Tafsir of Qaf 50:19

When He mentioned their denial of the Resurrection and argued against them by describing His power and knowledge, He informed them that what they denied and rejected, they will encounter soon—at the time of their death and at the establishment of the Hour.

He signaled the proximity of this by expressing it in the past tense: {And the intoxication of death has come with the truth} and {And the Trumpet is blown}.

• The intoxication of death (Sakrat al-mawt): Its intensity, which carries away the intellect.
• The ba in bil-haqq (with the truth): It is for transitivity (ta‘diyah). It means: The intoxication of death has brought the reality of the matter that God spoke of in His scriptures and sent His messengers with. Or, it refers to the reality and clarity of the situation regarding the deceased’s happiness or wretchedness.
• It is said: The "truth" is that for which man was created: that every soul shall taste death.
• It is permissible: That the ba is like the one in His saying: {...producing oil} (23:20), meaning it came "clothed" in truth—that is, with the reality of the matter, or with wisdom and a sound purpose, as in His saying: {He created the heavens and the earth with the truth} (6:73).

Readings and Interpretations:

• Abu Bakr and Ibn Mas‘ud (may God be pleased with them) read: "The intoxication of the Truth with death" (sakrat al-haqq bil-mawt), attributing the intoxication to the Truth to indicate that it is the intoxication ordained for man, which is incumbent upon him, and that it is a matter of wisdom.
• The ba is for transitivity: Because it is the cause of the soul’s departure due to its intensity, or because death follows it, as if it brought death with it. It is also possible the meaning is: It came, and death is with it.
• It is said: "The intoxication of the Truth" is "the intoxication of God," attributed to Him to emphasize its gravity and terror.
• Another reading: "The intoxications of death" (sakarat al-mawt).

{That}: An allusion to death. The address is to man—as in His saying: {And We have certainly created man} (50:16)—by way of shifting the mode of address (iltifat). Or, it refers to the "Truth," and the address is to the wicked.

{You turn away} (tahidu): You recoil and flee.

Regarding the address:

• Some asked Zayd ibn Aslam about it, and he said: "The address is to the Messenger of God (ﷺ)."
• When this was narrated to Salih ibn Kaysan, he said: "By God, he has neither high age, nor eloquent tongue, nor knowledge of the speech of the Arabs; it is for the disbeliever."
• When both opinions were narrated to al-Husayn ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, he said: "I disagree with them both: it is for the righteous and the wicked."

{That is the Day of the Threat}: Based on the omission of the genitive (mudaf), meaning: "The time of that is the Day of the Threat." The allusion is to the source of the "blowing" (of the Trumpet).

{A driver and a witness}: Two angels. One drives the soul to the place of gathering, and the other testifies against it regarding its deeds. Or, it is one angel combining both roles, as if it were said: "With it is an angel who drives it and testifies against it." The position of {with it is a driver} is in the accusative as a state (hal) from "every soul" (kull), because it is treated as definite due to its attribution to what is in the status of a definite noun.

{You were in neglect of this, so We have removed your veil, and your sight today is sharp}:

• Read as la-qad kunta (you were) with a kasra, addressing the soul.
• Neglect is likened to a veil covering the entire body, or a covering over the eyes so that it sees nothing. When the Day of Resurrection arrives, it awakens, the neglect and its veil vanish, and it sees the truth it did not see before.
• The sight that was dull due to neglect becomes sharp due to its awakening.