And know that this third stage also comprises three stages: causing death, burying, and resurrection. As for causing death, we have mentioned its benefits in this book. Undoubtedly, it is the intermediary between the state of accountability and recompense. As for burying, Al-Farra' said: Allah made him buried and did not make him one of those thrown out for birds and beasts, because burial is an honor bestowed upon the Muslim. He said: It is not said, *fa-qabarahu* (and he buried him), because the *qābir* (burier) is the one who buries with his hand, whereas the *muqbir* (the one causing burial) is Allah Almighty. It is said: *qabara al-mayyit* (he buried the dead) if he buries him with his hand, and *aqbara al-mayyit* (He caused the dead to be buried) if He commands another to place him in the grave. The Arabs say: *battara dhunb al-ba'īr* (he cut off the camel's tail), and Allah *abtarahu* (cut it off for him). And: *a'ḍaba qarn al-thawr* (he broke the bull's horn), and Allah *a'ḍabahu* (broke it for him). And: *ṭarastu fulānan 'annī* (I drove so-and-so away from me), and Allah *aṭradahu* (drove him away), meaning He made him driven away. And His saying, the Exalted: **"Then, when He wills, He will resurrect him"** refers to revival and resurrection. He said, "when He wills," to indicate that its time is unknown to us; its advancement or delay is entrusted to the Will of Allah, the Exalted. As for the other states mentioned previously, their timings are known in some respects, as even if a person does not know the exact time of death, he generally knows that it will not exceed a known limit.

**"Then He causes him to die and buries him. Then, when He wills, He will resurrect him. Nay! He has not yet performed what He has commanded him. Let man look at his food: That We pour down water, a pouring, Then split the earth in a splitting, And cause to grow therein grain, And grapes and vegetation, And olives and palm trees, And dense gardens, And fruits and fodder, As provision for you and your cattle. Then, when the Deafening Blast comes, The Day a man will flee from his brother, And his mother and his father, And his wife and his sons. That Day, every man among them will have a concern to occupy him. [Some] faces, that Day, will be bright, Laughing, rejoicing. And [other] faces, that Day, will be covered with dust, Overwhelmed with darkness. Those are the disbelievers, the wicked ones."**

Know that His saying **"Nay!"** (*Kallā*) is a reprimand to man for his arrogance and loftiness, or for his disbelief and persistence in denying Monotheism, and his denial of resurrection and gathering. Regarding His saying: **"He has not yet performed what He has commanded him"** (*lammā yaqḍi mā amarah*), there are several interpretations: 1. Mujahid said: No one ever fulfills all that was obligatory upon him. This points to the fact that man is never free from shortcoming. I have reservations about this interpretation because the pronoun in **"He has not yet performed"** refers back to the previously mentioned one, which is man in His saying, **"Woe to man, what has made him disbelieve?"** Here, "man" does not mean all people, but the disbelieving man. So, how can **"He has not yet performed"** be applied to all people? 2. Or, does it mean that the arrogant, haughty man has not fulfilled what he was commanded regarding abandoning arrogance? Meaning, that disbelieving man has not fulfilled what he was commanded regarding contemplating Allah's signs, pondering the wonders of His creation, and the evidence of His wisdom. 3. Al-Ustādh Abū Bakr ibn Fūrak said: Nay, Allah has not fulfilled for this disbeliever what He commanded him concerning faith and abandoning arrogance; rather, He commanded him with what he has not fulfilled. Know that it is Allah's established practice in the Qur'an that whenever He mentions the signs present within the selves (*al-anfus*), He immediately follows them by mentioning the signs present in the horizons (*al-āfāq*). Thus, He followed that custom here by mentioning the horizons, beginning with what man needs. He said: **"Let man look at his food"** by which he lives, how We managed its affairs. Undoubtedly, it is a subject for contemplation. The food that man consumes has two states: The first is antecedent: the matters whose existence is necessary for that food to come into existence. The second is subsequent: the matters necessary within the human body for him to benefit from that consumed food. Since the first type is more apparent in its goodness and further from ambiguity, Allah, the Exalted, sufficed by mentioning it, because the proofs of the Qur'an must be such that all creation benefits from them, and thus must be further from confusion and doubt. This is what is meant by His saying: **"Let man look at his food."** Know that vegetation only results from the rain falling from the sky onto the earth. Thus, the sky is like the male, and the earth is like the female, so He mentioned the descent of the rain in explanation. His saying: **"That We pour down water, a pouring"** (*an ṣabbabnā al-mā'a ṣabbā*). In this, there are two issues: **The First Issue:** His saying **"We poured down"** refers to the rain. Then, consider how the rain, containing these great waters, came to be, and how it remained suspended in the sky despite its immense weight. Reflect upon its near and distant causes until some trace of the light of Allah, His justice, and His wisdom, and the management of the creation of this universe becomes apparent to you. **The Second Issue:** It was read as *Innanā* (with a *kasra*), which is for resuming the discourse. And it was read as *Annā* (with a *fatḥa*) as a substitute for "food," with the meaning: **"Let man look"** at how **"We poured down water."** Abū 'Alī al-Fārisī said: Whoever reads *Innanā* with a *kasra*, that is an explanation of looking at his food, just as His saying **"For them is forgiveness"** [An-Nūr: 26] is an explanation of the promise. Whoever reads it with a *fatḥa*, it is for substitution in the sense of inclusion (*badal ishtimāl*), because these matters include the existence and origination of food. It is like His saying: **"And they ask you about the sacred month, fighting therein"** [Al-Baqarah: 217], and His saying: **"The companions of the trench, the Fire"** [Al-Burūj: 4]. His saying, the Exalted: **"Then split the earth in a splitting"** (*thumma shaqqaqnā al-arḍa shaqqā*). What is meant is splitting the earth by vegetation. Then, the Exalted mentioned eight types of vegetation: 1. **Grain** (*ḥabban*): Referred to by His saying: **"And cause to grow therein grain."** This is everything harvested, such as wheat, barley, and others. It was mentioned first because it is like the origin of foodstuffs. 2. **Grapes** (*'inaban*): Mentioned after grain because it is food in one sense and fruit in another. 3. **Vegetation/Herbage** (*qaḍban*): There are two opinions regarding this: * The first: It is fresh fodder (*al-raṭbah*), which, when dried, is called *al-qatt*. The people of Mecca call it *al-qaḍb*. Its root comes from cutting (*al-qaṭ'*) because it is cut repeatedly. Likewise, *al-qaḍīb* (a twig/branch) is so named because it is *yuqḍab* (cut). This is the view of Ibn 'Abbās, Al-Ḍaḥḥāk, Muqātil, the choice of Al-Farra', Abū 'Ubaydah, and Al-Aṣma'ī. * The second: Al-Mubarrid said: *Al-qaḍb* is fodder itself, and its root is from *yuqḍab*, meaning it is cut. This is the view of Al-Ḥasan. 4. and 5. **Olives and Palm Trees** (*zaytūnan wa nakhlan*): Their benefits have been previously mentioned in this book. 6. **Dense Gardens** (*ḥadā'iq ghalban*): The root for describing something as *ghalb* relates to thick necks; *al-ghalb* means thick-necked, singular *aghlab*. It is said: *asad aghlab* (a lion with a thick neck). There are two opinions here: * The first: It means describing the garden as having dense, closely packed trees. This is the view of Mujāhid and Muqātil, who said: *Al-ghalb* are trees intertwined with each other. It is said: *ighlā’abba al-'ushb* (the grass became dense) and *i'lā’abbat al-arḍ* (the earth became covered with dense grass). * The second: It means describing each individual tree as thick and large. 'Āṭif narrated from Ibn 'Abbās: He means large trees. Al-Farra' said: *Al-ghalb* are the thick palm trees. 7. **Fruits** (*fākihah*): Some have inferred that since Allah mentioned fruits connected to grapes, olives, and palms, these things must not be included within the category of "fruits." This is plausible from an apparent perspective, because the connected item is different from the item to which it is connected. 8. **Fodder** (*abā*): *Al-ab* is pasture/grazing land. The author of *Al-Kashshāf* said: Because it is *yu'ab*, meaning sought after and frequented. *Al-ab* and *al-umm* (mother) are related. A poet said: > Our lineage is Qays, and Najd is our dwelling; > For us is the pasture (*al-ab*) and the place of grazing. It is also said: *Al-ab* is dried fruit because it is sought after for winter, meaning stored. After Allah, the Exalted, mentioned what people and animals feed on, He said: **"As provision for you and your cattle."** Al-Farra' said: He created it for benefit and enjoyment for you and your cattle. Al-Zajjāj said: It is in the accusative case because it is an emphatic verbal noun (*maṣdar mu'akkid*) for His saying **"And cause to grow,"** because His causing these things to grow is a provision for all animals. Know that when Allah mentioned these things, their purpose was threefold: 1. Signs pointing to Monotheism. 2. Signs pointing to the power of resurrection. 3. That this God who has bestowed such great kindness upon His servants with these types of favors, it is not fitting for an intelligent person to rebel against His obedience or be arrogant toward His servants. He followed this statement with what confirms these objectives: an explanation of the terrors of the Resurrection. When man hears them, fear will drive him to contemplate the signs, believe in them, and turn away from disbelief. This fear will also drive him to abandon arrogance toward people, to show humility to everyone. Thus, He mentioned the Resurrection, saying: **"Then, when the Deafening Blast comes"** (*fa-idhā jā'at aṣ-ṣākhkhah*). Commentators said: It means the blast of the Resurrection, which is the final trumpet blast. Al-Zajjāj said: The root *ṣakhkh* in language means to pierce or strike. It is said: *ṣakhkha ra'sahu bi-ḥajarin* (he smashed his head with a stone). And the crow *yaṣukhkh* with its beak into the rear of the camel, meaning it pierces. So, the meaning of *aṣ-ṣākhkhah* is the one that strikes with its intense sound in the ears. The author of *Al-Kashshāf* mentioned another interpretation: It is said: *ṣakhkha li-ḥadīthihi* (he listened intently to his speech), similar to *aṣākha lahu*. Thus, the blast is metaphorically described as *aṣ-ṣākhkhah* because people listen intently to it. Then, He described the horror of that Day with His saying: **"The Day a man will flee from his brother, And his mother and his father, And his wife and his sons."** In this, there are two issues: **The First Issue:** It is possible that the intended meaning of fleeing is what its outward appearance suggests: distancing and avoidance. The reason for this fleeing is to avoid claims of rights: the brother might say, "You did not share your wealth with me." The parents might say, "You were deficient in honoring us." The wife might say, "You fed me unlawful things, and you did this and that." The sons might say, "You did not teach us or guide us." It is also said that the first to flee from his brother was Hābil (Cain), from his father was Ibrāhīm (Abraham), from his wife were Nūḥ (Noah) and Lūṭ (Lot), and from his son was Nūḥ. It is also possible that the intended meaning of fleeing is not physical distancing, but rather that on that Day, a man flees from supporting his brother due to preoccupation with his own affair, like His saying: **"When those who were followed disavow those who followed [them]"** [Al-Baqarah: 166]. And fleeing from seeking help, like His saying: **"The Day no ally will avail an ally at all"** [Ad-Dukhān: 41]. And abandoning inquiry, like His saying: **"And no friend will ask about [the condition of] a friend"** [Al-Ma'ārij: 10]. **The Second Issue:** The meaning is that those whom a person used to flee to and seek refuge with in the worldly life, he will flee from them in the Hereafter. The benefit of the ordering is mentioned: as if it were said: **"The Day a man will flee from his brother,"** rather, from his parents, as they are closer than the two brothers, and even closer than the wife and children, because the heart's attachment to the latter is greater than the attachment to the parents. Then, after mentioning this fleeing, He followed it by mentioning its cause, saying: **"That Day, every man among them will have a concern to occupy him"** (*li-kulli imri'in minhum yawma'idhin sha'nun yughnīhi*). Regarding **"to occupy him"** (*yughnīhi*), there are two interpretations: 1. Ibn Qutaybah said: *Yughnīhi* means it diverts him and turns him away from his relatives. He cited poetry: > The war of Banū Mālik will suffice you (*sayughnīka*) > Against obscenity and ignorance in the assembly. Meaning, it will preoccupy you. It is also said: *Aghni 'annī wajhaka* (Turn your face away from me), meaning divert it. 2. The scholars of meaning (*ahl al-ma'ānī*) said: *Yughnīhi* means that the worry concerning his own self has filled his chest, leaving no room for another. Thus, he becomes like a rich man (*ghaniyy*) because he has acquired so much of that possession (the worry). Know that when Allah, the Exalted, mentioned the state of the Resurrection in terms of horror, He clarified that those held accountable on that Day are of two types: the fortunate ones and the wretched ones. He described the fortunate ones with His saying: **" [Some] faces, that Day, will be bright, Laughing, rejoicing."** **Bright** (*musfarrah*): Illuminated, radiant. From *asfara aṣ-ṣabḥu* (the dawn broke) when it illuminates. Ibn 'Abbās said: From staying up for night prayer, as his face became beautiful during the day due to his frequent night prayers. Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said: From the traces of ablution. It is also said: From the dust accumulated in the cause of Allah. In my view, it is due to being saved from the bonds of the world and connecting with the realm of holiness, the stations of acceptance, and mercy. **Laughing** (*ḍāḥikah*): Al-Kalbī said: Meaning, being free from the reckoning. **Rejoicing** (*mustabshirah*): Joyful for the honor and pleasure received from Allah. Know that His saying **"bright"** is an indication of salvation from this world and its consequences. As for **"laughing"** and **"rejoicing,"** they relate to the theoretical and practical faculties, or to the attainment of benefit and the attainment of glorification.

**"And [other] faces, that Day, will be covered with dust, Overwhelmed with darkness. Those are the disbelievers, the wicked ones."** Al-Mubarrid said: **Dust** (*ghabrah*) is what afflicts a person from dust. His saying: **"Overwhelmed with"** (*tarhaquhā*) means it overtakes them closely, like saying: *rahqa al-jabala* (he overtook the mountain) due to speed. *Al-rahq* is the haste toward destruction. **Darkness** (*qatarah*) is the blackness of smoke. Nothing is uglier than the combination of dustiness and blackness on the face, like the faces of dark-skinned people when covered with dust. It is as if Allah combined blackness and dustiness on their faces, just as they combined disbelief and wickedness. And Allah knows best. Know that the Murji'ah and the Khawārij used this verse as evidence. As for the **Murji'ah**, they said: This verse indicates that the people of the Resurrection are two groups: the people of reward and the people of punishment. It indicates that the people of punishment are the disbelievers. It is established by proof that the sinners among the people of prayer are not disbelievers. If they are not disbelievers, they must be among the people of reward. This implies that the one who commits a major sin among the people of prayer will have no punishment. As for the **Khawārij**, they said: Other proofs indicate that the one who commits a major sin is punished. This verse indicates that everyone who is punished is a disbeliever. Therefore, every sinner must be a disbeliever. The response is: At most, what is mentioned here concerns these two groups, and this does not necessitate the negation of a third group. And Allah knows best. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Master of the Messengers, Muhammad the Prophet, and his family and companions, all of them.