Surah An-Naba: (28) And they denied Our signs with a [thorough] denial.

It should be known that the rational human soul possesses two powers: the theoretical (cognitive) and the practical. Human perfection lies in knowing the Truth for its own sake and knowing the Good for the sake of acting upon it. This is why Abraham said: {My Lord, grant me judgment and join me with the righteous} (Ash-Shu'ara: 83).

• {Grant me judgment} refers to the perfection of the theoretical power.
• {And join me with the righteous} refers to the perfection of the practical power.

Here, Allah the Exalted clarifies the wretchedness of their state in both aspects:

1. Regarding the practical power: He points to its corruption by saying: {Indeed, they did not expect an accounting} (An-Naba: 27). This means they proceeded with all kinds of ugliness and reprehensible acts, and they did not desire any obedience or good deeds.

2. Regarding the theoretical power: He points to its corruption by saying: {And they denied Our signs with a [thorough] denial}. This means they denied the Truth in their hearts and persisted in falsehood.

Once you understand what we have mentioned in this interpretation, it becomes clear that Allah the Exalted demonstrated that their state of wretchedness and corruption had reached a point where it is rationally impossible for anything greater to exist. Since their actions were thus, the appropriate consequence was a great punishment. This confirms the truth of what preceded it in His saying: {A recompense fitting [the deeds]} (An-Naba: 26).

How profound are the subtleties of the Qur'an, even though great eras have passed, and no one has noticed them! Praise be to Allah, praise befitting His high station and His proof, for having favored this humble servant with the knowledge of these secrets.

It should be known that His saying, {And they denied Our signs with a [thorough] denial}, indicates that they denied all of Allah’s proofs concerning Monotheism, Prophethood, the Hereafter, the religious laws, and the Qur'an. This points to the utmost degree of wretchedness and corruption in their theoretical power and their distance from the straight path.

His saying: {Kadhdhāban} (a thorough denial) means takdheeb (denial). Fa'āl is a form derived from the taf'eel verbal noun (source). Al-Zajjaj cited poetry as evidence:

"Long has my lingering kept me from my companions, And from the fulfillment of my needs, relief from my suffering."

Al-Farra' said that qadā'an (a judgment) is a eloquent dialect spoken by the people of Yemen. A parallel example is kharaqtu al-thawb khirāqan (I tore the garment with a tearing). An Arab from that region asked me while I was on the hill of Marwah: "Is the sweet taste or the bitter juice more beloved to you?" The author of Al-Kashshaf said: "I was interpreting a verse, and some people said: 'You have interpreted it with a sār (a type of denial/rejection) that no one has heard of.'"

It has also been read with the abbreviation (lightening of the dhāl): Kidhbān. There are several interpretations for this:

1. It is the verbal noun (masdar) of kadhaba (to deny), supported by the verse:

   "So I confirmed her, or I denied her, And a man benefits from his denial (kidhābah)." This is like His saying: {And He caused you to grow from the earth a growth} (Nuh: 17), meaning: they denied Our signs, so they denied with a thorough denial (kadhdhāban).

2. It is in the accusative case because kadhdhaba (they denied) implies the meaning of kāthib (a liar), since every denier of the Truth is a liar.

3. Kadhdhāb is taken to mean mukāthabah (mutual denial/contradiction). So, the meaning is: they denied Our signs, engaging in mutual denial. Or, they denied them while being deniers. Because if they considered Muslims to be liars, and Muslims considered them liars, there was a mutual contradiction (mukāthabah) between them.

It has also been read as Kadhdhābin (plural of kāthib), meaning: they denied Our signs while being deniers.

Kadhdhāb can also mean one who is extremely eloquent in lying (a superlative liar). It is said: rajulun kadhdhāb (a lying man), similar to ḥassān (very handsome) and bakhāl (very stingy). In this case, it functions as an adjective for the verbal noun kadhaba (denial), meaning: an excessive denial whose falsehood is extreme.

7 < { And We have enumerated everything in a writing. } > 7 !

When Allah the Exalted clarified that the corruption of their state had reached the utmost limits and the greatest ends in both the practical and theoretical powers, He then clarified that the details of those states—in their quantity and quality—are known to Him, and the punishment they deserve is known to Him. Therefore, He said: {And We have enumerated everything in a writing}.