Tafsir of An-Nur 24:39

"As for those who disbelieved, their deeds..."

The Mirage (al-sarab): That which is seen in the desert from the sunlight at midday, flowing over the surface of the earth as if it were running water.

The Lowland (al-qi‘ah): It means the qa‘ (flat expanse), or it is the plural of qa‘, which is the level, flat part of the earth, like jirah for jar. It has also been recited as bi-qi‘atin with an extended ta’, like dimat and qimat for dimah and qimah. Some have rendered it bi-qi‘ah with a rounded ta’, like the word ‘azzah (a man who avoids worldly pleasures).

The Parable: He likens the righteous deeds performed by one who does not believe in the faith and does not follow the truth—which he thinks will benefit him before God and save him from His punishment, only for his hope to be dashed in the end and for him to encounter the opposite of what he estimated—to a mirage seen by the disbeliever on the vast plain (al-sahirah) when he is overcome by thirst on the Day of Resurrection. He thinks it is water, so he comes to it, but finds none of what he hoped for. Instead, he finds the guards of God (zabaniyah) waiting for him; they seize him, drag him to Hell, and make him drink boiling water and foul discharge.

These are the ones of whom God said:

• "Laboring, weary" (Al-Ghashiyah: 3).
• "While they think that they are doing good work" (Al-Kahf: 104).
• "And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did and make them scattered dust" (Al-Furqan: 23).

It is said that this was revealed regarding ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah ibn Umayyah, who had devoted himself to worship, wore haircloth, and sought religion during the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), but then disbelieved in Islam.

"Or [they are] like darknesses in a deep sea, covered by waves, upon which are waves, upon which is a cloud—darknesses, some upon others. When one puts out his hand, he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allah has not granted light—for him there is no light."