Al-Furqan: (25-29) And the Day the Sky Splits...

Know that this discourse is built upon their demand for the descent of angels. Thus, the Exalted [Allah] clarified that this will occur on a Day characterized by certain attributes:

The First Attribute: The Splitting of the Sky with Clouds

There are several points regarding this:

The statement {When the heaven is split asunder} (Al-Infitar: 1) indicates splitting, and {Do they await aught but that Allah should come to them in canopies of cloud} (Al-Baqarah: 210) indicates clouds. Therefore, {the heaven splits with clouds} is comprehensive of the meanings of both verses. Similar to this is His saying: {And the heaven is opened, and it becomes as gates} (An-Naba: 19), and {And the heaven, that Day, will be frail} (Al-Haqqah: 16).

Abu 'Amr and the people of Kufa read the shīn (ش) with a sukūn (lightening) here and in Surah Qaf, while the rest read it with tashdīd (doubling/intensification). Abu 'Ubaydah preferred the lightening, similar to the lightening in tasā'alūn (you ask one another). Whoever uses the tashdīd means "it splits repeatedly" (tatashaqqaqu).

Al-Farra' said that {with clouds} means "from the clouds" ('an al-ghumām), because the sky does not split by means of the clouds, but rather from them. Al-Qadi said it is not impossible that Allah made the clouds the means by which the sky splits, relying upon them, similar to His saying: {The heaven splitting by it [the command]} (Al-Muzzammil: 18).

This splitting must be connected to the descent of the angels. It is said that during the time of the Prophets (peace be upon them), the angels used to descend from specific locations while the sky remained intact. Then, on that Day, the sky will split, and when it splits, the barrier between the angels and the Earth is removed, allowing the angels to descend to Earth.

The phrase {and the angels descend} is a general form, encompassing all of them. Since the heaven is the abode of the angels, when it splits, they must descend to Earth.

Muqatil said: The heaven of the lowest world splits, and its inhabitants descend—and they are more numerous than the inhabitants of the Earth. Then, heaven after heaven splits, and their inhabitants descend. Then the Cherubim and the Bearers of the Throne descend, and finally, the Lord Almighty descends.

Al-Dahhak narrated from Ibn 'Abbas: Every heaven splits, and its inhabitants descend, surrounding the world, forming seven ranks around it.

Know that the descent of the Lord in essence is definitively false, because descent is movement, and that which is described by movement is created (muhdath), and the Divine cannot be created.

As for the descent of the angels to Earth, there is a question: It is established that the Earth, in relation to the lowest heaven, is like a ring in a desert. How much more so in relation to the Footstool (Kursī) and the Throne ('Arsh)? How can the Earth accommodate all the angels of these stations? Perhaps Allah Almighty will increase the length and breadth of the Earth to an extent that accommodates all of them.

Some commentators said that the angels will be within the clouds, and Allah Almighty will place those clouds above the people of the Resurrection, and those clouds will be the abode of the angels. Al-Hasan said: The clouds are a screen between the heaven and the Earth, through which the angels ascend with the records of the deeds of Adam's offspring, and the reckoning will take place on Earth.

The descent of the angels is apparent. The word {descending in stages} (tanzīlan) serves as an emphasis (tawkīd) for the descent, indicating their swiftness in doing so.

The definite article (alif and lām) in {the clouds} is not for generality, but for specification (li-l-ma'hūd), referring to what they mentioned in the verse: {Do they await aught but that Allah should come to them in canopies of cloud and the angels} (Al-Baqarah: 210).

It has been read: Wa nunazzilu (with nūn and tashdīd), Wa nunzilu (with nūn and sukūn), Wa nazala (past tense, third person plural), Wa yunazzilu (present tense, third person singular), and Wa nazala (past tense, third person singular) with the nūn omitted, which is the reading of the people of Mecca.

The Second Attribute of That Day: {Sovereignty, that Day, belongs to the True God, the Most Merciful}

Al-Zajjaj said that Al-Ḥaqq (The True) is an adjective for Al-Mulk (Sovereignty), meaning: Sovereignty, the True, belongs to the Most Merciful that Day. It could also be read with naṣb (accusative) meaning "I mean," but it was not read this way.

The meaning of describing Him as True is that His sovereignty does not cease or change. If one asks: Such sovereignty has always belonged only to the Most Merciful, so what is the benefit of saying {that Day}?

We reply: Because on that Day, there will be no owner besides Him, neither in appearance nor in essence. Kings will submit to Him, faces will bow before Him, and tyrants will humble themselves before Him, unlike other days.

Know that this verse indicates the falsehood of the Mu'tazila's view that reward and compensation are obligatory upon Allah. This is because if it were obligatory, He would deserve blame for neglecting it, meaning He would fear not doing it, and thus would not be an absolute Sovereign.

Furthermore, {Sovereignty, that Day, belongs to the True God, the Most Merciful} implies that no one else has sovereignty. This is not consistent with the Mu'tazila's view, because whoever deserves something from someone else, that person becomes the owner of that right. If Allah deserved something from someone, He could forgive it. However, if someone else deserves something from someone, it is not valid to absolve them of it. Thus, servitude here is more complete.

Also, if someone disbelieves in Allah until the end of their life, and then in their final moment recognizes Allah for a single instant and dies, if He were to grant him a million years of various rewards and then wished not to grant him even a single moment afterward, He would appear foolish. This is the height of servitude and humiliation, so how is it fitting for one in this state to be told: {Sovereignty, that Day, belongs to the True God, the Most Merciful}?

Moreover, whoever performs an action for which they would deserve blame if they had not performed it, they acquire perfection through that action and deficiency through neglecting it. Thus, they are not a sovereign but rather needy and deserving. Therefore, His saying {Sovereignty, that Day, belongs to the True God, the Most Merciful} is incompatible with the principles of the Mu'tazila.

The Third Attribute of That Day: {And it was a difficult day for the disbelievers}

The meaning is clear, as He is the Knower of all states and capable of everything He wills. Others, however, are bound by inability and the reins of coercion, so it will be extremely difficult for the disbeliever.

The Fourth Attribute of That Day: {And the Day the wrongdoer will bite his hands}

There are several issues here:

There are two opinions regarding the definite article (alif and lām) in Al-Ẓālim:

1. It is for generality.
2. It is for specification (li-l-ma'hūd).

Those who hold the second view have two sub-opinions:

1. Ibn 'Abbas said the intended person is 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt ibn Umayyah ibn 'Abd Shams. He never returned from a journey without preparing a feast for his neighbors in Mecca and frequently engaging with the Prophet (PBUH), enjoying his conversation. He prepared a feast and invited the Prophet (PBUH), who said, "I will not eat your food until you utter the two testimonies." 'Uqbah did so, and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) ate from his food. When Umayyah ibn Khalaf heard this, he said, "You have apostatized, 'Uqbah," as 'Uqbah was his close friend. 'Uqbah replied, "I only mentioned that so he would eat my food." Umayyah said, "I will never be satisfied until you go to him, spit in his face, and tread upon his neck." 'Uqbah did this. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "I will not meet you outside Mecca unless I raise my sword above your head." Then this verse was revealed: {And the Day the wrongdoer will bite his hands} out of regret, meaning 'Uqbah, saying: "Oh, I wish I had not taken Umayyah as a close friend! He certainly led me astray from the Reminder." Meaning, he diverted me from the Reminder (the Qur'an and faith) after it had come to me with Muhammad (PBUH). 'Uqbah was captured on the Day of Badr and executed publicly, and no one else among the captives was executed that day except him and Al-Naḍr ibn Al-Ḥārith.
2. The Rāfiḍah (Shi'a sect) said this wrongdoer is a specific person, and that the Muslims changed his name, concealed it, and substituted another name, mentioning two righteous companions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).

Know that applying the term generally is not inherent to the term itself. We have explained in the principles of jurisprudence that when the definite article enters a singular noun, it does not imply generality unless indicated by context, as the linking of the ruling to the description suggests the description is the effective cause. This indicates that what causes the biting of the hands is the state of being a wrongdoer, and thus the ruling applies generally because its cause is general. This view is preferable to restricting it to a single incident because what we have mentioned implies generality, and its descent in a specific event does not negate the intended generality, which includes that incident and others. Moreover, the purpose of the verse is to deter everyone from wrongdoing, which is only achieved through generality. As for the view of the Rāfiḍah, it is only valid if one attacks the Qur'an and asserts that it has been altered or substituted, which is undoubtedly disbelief.

The Mu'tazila argued from the verse {And the Day the wrongdoer will bite his hands} that since Al-Ẓālim includes the disbeliever and the grave sinner (fāsiq), it proves that Allah Almighty does not forgive the perpetrator of a major sin. This point has already been discussed.

Al-Dahhak said: He eats his hands up to the elbow, and then they grow back. He continues doing this—every time he eats them, they grow back. The people of sound reasoning say this phrase indicates intense regret and grief. It is said: "He bit his fingertips" or "He bit his hands."

Just as we established that "the wrongdoer" is not restricted to one person but includes all wrongdoers, the reference to "so-and-so" is not a single person but everyone who was obeyed in disobedience to Allah. Al-Qaffal cited as evidence: {And the disbeliever is ever an assistant against his Lord} (Al-Furqan: 55), and {And the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish I had been dust!"} (An-Naba: 40), meaning the group of disbelievers.

It has been read with a yā' (يا ويلتي), which is the original form, because a man calls out to his woe (waylatuhu), meaning his ruin, saying: "Come, this is your time." The yā' was changed to alif as in ṣaḥārā (deserts) and ʿadhārā (virgins).

{He certainly led me astray from the Reminder} means from the remembrance of Allah, or the Qur'an, or the admonition of the Messenger. It could also mean leading him away from uttering the testimony of truth, or from his zeal for Islam.

The word "Satan" refers to his close friend, whom he named Satan because he led him astray, just as Satan leads astray, and then abandoned him, offering no benefit in the end. Or, it could refer to Iblis, who incited him to become close friends with that misleader and oppose the Messenger, and then abandoned him. Or, it could refer to the species, meaning everyone among the Jinn and mankind who became satanic. It is also possible that {And Satan was} is a narration of the wrongdoer's speech, or it could be the speech of Allah.

7 < { And the Messenger will say, "O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur'an as something abandoned." * *And thus have We appointed for every prophet an enemy from among the criminals. And sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and a Helper.} > 7 !