Al-Haqqah (The Inevitable Reality): Verse 9

Original Text Segment:

أي ومن كان قبله من الأمم التي كفرت كما كفر هو ، و ( من ) لفظ عام ومعناه خاص في الكفار دون المؤمنين ، قرأ أبو عمرو وعاصم والكسائي ، { ومن قبله } بكسر القاف وفتح الباء ، قال سيبويه : قبل لما ولي الشيء تقول : ذهب قبل السوق ، ولى قبلك حق ، أي فيما يليك ، واتسع فيه حتى صار بمنزلة لي عليك ، فمعنى { من قبله } أي من عنده من أتباعه وجنوده والذي يؤكد هذه القراءة ما روي أن ابن مسعود وأبيا وأبا موسى قرؤا : { ومن } روى عن أبي وحده أنه قرأ : { موسى ومن معه } أما قوله : { والمؤتفكات } فقد تقدم تفسيرها ، وهم الذين أهلكوا من قوم لوط ، على معنى والجماعات المؤتفكات ، وقوله : { بالخاطئة } فيه وجهان الأول : أن الخاطئة مصدر كالخطأ والثاني : أن يكون المراد بالفعلة / أو الأفعال ذات الخطأ العظيم .

Translation:

This refers to those who came before him (Pharaoh) from the nations that disbelieved, just as he disbelieved. The word (مَنْ - man) is general in form, but its meaning here is specific to the disbelievers, excluding the believers.

Abu 'Amr, 'Asim, and Al-Kisa'i recited: {وَمَنْ قَبْلَهُ - wa man qablahu} with a kasra on the qāf and a fatḥa on the bā' (i.e., qiblahu).

Sībawayh stated that qabla (before) is used when something is adjacent to another thing, such as saying: "He went qabla the market" (before the market). It also means "next to you" or "in your vicinity" (qibalaka haqq), and this usage expanded until it became equivalent to "next to you" (lī 'alayka). Therefore, the meaning of {مَنْ قَبْلَهُ - man qablahu} (in this recitation) is those who were near him—his followers and his soldiers.

What confirms this recitation is the narration that Ibn Mas'ud, Ubayy, and Abu Musa recited: {وَمَنْ} (omitting qablahu). It is narrated that Abu [presumably referring to another reciter, perhaps Abu Ja'far] uniquely recited: {مُوسَى وَمَنْ مَعَهُ - Mūsā wa man ma'ahu} (Moses and those with him).

As for the phrase {وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَاتِ - wal-mu'tafikāt} (and the Overturned Cities), its interpretation has preceded; they are the people of Lot who were destroyed, interpreted here as "and the groups that were overturned."

Regarding {بِالْخَاطِئَةِ - bil-khāṭi'ah} (with the grave sin/error), there are two interpretations:

1. That al-khāṭi'ah is a verbal noun (masdar), like al-khaṭa' (the error).
2. That it refers to the action or deeds characterized by great error.

Original Text Segment:

! 7 < { فعصوا رسول ربهم فأخذهم أخذة رابية } . > 7

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Translation:

{فَعَصَوْا رَسُولَ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةً رَابِيَةً} (So they disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord, and He seized them with a seizing that was excessive/increasing.)