Al-Kashshaf on Al-A'raf 7:187

Surah Al-A'raf 7:187

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ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ ﳇ ﳈ ﳉ ﳊ ﳋ ﳌ ﳍ ﳎ ﳏ ﳐ ﳑ ﳒ ﳓ ﳔ ﳕ ﳖ ﳗ ﳘ ﳙ ﳚ ﳛ ﳜ ﳝ ﳞ ﳟ ﳠ ﳡ ﳢ ﳣ ﳤ ﳥ ﳦ ﳧ ﳨ

They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the Hour: when is its arrival? Say, "Its knowledge is only with my Lord. None will reveal its time except Him. It lays heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except unexpectedly." They ask you as if you are familiar with it. Say, "Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most of the people do not know."

{They ask you} It is said: A group of Jews said, "O Muhammad, inform us when the Hour is, if you are a prophet, for we know when it is." This was a test from them, despite their knowledge that Allah the Exalted has reserved the knowledge of it for Himself. It is also said: The questioners were the Quraysh.

{The Hour} It is one of the dominant names [for the Day of Judgment], like al-Najm (The Star) for the Pleiades. The Resurrection is called "the Hour" because it occurs suddenly, or because of the speed of its reckoning, or conversely, because of its length, or because to Allah, despite its length, it is like one of the hours of the creation.

{When is its arrival?} Ayyān means matā (when). It is said that its derivation is from ayy (which) and fi‘l (action), meaning "which time and which action." Ibn Jinni said it is from awwaytu ilayhi (I sought refuge in it), because the parts seek refuge in the whole and lean upon it. He rejected that it comes from ayna (where), because ayyān is for time, while ayna is for place. Al-Sulami read it as iyyān with a kasra on the hamza.

{Its arrival} Irsā’uhā (its anchoring), or the time of its anchoring; meaning its establishment and confirmation. Everything heavy, its rusū is its stability and firmness. From this comes rasā al-jabal (the mountain stood firm) and ursiyat al-safīna (the ship was anchored). The marsā is the anchor by which one is anchored. There is nothing heavier than the Hour, as evidenced by His saying: {It is heavy in the heavens and the earth}. The meaning is: until Allah anchors it.

{Its knowledge is only with my Lord} Meaning, the knowledge of the time of its anchoring is with Him; He has reserved it for Himself and has not informed any close angel or sent prophet. He almost hides it from Himself, so that this may be more conducive to obedience and more deterrent against disobedience, just as He hid the specific term—which is the time of death—for the same reason.

{None will reveal its time except Him} Meaning, it remains hidden; its affair will not be manifested, nor will the concealment of its knowledge be uncovered, except by Him alone when it comes at its time suddenly. None of His creation will reveal it by informing about it before its arrival, due to the persistence of its concealment from others until the time of its occurrence.

{It is heavy in the heavens and the earth} Meaning, everyone among their inhabitants—the angels and the two heavy ones (jinn and mankind)—is concerned by the affair of the Hour. They wish that its knowledge were revealed to them, and its concealment is difficult and heavy upon them. Or, it is heavy in them because their inhabitants anticipate it and fear its hardships and terrors. Or, because everything cannot bear it and cannot stand before it, it is heavy within them.

{Except suddenly} Except unexpectedly, while you are heedless. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The Hour will be stirred up upon the people while a man is repairing his trough, a man is watering his livestock, a man is displaying his goods in the market, and a man is lowering and raising his scales."

{As if you were familiar with it} Meaning, as if you were knowledgeable about it. Its reality is: as if you were persistent in asking about it, because whoever is persistent in asking about a thing and investigating it, his knowledge of it becomes firm and solid. This structure implies exaggeration. From this is iḥfā’ al-shārib (trimming the mustache closely). Iḥtifā’ al-baql is to uproot it. Aḥfā fī al-mas’ala is when one is insistent. Ḥafiya bi-fulān and taḥaffā bihi means to be excessive in honoring him. Mujahid said: "I have been persistent in asking about it until I knew." Ibn Mas‘ud read: ka’annaka ḥafī biha (as if you were knowledgeable of it).

It is said: {about it} relates to {they ask you}; meaning, they ask you about it as if you were ḥafī, i.e., knowledgeable about it. It is also said: The Quraysh said to him, "There is kinship between us and you, so tell us when the Hour is." It was said: They ask you about it as if you were ḥafī—that you are partial to them, so you single them out with the teaching of its time because of the kinship, while withholding its knowledge from others. If you were to inform of its time for a benefit Allah knew in your informing, you would have conveyed it to the near and the far without distinction, like the rest of what was revealed to you.

It is said: "As if you were ḥafī (keen) on asking about it, loving and preferring it," meaning that you dislike asking about it because it is from the knowledge of the Unseen which Allah has reserved for Himself and has not given to any of His creation.

If you ask: Why was "they ask you" repeated, when its knowledge is only with Allah? I say: For emphasis, and because of the additional meaning brought by the phrase {as if you were familiar with it}. In this way, the profound scholars in their books do not leave a repetition without an added benefit.

{But most of the people do not know} That He is the One who knows it, and that He is the One singled out with the knowledge of it.

{Say, "I do not possess for myself any benefit or harm except what Allah wills. And if I knew the unseen, I would have increased myself in wealth, and no evil would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."}

Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:187

Al-Kashshaf

{But most of the people do not know} That He is the One who knows it, and that He is the One singled out with the knowledge of it.

{Say, "I do not possess for myself any benefit or harm except what Allah wills. And if I knew the unseen, I would have increased myself in wealth, and no evil would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."}