Surah Qaf (Chapter 50)

Verse 1:

(Qāf. By the Glorious Qur'an.)

Notes on the Chapter:

• It consists of forty-five verses.
• It is a Meccan Surah.

Q: (1) Qāf, by the Glorious Qur'an.

{ Qāf, by the Glorious Qur'an. }

Before the exegesis, we present matters related to this Sūrah:

As for the exegesis, there are several issues:

We have also mentioned that worship is of three types: of the heart, of the tongue, and external/physical. Among the physical acts of worship, some have understood meanings (like prostration), while others do not (like the stoning in Hajj or the running between Ṣafā and Marwah). Among the acts of the heart, some have meanings understood by evidence (like knowledge of Tawḥīd, the possibility of Resurrection, the attributes of God, and the truthfulness of the Messengers). Among them are matters whose meaning is far from being rationally comprehensible, such as believing in the Ṣirāṭ (bridge) stretched finer than a hair, and the Scale by which deeds are weighed—matters that require affirmation solely based on revelation. Similarly, the verbal remembrances (dhikr), which are acts of tongue worship, should be of two types: some whose meaning is understood, like the entire Qur'an except for a little, and some whose meaning is not understood, like the individual letters of the alphabet, as uttering them is pure submission to the command, not for the sake of conveying a beautiful narrative or achieving a specific purpose, like saying: { Our Lord, forgive us and have mercy upon us }. Rather, the utterance is purely devotional.

Another perspective supports this: these letters are used for an oath. When God swore by the Fig and the Olive, it was an honor bestowed upon them. If He swears by the letters, which are the foundation of the noble speech (the Qur'an)—the means of knowledge and the instrument of definition—it is more fitting.

If you understand this, we can discuss several points regarding it:

First Point: The Oath Structure

The oath taken by God occurs by a single thing, as in { By the Time } (Wal-‘Aṣr) and { By the Star } (Wan-Najm); by a single letter, as in { Ṣād } and { Nūn }; by two things, as in { By the Morning Light } (Waḍ-Ḍuḥā) and { By the Night When It Covers } (Wal-Layl Idhā Saghshā); by two letters, as in { Ṭā Hā } and { Ṭā Sīn } and { Yā Sīn } and { Ḥā Mīm }; by three things, as in { By those who set the ranks in rows } (Waṣ-Ṣāffāt) and { By those who drive away forcefully } (Fa-z-Zājirāt); by three letters, as in { Alif Lām Mīm } and { Ṭā Sīn Mīm }; by four things, as in { By the Day of Warning } (Wa-Yawm al-Wa‘d) and { By the Heaven with the Constellations } (Was-Samā’i Dhāt al-Burūj) and { By the Fig } (Wat-Tīn); by four letters, as in { Alif Lām Ṣād }; by five things, as in { By the Day they are promised } (Wa-Yawma Yū‘adūn) and { By the Mount } (Waṭ-Ṭūr) and { By those sent forth } (Wal-Mursalīn) and { By those who drag forth } (Wan-Nāzi‘āt) and { By the Dawn } (Wal-Fajr); by five letters, as in { Kāf Hā Yā ‘Ayn Ṣād }.

He did not swear by more than five things except in one Sūrah: { By the Sun and when it shines } (Wash-Shamsi Waḍuḥāhā). He did not swear by more than five fundamental elements because this number gathers the concept of being burdensome or weighty (Istithqāl). When something is made weighty for a meaning, its weightiness when used without complete knowledge of the meaning, or without any meaning, is more severe.

Second Point: The Particle of Oath

When swearing by known things, the particle of the oath (Wāw) is mentioned: { By the Mount } (Waṭ-Ṭūr), { By the Star } (Wan-Najm), { By the Sun } (Wash-Shams). However, when swearing by the letters, the particle of the oath is not mentioned; He did not say Wa-Qāf. This is because when the oath is by the letters themselves, the letter is the instrument of the oath, so it is not mentioned in the position of being the tool of the oath, establishing equality among the letters.

Third Point: Objects vs. Letters

God swore by things (like the Fig and the Mount), but not by their fundamental components (like individual atoms, water, or earth). He swore by the letters without composition because, concerning things, God composes them in their best state. If the letters are composed to convey a meaning, the oath is by the meaning, not the mere letters, such as saying: { By the Heaven and the Earth } (Was-Samā’i wal-Arḍ). If they are composed without meaning, the singular form is more noble, so He swore by the individual letters.

Fourth Point: Placement of Oaths

Oaths by letters occur at the beginning of twenty-eight Sūrahs. Oaths by things whose number equals the number of letters occur in fourteen Sūrahs, excluding { By the Darkness } (Waẓ-Ẓulumāt) and { By the Sun } (Wash-Shams). Oaths by things other than letters occur at the beginnings and middles of Sūrahs, such as { Nay, but by the Moon } (Kallā wal-Qamar) (Ad-Duḥā: 32) and { By the Night as it conceals } (Wal-Layli Idhā Saghashā) (Al-Inshiqāq: 17) and { By the Night when it departs } (Wal-Layli Idhā ‘A‘sas) (At-Takwīr: 17). Oaths by letters are only found and appropriate at the beginnings of Sūrahs because mentioning something whose meaning is not understood amidst coherent, understood speech disrupts comprehension. Since oaths by things have two possible locations (beginning or middle) while oaths by letters have only one (the beginning), oaths by things are placed in the beginnings of Sūrahs to balance the oaths by letters at their beginnings.

Fifth Point: Distribution of Oaths

Oaths by letters occur in both halves [of the Qur'an], even in all seven sections (Manāzil). Oaths by counted things occur only in the latter half, and specifically only in the last seven sections, except for Waṣ-Ṣāffāt. This is because we have shown that oaths by letters are almost always followed by a mention of the Qur'an, the Book, or the Revelation (except rarely), such as: { Yā Sīn. By the Wise Qur'an. Ḥā Mīm. The revelation of the Book. Alif Lām Mīm. That is the Book... }. Since the entire Qur'an is a miracle conveyed by these letters, this usage is general in all places. This is not the case for oaths by counted things, which we mentioned something about in Sūrat Al-‘Ankabūt.

Another opinion is that it means Qadā (He decreed) the matter, and in { Ṣād }, it means Ṣadaqa (He spoke the truth). Another view is that it is the active participle from Qafā (to follow/come after), and Ṣād is from Muṣādāh (confrontation/opposition). The meaning would be: "This Qāf encompasses all things by revelation," which corresponds to His saying: { Nor anything green or withered but is in a clear Book } (Al-An‘ām: 59), if we take "the Book" there to mean the Qur'an.

This is what has been said about { Qāf }. As for its recitation, there are many ways, and clarifying its meaning determines its grammatical state.

If we say it is built (like ma’bni), then it should be paused upon, as it has no governing factor (‘āmil), resembling the structure of sounds. The vowel kasra (i) is permissible to avoid the meeting of two quiescent letters, and fatḥa (a) is permissible by preference for lightness. If it is asked why fatḥa is chosen here but not when two quiescent letters meet at the end of one word and the beginning of another (e.g., { Lam yakun alladhīna kafarū } (Al-Bayyinah: 1)), we reply: There, movement was necessary, and kasra was specified for the verb because the verb is subject to raf‘ (nominative) and naṣb (accusative), but not jarr (genitive). Kasra was chosen because it is clearly not jarr, as verbs do not take jarr. In the case of the end of nouns, there is no such ambiguity, as nouns accept all three vowels, so avoidance was not necessary, and the lightest vowel was chosen.

If we say it is a letter sworn by, its proper state is jarr (genitive). Naṣb (accusative) is permissible by treating it as the object of the verb aqsamu (I swear), with the bā’ particle being implied.

If we say it is the name of the Sūrah:

1. If we also say it is sworn by, its proper state is fatḥa because it is indeclinable (lā yanṣarif), so it takes fatḥa in the position of jarr, just as you say Ibrāhīm and Aḥmad when swearing by them.
2. If we say it is not sworn by, but is the name of the Sūrah, its proper state is raf‘ (nominative) if taken as a predicate (e.g., "This is Qāf").
3. If we say it is derived from Qafā (to follow), it should take tanwīn (nunation), like saying "This is a caller (dā‘in) and a guardian (rā‘in)."
4. If we say it is the name of a mountain, it takes jarr and tanwīn, even if it is an oath.

Let us return to the exegesis. The adjective can be for distinction, which is most common, like saying "the Ancient Speech" to distinguish it from the newly created, or "the Noble Man" to distinguish him from the base one. Or, it can be purely for praise, like saying "Allāh is the Noble (al-Karīm)," as there is no other deity in existence to distinguish Him from by the attribute Karīm. In this position, both interpretations are possible, but the apparent one is for mere praise.

Distinction is achieved if we take the Qur'an as the name for what is recited, supported by His saying: { And if a Qur'an were to move mountains by it } (Ar-Ra‘d: 31).

Al-Majīd means the Great/Magnificent. Another opinion is that Majīd means abundant in generosity. Under both interpretations, the Qur'an is Majīd:

1. If Majīd means Great: The Qur'an is great in benefit, and the mention of the Great God is great. No creation has been able to match it, making it a sign of greatness. A king is called great if he is not overcome, supported by His saying: { And We have certainly given you seven of the often repeated [verses] and the great Qur'an } (Al-Ḥijr: 87), meaning that none can match it, making it a miracle indicating your prophethood. Also, { Nay, it is a Glorious Qur'an * Inscribed in a Preserved Tablet } (Al-Burūj: 21-22), meaning it is preserved from anyone accessing it except by God's allowance, so it is neither substituted nor changed, and { Falsehood comes not to it from before it nor from behind it } (Fuṣṣilat: 42). Thus, it is beyond human capacity, hence Great.
2. If Majīd means abundant in generosity: The Qur'an is generous; whoever seeks his goal from it finds it, and whoever seeks refuge in it is enriched. Enriching the needy is the ultimate generosity. This is supported by Majīd being paired with Ḥamīd (Praiseworthy) in the saying "Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious" (Ḥamīdun Majīd). Ḥamīd is the one thanked for blessings, and the one who bestows blessings is generous (Karīm). Thus, Majīd is the one who has reached the peak of generosity.

There are several discussions regarding this:

First Discussion: The Object of the Oath

Since the Qur'an is sworn by, what is the object of the oath (al-muqsam ‘alayh)? There are several possibilities, which can be categorized based on context:

1. Contextual clue (Qarīnah Ḥāliyyah): The situation itself implies the object.
2. Verbal clue (Qarīnah Maqāliyyah): This clue is either preceding or succeeding the oath.

If the object is understood from a preceding verbal clue, the only preceding word is { Qāf }. The implication would be: "Qāf, by the Glorious Qur'an," or "Qāf, God revealed it," similar to saying, "This is Ḥātim, by God," meaning he is famous for generosity, or "I saw the crescent moon, by God."

If the object is understood from a succeeding verbal clue, there are two possibilities: a) The warning (that the Messenger is a Warner). b) The return (Resurrection).

Thus, the implication is: "By the Glorious Qur'an, indeed you are the Warner," or "By the Glorious Qur'an, the Return is coming," as both matters are explicitly mentioned as objects of oaths elsewhere. For (a), His saying supports this: { Yā Sīn. By the Wise Qur'an. Indeed, you are among the Messengers... so that you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned } (Yā Sīn: 1-6). For (b), His saying supports this: { By the Mount. And by the Book Inscribed } (Aṭ-Ṭūr: 1-2) followed by { Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is to occur } (Aṭ-Ṭūr: 7).

This second interpretation (where the object is the warning or the return) appears extremely clear if one holds that { Qāf } is the name of a mountain, as the oath would be by the mountain and the Qur'an, just as in Aṭ-Ṭūr, the oath is by the Mount and the Inscribed Book.

Which of these two interpretations is clearer? I say the first one (the warning) is clearer because the Warner is closer [to the oath], and we have seen the letters mentioned alongside the Qur'an, and the object of the oath being that the Messenger is sent as a Warner. We have not seen the letters mentioned followed by a mention of the Resurrection. Consider Sūrat As-Sajdah: { Alif Lām Mīm. The revelation of the Book, whereof there is no doubt, is from the Lord of the worlds. Or do they say, "He has invented it"? Nay, it is the truth from your Lord, that you may warn } (As-Sajdah: 1-3). Furthermore, the Qur'an is a miracle indicating that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, so swearing by it points to the evidence concerning the method of the oath, rather than being evidence for the Resurrection itself. Rather, it contains indications leading to certainty about the Resurrection after knowing the Messenger's truthfulness.

If we say the object is understood by a contextual clue (Qarīnah Ḥāliyyah), it is the truthfulness of Muhammad (PBUH) and the veracity of his speech, which the disbelievers were denying. The chosen view is what we mentioned.

Second Discussion: The Interruption { Bal ‘Ajibū }

{ Nay, they wonder... } (Q: 2) implies that something was being rejected or set aside. What is it? Al-Wāḥidī, followed by Az-Zamakhsharī, said the implication is: "The matter is not as they claim." We add clarity: Based on our chosen view, the implication is, and God knows best: "Qāf, by the Glorious Qur'an, indeed you are a Warner." It is as if He said this, and then added, "And they doubted it," so He turned away from that doubt.

7 < { Nay, they wonder that a Warner has come to them from among themselves, so the disbelievers say, "This is a strange thing!" } > 7

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