Tafsir of Al-Mursalat 77:11

Surah Al-Mursalat (77): Verse 11

وَإِذَا الرُّسُلُ أُقِّتَتْ (And when the messengers are appointed a time,)

The First Issue: The Etymology of أُقِّتَتْ (Uqqitat)

The word أُقِّتَتْ (Uqqitat) is originally وَقَّتَتْ (waqqatat). This is supported by several points:

1. Recitation: The recitation of Abu 'Amr uses وَقَّتَتْ (waqqatat) with a waw (و).
2. Root Word: The root of the word is derived from الوقت (al-waqt - time).
3. Phonological Rule: Any waw (و) that is followed by a dammah (ضمة) which is inherent (i.e., not temporary), is typically substituted with a hamzah (ء) either at the beginning or in the middle of the word.
   • Example: The plural of دار (dār - house) is أَدْوُر (adwūr) or دِيَار (diyār), but sometimes إِحْدَان (iḥdān) is used for a similar construction.
   • Reason: The dammah is phonetically related to the waw (و), so combining them is like combining two identical letters, which creates heaviness. This is why the kasrah (كسرة) followed by a ya' (ي) is also considered heavy.

Contrast: The substitution does not occur in phrases like { وَلَا تَنْسَوُا الْفَضْلَ بَيْنَكُمْ } (And do not forget the bounty between you) because the dammah there is not inherent/necessary.

The Second Issue: The Meaning of the Appointed Time (التأقيت)

There are two main scholarly opinions regarding the meaning of the appointment of time (التأقيت):

Opinion 1: Specifying the Time for Bearing Witness This is the view of Mujahid and Al-Zajjaj. They hold that it means specifying the exact time when the Messengers will be gathered to testify against their nations.

• Critique: This view is weak. These preceding signs (like the scattering of mountains, the cessation of the flowing springs, etc.) are established signs for the Hour of Resurrection itself. It is inappropriate to say: "When the time for the Messengers to testify is specified, the Resurrection occurs," because that specification (of their gathering) was already known in the worldly life. Furthermore, the three preceding signs (scattering, flowing, blowing) are specific to the time of the Resurrection, so this appointment of time must also be specific to that time.

Opinion 2: Bringing Forth/Creating the Time This view suggests that التأقيت means the actual creation or bringing forth of that specific time.

• Support: This aligns better with the structure of the verb forms (تفعيلات), which generally imply the actual realization of the essence (e.g., التسويد means bringing about blackness, التحريك means bringing about motion). Thus, التأقيت means bringing forth the time.
• Ambiguity and Intensification of Terror: The verse does not specify which time is being created. This ambiguity is intentional, allowing the imagination to wander to every possibility, thereby intensifying the terror.
  • It could mean the time when the Messengers are gathered to testify against their nations.
  • It could mean the time when they are gathered to receive their reward.
  • It could mean the time when the Messengers are questioned about their response, and the nations are questioned about their reply, as stated: { فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ } (Then We will surely question those to whom messengers were sent, and We will surely question the messengers).
  • It could mean the time when they witness Paradise, Hellfire, the Reckoning, the Scales, and all the other events of the Resurrection. This is alluded to in the verse: { وَيَوْمَ تَرَى الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ وُجُوهُهُم مُّسْوَدَّةٌ } (And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied about Allah—their faces will be blackened).