Tafsir of Ghafir 40:18

Surah Ghafir (40): Verse 18

وَأَنذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الْآزِفَةِ

(And warn them of the Day that is drawing near.)

Issue 1: The Meaning of Al-Āzifah

There are several interpretations regarding the meaning of Al-Āzifah (the drawing near one):

1. It means the Day of Resurrection. Āzifah is the active participle from the verb azafa (to draw near, to be present). This is supported by the verse: {The imminent event has drawn near; There will be no revealer of it apart from Allah} (An-Najm: 57-58). The intent is to emphasize that the Day of Resurrection is close, similar to {The Hour has drawn near} (Al-Qamar: 1). Al-Zajjaj stated it is called Āzifah because it is near, even if people perceive its time as distant; what is destined to happen is near.
   • Grammatical Note: Āzifah is an adjective describing an implied feminine noun, such as "the imminent Day of Resurrection" or "the imminent Day of Recompense." Al-Qaffal noted that names for the Resurrection often take feminine forms, like At-Tāmma (the Calamity) or Al-Hāqqa (the Inevitable Truth), referring to a great disaster.

2. It refers to the moment of their hastening into the Fire. At that time, their hearts will rise from their places due to intense fear.

3. It means the Day of Death and the arrival of the appointed term (Ajl). Abu Muslim supported this view by noting that the Day of Resurrection is described elsewhere as the Day of Meeting ({the Day they will come forth}) and then immediately followed by the warning of Yawm al-Āzifah. Therefore, this day must be different. Furthermore, this attribute (nearness) is specifically applied to the day of death in other verses, such as {Then why, when it reaches the throat, And you at that moment are looking} (Al-Wāqi‘ah: 83-84). Describing the day of death as near is more fitting than describing the Resurrection as near. Moreover, the descriptions following Al-Āzifah (hearts reaching the throats, being choked with grief) suit the moment of death, when one confronts the angels of torment, experiencing extreme fear that causes the heart to rise to the throat, leaving them silent and unable to express their distress, with no friend or intercessor to ward off their fear and anxiety.

Issue 2: The Meaning of {When hearts are in the throats, restrained}

There is a difference of opinion on whether this phrase describes intense fear metaphorically or is to be taken literally:

1. Metaphorical Description of Intense Fear: It describes the extreme terror and panic of that Day, similar to {The hearts reached the throats, and you harbored about Allah [various] assumptions} (Al-Ahzab: 10) and {when it reaches the throat...} (Al-Wāqi‘ah: 83).

2. Literal Interpretation: Al-Hasan said the hearts are pulled out of the chests due to extreme fear, reaching the throats but not exiting, so they neither die nor return to allow breathing. Instead, they remain constricted, like a vessel being filled and emptied. This aligns with {But when they see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieved will be distressed} (Al-Mulk: 27).
   • Regarding {Kāẓimīn} (restrained/choked): It means being deeply distressed. Kāẓim is one who is silent while being full of grief and rage.
   • Grammatical Point: Kāẓimīn is in the accusative case (naṣb) as a ḥāl (state/circumstance) describing the hearts. The hearts are described as being choked with grief even as they reach the throats. It is pluralized as a sound masculine plural (kāẓimīn) because the state of being choked (kadhma) is attributed to them, which is an action associated with rational beings, similar to {I saw them prostrating to You} (Yusuf: 4) and {Their necks became submissive to it} (Ash-Shu‘arā’: 4). This is further supported by the variant reading kāẓimūn (nominative).

Conclusion on the Phrase: The verse establishes two main points:

1. Extreme Fear: Indicated by {hearts are in the throats}.
2. Inability to Speak: Indicated by {restrained (kāẓimīn)}, because when a distressed person can speak and complain, some relief is found; but when unable to speak, their anxiety and fear intensify.

Issue 3: The Mu‘tazila Argument Regarding Intercession (Shafā‘ah)

The Mu‘tazila use this verse, {The wrongdoers will have no close friend, nor any intercessor who will be obeyed}, to deny intercession for sinners. They argue that denying an intercessor who will be obeyed necessitates the non-existence of such an intercessor.

Responses from the Ash‘arite Scholars (Aṣḥābuna):

1. The Meaning of Obedience (Ṭā‘ah): The verse negates an intercessor who is obeyed. This does not negate the existence of an intercessor. Just as saying, "I have no book for sale," negates a book for sale but not the existence of a book itself. The term Ṭā‘ah implies attaining a rank. This means that on the Day of Judgment, they will have no intercessor whom Allah obeys. Since no being exists higher in rank than Allah, no one can be said to command Allah's obedience.

2. The Scope of Ẓālimūn (Wrongdoers): The term Ẓālimūn here refers specifically to the disbelievers. This is inferred because this verse follows the context of rebuking those who dispute Allah's signs. Since we agree that disbelievers have no intercession, the verse applies specifically to them.

3. Scope of Universality: If Ẓālimūn implies totality (all wrongdoers), then the group includes disbelievers, and thus the group has no intercessor. If it implies partiality (some wrongdoers), then since disbelievers are part of this group and they lack an intercessor, the statement holds true for them.

Refutations of the Mu‘tazila Arguments:

• Refuting Point 1 (Necessity of Meaning): The Mu‘tazila claim that interpreting "obeyed" as "obeyed by Allah" renders the verse pointless, as it is self-evident that nothing is higher than Allah to command His obedience.
  • Response: The term Ṭā‘ah here should be interpreted as acceptance/response (Ijābah). Poetry supports this usage (where Ṭā‘ah means compliance/response).

• Refuting Point 2 (Specificity to Disbelievers): They argue that while the verse may have been revealed concerning disbelievers, the ruling applies generally based on the generality of the wording (al-‘ibra bi ‘umūm al-lafẓ lā bi khuṣūṣ as-sabab).

• Refuting Point 3 (Scope): The phrase {no close friend, nor any intercessor who will be obeyed} can imply either general negation (every single wrongdoer lacks an intercessor) or negation of the general (the group of wrongdoers collectively lacks an intercessor).
  • Response: We must adopt the negation of the general (سلب العموم). If we adopted general negation, it would imply that every wrongdoer lacks an intercessor. This leads to contradiction, as seen in {Those who disbelieve—it is all the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe} (Al-Baqarah: 6). If this meant every single one will never believe, it would be false, as many disbelievers later believed. Therefore, it must mean that the group of disbelievers, as a whole, will not believe, regardless of whether some individuals within that group believe. Similarly, {The wrongdoers will have no close friend, nor any intercessor who will be obeyed} must be interpreted as the negation of the general (the group lacks an intercessor), not the general negation (every individual lacks one).

Ash‘arite Response to the Original Argument (Revisiting Point 1): The polytheists claimed their idols were intercessors who must be obeyed by God, even without His permission. Allah refuted this specific claim of mandatory obedience by saying, {Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?} (Al-Baqarah: 255). Thus, Allah negates the type of obedience they falsely believed in.

Issue 4: The Cohesion (Naẓm) of the Verse

The verse systematically lists factors that induce extreme fear:

1. The Name Al-Āzifah: The Day of Drawing Near to punishment for those deserving great sin. The proximity of punishment causes greater dread than the punishment itself.
2. {When hearts are in the throats}: The fear is so intense that the heart is wrenched from the chest, sticks to the throat, and prevents proper breathing.
3. {Restrained (Kāẓimīn)}: They cannot speak or articulate their grief and fear, which increases their agitation.
4. {The wrongdoers will have no close friend, nor any intercessor who will be obeyed}: They have no relative to benefit them, nor an intercessor whose plea will be accepted.
5. {He knows the treacherous glance of the eyes and what the breasts conceal}: Allah's knowledge is absolute; nothing in the heavens or earth escapes Him. When the Judge possesses such comprehensive knowledge, the sinner's fear is immense.
   • Al-Kashshāf commentary: The treacherous glance (khā’inat al-a‘yun) refers to furtive looking at what is unlawful, often done by those with suspicion. What the breasts conceal refers to the innermost intentions of the heart. Actions are twofold: bodily actions (the most hidden of which is the treacherous glance) and heart actions (known to Allah via {what the breasts conceal}). This proves His complete knowledge.
6. {And Allah judges with truth}: This heightens fear, as the Judge, being fully knowledgeable, only judges with absolute truth in all matters, great or small.
7. {And those they invoke besides Him do not judge anything}: The disbelievers relied on the intercession of these idols, but Allah clarifies that this reliance is utterly futile.
8. {Indeed, Allah is the Hearing, the Seeing}: He hears the disbelievers' praise of the idols, but not their praise of Allah; He sees their submission to the idols, but not their submission to Him.

These eight factors, when combined for a great sinner, reach the peak of terror.

Transition to Worldly Warning: After detailing the terror of the Hereafter, Allah warns them about worldly consequences: {Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those who were before them?} The intelligent person learns from others. Those who preceded them (disbelievers) were stronger in power and left greater traces (fortifications, armies) than the current disbelievers. When they rejected their messengers, Allah destroyed them swiftly, and the current disbelievers witness those ruins. Allah warns them against a similar fate.

{And there was for them from Allah no protector}: When the punishment came, they found no one to help or save them. This punishment befell them because they disbelieved and rejected the messengers. The verse concludes with {Indeed, He is the Powerful, the Severe in Punishment}, emphasizing the warning.

Ibn ‘Amir recited: {they were stronger than you} (using the second-person plural kum - you). The rest recited using the third-person plural hum (they).

• Ibn ‘Amir’s Reading (Addressing them directly): This shifts from the third-person narrative (absence) to direct address (presence), similar to how Al-Fātiḥah uses {You} after praising Allah. This direct address is fitting for the people of Mecca, making the address immediate due to their presence. This aligns with verses like {We established them on earth as We had not established you} (Al-An‘ām: 6).
• The Majority Reading (Third Person): This maintains consistency with the preceding third-person narrative style.

Surah Ghafir (40): Verses 19–25

< {وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ بِآيَاتِنَا وَسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ * إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَقَارُونَ فَقَالُوا سَاحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ * فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِالْحَقِّ مِنْ عِندِنَا قَالُوا اقْتُلُوا أَبْنَاءَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ وَاسْتَحْيُوا نِسَاءَهُمْ وَمَا كَيْدُ الْكَافِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ * وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ ذَرُونِي أَقْتُلْ مُوسَىٰ وَلْيَدْعُ رَبَّهُ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَن يُبَدِّلَ دِينَكُمْ أَوْ أَن يُظْهِرَ فِي الْأَرْضِ الْفَسَادَ * وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ إِنِّي عُذْتُ بِرَبِّي وَرَبِّكُم مِّن كُلِّ مُتَكَبِّرٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُ بِيَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ} >

(19) And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs and a clear authority, (20) To Pharaoh and Haman and Korah, but they said, "A magician, a liar!" (21) And when he brought them the truth from Us, they said, "Kill the sons of those who believed with him and keep alive their women." But the plot of the disbelievers is only in [leading to] ruin. (22) And Pharaoh said, "Leave me to kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord. Indeed, I fear that he will change your religion or that he will cause corruption in the land." (23) And Moses said, "Indeed, I have sought refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Account."