Tafsir of Ghafir 40:10

Surah Ghafir (The Forgiver): Verse 10

[Ghafir: 10] Indeed, those who disbelieve call out: "The hatred of Allah toward you is greater than your hatred of yourselves..."

Know that the Almighty, after discussing the disbelievers who argue against Allah's signs (as mentioned in verse 4), returns here to describe their state on the Day of Resurrection. They will be recognized by their sins and their deserving of the punishment that befalls them. They will ask to return to the world to rectify what they missed.

The verse states: "Indeed, those who disbelieve call out: 'The hatred of Allah toward you is greater than your hatred of yourselves...'"

In this verse, there are several points to consider:

1. Ellipsis (Omission): The implied meaning is: "The hatred of Allah toward you is greater than your hatred of yourselves."
2. Prepositional Shift (Order): The intended structure is: "The hatred of Allah toward you when you were called to faith and disbelieved is greater than your hatred of yourselves [now]."

Interpretations of their "hatred of themselves" (مقتهم أنفسهم):

• First View: When they witness the Resurrection, Paradise, and Hellfire, they will hate themselves for persisting in denying these realities in the world.
• Second View: Followers will intensely hate the leaders who called them to disbelief in the world, and the leaders will intensely hate the followers. This mutual hatred is expressed by saying they hated "themselves," similar to Allah's statement: "So kill yourselves" (Al-Baqarah: 54), which means killing one another.
• Third View (Muhammad ibn Ka'b): When Iblis addresses them in Hellfire with his speech (from Surah Ibrahim: 22, "I had no authority over you... but only invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves..."), at that moment, they hate themselves.

Regarding the timing of Allah's hatred (مقت الله):

• First View: It occurs in the Hereafter, meaning: "The hatred of Allah toward you at this moment is more intense than your hatred of yourselves at this moment."
• Second View (The Majority): The intended meaning is: "The hatred of Allah toward you in the world when you were called to faith and disbelieved is greater than your hatred of yourselves now."

Interpretations of the terms mentioned in the verse:

• First View: Those who address them and mention this statement are the keepers (guardians) of Hellfire.
• Second View: Maqt (hatred/loathing) is the most intense form of dislike. Since this is impossible for Allah, it means the most severe form of censure and deterrence.
• Third View (Al-Farra'): "They call out: 'The hatred of Allah toward you...'" means they are proclaiming that Allah's hatred for them when they chose disbelief over faith is greater than their current self-hatred.

Then, the Almighty explains the response of the disbelievers when they are addressed with this statement: "They will say: 'Our Lord, grant us death twice...'"

This means that once they realize their previous state in the world was corrupt and false, they wish to return to the world so they can occupy themselves with righteous deeds upon their return.

Most scholars use this verse to affirm the torment of the grave.

The Argument: They affirm two deaths for themselves by saying, "Our Lord, grant us death twice" (أمتنا اثنتين). One death is witnessed in the world, so there must be another life established after which the second death occurs. This necessitates the existence of a life in the grave.

Counter-Arguments and Responses:

Q1: The First Death Interpretation: Some commentators suggest the first death refers to the state when man was a drop of fluid (nutfah) or a clinging clot (alaqah), and the second death is the one in the world. This is supported by: "How do you disbelieve in Allah while you were dead and He gave you life? Then He causes you to die and then brings you to life again" (Al-Baqarah: 28).

• Response: The word Imātatun (causing to die) has two meanings: 1) Creating something already dead, or 2) Changing something from life to death (like tailoring a garment to be wider, implying it was narrow before). It is possible that in this verse, Imātatun means creating them dead (as a drop of fluid), not causing them to die after being alive.

Q2: The Speech of Disbelievers: This is the speech of disbelievers, so it cannot be used as proof.

Q3: Contradiction with Three Lives: If life in the grave exists, there would be three lives: 1) In the world, 2) In the grave, and 3) In the Resurrection. The verse only mentions two deaths, implying two lives (worldly life and Resurrection life), with the witnessed death in the world occurring between them.

Q4: Evidence Against Life in the Grave (Textual and Rational):

• Textual Evidence (Against):
  1. Allah mentions the righteous fearing the Hereafter: "Is one who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night, prostrating and standing, aware of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord?" (Az-Zumar: 9). If life in the grave involved fear, it would have been mentioned. Since it wasn't, it implies it doesn't happen.
  2. The inhabitants of Paradise say: "Have we then not died, except for our first death?" (As-Saffat: 58-59). Since their speech is truthful, if life in the grave occurred, they would have died twice, contradicting their statement. This evidence is stronger because it concerns the truthful inhabitants of Paradise, whereas the previous verse concerns disbelievers in Hell.
• Rational Evidence (Against):
  1. If a body consumed by beasts were to be restored to life, it would either be restored as a whole (which sensory evidence refutes) or as scattered parts. If the scattered parts were made alive, they would be alive inside the beasts' stomachs and intestines, which is highly improbable.
  2. If a dead body is left visibly intact, people see it remaining dead. To claim it became alive after that would be casting doubt on sensory perceptions, leading to sophistry.

The Response to the Counter-Arguments:

• Response to Q1 (Nutfah/Alaqah): This interpretation is invalid because the verse states Allah caused them to die (أماتنا). The term Imātatun (causing death) requires a preceding life. If death preceded this state, it couldn't be called Imātatun; otherwise, it implies bringing about what is already established (a logical impossibility). This differs from "How do you disbelieve... while you were dead" (Al-Baqarah: 28), which only states they were dead, not that Allah caused them to die in that state. Here, the verse implies Allah caused them to die twice, requiring two preceding lives.

• Response to Q2 (Not Proof): When they stated this, Allah did not deny it. If they were lying, Allah would have exposed them, just as He exposed them when they falsely swore they were not polytheists (Al-An'am: 23-24).

• Response to Q3 (Three Lives vs. Two Deaths):
  1. Their intent was to enumerate the periods of affliction/trial, which are four: the first death, life in the grave, the second death, and life in the Resurrection. Since worldly life is not an affliction, they omitted it.
  2. Perhaps they mentioned the two lives: worldly life and Resurrection life, and omitted the grave life due to its brevity or lesser significance.
  3. Perhaps when they became alive in the grave, they did not die again but remained alive (in bliss or misery), connecting directly to the Resurrection life, placing them among those excepted in: "So the trumpet will be blown, and everyone in the heavens and the earth will fall down dead except whom Allah wills" (Az-Zumar: 68).
  4. If life in the grave is denied, then death only occurs once, making the affirmation of two deaths a lie, contradicting the Quran. If life in the grave is affirmed, it implies three lives, while the text mentions two. However, the text gives no indication for or against the third life. Therefore, denying the grave life contradicts the explicit text (two deaths), while affirming it requires adding a third life about which the text is silent—the latter is preferable.
  • Regarding the fear of the Hereafter (Zumar: 9), this encompasses the afterlife, whether in the grave or the Resurrection.
  • Regarding the contradiction with the statement of the people of Paradise (As-Saffat: 58-59), we prioritize our view based on authentic Hadiths concerning the torment of the grave.

• Response to Rational Arguments (Q4): These are refuted if we hold that man is not merely this physical structure but a luminous spirit moving within the body. If this is the case, the objections regarding scattered parts or sensory perception do not apply. (And Allah knows best.)

If we affirm life in the grave, then for some people, there are four types of life and three types of death. This is supported by: "Have you not considered those who left their homes, thousands of them, fearing death? Allah said to them, 'Die!' Then He gave them life again" (Al-Baqarah: 243). These are four stages of life: two in the world, one in the grave, and one in the Resurrection.

"They will say: 'Our Lord, grant us death twice...'" The word Ithnayn (twice) is an adjective for an omitted verbal noun, meaning "two instances of causing death."

Then Allah recounts their saying: "...So we have confessed our sins."

Q: The Fa' (So) in "So we have confessed" implies that the two deaths and two resurrections caused this confession. Explain this causality.

A: They were deniers of the Resurrection. When they witnessed life being restored after death twice, they had no excuse left to deny the Resurrection, so this confession followed as a consequence of that dual experience of death and life.

Then they say: "...Is there any way out?" Meaning, is there any path, swift or slow, to exit this state, or is despair absolute, leaving no exit or path? This is the speech of one overcome by despair and hopelessness.

Allah does not answer with a simple "No" or "Yes," but provides a statement indicating their hopelessness: "...That is because when Allah alone was invoked, you disbelieved, and when partners were associated with Him, you believed."

This means that your current state—having no way out—occurred because of your disbelief in Allah's oneness and your belief when partners were associated with Him.

"So the judgment is for Allah, the Most High, the Great." This signifies that the judgment belongs to Him, establishing eternal punishment for them. His attributes "The Most High" (العلى) and "The Great" (الكبير) indicate His supreme majesty, meaning His punishment must be commensurate with His greatness.

The Anthropomorphists (Mushabbihah) argue that "The Most High" implies physical height/direction, and "The Great" implies physical size of the essence. This is all false, as we have proven that corporeality and location are impossible for Allah. Therefore, the meaning of "The Most High, The Great" must relate to supremacy in power and divinity.

"It is He Who shows you His signs and sends down provision for you from the sky. But none will remember except those who turn to Him."

"So invoke Allah, making your religion sincerely His, even if the disbelievers detest it."