Surah Al-Anbiya (The Prophets): Verses 1–3

On Verse 1: {اقترب للناس حسابهم} (The reckoning of the people has drawn near)

Issue 1: Understanding "Nearness" (القرب)

• Nearness can only be understood in terms of space or time.
• Spatial nearness is impossible here (as the Reckoning is not a physical location).
• Therefore, the meaning must be temporal nearness: the time of their reckoning has drawn near.

Issue 2: Reconciling Nearness with the Time Elapsed

• A question arises: How can it be described as "near" when nearly 600 years passed after this statement?
• Answer 1: It is near in the sight of Allah. This is supported by the verse: "And never will Allah fail in His promise. And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count" (Al-Hajj: 47).
• Answer 2: Everything that is coming is considered near, no matter how long one waits for it. Only that which has already passed is truly distant. A poet said:

  What you desire remains nearer than tomorrow, And what you fear remains farther than yesterday.

• Answer 3 (Scholarly View): If a deferred payment is due in one year, and one month has passed, one might say the term is approaching. If the past time exceeds the remaining time, it is definitely said that the term has drawn near. Scholars state that this indicates the proximity of the Hour (Qiyamah). This is why the Prophet (PBUH) said, "I and the Hour are like these two [holding up his index and middle fingers]." This aligns with the idea that the remaining duration of the obligation (the time until the Hour) is less than the time that has already passed since the beginning of prophethood.

Issue 3: The Wisdom Behind Mentioning the Nearness

• Allah mentioned this nearness because it serves as a benefit (Maslaha) for the accountable people, bringing them closer to correcting their sins and freeing themselves from them out of fear.

Issue 4: Why the Specific Time Was Not Mentioned

• Concealing the exact time is more beneficial, just as concealing the time of death is more beneficial.

Issue 5: The Wisdom in Naming the Day "Day of Reckoning" (Yawm al-Hisab)

• The Reckoning is what reveals a person's true state; therefore, the fear associated with its mention is greater.

Issue 6: Who is Meant by "The People" (An-Nas)

• "The People" must refer to those involved in the reckoning—the accountable individuals—not those exempt from it.
• Ibn Abbas stated that "The People" here refers specifically to the polytheists. This is an instance where the general term (Jins) is used to refer to a specific subset, supported by the description that follows concerning the polytheists.

• Allah describes them with two things: Heedlessness (Ghaflah) and Turning Away (I'rad).
• Heedlessness: They are unaware of their reckoning, unmindful, and do not reflect on their consequences, even though their intellects demand a reward for the good and punishment for the evil.
• Turning Away: When they are awakened from the sleep of heedlessness and the slumber of ignorance by the verses and warnings recited to them, they turn away and stop their ears.

On Verse 2: {ما يأتيهم من ذكر من ربهم محدث} (No new reminder comes to them from their Lord)

Issue 1: Recitation Variant

• Ibn Abi 'Abla recited muhdath (new/updated) with the nominative case (Raf') as an adjective describing the subject (Dhikr).

Issue 2: Purpose of Mentioning This

• Allah mentioned this to explain their turning away. Allah renews the reminder for them time after time, reveals sign after sign, and chapter after chapter, repeating the warning and admonition so that they might take heed. However, this only increases them in mockery and scorn.

Issue 3: The Mu'tazila Argument for the Createdness of the Qur'an

• The Mu'tazila used this verse as proof for the createdness (Huduth) of the Qur'an, arguing:
  1. The Qur'an is a Dhikr (Reminder). Evidence: {It is not but a reminder to the worlds} (Sad: 87), {And indeed, it is a reminder for you and your people} (Az-Zukhruf: 44), {Sad, by the Qur'an possessing the reminder} (Sad: 1), {Indeed, We are the ones who sent down the Reminder} (Al-Hijr: 9), {And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it suitable for him} (Ya-Sin: 69), and {And this is a blessed Reminder which We have sent down} (Al-Anbiya: 5).
  2. This Dhikr is Muhdath (newly created). Evidence: {No new reminder comes to them from their Lord} (this verse) and {No new reminder comes to them from the Most Merciful} (Ash-Shu'ara: 5).
• Conclusion: The combination of these two established premises proves that the Qur'an is created.

• The Refutation (Two Points):
  1. Verses like {It is not but a reminder to the worlds} and {And this is a blessed Reminder} refer to the Qur'an as a composite entity of letters and sounds. If we combine this with {No new reminder comes to them... muhdath}, it necessitates the createdness of the composite of letters and sounds, which is undisputed and known by necessity. The dispute is over the eternal nature of the meaning of God's speech.
  2. The phrase {No new reminder comes to them from their Lord muhdath} does not imply that every reminder is newly created. It means that some reminder that is newly created comes to them. It is like saying: "No virtuous man enters this town whom they do not hate." This does not mean every man must be virtuous; it only means there is a virtuous man among the men. Similarly, the verse only proves that some reminder is newly created. The structure is: "The Qur'an is a Reminder, and some Reminder is newly created." This yields no definitive conclusion, just as saying "Man is an animal, and some animals are horses" proves nothing conclusive. Thus, what they thought was a decisive proof yields at best a weak inference, let alone certainty.

On Verses 2b–3: {إلا استمعوه وهم يلعبون * لاهية قلوبهم} (Except that they listen to it while playing, their hearts heedless)

Issue 1: Condemnation and Warning

• This is a condemnation of the disbelievers and a warning to others against similar behavior. True benefit from hearing comes only through reflection and contemplation directed to the heart.
• Since they were "playing" while listening, they only achieved mere hearing—a level shared with animals.
• Allah emphasizes their condemnation by stating {their hearts heedless (lahiyah)}; Lahw means being distracted or oblivious.
• Play (La'ib) is mentioned before heedlessness (Lahw), as in {The worldly life is but diversion and amusement} (Muhammad: 36). This indicates that their engagement in play (which implies mockery and jesting) is caused by their heedlessness and distraction from the truth.

Issue 2: Grammatical Analysis (Al-Kashshaf's View)

• The author of Al-Kashshaf suggests that {while playing} and {their hearts heedless} are either synonymous or overlapping states (Hal).
• If Lahiyah is read in the nominative case (Raf'), then the state is singular, as Lahiyat Qulubuhum (Their hearts are heedless) functions as a second predicate following the initial state implied by {while they are...}.

On Verse 4: {وأسروا النجوى الذين ظلموا} (And those who wronged secretly conferred)

Question 1: The Meaning of "Secretly Conferred" (Asarru an-Najwa)

• Najwa (conferring) inherently means secrecy. What is the meaning of adding Asarru (they made it secret)?
• Answer: It means they exerted extreme effort in concealing their consultation, making it so that no one could perceive their private discussion.

Question 2: Why was the phrase {those who wronged} used?

• Answer 1: It is an apposition (Badal) for the implied subject of Asarru, indicating that they are marked by the grave injustice inherent in what they conferred about.
• Answer 2: It follows the linguistic pattern of "The fleas ate me" (Akaluni al-baraghith), where the agent is mentioned after the verb.
• Answer 3: It is in the accusative case (Mansub) as an object of censure (Dhamm).
• Answer 4: It is a nominative subject whose predicate (Asarru an-Najwa) was placed before it. The meaning is: "And these people secretly conferred," using an explicit noun instead of a pronoun to emphasize that their action was an act of injustice.

On Verse 5: {هل هاذا إلا بشر مثلكم أفتأتون السحر وأنتم تبصرون} (Is this [Prophet] anything but a man like you? Do you then approach magic while you see?)

Issue 1: Grammatical Placement of the Speech

• The author of Al-Kashshaf suggests this entire speech is in the accusative case, replacing (Badal) the word Najwa (the secret consultation). Alternatively, the implied structure is: "And they secretly conferred, saying this speech."

Issue 2: Reasons for Concealing This Speech

• Reason 1: It was the nature of their consultation—seeking a way to demolish his mission. Those who consult strive to hide their secrets from their enemies.
• Reason 2: They might have conferred secretly, and then openly challenged the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the believers: "If what you claim is true, then tell us what we just secretly discussed."

Issue 3: The Two Flawed Objections to Prophethood

They attacked his prophethood on two grounds, both of which are false:

1. He is merely a man like you. This is flawed because the validity of prophethood rests on miracles and proofs, not on physical form. If a king were sent to them, they would not know he was a king by his appearance alone, but by the knowledge he brought. If this proof appears through a human being, he must be a prophet. Furthermore, a messenger sent to humans is better suited if he is human, as people are more inclined to accept those similar to themselves.
2. What he brought is magic. This is also ignorant, as everything the Prophet (PBUH) brought, especially the Qur'an, was manifest and contained no deception or obfuscation. He challenged them with the Qur'an repeatedly over time, while they were masters of eloquence and rhetoric and were intensely eager to invalidate his message. The strongest way to invalidate it would have been to produce something like it. If they could have done so, they certainly would have, as the incentive was present and no deterrent existed; the action would have been obligatory. Since they failed to produce a counter-argument, it proves the Qur'an is inherently a miracle and that they recognized its true nature. How can they then claim it is magic when the situation was as described? All this indicates they knew he was truthful but used such claims to deceive their weak followers, even while they themselves were obstinate deniers.

Verses 6–7

(The text transitions here to the next set of verses, which Al-Razi will analyze subsequently.)