Sūrat al-Qiyāmah

Meccan. Its verses are 40 (revealed after al-Qāriʿah).

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

{1} I do not swear by the Day of Resurrection.

{2} Nor do I swear by the self-reproaching soul.

{3} Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?

{4} Yes, [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips.

{5} Rather, man wishes to continue in wickedness before him.

{6} He asks, "When is the Day of Resurrection?"

On the particle Lā (Nay) preceding an oath: The introduction of the negative particle Lā to an oath is widespread in Arabic speech and poetry. Imru’ al-Qays said: “Nay, by your father, O daughter of al-‘Amiri, the people shall not claim that I am a coward.” And Ghawtha ibn Salma said: “Nay, Umama called out for departure to grieve me; but by you, I do not care.”

Its purpose is to emphasize the oath. Some say it is an expletive (ṣilah), as in the verse: “...so that the People of the Book may know” (57:29), and in the line: “He traveled by night in a desert, and he did not perceive.” Critics object that such expletives only appear in the middle of a sentence, not at the beginning. While they argue the Quran is a single, connected unit, the objection remains valid—it is not used as an expletive at the start of a sentence. The answer is that it is for negation. The meaning is that one does not swear by something except to exalt it, as indicated by: “Nay, I swear by the positions of the stars—and indeed, it is a mighty oath if you only knew” (56:75-76). By adding the negative, it is as if he says: "My exaltation of it by swearing by it is no exaltation at all," meaning it deserves even more than that.

Others say Lā negates a statement made before the oath. As if they denied the Resurrection, it was said: "Nay (it is not as you say), I swear by the Day of Resurrection."

If you ask: "In the verse 'Nay, by your Lord, they will not believe' (4:65) and the poems I cited, the object of the oath is negated. Why not claim the Lā is a precursor to the negation that follows, and that the omitted object of the oath here is also negated, as in: 'I do not swear by the Day of Resurrection [that] you will not be left neglected'?"

I reply: If the matter were limited to negation without affirmation, this would be plausible. But it is not. Look at how “Nay, I swear by this city” (90:1) is followed by “We have certainly created man” (90:4). Likewise, “Nay, I swear by the positions of the stars” (56:75) is followed by “Indeed, it is a noble Quran.”

It is also read as La-uqsimu (I do swear), where the lam is for initiation (ibtida’), and uqsimu is the predicate of an omitted subject, meaning: "I am one who swears." It is supported by the fact that in the Imam [Uthmanic] codex, it is written without an alif.

"By the self-reproaching soul" (al-nafs al-lawwāmah): It is the soul that reproaches itself for its shortcomings in piety, or the one that never ceases to reproach itself even if it strives in goodness. Al-Hasan said: "You see the believer only as one who reproaches himself, while the disbeliever proceeds forward without rebuking himself." Others say it is the soul that reproaches itself on that Day for failing to increase in good deeds if it was righteous, or for its negligence if it was sinful. Some say it is the soul of Adam, which never ceased to reproach itself for the act that caused its expulsion from Paradise.

The response to the oath: It is indicated by the verse: “Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?” (75:3). It is: "You shall certainly be resurrected." Qatada read it as an lan tujma‘a ‘iẓāmuhu (that his bones will not be assembled), in the passive voice. The meaning is: We will assemble them after they have scattered and returned to dust and decay, mixed with the earth, and after the winds have scattered them to the furthest reaches of the earth.

It is said that ‘Adi ibn Abi Rabi‘a, the brother-in-law of al-Akhnas ibn Shariq—both of whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray against—said to the Prophet: "O Muhammad, tell me about the Day of Resurrection: when will it be and what is its nature?" The Prophet informed him, and he said: "Even if I witnessed that day, I would not believe you, O Muhammad, nor would I believe that God will assemble the bones." Then [the verse] was revealed: “Yes”—affirming what followed the negation, which is the assembly. It is as if it were said: "Yes, We will assemble them."

"Capable of..." (qādirīna): This is a state (ḥāl) from the pronoun in "We will assemble," meaning: We will assemble the bones, being capable of putting them all together and returning them to their original structure, until “We have fashioned his fingertips”—that is, his fingers, which are his extremities and the last part of his creation to be completed. Or, that We will align his phalanges, despite their smallness and delicacy, just as they were before, without loss or discrepancy—so how much more so for the large bones?

Others say it means: We will assemble them and We are capable of making his fingers—both hands and feet—level, like the foot of a camel or the hoof of a donkey, so that they cannot be distinguished. Thus, he would be unable to perform any of the tasks he usually does with separated, jointed fingers, such as grasping, releasing, or attending to his needs.

It is also read as qādirūna (We are capable).

"Nay, man desires..." (bal yurīdu): This is a conjunction to “Does man think” (ayahsabu). It may be an interrogation, or an affirmation where one turns away from the interrogated subject to something else. “To continue in his wickedness” (liyafjura amāmahu): to persist in his immorality in the times ahead of him, never desisting. Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: "He puts off repentance, saying 'I will repent, I will repent,' until death comes to him in his worst state and most evil deeds."

"He asks" (yas’alu): A question of stubbornness and disbelief regarding the occurrence of the Hour, as in: “When is the Day of Resurrection?” and similar verses: “And they say, 'When is this promise?'”

“So when vision is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon are joined, man will say on that day, 'Where is the place of escape?' No! There is no refuge! To your Lord, that day, is the [final] destination. Man will be informed that day of what he sent ahead and kept back. Rather, man, over himself, is a witness, even if he presents his excuses.”