The Event (Al-Waqi'ah): (45) Indeed, they were before...

In these verses, there are subtle points, which we will address in several issues:

Issue 1: The Wisdom in Stating the Reason for Their Punishment

Why does the Almighty specify the reason for the people of the Left Hand being punished, while He did not mention the reason for the people of the Right Hand being in bliss, saying, "Indeed, they were before that grateful and obedient"?

We have mentioned repeatedly that when Allah bestows reward, He does not mention the good deeds of His servants, but when He delivers punishment, He mentions the deeds of the wrongdoers. This is because reward is grace (fadl), while punishment is justice ('adl).

When it comes to grace, whether the cause is mentioned or not, no deficiency or injustice is implied in the bestowed favor. However, concerning justice, if the reason for punishment is unknown, one might suspect injustice. Therefore, Allah states: "They are in it because of their extravagance (turrafuhum)."

This subtlety is supported by Allah's statement regarding the foremost (in faith): {A reward for what they used to do} (Al-Waqi'ah: 24), but He did not say this concerning the people of the Right Hand. This is because the people of the Right Hand are those saved by immense grace, which we will clarify in His saying: {So, peace be upon you} (Al-Waqi'ah: 91). Since their salvation is purely by grace, the statement "This bounty is for you" is given without the term "reward" (jaza'). Using the term jaza' in this context—a place of pardon for them—would not establish true joy for them, unlike someone whose good deeds are numerous, to whom it can be said: "Well done for what you did; take this as your reward."

Issue 2: The Reason Stated is Extravagance (Turraf)

The reason stated is that they were extravagant. Yet, not everyone among the people of the Left Hand was extravagant; some were poor.

The statement {Indeed, they were before that extravagant} is not necessarily a condemnation in itself. Mutarraf means one who has been granted luxury or bounty. On the surface, this does not necessitate blame. However, it highlights the ugliness of what follows: {And they persisted in great sin} (Al-Waqi'ah: 46). Ingratitude towards the One who bestowed the utmost favor is one of the ugliest acts.

Thus, we say: The bounties that necessitate gratitude to Allah and worship are numerous for everyone—creation, sustenance, necessities, and matters upon which well-being depends—are present for all. The difference is that people's states of luxury are relative. What seems like hardship for some, compared to others, might be wealth if they practiced contentment. If one were to restrain themselves with contentment, they could be richer than the richest people.

Consider that every human being finds themselves in need of shelter, clothing against heat and cold, food and drink to quench hunger, and other excesses that the soul craves. No one is incapable of securing shelter, whether by purchase or rent. If not, they are no more helpless than insects, which find a dwelling or a cave. As for clothing, if one were content with what wards off necessity, one garment would suffice for a lifetime, patched with whatever material is available.

Regarding food and drink, everyone, in all circumstances, is capable of obtaining a morsel of bread and a drink of water. However, the pursuit of wealth leads to poverty. A person desires an ornate house, luxurious clothing, fine food, and various means of transport/attire, forcing them to endure hardship. The pursuit of wealth breeds poverty, and seeking elevation lowers one's status. In summary, the lusts of the stomach and private parts break a person's back.

Furthermore, we can interpret {Indeed, they were before that extravagant} differently: When the inhabitants of the graves lose their grasping hands and seeing eyes, and the realities become clear to them, they realize that before that (in the worldly life), they were extravagant relative to that current state (of deprivation).

Issue 3: What is "Persisting in Great Sin" (Al-Hanith Al-'Adhim)?

This refers to Shirk (polytheism), as Allah says: {Indeed, associating others with Allah is a great injustice} (Luqman: 13).

There is a subtle point here: the three verses point to three fundamental principles:

1. {Indeed, they were before that extravagant}: This implies their condemnation for rejecting the Messengers, as the extravagant person is arrogant due to wealth and thus rejects prophethood. The extravagant people used to say: {You are only a man like us; [but] we see that none follow you except the meanest among us} (Al-Qamar: 27).
2. {And they persisted in great sin}: This points to Shirk and opposition to Monotheism (Tawhid).
3. {And they used to say, "When we die and become dust and bones...}: This points to the denial of the Resurrection and Afterlife.

Regarding {And they persisted in great sin}, there are several layers of emphasis:

1. {They used to persist} (Kānū Yusirrun): This is stronger than saying, "They persisted before that." The combination of the past tense (kānū) and the imperfect tense (yusirrun) indicates continuity. Saying, "So-and-so used to be kind to people," implies it was his habit.
2. The word Isrār (Persistence): This means continuous adherence to sin and stubbornness. It is not typically used for good deeds.
3. The word Hanith: This is greater than a mere sin (dhanb). Linguistically, Hanith is rarely used for minor offenses, whereas dhanb can be. Hanith is primarily used for breaking an oath. They used it here because lying, in the view of the wise, is inherently ugly, as the world's order depends on truthfulness; otherwise, no trust could be established, and no interests could be pursued or harms avoided. Since lying is common for corrupt purposes, they reinforced the matter by adding oaths, the strongest form of affirmation. If one breaks an oath (hanitha), trust is lost, leading to corruption greater than that of illicit sex or drinking.

However, if an oath is made concerning a future event, and the swearer sees otherwise, the Law permits breaking it. It is not permitted for major sins like adultery or murder because oaths are frequent, whereas murder is rare. The fact that Hanith is associated with major sins is indicated by the phrase used for an adult reaching maturity: "He has reached al-Hanith," meaning he has reached the age where he commits major sins, implying that before this, he was only accountable for minor offenses, as a guardian is commanded to discipline minor misconduct and failure to pray.

Issue 4: The Meaning of "The Great" (Al-'Adhim)

The word {The Great} implies that the intended meaning is Shirk, as these matters (extravagance, persistence, denial of resurrection) do not combine in anything other than Shirk.

Issue 5: The Pronunciation of Muttna (We Die)

How is {amutnā} (we die) commonly pronounced with a kasra (short 'i' sound) on the mīm, when the Quranic usage for the future tense often uses damma (short 'u' sound)? For example, Allah says about John and Jesus: {and when I die} (amūt) (Maryam: 33), not amāt (like akhāf). Allah also says: {Say: Die!} (Mūtū) (Al 'Imran: 119), not Mātū. And {And let not die except while you are Muslims} (tamūtū) (Al 'Imran: 102), not tamātū, like {Do not fear} (takhāfū) (As-Saffat: 30).

We offer two explanations:

1. Exception to the Rule: This word deviated from the general pattern, so it was pronounced with a kasra in the past tense (amutnā). Auditory evidence takes precedence over analogy.
2. Linguistic Variation: Māta yamātu is a dialectal variant of māta yamūtu. The kasra in the past tense (māta) is more common in verbs following the pattern fa'ala (with kasra in the past) and yaf'alu (with kasra in the present), such as kharif (he reaped) or yaf'alu (he does). The damma in the future tense (yamūtu) occurs for two reasons: either the verb follows the pattern fa'ulu (like ṭāla yaṭūlu—its description as taṭwīl rather than ṭā'il suggests it follows the pattern of qasura yaqsuru), or it follows the pattern fa'altu (with kasra in the past) and yaf'ulu (with damma in the future), like fa'altu (I did) and yaf'ulu (he does).

Issue 6: The Emphatic Lām in {La-mab'ūthūn} (Surely to be Resurrected)

How is the emphatic lām used in {La-mab'ūthūn} when the intended meaning is negation? In the statement of Inna (Indeed), the lām is usually omitted in the predicate of a negative statement (e.g., Inna Zaydan la-ya'tī vs. Inna Zaydan lā ya'tī). What is their intent with the interrogative form, if not denial meaning, "We will not be resurrected"?

There are two answers:

1. Explicit Negation: When explicit negation is intended, the explicit form and structure of negation are used.
2. Mocking the Affirmation: They intended to refute those who affirm the Resurrection by recounting how the affirmers exaggerate their assertion. We find their exaggeration and emphasis excessive, so we relate their speech in the form of an interrogative implying denial.

They supported their denial by mentioning matters they considered established facts justifying their disbelief: First, they said: {When we die}. They did not stop there but added: {and become dust and bones}. This implies a long time has passed since their death, turning flesh to dust and bones to fragments.

Then they escalated, saying: Despite this, we are told: {Indeed, you are to be resurrected}—emphasized in three ways:

1. Using the particle Inna.
2. Affirming the lām in its predicate.
3. Using the passive participle (mab'ūthūn) as if it were an imminent event, rather than the future tense verb.

They then added: {Or our ancient fathers?} meaning, this is even more remote. If we become dust after death, and our fathers are in a state even more decayed than scattered bones, how can resurrection be possible?

We have already explained this fully in Surah As-Saffat, noting that {Or our ancient fathers?} (As-Saffat: 17) means, "Or do they say: Our ancient fathers [will be resurrected too]?" indicating that their perplexity regarding their ancestors is even greater.

Allah Almighty then answered them, responding to every emphasis with an even greater emphasis:

! 7 < { Say, "Indeed, the first and the last, *Surely they will be gathered to the appointment of a known Day." } > 7 !

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