Al-Furqan: (10-14) Tabaraka alladhi in...

Know that this is the second response to that doubt. His statement: {Tabaraka alladhi in sha'a ja'ala laka khayran min dhalik} (Blessed is He Who, if He wills, can make for you something better than that).

This means better than what the disbelievers mentioned concerning worldly provisions, such as treasure or gardens. He explained this "better" by saying: {Jannatin tajri min tahtihal-anhar wayaj'al laka qusuran} (Gardens beneath which rivers flow, and can make for you palaces).

By this, the Exalted is pointing out that He is capable of granting the Messenger everything they mentioned. However, the Almighty manages His servants according to what is beneficial or in accordance with His Will, and no one has the right to object to any of His actions. He opens the doors of gnosis and knowledge for one person while closing the doors of the world to him, and the opposite for another. This is only because He is the Doer of what He wills. Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1:

Ibn Abbas said: "Better than that [which they taunted you for lacking] is the Garden, because they taunted you for lacking a single garden, whereas He is capable of giving you many gardens."

In a narration from 'Ikrimah, it is said: {Khayran min dhalik} (better than that) means better than walking in the markets and seeking livelihood.

Issue 2:

His statement {In sha'a} (if He wills) means that the Almighty is capable of that, not that He is doubtful, as doubt is impossible for God. Some scholars said that {In} here means 'idha' (when/if), meaning: "We have indeed made for you gardens and built for you palaces in the Hereafter." The word In is included to alert the servants that this can only be attained through His Mercy, and it is contingent upon His sheer Will, and that no servant has a right over God, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter.

Issue 3:

Al-Qusur (palaces) is the plural of Qasr, which is a lofty dwelling. It is possible that every Garden has a palace, serving as both a dwelling and a place of recreation. It is also possible that the palaces are grouped together and the Gardens are grouped together. Mujahid said: "If He wills, He can make for you gardens in the Hereafter and palaces in this world."

Issue 4:

Al-Farra' differed regarding the reading of {Wayaj'al} (and He makes). Ibn Kathir, Ibn 'Amir, and 'Asim read it with the indicative mood (raising the verb, raf') by connecting it to the Lam (of ja'ala), while others read it with the jussive mood (pausing the verb, jazm).

• For those who read with jazm: The meaning is: "If He wills, He makes for you gardens, and He makes for you palaces."
• For those who read with raf': This is considered a new, independent clause (isti'naf), meaning: "And He will make for you palaces." This is the view of Al-Zajjaj.

Al-Wahidi stated that there is a difference in meaning between the two readings:

• If read with jazm, the meaning is: "If He wills, He makes for you palaces in this world," and stopping at al-anhar (rivers) is not appropriate.
• If read with raf', it is appropriate to stop at al-anhar, and the following clause is a new statement: "And He makes for you palaces in the Hereafter."

In the Mushafs of Ubayy and Ibn Mas'ud, it is written: (Tabaraka alladhi in sha'a yaj'al...).

Issue 5:

Tawus narrated from Ibn Abbas: "While the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting with Gabriel (peace be upon him), Gabriel said: 'This is an angel who has descended from the heaven, seeking permission from his Lord to visit you.' He did not wait long until the angel came, greeted the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and said: 'Allah gives you the choice between being given the keys to everything—which He did not give to anyone before you nor will He give to anyone after you—without diminishing what is reserved for you [in the Hereafter].' The Prophet (PBUH) replied: 'Rather, gather them all for me in the Hereafter.' Then this verse descended: {Tabaraka alladhi in sha'a...} (Blessed is He Who, if He wills...)."

Ibn Abbas also narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Gabriel presented the gold of the valleys of Mecca to me, and I said: 'Rather, one day of satiety and three days of hunger,' as that is more conducive to my remembrance and my supplication to my Lord." In a narration from Safwan ibn Sulaym, from 'Abd al-Wahhab, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "I am satiated one day and hungry for three, so I praise You when I am satiated and humble myself to You when I am hungry."

Al-Dahhak narrated: "When the polytheists taunted the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) about poverty, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) became sad about that. Gabriel descended to console him, saying: 'Allah sends His greetings to you and says: {Wama arsalna qablaka min al-mursaleena illa innahum layakooloona al-ta'aam} (And We did not send before you any messengers except that they used to eat food) [Al-Furqan: 20].' While Gabriel and the Prophet (PBUH) were talking, a door to the heaven opened that had never been opened before. Then [the angel] said: 'Rejoice, O Muhammad! This is Ridwan, the keeper of Paradise, who has come to you with acceptance from your Lord.' He greeted the Prophet (PBUH) and said: 'Your Lord gives you the choice between being a king-prophet or a servant-prophet.' With him was a luminous box of light. He then said: 'These are the keys to the treasuries of the world; take them, without Allah diminishing what He has prepared for you in the Hereafter by even a gnat's wing.' The Prophet (PBUH) looked at Gabriel as if seeking counsel, and he gestured with his hand toward humility. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: 'Rather, a servant-prophet.' After that, the Prophet (PBUH) never ate reclining until he departed this world."

Regarding His statement: {Bal kadhdhabu bi-s-sa'ati wa a'tadna liman kadhdhaba bi-s-sa'ati sa'eera} (Nay, they denied the Hour, and We have prepared for those who deny the Hour a blazing Fire).

This is a third response to that doubt. It is as if the Almighty is saying: What they cling to is not a valid doubt regarding the issue itself. Rather, what drove them to deny you is their denial of the Hour, finding preparation for it burdensome. It is also possible that their meaning is that they deny the Hour, so they do not hope for reward or punishment, nor do they undertake the effort of contemplation and thought; hence, they do not benefit from the proofs presented to them. Then He said: {Wa a'tadna liman kadhdhaba bi-s-sa'ati sa'eera} (And We have prepared for those who deny the Hour a blazing Fire). Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1:

Abu Muslim said: {Wa a'tadna} (And We have prepared) means: We have made it ready and prepared. As-Sa'eer is intensely burning fire. Al-Hasan said it is one of the names of Hell.

Issue 2:

Our scholars used the verse {U'iddat lil-muttaqeen} (prepared for the righteous) [Al 'Imran: 133] as evidence that Paradise is created. They use this verse and the verse {Wa a'tadna liman kadhdhaba bi-s-sa'ati sa'eera} as evidence that the Fire, which is the abode of punishment, is created. The statement {Wa a'tadna} reports an action that occurred in the past, thus indicating that the abode of punishment is created.

Al-Jubba'i suggested: "Perhaps {Wa a'tadna} means We prepared the Fire in this world, and with it We punish the disbelievers and the wicked in their graves. Or it could mean the Fire of the Hereafter, and the meaning of {Wa a'tadna} is 'We will prepare it for them,' like His statement: {Wa nada ashabu al-jannati ashaban-nar} (And the inhabitants of Paradise will call to the inhabitants of the Fire) [Al-A'raf: 44]."

Know that this question is utterly baseless. The intended meaning of As-Sa'eer is either the fire of this world or the fire of the Hereafter.

1. If it is the fire of this world, either He punishes them with the fire of this world in this world, or He punishes them with the fire of this world in the Hereafter. The first is false because He did not punish them with fire in this world. The second is also false because no one in the Ummah has said that He punishes the disbelievers in the Hereafter with the fires of this world.
2. Therefore, the Fire of the Hereafter is established, and it is established that it is prepared.

Carrying the verse to mean God will prepare it is abandoning the apparent meaning without evidence. As for Al-Hasan saying As-Sa'eer is a name for Hell, then His statement {Wa a'tadna liman kadhdhaba bi-s-sa'ati sa'eera} is explicit that the Almighty has prepared Hell.

Issue 3:

Our scholars used this verse as evidence that the fortunate one is fortunate while still in his mother's womb. They argue: If God prepared the Blazing Fire for those who deny the Hour and announced this judgment, and then those people turned out to be believers deserving of reward, then God's judgment about them being people of the Fire would become a lie, and His knowledge would consequently become ignorance. This reversal is impossible, and what leads to the impossible is impossible. Therefore, those people becoming believers deserving of reward is impossible. Thus, it is established that the fortunate one cannot become wretched, and the wretched one cannot become fortunate.

Furthermore, the Exalted described the Blazing Fire with attributes, one of which is His statement: {Idha ra'at-hum min makanin ba'eedin sami'u laha taghayyuzan wazafira} (When it sees them from a distant place, they will hear its raging and its roar). Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1:

As-Sa'eer is masculine, but here it is treated as feminine because He said {ra'at-hum} (it sees them) and {sami'u laha} (they hear for it). It is treated as feminine based on the meaning of Nar (Fire), which is feminine.

Issue 2:

The doctrine of our scholars is that structure/composition is not a prerequisite for life. Thus, the Fire, as it is, God can create life, intellect, and speech within it. The Mu'tazila hold that this is impossible. These Mu'tazila have no proof in this matter except induction based on customary habits. If that were true, it would necessitate denying miracles that break customary habits for the sake of the Messengers. Thus, their statement is contradictory. Indeed, denying customary habits is only appropriate for the principles of the philosophers. Therefore, our scholars maintain that God's statement about the description of the Fire: {Idha ra'at-hum min makanin ba'eedin sami'u laha taghayyuzan wazafira} must be taken literally, as there is no impossibility in the Fire being alive, seeing, and enraged at the disbelievers.

The Mu'tazila, however, were forced to interpret it, offering several views:

1. They said the meaning of {ra'at-hum} (it sees them) is that it becomes apparent to them, based on the usage "Their dwellings face each other" (tadā'rā). The Prophet (PBUH) said: "The fire of the believer and the disbeliever do not face each other," meaning they do not meet because the believer must avoid the disbeliever and the polytheist. It is also said, "So-and-so's dwellings face each other" (tanāẓar), meaning they are opposite each other.
2. The Fire, due to the intensity of its blazing and boiling, appears to see the disbelievers, seek them out, and become enraged at them.
3. Al-Jubba'i said: The Almighty mentioned the Fire but intended the guards appointed to punish the inhabitants of the Fire, because seeing is valid for them, but not for the Fire itself. This is like His statement: {Was'al al-qaryata} (And ask the town) [Yusuf: 82], meaning its people.

Issue 3:

One might ask: Taghayyuz (raging/indignation) is an expression of intense anger, which cannot be heard. How then did God say: {Sami'u laha taghayyuzan wazafira} (they hear its raging and its roar)? The answer is in several ways:

1. Although Taghayyuz itself is not heard, what indicates it—a sound—can be heard. This is like saying, "I saw the Emir's anger at so-and-so" when one sees what indicates that anger. Similarly here, the meaning is: they heard a sound from it resembling the sound of one who is enraged. This is the view of Al-Zajjaj.
2. The meaning is: they knew/understood its rage ('alimū laha taghayyuzan) and heard its roar (sami'ū laha zafīran). This is the view of Qutrub, similar to the poet imitating the sound of a sword and a spear.
3. The intended meaning is the rage of the guards.

Issue 4:

'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr said: "Hell lets out a roar (zafrah) such that everyone trembles in their flanks, even Abraham (peace be upon him) will be on his knees saying, 'Myself! Myself!'"

The Second Description of the Blazing Fire: His statement: {Wa idha ulqu minha makanāniqan muqarraneen da'aw hunalika thabura} (And when they are cast into a narrow place therein, chained together, they will call out there for destruction).

When the Almighty described the state of the disbelievers when they are far from Hell, He then described their state when they are cast into it—may God protect us from it—with the most eloquent description possible. Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1:

Regarding {ḍīqan} (narrow), there are two readings: with shaddah (doubling the ḍād) and with takhfīf (lightening the ḍād), which is the reading of Ibn Kathir.

Issue 2:

Several things are narrated regarding the interpretation of "narrowness":

• Qatadah said: 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar mentioned that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Paradise is so narrow for the disbeliever like the narrowness of a peg in a wall." When the Prophet (PBUH) was asked about this, he said: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, they will be forced into the Fire just as a peg is forced into a wall."
• Al-Kalbi said: The lower ones are lifted up by the flames, and the upper ones are pushed down by those entering, so they crowd together at those narrow gates.
• The author of Al-Kashshaf said: Distress accompanies narrowness, just as relief accompanies spaciousness. This is why God described Paradise as being as wide as the heavens and the earth, and the Hadiths mention the extent of palaces and gardens for every believer. God has combined all types of affliction for the people of the Fire, as He joined intense torment with narrowness.

Issue 3:

They explained His statement {muqarraneen fi al-asfād} (chained together in fetters) by saying that the inhabitants of the Fire, despite the intense torment and extreme narrowness, will be chained in shackles (asfād). Their hands will be bound to their necks. It is also said that every disbeliever will be chained with his devil in a chain, and they will have fetters on their legs.

Then, the Almighty recounted that when the inhabitants of the Fire witness this type of severe punishment, they call out for destruction (thabūr). Thabūr means ruin/destruction. Their call is to say, "Wathburāh!" meaning, "O Destruction, this is your time and your moment!" Anas narrated a marfū' Hadith (attributed to the Prophet): "The first to be clothed in a garment of Fire will be Iblis. He will place it on his sides and drag it behind him, and his offspring will follow him, and they will cry out, 'Wathburāhum!' until they are driven into the Fire."

Regarding His statement: {Lā tad'ū al-yawma thabūran wāḥidan wa-d'ū thabūran kathīran} (Do not call out for one destruction today, but call out for much destruction).

This will be said to them, and they deserve to be told this even if they did not speak. The meaning of {wa-d'ū thabūran kathīran} (and call out for much destruction) is that you have fallen into a situation where your destruction is not singular, but manifold. This is either because the torment has various types and colors, and each type has its own destruction due to its severity and horror; or because every time their skins are roasted, they will be replaced with other skins; or because that torment is continuous and pure, so they have destruction in every moment of endless time; or because they might find some relief by uttering this word (of calling for destruction), as the afflicted person finds some relief by lamenting and crying, so they are forbidden from that, and they are informed that this destruction will increase every day to increase their sorrow and grief—may God protect us from it. Al-Kalbi said that all of this descended concerning Abu Jahl and the disbelievers who mentioned those doubts.

{Qul adhālika khayrun am jannatu al-khuldi allatī wu'idal-muttaqūn kanat lahum jazā'an wa-maṣīrā * Lahum fīhā mā yashā'ūna khālidīn kāna 'alā rabbika wa'dan mas'ūlā} (Say: Is that better, or the Eternal Garden which the righteous have been promised? It will be for them a recompense and a destination. For them therein is whatever they desire, abiding therein forever. That is a promise upon your Lord, a thing to be requested.)