Meaning

Ayah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

THE EXPLANATION

1.  {وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ}              

            Al-Mawardiyy said:  This ayah entails two adjurations.  The known sky (السَّمَاءِ) is one.  At-tariq (الطَّارِقِ) is the second, and it is the star.  Imam al-Bukhariyy said that at-tariq is 'what comes to you at night.'  This is the meaning of at-tariq in the hadith of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, narrated by Malik:

<<ومن طوارق الليل والنهار الاطارقا يطرق بخير>>

This means:  <<O Allah, I seek refuge with You from things that come to me during night and during day save those who come in goodness.>>

2.  {وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ}         

            That is, 'what makes you know, O Muhammad what at-tariq is?' This is an interrogative meant to elucidate the grand status of the star.  Sufyan Ibn ^Uyaynah said:  'every statement of inquiry in the Qur’an that has the term wa ma adraka (وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ) Allah has informed Muhammad about it and the statement that has the term wa ma yudrika (وما يدريك) Allah did not inform him about it.'

3.  {النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ}                    

            Ibn ^Abbas said this ayah means ‘the brilliant star.’  Different scholars have different opinions.  Al-Hasan said this is a name of the entire kind, because all stars have a piercing brilliance.  Al-Qushayriyy said that most of the scholars are of that opinion.

4.  {إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ}                      

            The meaning is that over every soul there is an angel protecting it.  Qatadah Ibn Da^amah As-Sadusiyy said:  They record man’s good and/or evil deeds.  Ibn ^Abbas said lamma ^alayha hafidh (لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ) means ‘except there is a protector over it.’  The Hafidh Ibn Hajar said that the statement of Ibn ^Abbas was narrated by Abu Hatim with a sahih chain of narration, however, Abu ^Ubaydah determined it was munka[1]r.  Abu Hayyan said that this is a famous language application in the tribe of Hudhayl and others.  Al-Farra’ said that the meaning is that 'every soul has a protector over it.'Ubayy Ibn Ka^b and Abu Al-Mutawakkil recited 'inna (ان) with a double nun and kulla (كل) with a double lam and a fathah.

Abu Ja^far, Ibn ^Amir, ^Asim Al-Jahdariyy, Hamzah and Abu Hatim from Ya^qub recited lamma (لَمَّا) with doubling the mim and recited as such means, 'except there is a protector over it.' The rest recited it with a single mim and as such means, 'verily, there is a protector over it.'

5.  {فَلْيَنْظُرِ الإنْسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ}      

            From what has Allah created man?  Let man think about this matter and he will know that the One Who started him from a joined semen-drop has the Power to bring him back from the dead to life.  Allah said in Surah ar-Rum, 27:

{وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ}

 Which means:  [Allah is the One Who started the creation and He has Power to bring it back from the dead to life which we conceive as an easy matter to Allah.]

6.  {خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ}              

            Allah created man from a pouring fluid as explained by Sibawayh.  Ar-Raghib said ‘a fluid that runs rapidly.’  Abu Hayyan said:  What is meant by ma’in dafiq (مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ) is 'the semen of the man and the seminal fluid of the woman when they join together in the womb.'  Allah used a singular term for the joined seminal fluids.  ^Abdur-Razzaq narrated from the route of al-‘A^mash that he used to say:  The bones and nerves are created from the fluid of the man and the blood and flesh from the fluid of the woman.  It was mentioned that dafiq (دافق) means madfuq (مدفوق) according to the school of the people of Hijaz--whenever they turn the object (al maf^ul, المفعول) into a subject doer (fa^il, فاعل) and use it as an adjective--as such it means ‘poured fluid.’  The Arabs say ^ishatun radiyah (راضية عيشة) and mean mardiyyah (مرضية). 

7.  {يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ}                  

            This pouring fluid comes from between the backbone of the man and from between the ribs of the woman, as was mentioned by ath-Thawriyy.

Ibn Mas^ud, Ibn Sirin, Ibn As-Sumayfi^ and Ibn Abu ^Ablah recited as-Sulub (الصُّلُبِ) with a dammah on both the lam (ل) and the sad (ص).

8.  {إِنَّهُ عَلَى رَجْعِهِ لَقَادِرٌ}          

            Allah has the power to bring man back to life after he dies. It was said that the ayah meant that Allah has the power to turn him from being elderly back to youth and from youth to childhood and from childhood back to a sperm-drop (nutfah).

9.  {يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ}               

            On the Day when what is concealed in the hearts is tested and exposed.  The meaning is in reference to what the hearts conceal of convictions and intentions and what the body organs conceal of the various doings.

10.  {فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَلا نَاصِرٍ}   

            The person who blasphemed for disbelieving in the Resurrection shall not have any power or helper to deter the punishment of Allah from him.

11.  {وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ}        

            That is, the sky that brings rain after rain, as was mentioned by al-Hakim from the route of Ibn ^Abbas.  The Hafidh Ibn Hajar said this has a sahih chain of narration.   Imam al-Bukhariyy said that Mujahid said that dhatir-raj^ (ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ) means ‘clouds that bring back the rain.’

12.  {وَالأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ}      

            In Sahih al-Bukhariyy from the route of Mujahid he said:  Dhatis-sad^ (ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ) means ‘the land cracks open with sprouting plants.’  Al-Qurtubiyy said ‘trees, fruits, and rivers.’

13.  {إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ}                

            The Qur’an is a truthful saying.  Imam al-Bukhariyy narrated this meaning from Ibn ^Abbas.  The meaning is that the Qur’an separates good from evil.

14.  {وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِ}                

            This Qur’an was revealed as a serious matter--not for amusement and playing.

15.  {إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا}          

            The blasphemers of Makkah are devious, meeting in the house of an-Nadwah, plotting schemes against the Messenger of Allah.

16.  {وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا}                   

            Abu Hayyan said:  The meaning is that Allah shall punish them for their scheming and that they will be led unknowingly to their punishment.  This kind of punishment was called kayd (كَيْدًا) out of the technique of  muqabalah[2] --equivalence--(مقابلة) to Verse #15:

{إنهم يكيدون كيدًا}

Just as this technique is used in the saying of Allah in Surah Al-^Imran, 54:

{وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ}

And in Surah al-Baqarah, 15:

{اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ}

Where the meaning in both is an indication of the punishment of Allah.

17.  {فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا}                    

            This ayah means ‘wait a little O Muhammad until the punishment befalls the blasphemers and do not be expeditious in that.’  Amhilhum ruwayda (أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا) means ‘wait a little.’  Thus, it entails a threat of severe punishment in the hereafter.

            Allah defeated the blasphemers in the Battle of Badr.  Ibn Al-Bariziyy and Ibn Al-Jawziyy said that this ayah ordering ‘wait a little’ was abrogated by the ayah ordering to fight them with the sword in jihad in Surah at-Tawbah, 5:

{فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ}

However, going by that the ayah entails a threat of severe punishment in the hereafter, means the ayah is not abrogated.