Tafsir of Ad-Dhariyat 51:11

Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51): Verse 11

{ الذين هم في غمرة ساهون }

Regarding this verse, there are two issues: one linguistic and one semantic.

The word { ساهون } (heedless/careless) can be interpreted in two ways:

1. As a second predicate (khabar ba'da khabar): The subject (mubtada') is { هم } (they). The structure is equivalent to saying: "They are in a deep immersion, [and] they are heedless." This is similar to saying, "Zayd is ignorant, permissible" (Zaydun jāhilun jā’izun), where the intent is not to describe the ignorant one as permissible, but to state both attributes (ignorance and permissibility) about Zayd.

2. As the main predicate (khabar): In this case, { ساهون } is the predicate, and { فى غمرة } (in a deep immersion/delusion) is an adverbial phrase (dharf) describing the state of heedlessness. This is like saying, "Zayd is sitting in his house" (Zaydun fī baytihi qā'idun), where the main predicate is "sitting" (qā'id), and "in his house" merely specifies the location of the sitting. Similarly, { فى غمرة } specifies the context or domain of the heedlessness, which validates describing the knowledge (or lack thereof) as a complete sentence/state. Without this context, describing the knowledge in this manner would not be permissible.

The description of the { الخراصون } (the guessers/liars) as being { ساهون } (heedless) and deeply immersed in falsehood confirms that the term Kharrās is a term of dispraise.

This is because when someone engages in conjecture (dhann) about something that can only be reached through certainty (ma'rifah), and they utter this conjecture, it does not imply a deficiency if the term used is simply "guesser" (like guessing the yield of fruit or the strength of troops).

However, when conjecture is applied in a domain requiring knowledge and certainty, it becomes blameworthy. This is why the verse states: "Destroyed are the guessers," referring to those who are ignorant and heedless, not those whose path is defined by estimation and guesswork.

The placement of { ساهون } (heedless) after { فى غمرة } (in a deep immersion) implies that they have fallen into ignorance and falsehood, and they have forgotten themselves to the extent that they do not return from it.

Then, the Almighty states:

! 7 < { يسألون أيان يوم الدين } . > 7 !

{ They ask, "When is the Day of Recompense?" }