Tā Hā: (105–112) And they ask you about the mountains...

When the Almighty described the affair of the Day of Resurrection, He recounted the question of those who did not believe in the resurrection, saying:

There are several interpretations regarding the establishment of this question:

1. Rebuttal to Concealment: Since Allah described the disbelievers as whispering secretly (Tā Hā: 103), this question implies: How can this secret whispering occur when the mountains are present, acting as barriers?
2. Mockery: Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said this was revealed concerning the polytheists of Mecca. They asked, "O Muhammad, how will the mountains be on the Day of Resurrection?"—as a form of mockery.
3. Challenge to World's End: Perhaps his people said, "O Muhammad, you claim the world will end. If what you say is true, it should begin with diminution and end in annihilation. But the states of the universe remain as they were at the beginning. How can your claim of the world's ruin be valid?" This is a doubt that Galen used regarding the eternity of the heavens: if they were to perish, they must first show signs of diminution leading to annihilation. Since no diminution is apparent, the claim of annihilation is false.

Then, Allah commanded His Messenger to answer this question, appending other matters concerning the description of the Resurrection's terrors.

The First Description:

The use of the particle fa (فـ) indicating immediate sequence ("Say, then...") is because their intent in this question was to challenge the resurrection and reconstitution. Therefore, the command to answer is linked with immediate sequence, as delaying clarification on such a fundamental principle is impermissible. (In contrast, in matters of secondary jurisprudence, delay is permissible, which is why the command "Say" appears without the fa elsewhere.)

The pronoun in {He will scatter them} refers to the mountains. Nasf (نسف) means to blow away or disperse, so the mountains become like scattered dust. Once these barriers are removed, the truth of the statement {they whisper secretly} (20:103) becomes evident. Al-Khalīl said yansifuhā means He removes them and makes them fly away.

The pronoun in {And He will leave it} refers to the Earth, and its mention is omitted as is common in speech (e.g., "There is no one more honored upon it than so-and-so," or "He left not upon its surface any creature").

He said {And He will leave it a level plain} (20:107) to clarify that this scattering does not remove the levelness, lest one assume that after the mountains are moved from one place, they become a barrier elsewhere.

However, if the purpose of their question was the objection mentioned earlier—that the world shows no current diminution, so it should not end in annihilation—then the response is: Annihilation can occur instantaneously, or it can occur sequentially (requiring prior diminution). Allah clarifies that He will dismantle the compositions of this physical world all at once by His power and will, thus eliminating the need for prior diminution.

Allah described the Earth at that time with four characteristics:

1. A level plain (qa'an): A flat, settled place, or a place where water collects.
2. Level (ṣaṣfāfan): That which has no vegetation upon it. Abū Muslim said al-qāʿ and aṣ-ṣaṣfāf both mean smooth, level ground.
3. "You will see therein no crookedness or elevation" (lā tarā fīhā ʿiwajan wa-lā amtan):
   • The author of Al-Kashshāf noted a distinction: ʿiwaj (with a kasra on the ʿayn) refers to abstract qualities (meanings), while ʿawaj (with a fatḥa on the ʿayn) refers to physical objects. Since the Earth is a physical object, why is the kasra form used? The answer is that this choice of word is exquisite in describing the Earth's flatness. Even if one meticulously levels a piece of ground, geometric measurements will reveal subtle crookedness beyond visual perception. Because this crookedness is so minute, it is assimilated to the abstract quality, hence ʿiwaj (with kasra).
   • This verse indicates that the Earth will be a true sphere on that Day, as a non-spherical body must have surfaces meeting at angles (crookedness), which this verse negates.
4. Elevation (amtan): Slight protrusions. It is said, "He stretched his rope until it had no amt (slight bumps)."

These four descriptions mean the Earth will be smooth, devoid of any rising, falling, deviation, or crookedness.

The Second Description: The Call

There are two opinions regarding the Caller (ad-dāʿī):

1. The Trumpet Blast: The Caller is the blowing of the Trumpet. "No deviation from him" means He will not deviate from calling anyone; everyone will be gathered.
2. An Angel: It is an angel standing upon the Rock of Jerusalem, crying out: "O decayed bones, scattered joints, and torn flesh, rise up to your Lord for reckoning and recompense!" They will hear the Caller's voice and follow him. It is said this angel is Isrāfīl, who places his foot upon the Rock.

Question: Does this call occur before or after reanimation? Answer: If the purpose of the call is to inform them, it must be after reanimation, as calling the dead is futile. If the purpose is something else, like a kindness or benefit for the angels, it is permissible before reanimation.

The Third Description: The Voices

There are several interpretations:

1. Fear and Silence: Voices will be humbled due to intense terror, subdued and hidden, so that only a hams (faint sound) is heard—a subtle mention. Abū Muslim said that humans and jinn know they have no master other than Him, so no sound louder than a hams (the faintest sound, almost a whisper requiring lip movement due to weakness) will be heard from them. It is fitting for one being judged by Allah that his gaze is humbled, his voice weak, his speech confused, and his grief prolonged.
2. Footsteps: Ibn Abbās, Al-Ḥasan, ʿIkrima, and Ibn Zayd said hams refers to the shuffling of feet. The meaning is that nothing will be heard except the sound of feet moving toward the place of assembly.

The Fourth Description: Intercession

The author of Al-Kashshāf discussed the grammatical possibilities for the subject of the verb "benefit":

• Nominative (as a substitute for ash-shafāʿah): "Intercession will not benefit, except the intercession of one whom the Most Merciful has permitted..." (requiring an implied possessive).
• Accusative (as the object): "Intercession will not benefit anyone, except a person accepted by the Most Merciful."

The second possibility (Accusative) is preferred for several reasons:

1. It avoids implying an omitted word and changing the grammatical case.
2. The phrase "Intercession will not benefit" refers to the person being interceded for. The exception then returns to them, meaning: Intercession will not benefit anyone except an acceptable person.
3. It is self-evident that the status of an intercessor is great and is only granted to one whom Allah has permitted and accepted. If we take the first interpretation (substitute), the verse becomes an obvious clarification. Taking the second interpretation (object) avoids this redundancy.

If this is established, the Muʿtazila argued: A sinner (fāsiq) is not accepted by Allah, so the Messenger cannot intercede for him, as this verse requires the one interceded for to be accepted by Allah.

Refutation: This verse is strong evidence for the permissibility of intercession for sinners. The phrase "and whose word He has accepted" (wa-raḍiya lahu qawlan) is satisfied if Allah has accepted even one statement from him. A sinner has indeed uttered one statement accepted by Allah: the testimony that "There is no god but Allah." Therefore, intercession must be beneficial for him, as exception from negation implies affirmation.

If it is argued that the verse sets two conditions: (1) permission (idhun) and (2) acceptance of a word, and while the sinner meets the second, we don't know if he meets the first (permission): We respond that this condition, "and whose word He has accepted," is sufficient for the exception, as evidenced by the verse: {And they do not intercede except for whom He approves} (Al-Anbiyāʾ: 28), where only this condition is mentioned. This verse (Tā Hā: 110) indicates that permission is also necessary. Therefore, combining them shows that when His word is accepted, permission for intercession is granted. When both conditions are met, the exception is established, and the goal is achieved.

The Fifth Description: Divine Knowledge

The pronoun in {before them} refers to those who follow the Caller. If one holds that "one whom the Most Merciful has permitted" refers to the intercessor (angel or prophet), then the pronoun refers to them. The meaning is: The intercession of angels and prophets will not benefit anyone except one whom the Most Merciful has permitted them to intercede for.

Then, {He knows what is before them and what is behind them} means He knows what is before the angels (as in the Verse of the Throne). This is the view of Al-Kalbī and Muqātil, serving as a reprimand to those who worship angels seeking their intercession. Muqātil said: He knows what occurred before He created the angels and what occurred after their creation.

There are several views:

1. Al-Kalbī: {What is before them} is the affair of the Hereafter, and {what is behind them} is the affair of this world.
2. Mujāhid: {What is before them} is the affair of this world and deeds, and {what is behind them} is the affair of the Hereafter, reward, and punishment.
3. Al-Ḍaḥḥāk: He knows what has passed and what remains, and when the Resurrection will occur.

There are two views on {and they encompass Him not in knowledge}:

1. Allah clarified that He knows what is before and behind the servants, then said: {and they encompass Him not in knowledge}, meaning the servants do not encompass what is before and behind them with knowledge.
2. It means they do not encompass Allah with knowledge.

The first view is stronger for two reasons:

1. The pronoun must refer to the nearest mentioned entities, which are {what is before them and what is behind them}.
2. It serves as a warning, making it known that all their future actions and the recompense they deserve are known to Allah.

The Sixth Description: Submission and Loss

This means that on that Day, faces will be humbled, meaning abased, and sovereignty and power will belong solely to Allah. The word ʿanūw (عنو) is related to al-ʿānī (the captive). It is said, ʿanā yaʿnū ʿanā’an if one becomes a captive.

Allah mentioned "faces" but intended the responsible persons themselves, as "humbled" (ʿanat) is a description of the accountable, not the faces themselves, similar to {Some faces, that Day, will be radiant, Receptive of their Lord} (Al-Ghāshiyah: 8–9). Faces are specified because submission is most clearly manifested and apparent in them. The explanation of Al-Ḥayy Al-Qayyūm has preceded.

Abū Umāma Al-Bāhilī narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Seek the Greatest Name of Allah in these three Sūras: Al-Baqarah, Āl ʿImrān, and Tā Hā." The narrator found the common element in the three Sūras to be: {Allah! There is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting}.

Allah clarifies, as a warning, that on that Day, refusal to accept the deserved recompense is invalid, and the person's state will be the opposite of the worldly state where one chooses sins and refrains from obedience.

As for {and he who carried wrongdoing will be lost}, khaybah (loss) means deprivation. He is deprived of reward who carried wrongdoing and did not repent from it. The Muʿtazila used this verse to argue against pardon, saying that {he who carried wrongdoing} is general to all wrongdoers, and Allah has decreed loss for them, which contradicts pardon. The discussion on the generality of threats has preceded many times.

Allah concluded the description of the Day of Resurrection by describing the state of the believers:

This means whoever performs any righteous deed—referring to obligatory acts—and his deed is coupled with faith (as in {And whoever comes to Him as a believer, having done righteous deeds} (Tā Hā: 75)), then {he will not fear}. The phrase is in the jussive mood because it is the response to a conditional clause (the jawāb ash-sharṭ). It means: He will not fear. Similar to {Then if anyone reverts to disbelief after that, then indeed, Allah is the Avenger} (Al-Māʾidah: 95), and {And whoever believes in his Lord will not fear loss or oppression} (Al-Jinn: 13). Ibn Kathīr recited it as a prohibition (falā yakhāf), which is good, as the meaning becomes: "Then let him be secure," and prohibiting fear is an order for security.

Injustice (ẓulm) is being punished for a crime one did not commit, or being prevented from reward for obedience. Deprivation (haḍm) is being diminished from his reward. Al-Haḍīma is deficiency; hence haḍīm al-kašḥ means having a shrunken belly, and {its fruit, thin and layered} (Ash-Shuʿarāʾ: 148) means one part adhering to another. Abū Muslim said: Ẓulm is diminishing the reward, and haḍm is not fulfilling the due honor accompanying the reward, because reward, while a pleasure, is only a reward if accompanied by glorification. Deficiency can enter the reward itself or the glorification accompanying it. Allah negated both possibilities for the believers.