Surah As-Saffat (Those Who Set Themselves in Rows)

182 Verses, Meccan

[37:1] By those who set themselves in rows (صفا - ṣaffan),

[37:2] And by those who drive away (the evil ones) with a driving away (زجرا - zajran),

[37:3] And by those who recite the reminder (ذكرا - dhikran),

[37:4] Indeed, your God is surely One.

[37:5] Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and Lord of the easts (the rising places of the sun).

Surah As-Saffat (The Arrangers in Ranks): Verse 1

وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا (And those who arrange themselves in ranks, in rows!)

Issues Discussed:

There are two main readings for this verse:

1. Idgham (Assimilation): Abu 'Amr and Hamzah read it with idgham (assimilation) of the tā' into the ṣād (i.e., Wa-ṣ-ṣāffāti ṣaffā). This assimilation is also applied to the following verses: Fa-z-zājirāti zajrā and Fa-t-tāliyyāti dhikrā.
   • Justification for Idgham: Al-Wahidi stated that assimilating the tā' into the ṣād is good because the two letters are close in articulation (both from the tip of the tongue and the roots of the incisors, heard in hams [whispering]). The letter being assimilated into (ṣād) has added qualities (closure/طباق and sibilance/صفير) compared to the assimilating letter (tā'). Assimilating the lesser quality into the greater is permissible, but not vice versa.
   • The idgham in Fa-z-zājirāti zajrā (Tā' into Zāy) is also good because the tā' is whispered (mahmūs) while the zāy is voiced (majhūr) and has added sibilance, similar to the ṣād.
   • The idgham in Fa-t-tāliyyāti dhikrā (Tā' into Dhāl) is good due to the similarity in their articulation points (tip of the tongue and roots of the incisors).

2. Izhar (Clear Pronunciation): The rest of the reciters maintain izhar (clear pronunciation) without assimilation.
   • Justification for Izhar: This is done due to the difference in the articulation points of the letters.

The three items sworn by—Aṣ-ṣāffāt (those who arrange in ranks), Az-zājirāt (those who drive/restrain), and At-tāliyyāt (those who recite/follow)—can be interpreted in two ways:

A. They are three attributes describing one single entity.

B. They are three distinct entities.

Interpretation A: Attributes of One Entity (The Angels)

If they are attributes of one entity, the most common interpretation is that they refer to the Angels:

1. وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا (Arranging in Ranks): This refers to the angels standing in rows, either in the heavens to perform acts of worship (as they said: "And indeed, we are those who arrange themselves in ranks" [Q. 37:165]), or arranging their wings in the air awaiting God's command. It can also mean that each angel has a fixed rank, degree of honor, virtue, or inherent station that remains unchanged, resembling rows.

2. فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا (Driving/Restraining with a Drive):
   • Linguistically, zajr means urging an animal forward (like a camel) or forbidding someone from evil until they cease.
   • Interpretations regarding Angels:
     • Ibn 'Abbas: Refers to the angels assigned to the clouds, driving them from one place to another.
     • Spiritual Restraint: Angels influence human hearts through inspiration, restraining people from sins.
     • Protection: Angels restrain devils from harming mankind.

• Philosophical/Metaphysical View (Al-Razi's Elaboration): * Existence is divided into three categories: the absolute Mover (God), the moved entity that cannot move others (material bodies), and the entity that both receives influence and exerts influence (Spirits/Angels). * Spirits receive influence from God's realm of majesty and exert influence upon the material world. * وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا refers to their standing in rows in servitude and obedience, the aspect by which they receive divine lights and perfections. * فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا refers to their influence in removing the undesirable from human souls (i.e., restraining evil). * فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا refers to their influence in bestowing divine lights and knowledge upon human rational souls. Human souls are like a drop compared to the sea of angelic spirits; they transition from potentiality to actuality in divine knowledge only through the influence of angels (citing Q. 16:2 and Q. 26:192-193).

• Further Nuance on Perfection: Absolute perfection involves being complete in oneself (tāmm) and being super-complete (fawq al-tāmm) by radiating perfection to others. * وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا: Refers to the angels achieving perfection in their essence while standing in servitude. * فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا: Refers to their influence in removing the unfit from human souls. * فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا: Refers to their influence in bestowing divine lights upon human rational souls.

• Objection (Abu Muslim al-Isfahani): The feminine plural form (Ṣāffāt, Zājirāt, Tāliyyāt) implies femininity, which is impossible for angels. * Rebuttal 1: Ṣāffāt is a plural of the plural (jam' al-jam') derived from ṣāffah (a group standing in ranks). * Rebuttal 2: They are free from meaningful femininity, even if the linguistic feminine marker is present, just as they are called Malā'ikah (Angels), which also carries a feminine marker.

Interpretation B: Attributes of Human Souls (The Pure Believers)

These three terms can refer to pure, sanctified human souls devoted to God—the "Angels of the Earth."

1. وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا: The rows formed by people standing together in congregational prayer.
2. فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا: Reciting A'ūdhu billāhi min ash-shayṭān ar-rajīm (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil), thereby restraining devils from whispering during prayer.
   • Alternatively, raising the voice during recitation acts as a restraint against the devil (citing the narration about Abu Bakr's low voice and 'Umar's loud voice during night prayers).
3. فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا: Reciting the Qur'an during prayer.

Interpretation C: Attributes of Scholars/Preachers

1. وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا: The ranks of sincere scholars calling people to God's religion.
2. فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا: Their engagement in restraining people from doubts and desires.
3. فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا: Their engagement in calling people to God's religion and encouraging adherence to divine laws.

Interpretation D: Attributes of Warriors/Mujahideen

1. وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا: The ranks of battle formation (citing Q. 61:4: "Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in ranks").
2. فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا: Shouting/crying out to drive the horses forward.
3. فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا: Their engagement in reciting the Qur'an, glorifying God (Tahleel), and praising Him (Tasbeeh) as they begin fighting the enemy.

Interpretation E: Attributes of the Verses of the Qur'an

1. وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا: The verses of the Qur'an, which are of various types (Tawhid, Power, Wisdom, Prophethood, Resurrection, Rulings, Ethics). These verses are arranged in an unchangeable order, resembling individuals standing in fixed rows.
2. فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا: The verses that restrain from reprehensible actions.
3. فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا: The verses that urge people toward righteous deeds and goodness. (The description of verses as "following" is analogous to poetry or speech).

If the three terms refer to three different things:

1. وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا: Birds flying with wings spread out (citing Q. 24:41: "And the birds arranging themselves in ranks").
2. وَالزَّاجِرَاتِ: Everything that restrains from God's disobedience.
3. وَالتَّالِيَاتِ: Everything recited from God's Book.

Al-Razi's Alternative View (Combining Physical and Spiritual Realms):

Creation is either material (physical) or spiritual.

1. Material Realm: Organized in fixed layers (Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Spheres of the heavens), appearing as ranks standing before God's majesty. This corresponds to وَالصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا.
2. Spiritual Realm: These spirits share two characteristics:
   • Exerting influence/motion upon the material world, corresponding to فَالزَّاجِرَاتِ زَجْرًا (driving/motion).
   • Perception, knowledge, and immersion in knowing and praising God, corresponding to فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا.

Since the physical realm is lower than the independent spirits, the action upon the physical (driving/moving) is lower than the action of the spirits immersed in knowing God (praising Him). Thus, the order reflects a hierarchy: Bodies first, then the spirits governing them, and finally the highest spirits wholly devoted to divine knowledge.

There are two main positions:

Position 1: The Oath is by the Creator of these things, not the things themselves.

• Arguments:
  1. The Prophet (PBUH) forbade swearing by anything other than God; thus, it is unfit for God's wisdom to swear by creation.
  2. Swearing by something in this context implies immense glorification, similar to oaths in Q. 91:5-7 (By the heaven and He Who constructed it...).

Position 2: The Oath is by the actual entities themselves.

• Arguments:
  1. The literal text indicates an oath by these entities, and deviating from the literal meaning requires proof.
  2. In Q. 91:5-6 (By the heaven and He Who constructed it), the oath is explicitly linked to the heaven, and then the constructor is added. If the oath by the heaven meant the oath by its constructor, it would be redundant.
  3. The wisdom behind swearing by these entities might be to draw attention to the nobility of their essence and the perfection of their reality, especially if they are interpreted as angels, highlighting their high stations.

Addressing the Objection: Why swear at all?

• Objection 1: The purpose of the oath is either to affirm a truth for the believer or the disbeliever. For the believer, it is useless as they already believe.
• Objection 2: God swore in the beginning of this Surah about Tawhid (Oneness) and in Surah Adh-Dhariyat about the Resurrection. Affirming such high truths to deniers (like the materialists/Dahriyyah) using oaths is unbecoming of the wise.

• Rebuttal 1 (Confirmation): God had already established Tawhid and Resurrection using definitive proofs elsewhere. The oath here serves as confirmation/emphasis (ta'kīd) for what preceded, especially since oaths are a familiar rhetorical device in Arabic.
• Rebuttal 2 (Proof of Oneness): After swearing, God immediately mentions: رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ (Lord of the heavens and the earth and all between them, and Lord of the easts). This serves as a near-definitive proof for Tawhid, based on the principle that the order of the cosmos proves there is only one Lord (as stated in Q. 21:22: If there were therein any deities besides Allah, there would have been ruin in both).
• Rebuttal 3 (Refuting Idolaters): The oath serves to refute idolaters, implying their doctrine is so weak that even such an oath is sufficient to invalidate it.

The evidence for God's power and wisdom from the heavens and earth has been established previously. Regarding وَرَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ (Lord of the Easts):

1. Sunrise/Sunset: Al-Suddi said there are 360 easts and 360 wests, as the sun rises and sets in a different place each day.
2. Planetary Risings: It could refer to the rising points of all the stars and planets, as each has a rising and setting point.

Why mention the Easts and not the Wests?

1. The mention of the Easts suffices, similar to how the mention of heat suffices (Q. 16:81).
2. The East is more significant and beneficial than the West. Mentioning the East highlights the abundance of God's grace upon His servants. This is why Abraham (AS) used the East as proof when challenging Nimrod: "Indeed, Allah brings the sun from the east..." (Q. 2:258).

The Ash'ari school uses the verse رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا (Lord of the heavens and the earth and all between them) as proof that God creates human actions.

• Argument: Human actions exist between the heavens and the earth. Since God is the Lord and Owner of everything between the heavens and the earth, He must create the actions of the servant.
• Counter-Argument: Attributes/accidents (a'rāḍ) cannot be described as existing in a physical space or direction, as this description applies only to bodies.
• Rebuttal: Since these attributes are inherent in the bodies that exist between heaven and earth, they are consequently considered to exist between heaven and earth as well.

Verse 7 (Continuation of the Oath):

إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِزِينَةِ الْكَوَاكِبِ * وَحِفْظًا مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّارِدٍ * لَّا يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَىٰ وَيُقْذَفُونَ مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٍ * دُحُورًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ وَاصِبٌ * إِلَّا مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ

(Indeed, We have adorned the nearest heaven with the adornment of the stars, * And as a guard against every rebellious devil. * They cannot listen in to the Exalted Assembly, and they are pelted from every side, * Repelled, and for them is an enduring punishment. * Except for one who snatches a snatching [of information], and there follows him a piercing flame.)