| Al-Haqqah (The Inevitable Reality): (45) We would have seized him by the right hand.

Issue 1: Interpretations of "by the right hand" (bil-yamīn)

There are several interpretations for this phrase:

1. Literal Seizure and Striking: It means We would have seized him by his hand, and then struck his neck. This is presented as an analogy to how kings deal with liars: they do not delay punishment but strike the neck immediately. The right hand (al-yamīn) is specified because when one intends to strike the back of the neck, one might use the left hand. However, if one intends to strike the nape of the neck or deliver a fatal blow with a sword (which is more severe for the recipient), one takes hold with the right hand. Thus, it means: We would have seized him by his right hand, just as saying "We would have severed his aorta" (la-taqta'nā minhu al-watīn) means We would have severed his aorta. This is a clear interpretation narrated from Al-Hasan al-Basri.

2. Meaning Strength and Power: This view, held by Al-Farra', Al-Mubarrid, and Al-Zajjaj, suggests that al-yamīn means strength and power. They cite the verse by Al-Shammakh:

   If a banner is raised for glory, 'Arābah meets it with strength (bil-yamīn). The meaning then becomes: We would have seized him by his strength, meaning We would have stripped him of his power. In this case, the preposition bi- (by) is considered superfluous (zā'idah). Ibn Qutaybah noted that al-yamīn stands for strength because the strength of everything lies in its right side (mayāminuhu).

3. Meaning Truth/Justice: Muqatil said that "We would have seized him by the right hand" (referencing a similar phrase in Surah As-Saffat: 28) means We would have punished him justly (bil-haqq). In this context, al-yamīn means truth, similar to the verse: "Indeed, you used to come to us from the right side" (min qibal al-yamīn), meaning from the side of truth.

Conclusion on the Interpretations: The essence of all these interpretations is that if he attributed a saying to Us that We did not utter, We would have prevented him from doing so. This prevention would occur either by establishing proof against him—by bringing someone to debate him, thereby exposing his falsehood to the people and invalidating his claim—or by stripping him of the ability to utter that saying. This latter action is incumbent upon God's wisdom so that the truthful is not confused with the liar.

Issue 2: The Meaning of Al-Watīn (Aorta)

Al-Watīn is the vein connected from the heart to the head; when it is severed, the animal dies. Abu Zayd said its plural is al-wutun, and one might say there are three awtinah. One who has his watīn cut is called al-mawtūn. Ibn Qutaybah stated that the verse does not mean We would literally sever it, but rather, if he had lied, We would have caused his death, making him like one whose aorta is severed. A parallel is found in the saying of 'Alayhi al-Salām (the Prophet): "The poison of Khaybar has continually afflicted me, and now is the time for my aorta (abharī) to be severed." The abhar is a vein connected to the heart; when it is cut, its owner dies. So, he was saying: now is the time for the poison to kill me, at which point I become like one whose aorta is severed.

Then He said:

! 7 < { Then none of you could have prevented it from Me. } > 7 !

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