Surah Al-Insan (76): 31

Commentary

Know that the conclusion of this Surah is remarkable.

The preceding verse, {And you will not will unless Allah wills} (Al-Insan: 30), indicates that everything originating from the servant is by the Will of Allah.

This verse, {He admits whom He wills into His Mercy, but for the wrongdoers, He has prepared a painful punishment}, indicates that entry into Paradise or Hellfire is solely by the Will of Allah.

Thus, what remains at the end of this Surah is only Allah and what pertains to Allah. This is the absolute Tawhid (Oneness of God), which is the final stage of the journey of the truthful ones (Siddiqin) and the culmination of their ascent through the spheres of Divine Gnosis.

In this verse, there are several issues:

The statement {He admits whom He wills into His Mercy}:

1. If we interpret "Mercy" (رحمة) as Faith (Iman), then the verse explicitly states that Faith comes from Allah.
2. If we interpret "Mercy" as Paradise (Jannah), then entry into Paradise is due to Allah's Will, Grace, and Favor (Ihsaan), not due to inherent desert or entitlement.

Proof that it is not due to entitlement: If entitlement were established, then withholding it from someone would imply that Allah is ignorant or needy, which is impossible. Since leading to the impossible is impossible, withholding it is impossible, meaning its existence is rationally necessary and its absence rationally impossible. That which is rationally necessary cannot be suspended upon mere Will.

Furthermore, if a person owes a debt to another human and pays it, one does not say that the payment was made out of mercy or favor.

The statement {but for the wrongdoers, He has prepared a painful punishment} indicates that the decree concerning what is to occur has already been finalized (jaffa al-qalam).

The meaning of {He has prepared} (أعد) is that Allah knew this, decreed it, informed about it, and wrote it in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz). It is known that altering these matters is impossible. Therefore, the matter stands as we have explained and stated.

Al-Zajjaj said that al-Zalimin (the wrongdoers) is in the accusative case (نصب) because there is an implied accusative noun preceding it. The meaning is: "He admits whom He wills into His Mercy, and He punishes the wrongdoers," and the phrase {He has prepared a painful punishment for them} serves as an explanation for that implied object.

`Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr recited it as {wa al-Zalimuna} (nominative case). This recitation is not preferred because al-Zalimuna would be coordinated (conjoined) with {whom He wills} (من يشاء), which is in the accusative case (as the object of yudkhilu). Conjoining a nominal sentence structure (implied by the nominative) with a verbal sentence structure is not elegant.

However, in Surah Ha Mim 'Ayn Sin Qaf (Ash-Shura 42:7), the phrase {He admits whom He wills into His Mercy, and the wrongdoers...} is in the nominative case (الظالمون) because there is no verb following it that would necessitate its accusative case in meaning. Thus, it cannot be coordinated with the preceding accusative object, so it stands in the nominative case by way of Ibtida' (initial subject).

Here, in Surah Al-Insan, the phrase {He has prepared a painful punishment for them} indicates the implied verb that necessitates the accusative case (i.e., wa yu`adhdhibu al-zalimin). Thus, the difference becomes clear.

And Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, knows best what is correct. May Allah send blessings upon our Master Muhammad, his family, and his companions.