter Hell from that location. Allah then raises and saves the people of Paradise, pushing the people of Hell into it.

• Al-Ḥatm is the verbal noun of ḥatama al-amr (to make the matter obligatory). The decreed thing is called ḥatm, similar to saying khalq Allāh (Allah's creation).
• Argument for العقاب (Punishment) being rationally obligatory: Those who argue for the rational necessity of punishment cite this verse, claiming that {a decree determined} indicates the obligation of what comes from the threats and reports, because the preposition ʿalā (upon) implies obligation, and what is established merely by reports cannot be called obligatory.
• The Response: Since Allah’s promise is impossible to break, it takes the place of an obligation.

Regarding {Then We shall save those who were righteous, and leave the wrongdoers therein kneeling}:

• It is read as nunajjī (We save) or yunajjā (they are saved, passive voice).
• Al-Qadi states that the verse proves our position regarding the threat: Allah clarifies that everyone will arrive, then specifies the description of those who are saved (the righteous). A transgressor (fāsiq) is not righteous. Then Allah clarifies that those other than the righteous will be left therein kneeling, proving that the transgressor remains in Hell eternally.
• Ibn Abbas said: The righteous one (al-muttaqī) is the one who guarded against Shirk by saying Lā ilāha illā Allāh. This is the truth supported by evidence, because whoever believes in Allah and His Messengers can truly be described as guarding against Shirk. Whoever fits the description of guarding against Shirk also fits the description of being righteous (muttaqī), as the latter is a subset of the former. Therefore, the perpetrator of a major sin is considered righteous (in the sense of avoiding Shirk) and must be saved from Hell due to the generality of {Then We shall save those who were righteous}. This verse, which they used to argue otherwise, becomes one of the strongest proofs against their view.

Al-Qadi also states that the verse refutes the view of those who claim some accountable people will neither be in Paradise nor in Hell. This view is weak because the verse only states that Allah saves the righteous; it does not state that He saves them to Paradise. Even if it did, the verse implies the righteous are in Paradise and the wrongdoers remain in Hell, leaving a third category where deeds are equal (good cancels bad), leaving them neither obedient nor disobedient. If this third category is invalidated, it must be by something other than this verse, so this verse does not prove the comprehensive confinement they claim.

Some Mu'tazilites rely on {and leave the wrongdoers therein kneeling} for their view on threats. The term al-ẓālimīn (the wrongdoers) is a plural noun with the definite article, implying generality. The discussion regarding relying on general forms has been covered many times in this book.

Regarding {kneeling} (jathiyyan): The author of Al-Kashshāf states that {and leave the wrongdoers therein kneeling} proves that al-wurūd means kneeling around it, and that the believers depart to Paradise after their salvation, while the disbelievers remain in their place, kneeling.

Verse 72: {وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ خَيْرٌ مَّقَامًا وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيًّا} (And when Our clear verses are recited to them, those who disbelieve say to those who believe, "Which of the two parties is better in station and more excellent in assembly?")