Surah Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection)

40 Verses, Meccan

Al-Razi's Commentary:

The verse begins with two oaths:

1. "I swear by the Day of Resurrection" (لا أقسم بيوم القيامة): This oath emphasizes the certainty and gravity of the events that follow, particularly the Resurrection.

2. "And I swear by the self-reproaching soul" (ولا أقسم بالنفس اللوامة): This refers to the Nafs al-Lawwāmah (the blaming soul).

• Meaning of Al-Lawwāmah: This soul is characterized by its constant self-reproach and regret over its shortcomings and sins, even after repentance. It is the soul that recognizes its faults and strives to correct them.
  • Scholarly Views on the Lawwāmah:
    • Some scholars interpret it as the soul that blames itself for failing to perform good deeds or for committing sins.
    • Others relate it to the state of the soul on the Day of Judgment, where every soul blames itself for its past actions.
    • It is often contrasted with the Nafs al-Ammārah bi al-Sū’ (the soul commanding evil) and the Nafs al-Muṭma’innah (the tranquil soul). The Lawwāmah is the intermediate stage, striving toward tranquility.

The structure of the oath (لا أقسم - "I do not swear") followed by the oath (أقسم - "I swear") is significant. Some commentators suggest the initial negation (لا) is emphatic, meaning "Indeed, I swear," or that the negation applies to the necessity of swearing, implying the truth of the matter is so evident it barely needs an oath, yet God swears by these mighty things to confirm the subsequent assertion.

Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection): (1) I swear not by the Day...

Issues Discussed in the Verse:

The commentators have mentioned three main interpretations regarding the particle {لا} (Lā) in the phrase {لا أقسم} (I swear not):

First View: It is an extra, superfluous particle (ṣilah zā’idah). The meaning would then be: "I swear by the Day of Resurrection." This is analogous to phrases like {لئلا يعلم أهل الكتاب} (so that the People of the Book may not know) and {فبما رحمة من الله لنت لهم} (And by the Mercy of Allah, you were lenient with them).

• Critique of this view (by the author): This view is weak for several reasons:
  1. Allowing this usage opens the door to questioning the Quran, as it implies that negation can be treated as affirmation, and affirmation as negation, rendering reliance on either impossible.
  2. This particle is typically inserted in the middle of speech, not at the beginning.
     • Counter-argument: Some cite Imru' al-Qays using it at the start of his poem: "Nay, by your father, daughter of Al-'Amiri! Let not the people claim that I flee."
     • Rebuttal: Firstly, the example cited is an oath affirming a negation ("Nay, by your father..."), whereas {لا أقسم} is a negation of the act of swearing itself. They are not analogous. Secondly, even if the Quran is considered one continuous text, allowing the insertion of a negating particle anywhere would permit negating every affirmation and affirming every negation throughout the Quran, which is impossible.
  3. If {لا} is superfluous, it implies it is idle or void, which is impossible to attribute to the speech of Allah.

Second View: The particle {لا} is read as part of a different construction (based on a variant reading). This is narrated from Al-Hasan, who read it as {لَأقسمُ} (La-uqsimu), where the {لَ} (Lām) is the lām al-ibtida’ (the introductory Lām), and {أقسمُ} (Uqsimu) is the predicate of an omitted subject (i.e., "I am swearing"). This is supported by the fact that it appears in Uthman's Mushaf without an alif.

• Al-Hasan interpreted the verse sequence as: "I swear by the Day of Resurrection, but I do not swear by the self-reproaching soul," suggesting the former is honored while the latter is despised.
• Critique: Abu 'Ubaydah objected, saying Arabs would say لأفعلنَّ (La-af'alanna), not لأفعلُ (La-af'alu). Although Al-Wahidi narrated that Sibawayh and Al-Farra’ permitted the latter form, this view is weak because:
  1. This reading is shādh (anomalous/rare). Even if accepted, what about the famous, transmitted reading? Rejecting the transmitted reading leads to criticizing what is established by tawātur (mass transmission).
  2. It necessitates postulating another oath for this Lām to be the response to, making the structure: "By Allah, I swear by the Day of Resurrection"—an oath upon an oath, which is weak and leads to infinite regress.

Third View: The particle {لا} is genuinely for negation. Here, there are two possibilities:

1. Negation of a preceding statement: As if the disbelievers denied the Resurrection, and the response was: "No (it is not as you say), I swear by the Day of Resurrection." This is problematic because the subsequent verse, {ولا أقسم بالنفس اللوامة} (And I swear not by the self-reproaching soul), repeats the negation, which would be stylistically weak if the meaning was already established.
2. Negation of the act of swearing itself: Meaning, "I do not swear to you by that Day or that Soul, but rather I ask you without swearing..." This is the view chosen by Abu Muslim and considered the soundest. The implication is: "Do you think We will not gather your bones when they are scattered?" (If you think so, know that We are capable of doing that, and I don't need to swear by these things to prove it.)

• Alternative ways to understand this negation (as chosen by the author): * Allah does not swear by these things to establish this truth because the truth itself is too great and majestic to require an oath by these entities; the purpose is to magnify the thing sworn about. * The truth being established is so clear, evident, and strong that it does not need to be proven by such an oath. Then, Allah follows up with: {أيحسب الإنسان أن لن نجمع عظامه} (Does man think that We will not reassemble his bones?), questioning how such a corrupt thought could even cross his mind given its obvious falsehood. * The {لا} is used for rhetorical denial (Inkār), meaning: "Do I not swear by the Day of Resurrection? Do I not swear by the self-reproaching soul that the Resurrection and Reassembly are true?"

Commentators offered six interpretations for the {النفس اللوامة}:

1. Every soul reproaches itself on the Day of Resurrection (Ibn Abbas). The righteous soul will reproach itself for not increasing its obedience, and the wicked soul will reproach itself for not adhering to piety.
   • Critique: The righteous soul, deserving of reward, should not reproach itself for failing to do more, as that would imply others could reproach it too. Furthermore, self-reproach occurs during distress, which is inappropriate for the inhabitants of Paradise.
   • Rebuttal: The reproach should be understood as a wish for greater merit, which resolves these objections.
2. It refers to the pious souls that reproach the disobedient soul for abandoning piety on the Day of Judgment.
3. It refers to the noble souls that constantly reproach themselves even when striving in obedience. Al-Hasan said a believer is never seen except as one who blames himself, whereas the ignorant person is content with his base state.
4. It is the soul of Adam, which constantly reproached him for the deed that caused his expulsion from Paradise.
5. It refers to the souls of the wretched when they witness the terrors of the Resurrection, reproaching themselves for their past sins (similar to {يَا حَسْرَتَى عَلَى مَا فَرَّطْتُ} - "Oh, my regret for what I neglected").
6. It refers to the inherent restlessness of man. Man is created restless (halū‘); whatever he seeks, upon obtaining it, he becomes bored with it and reproaches himself for seeking it. Because of this frequent action, the soul is named Lawwāmah (constantly reproaching). This aligns with the description: "Indeed, man was created restless, impatient when touched by evil, and possessive when touched by good." The word {لوامة} (Lawwāmah) implies repetition, similar to {ضرار} (harmful) or {عذاب} (punishment).

There are three points of inquiry regarding the structure of the oaths:

1. The connection between the Resurrection and the Self-Reproaching Soul: Why did Allah swear by both?
2. The object of the oath: If the oath is by these two things, the implied subject of the oath is the occurrence of the Resurrection itself.
3. The use of {لا أقسم} instead of simply {والقيامة} (as in At-Ṭūr or Adh-Dhāriyāt).

Answers:

1. Connection:
   • The events of the Resurrection are astonishing, and its primary purpose is to reveal the states of the self-reproaching souls—their happiness or misery. Thus, there is a strong connection.
   • Swearing by the self-reproaching soul is also a sign pointing to the wonders of the soul itself (as in the saying, "Whoever knows himself has known his Lord").
   • Alternative View: Some say the oath is only by the Self-Reproaching Soul to magnify it because it constantly belittles its own efforts in obedience. Others argue, based on the anomalous reading (Issue 1, View 2), that Allah swore by the Day of Resurrection to honor it, but did not swear by the self-reproaching soul to humiliate it, as that soul is either an unbeliever regarding the Resurrection or a sinner falling short in deeds.
2. Object of the Oath: The established view among scholars is that swearing by these created things is, in reality, an oath by their Creator and Sustainer. Thus, it is as if Allah says: "I swear by the Lord of the Resurrection regarding the occurrence of the Day of Resurrection."
3. Use of {لا أقسم}: When Allah swears directly, He uses the affirmative particle (e.g., {والطور}). Here, since the primary interpretation is that {لا} negates the act of swearing, the question dissolves, as He is stating that He is not swearing (or not swearing in the conventional manner).

Verse 2:

{أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنْ لَنْ نَجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ} Does man think that We will not reassemble his bones?

{بَلَى قَادِرِينَ عَلَى أَنْ نُسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ} Yes, [We are able] to perfectly form his fingertips.