English Translation of Surah Al-Qiyamah
Ayah 26-40
75:26 No! When it reaches the collarbone,
75:27 and it is said, ‘Is there any healer?’
75:28 And he thinks that it is the parting.
75:29 And the leg is intertwined with the leg.
75:30 To your Lord on that day they shall be driven.
75:31 For he believed not, nor prayed,
75:32 but he denied, and turned away.
75:33 Then, he went to his folk haughtily.
75:34 Woe to you! And woe!
75:35 Then, woe to you! And woe!
75:36 Does man think that he will be left aimless?
75:37 Was he not a drop of sperm emitted?
75:38 Then, he became a clot; then He created in due proportion.
75:39 Then, He made of him the pair, the male and female.
75:40 Is He not able to give life to the dead?
Relationship with the Previous Part
The previous parts refer to some of the horrors of the Day of Judgment and the conditions of the believers and the disbelievers on that day. Then, this part mentions the condition of man when death, which is the first stage of the stages of the Hereafter, comes to him. No matter how strongly the disbeliever denies the occurrence of the Day of Judgment, he will suffer the agonies of death and his abode will be Hell, where he will suffer lasting punishment.
Allah, Exalted be He, confirms that the resurrection on the Day of Judgment will certainly take place, and proves this fact by mentioning two matters. 1) Justice necessitates that there must be recompense for the deeds so that the obedient will not be equal to the disobedient, which will take place on the Day of Judgment. 2) Allah, Exalted be He, is able to create in the first place. Thus, He is able to recreate the creatures and resurrect them for reckoning on the Day of Judgment, which is easier than creating in the first place.
Tafsir
Allah, Exalted be He, warns the disbelievers, who deny the occurrence of the Day of Judgment and favor the present life over the life of the Hereafter, by threatening them with a different type of punishment. He, Exalted be He, reminds them of the agonies of death when they leave the life of this world.
75:26 No! When it reaches the collarbone,
75:27 and it is said, ‘Is there any healer?’
75:28 And he thinks that it is the parting.
O people, beware of favoring the present life over the Hereafter. Be alert when the soul reaches the collarbone at the time of death and it is about to leave the body. At that time, every person will know the fruits of his deeds and his final abode.
Those who are around the dying person will be perplexed and ask one another, ‘Is there any healer to cure him of his illness? Is there any doctor to treat his illness? Alas! No one can avail the dying person and save him from the decree of Allah. At that time, the dying person will be certain that it is the parting time, and that he will soon leave the present life, his family, and his wealth.
75:29 And the leg is intertwined with the leg.
At the time of death, the legs of the dying person will intertwine so that he cannot move them. His legs will be immovable though he used to roam here and there when he was alive. The anguish of leaving the present life and the pain of facing the agonies of death and the horrors of the Hereafter will come together. The dying person will be powerless. The angel of death will be ready to take his soul and those around him will be preparing for his burial.
O people, remember the time of death when the soul is about to leave the body and those around the dying person will be standing powerless. They will submit to the decree of Allah and hope to find a healer or a doctor to treat their beloved one and save his life. However, they will not find anyone who can help them to protect their beloved one from death.
75:30 To your Lord on that day they shall be driven.
All souls will be driven to their Lord, Allah, after their death. They will be in Paradise or Hell. At that time, nothing will avail man except sincere belief in the Oneness of Allah and righteous deeds done for His sake.
75:31 For he believed not, nor prayed,
75:32 but he denied, and turned away.
75:33 Then, he went to his folk haughtily.
Allah, Exalted be He, mentions some reasons for the evil end awaiting the disbelievers.
The end of the denier of reckoning and recompense on the Day of Judgment will be loss as he used not to believe in the Oneness of Allah, nor pray for the sake of Allah. Rather, he used to disbelieve in the Oneness of Allah and turn away from the path of guidance leading to attaining the mercy and forgiveness of Allah. In addition, he used to go to his folk haughtily for his insistence on disbelieving in the Oneness of Allah and sinning.
In sum, the denier of reckoning and recompense on the Day of Judgment combines rejecting the principle of creed, namely, belief in the Oneness of Allah, and neglecting the secondary parts of the creed, such as performing the obligatory prayer. Moreover, he is characterized by evil ethics, such as haughtiness and conceit. These evil deeds deserve severe punishment.
75:34 Woe to you! And woe!
75:35 Then, woe to you! And woe!
This is a strong condemnation to the disbeliever, who insists on turning away from the path of guidance, and a warning of an evil end.
O disbeliever! Woe to you and woe! Then, woe to you and woe. Your destruction will be soon as you insist on following the path of misguidance.
Qatada, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘75:34 Woe to you! And woe! 75:35 Then, woe to you! And woe! This is threatening over threatening. It was said that this ayah was revealed about the enemy of Allah, Abu Jahl. It was reported that Prophet Muhammad strongly held Abu Jahl by his clothes and said to him, ‘75:34 Woe to you! And woe! 75:35 Then, woe to you! And woe!’ Then, Abu Jahl said, ‘Does Muhammad threaten me? By Allah, you nor your Lord can do anything against me. By Allah, I am the noblest man, who walks through the mountains of Makkah.’
75:36 Does man think that he will be left aimless?
Allah, Exalted be He, mentions evidence confirming the resurrection on the Day of Judgment by referring to an aspect of His ability to create man.
Does the denier of the Day of Judgment think that he will be left aimless so that he will not be commanded to perform righteous deeds and avoid prohibitions? Does he think that Allah will not resurrect him for reckoning and recompense for his deeds? If he thinks so, then, he is under a delusion. That is because Allah is wise and His wisdom necessitates that He will reward the followers of the path of guidance and punish the followers of the path of misguidance.
38:28 Shall We make those who believe and do righteous deeds as the mischief makers, or shall We make the God-fearing as the wicked?
Allah’s wisdom necessitates postponing reckoning and recompense for the deeds that man does in the present life to the Hereafter. Thus, there will be a sufficient opportunity for man to amend his way and repent of his sins before death.
75:37 Was he not a drop of sperm emitted?
75:38 Then, he became a clot; then He created in due proportion.
75:39 Then, He made of him the pair, the male and female.
How does man think that he will be left aimless and not called to account for the deeds that he did in the present life? Was he not a drop of sperm emitted from the male mate to the womb of the female? Then, he became a clot. Then, Allah created him in due proportion and made from him the pair, the male and the female.
75:40 Is He not able to give life to the dead?
This ayah mentions the result after presenting preliminaries and proofs.
Is the Lord, who is characterized by such great ability and power, who created every creature in the best form, and who created man in different stages, not able to give life to the dead? Verily, the One, who created man in the first place is able to resurrect him after death for reckoning and recompense. Indeed, Allah, Exalted be He, is the able to give life to the dead and He is the only God who deserves sincere worship.
Qatada, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘75:40 Is He not able to give life to the dead? It was reported that Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] used to say, ‘Glory be to Allah, and yes.’’
Lessons Learned from Surah Al-Qiyamah Ayah 26-40
• At the time of death, man will suffer great hardship and agony. Those around him will be preparing for his burial, and the angels of death will be preparing to take his soul.
• At the time of death, man will face two saddening matters: 1) Leaving the life of this world and his family and wealth. 2) Suffering from hardship as he leaves the life of this world and experiencing the first stage of the Hereafter.
• All creatures will return to Allah for reckoning and recompense on the Day of Judgment.
• The disbeliever deserves painful punishment on the Day of Judgment because he disbelieves in the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger, and disobeys the commands of Allah.
• Arrogance and haughtiness make one unable to see the truth and cause him to lose.
• Allah is wise and His wisdom necessitates that He will recompense the good doers and the evil doers. Thus, there must be a day on which all creatures will be gathered for reckoning and recompense for their deeds.
• Allah created man in the first place. Recreating and resurrecting man after death is even easier for Allah.
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