Surah Sad (38)

Eighty-eight verses, Meccan.

Verse 7:

Tafsir Notes (Summary of Al-Razi's approach for this section):

1. The Oath (ص - Sad): The letter Sad is one of the isolated letters (al-muqatta'at) at the beginning of certain Surahs. Its meaning is known only to God. However, it is often followed by an oath concerning the Quran, emphasizing its divine origin and truth.

2. The Denial of the Disbelievers: The verse immediately shifts to address the stubbornness of the disbelievers.
   • "Nay, those who disbelieve are in pride ('izzah) and opposition (shiqaq)."
     • Their disbelief is not due to lack of evidence, but due to arrogance ('izzah). They refuse to submit because submission implies lowering their status, which their pride forbids.
     • Shiqaq means deep, entrenched opposition and hostility toward the truth.

3. The Warning of Past Destruction: God reminds them of the fate of previous nations:
   • "How many generations have We destroyed before them?" This serves as a powerful warning and proof that rejecting the divine message leads to ruin.
   • "Then they called out, but it was not the time for escape (hin munās)." When the punishment arrived (the time of destruction), their cries for mercy or escape were futile because the opportunity for repentance and belief had passed. This emphasizes the urgency of accepting the message now.

S. (1) Sad, and by the Glorious Qur'an...

There are several issues concerning this opening:

Issue 1: The Meaning of the Opening Letters (Sād)

The detailed discussion regarding such opening letters was covered at the beginning of Surat al-Baqarah. However, some points are worth reiterating:

1. Reference to God's Names: Sād (ص) is the beginning of God's names, such as Sādiq al-Wa'd (True to His Promise), Sāni' al-Masnū'āt (Creator of created things), and Samad (The Eternal/Self-Sufficient).
2. Truthfulness of Muhammad (PBUH): It means that Muhammad (PBUH) was truthful in everything he reported concerning God.
3. Preventing Disbelief: It means the prevention (ṣadd) of the disbelievers from accepting this religion, as stated: {Those who disbelieved and barred [others] from the way of Allah} (An-Nahl: 88).
4. Inimitability: It signifies that the Qur'an is composed of these letters, which you (humans) are capable of producing, yet you are incapable of matching the Qur'an. This proves the Qur'an's miraculous nature.
5. Contestation/Echo: If Sād is read with a kasra on the dāl (صِدْ), it refers to muṣādah (contestation/opposition). From this root is ṣadā (echo), which is the sound reflecting off solid objects in empty spaces. The meaning is: Contest the Qur'an with your actions; obey its commands and refrain from its prohibitions.
6. Name of the Surah: It could be the name of the Surah, meaning: "This is Sād."

Objections and Responses Regarding the Oath:

If we take the opening as an oath (qasam), two issues arise:

1. The Answer to the Oath (Jawab al-Qasam): Where is the statement sworn to be true in the phrase, "By the Qur'an, the one with the reminder"?
2. The Function of Bal (Nay/Rather): The word bal implies the negation of a previously established ruling and the affirmation of a subsequent one. How does this fit here where there is no preceding statement to negate?

Responses:

1. Regarding the Answer to the Oath:
   • First View: If Sād means "Muhammad is truthful," then "Muhammad is truthful" is the answer to the oath. The phrase "Sād, and by the Qur'an, the one with the reminder" constitutes the second oath.
   • Second View: The answer to the oath is omitted. The implied meaning is: "Sād, and by the Qur'an, the one with the reminder, it is indeed a miraculous discourse," as we have shown that Sād points to the challenge (taḥaddī).
   • Third View: Sād is the name of the Surah. The meaning is: "This is Sād, and by the Qur'an, the one with the reminder." Since it is well-known that the Prophet (PBUH) claims in this Surah that it is miraculous, the phrase "This is Sād" functions like saying, "This is the miraculous Surah." It is analogous to saying, "This is Ḥātim, by God," meaning, "This is the one famous for generosity."

2. Regarding the Function of Bal: The ruling established before bal is either the truthfulness of Muhammad (PBUH) in conveying the message, or the miraculous nature of the Qur'an or this Surah. The ruling established after bal is their contention and hostility regarding that truth. Thus, the required meaning is achieved.

Issue 2: Recitations of Sād

Al-Ḥasan read Sād with a kasra on the dāl (صِدْ) due to the meeting of two silent letters (iltiqā' as-sākinayn). 'Īsā ibn 'Umar read it with naṣb (accusative) on Sād and nūn, omitting the preposition of the oath and connecting the verb directly, similar to saying Allāh la-af'alann (By God, I will certainly do it). Most reciters use jazm (jussive/pause) because nouns devoid of governing factors have quiescent endings.

Issue 3: The Meaning of {the one with the Reminder} (dhī adh-dhikr)

There are two interpretations:

1. Possessor of Honor/Prestige: It means possessing honor, as God says: {And indeed, it is a reminder for you and your people} (Az-Zukhruf: 44), and {We have certainly sent down to you a Book wherein is your reminder} (Al-Anbiyā': 10). This is metaphorical, like saying someone has "a mention" (dhikr) among people, meaning they have fame or renown.
2. Possessor of Two Clear Explanations (Bayānayn): It contains the stories of the ancients and the latter ones, and it clarifies both fundamental and subsidiary sciences. This is supported by the verse: {And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy to understand for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?} (Al-Qamar: 22).

Issue 4: The Mu'tazila Position on the Qur'an's Eternity

The Mu'tazila argue that the Qur'an, being "the reminder," is created (muḥdath).

• Their Evidence for Dhikr (Reminder) being Eternal: They cite verses like {And indeed, it is a reminder for you and your people} (Az-Zukhruf: 44), {And this is a blessed reminder} (Al-Anbiyā': 50), and {Sād, and by the Qur'an, the one with the reminder} (Sād: 1), along with {We have not taught him poetry, nor is it suitable for him} (Yā-Sīn: 69).
• Their Evidence for Muḥdath (Created): They cite verses like {Has there not come to them a reminder from their Lord, newly revealed?} (Al-Anbiyā': 2) and {A reminder from the Most Merciful, newly revealed}.

Our Response: We interpret their evidence concerning the muḥdath (newly revealed) to refer to the letters and sounds, which are indeed created.

As for the statement: {Nay, those who disbelieve...}, it refers to the disbelievers among the chiefs of Quraysh, whom arrogance, envy, and pride prevent from submitting to the truth.

• 'Izzah (Pride/Arrogance): Here, it means glorification or the high status a person believes they possess, which prevents them from following others. This is supported by: {And when it is said to him, "Fear Allah," pride takes hold of him in sin} (Al-Baqarah: 206).
• Shiqāq (Hostility/Opposition): This is showing dissent either on the basis of equality with the opponent or superiority over them. It is derived from shaqq (a split/cleft), as if the person elevates himself above the obligation to conform to the opponent, placing himself in one split (shiqq) and his adversary in another, wishing to remain in his own split without the ruling of his opponent applying to him. This is similar to mu'ādāh (being in opposite camps) and muḥādah (being on opposite boundaries).

When God described them with arrogance and hostility, He warned them: {as We destroyed before them a generation, and they cried out...}. This means they cried out when the punishment descended upon them in this world. The text does not specify what they cried out with, but there are several possibilities:

1. Most Apparent: They cried out for help (istighāthah), as the cry of one facing punishment can only be a plea for rescue.
2. Second: They cried out in faith and repentance upon witnessing the punishment.
3. Third: They cried out by raising their voices. It is said, "So-and-so has a louder voice than so-and-so" (andā ṣawtān).

Then He said: {but there was no time for escape (wa lā ḥīna minaṣ)}. Meaning, that time was not the time for fleeing the punishment. This is like His saying: {But when they saw Our might, they said, "We believe in Allah alone..."} (Ghāfir: 84), and {Until, when We seized those who were living in luxury among them with punishment, suddenly they were in despair} (Al-Mu'minūn: 64). Juaar (despair/crying out) is raising the voice in supplication and seeking help. This is also like: {Now? And you have certainly disobeyed before and were of the corrupters?} (Yūnus: 91), and {But their faith was not to benefit them when they saw Our punishment} (Ghāfir: 85).

A few further points remain:

First Inquiry: Clarification on the word Lāta

Al-Khalīl and Sībawayh state that lāta is lā (the particle resembling laysa [is not]) to which the feminine tā' has been added for emphasis, just as it was added to rabb and thamma. Due to this addition, new rulings emerged: it only enters upon times (aḥyān), and only one of its two components (the subject or the predicate) can be explicitly mentioned; mentioning both is forbidden. Al-Akhfash suggested it is the lā of absolute negation (lā an-nāfiyah lil-jins) with the tā' added, specialized to negate times. Thus, ḥīna minaṣ is in the accusative case, as if you said, "And there is no time for escape for them," or it is raised by nominal predication, meaning, "And there is no time for escape existing for them."

Second Inquiry: Pausing on Lāta

The majority pause on the tā' of lāta as a tā'. Al-Kisā'ī pauses on it as a hā' (like the tā' in feminine nouns). The author of Al-Kashshāf states that Abū 'Ubaydah's view that the tā' is attached to ḥīn has no basis, and his evidence—that the tā' is written attached to ḥīn in 'Uthmān's codex—is weak, as many things in the codex deviate from standard orthography.

Third Inquiry: Al-Manāṣ

Al-Manāṣ means escape or rescue. It is said, nāṣahu if one rescued him. Istānāṣa means seeking escape.

**7 < {And they wondered that a warner had come to them from among themselves, and the disbelievers said, "This is a magician, a liar. Has he made the gods [all] one God? Indeed, this is a strange thing. And the eminent ones among them set out, [saying], "Go and remain steadfast to your gods. Indeed, this is something intended. We have not heard of this in the latest religion. This is nothing but a fabrication."} > 7

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