Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:28

Surah As-Saffat (37): Verse 28

{قالوا إنكم كنتم...} (They will say: "Indeed, you used to come to us...")

Know that when Allah, the Exalted, recounted that they turned to one another asking questions, He explained the nature of that questioning by saying: {إنكم كنتم تأتوننا عن اليمين} (Indeed, you used to come to us from the right side/direction).

This is the statement of the followers to those who led them astray. There are several interpretations regarding the meaning of al-Yamin (the right side/hand) here:

1. Metaphor for Goodness and Felicity: The word Yamin is used metaphorically for good deeds and happiness. This metaphor is established because the right side is considered superior to the left for several reasons:
   • It is universally agreed that the right side is the nobler of the two.
   • Honorable actions (like shaking hands with the righteous, eating, and drinking) are performed with the right hand, while the opposite is done with the left.
   • They used to take good omens (yatafa'alu) and seek blessings (yatayyammanu) from the right side, calling it al-Barih.
   • The Prophet (peace be upon him) loved to start things with the right side (al-Tiyaman).
   • The Sharia has decreed that the right side is for the recording of good deeds, and the left for bad deeds.
   • Allah promised that the righteous person will receive their record with their right hand, and the wicked with their left.
   • Thus, since the right side is associated with good, the word Yamin is metaphorically used for goodness, good deeds, and obedience.
   • Therefore, {إنكم كنتم تأتوننا عن اليمين} means: "You used to deceive us and make us believe that your intention in inviting us to those creeds was to support the truth and strengthen righteousness."

2. Status/Position: It is said, "So-and-so is the Yamin of so-and-so" when he holds a high, good position with him. In this sense, the misguided followers say to their leaders who adorned disbelief for them: "You used to deceive us and make us believe that we held a position with you like that of the Yamin (i.e., a good standing), so we trusted you and accepted from you."

3. Oaths and Pacts: The leaders of the disbelievers had sworn oaths to these weak followers that what they were calling them to was the truth. The followers trusted their oaths and held fast to the covenants they made with them. Thus, {كنتم تأتوننا عن اليمين} means: "You came to us from the direction of the covenants and the oaths you presented to us."

4. Strength and Coercion: The word Yamin is a metaphor for strength and overwhelming power, as the right hand is described as being forceful and capable of striking. The meaning is: "You came to us through strength and coercion, intending to overpower us with authority and dominance until you forced us into misguidance and blamed us for it."

Then, Allah recounted the response of the leaders to the followers:

1. {بل لم تكونوا مؤمنين} (Nay, you were not believers): Meaning, you were not characterized by faith, so it cannot be said that we removed you from it.
2. {وما كان لنا عليكم من سلطان} (And we had no authority over you): Meaning, we had no power over you to compel or force you.
3. {بل كنتم قوما طاغين} (Nay, you were a transgressing people): Meaning, misguided and excessive in disobeying Allah.
4. {فحق علينا قول ربنا إنا لذائقون} (So the word of our Lord was justly passed against us, that we would taste [the punishment]): This means that since Allah informed us that we would fall into punishment, if we had not fallen into it, Allah's report would have been false. Since Allah's report is an established necessity, falling into painful punishment becomes inevitable.
   • Muqatil stated that {فحق علينا قول ربنا} refers to Allah's statement to Iblis: {لأملأن جهنم منك وممن تبعك منهم أجمعين} (I will surely fill Hell with you and with those of them who follow you, all together).
   • {إنا لذائقون} means: Since the word of our Lord was justly decreed against us, it was necessary that we taste this punishment.
5. {فأغويناكم إنا كنا غاوين} (So we misled you; indeed, we were misleading): Meaning, we only proceeded to mislead you because we ourselves were characterized by misguidance.
   • There is a subtle point here: If you claim that your misguidance was due to our misleading you, then our misguidance, if it was due to the misleading of another misleader, would lead to an infinite regress (tasalsul), which is impossible. Therefore, it is known that the occurrence of misguidance and guidance is not from us, but from another, which is what was mentioned previously: {فحق علينا قول ربنا} (So the word of our Lord was justly passed against us).

When Allah recounted the speech of the followers to the leaders and the speech of the leaders to the followers, He followed it with: {فإنهم يومئذ في العذاب مشتركون} (Then indeed, they, on that Day, will be partners in the punishment). Meaning, the followed and the follower, the served and the servant, will share in the punishment, just as they shared in misguidance in the world.

Then He said: {إنا كذلك نفعل بالمجرمين} (Indeed, thus do We deal with the criminals). The term al-Mujrimun (the criminals) here refers to the disbelievers, evidenced by the statement immediately following: {إنهم كانوا إذا قيل لهم لا إله إلا الله يستكبرون} (Indeed, when it was said to them, "There is no god but Allah," they grew arrogant). The pronoun in {إنهم} refers back to those mentioned previously, i.e., {بالمجرمين}. This indicates that the absolute term al-Mujrim in the Quran is specific to the disbeliever.

Allah then explained why they fell into that punishment: because they denied Tawhid (Monotheism) and Prophethood.

• Denial of Tawhid is His statement: {إنهم كانوا إذا قيل لهم لا إله إلا الله يستكبرون} (Indeed, when it was said to them, "There is no god but Allah," they grew arrogant), meaning they rejected it, were obstinate in affirming polytheism, and disdained acknowledging monotheism.
• Denial of Prophethood is their statement: {لتاركو ءالهتنا لشاعر مجنون بل} (Will we abandon our gods for a mad poet?), referring to Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Then Allah refuted their claim: {بل جاء بالحق وصدق المرسلون} (Nay, he brought the truth, and he confirmed the messengers).

The explanation of this statement is that he brought the true religion because it is established by reason that Allah is transcendent above opposites, equals, and partners. Since Muhammad (peace be upon him) came confirming these meanings, his coming was with the true religion.

(Note on recitation: Ibn Kathir read {ءالهتنا} with a Hamza and a light ya' following it, without elongation. Nafi' (in the narration of Warsh) and Abu Amr read it with elongation based on this interpretation. The rest read it with two Hamzas without elongation.)

{وصدق المرسلون} (and he confirmed the messengers) means he confirmed them in their coming with Tawhid and the negation of partners. This serves as a reminder that proclaiming Tawhid is the religion of all the Prophets.

When Allah recounted their denial of Tawhid and Prophethood, He shifted the discourse from the third person (absence) to the second person (presence): {إنكم لذائقون العذاب الأليم} (Indeed, you will taste the painful punishment).

It is as if the question was posed: How is it fitting for the Merciful, the Generous, the One exalted above benefit and harm, to punish His servants? He answered by saying: {وما تجزون إلا ما كنتم تعملون} (And you are not recompensed except for what you used to do).

The meaning is that judgment necessitates commanding good and obedience, and forbidding evil and disobedience. These commands and prohibitions are only fully realized through the incentive of reward and the warning of punishment. When the report of this occurs, its realization becomes obligatory to preserve the speech from falsehood. For this reason, they fell into punishment.

Then He said: {إلا عباد الله المخلصين} (Except the chosen servants of Allah). This means, however, the chosen servants of Allah are saved. This is an exception of severance (istithna' munqati').

[Continuation of the narrative from the following verses, describing the state of the saved]

{أولئك لهم رزق معلوم * فواكه وهم مكرمون * فى جنات النعيم * على سرر متقابلين * يطاف عليهم بكأس من معين * بيضآء لذة للشاربين * لا فيها غول ولا هم عنها ينزفون * وعندهم قاصرات الطرف عين * كأنهن بيض مكنون * فأقبل بعضهم على بعض يتسآءلون}

(Those will have a provision determined: Fruits, and they will be honored, in Gardens of Bliss, upon couches facing one another. Circulated among them will be a cup from a clear spring, white, a delight to those who drink, from which there is no intoxication, nor are they exhausted by it. And with them will be those of modest gaze, with wide, beautiful eyes, as if they were protected eggs. Then some of them will turn to others, inquiring of one another.)