Surah Ghafir, Ayah 18

Warning of the Day of Resurrection and Allah's judgement on that Day

`The Day that is drawing near' is one of the names of the Day of Judgement. It is so called because it is close, as Allah says:

أَزِفَتِ الاٌّزِفَةُ - لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ

(The Day of Resurrection draws near. None besides Allah can avert it) (53:57-58)

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

(The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder) (54:1)

اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَـبُهُمْ

(Draws near for mankind their reckoning) (21:1),

أَتَى أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ

(The Event (the Hour) ordained by Allah will come to pass, so seek not to hasten it) (16:1),

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةً سِيئَتْ وُجُوهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ

(But when they will see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieve will change and turn black with sadness and in grief) (67:27), and

إِذِ الْقُلُوبُ لَدَى الْحَنَاجِرِ كَـظِمِينَ

(when the hearts will be at the throats Kazimin. ) Qatadah said, "When the hearts reach the throats because of fear, and they will neither come out nor go back to their places." This was also the view of `Ikrimah, As-Suddi and others.

كَـظِمِينَ

(Kazimin) means silent, for no one will speak without His permission:

يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الرُّوحُ وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ صَفّاً لاَّ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلاَّ مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَـنُ وَقَالَ صَوَاباً

(The Day that Ar-Ruh (Jibril) and the angels will stand forth in rows, they will not speak except him whom the Most Gracious allows, and he will speak what is right.) (78:38). Ibn Jurayj said:

كَـظِمِينَ

(Kazimin) "It means weeping."

مَا لِلظَّـلِمِينَ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَلاَ شَفِيعٍ يُطَاعُ

(There will be no friend, nor an intercessor for the wrongdoers, who could be given heed to.) means, those who wronged themselves by associating others in worship with Allah, will have no relative to help them and no intercessor who can plead on their behalf; all means of good will be cut off from them.

يَعْلَمُ خَآئِنَةَ الاٌّعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِى الصُّدُورُ

(Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal.) Allah tells us about His complete knowledge which encompasses all things, great and small, major and minor, so that people will take note that He knows about them and they will have the proper sense of shyness before Allah. They will pay attention to the fact that He can see them, for He knows the fraud of the eyes, even if the eyes look innocent, and He knows what the hearts conceal. Ad-Dahhak said:

خَآئِنَةَ الاٌّعْيُنِ

(the fraud of the eyes,) "A wink and a man saying that he has seen something when he has not seen it, or saying that he has not seen it when he did see it." Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Allah knows when the eye looks at something, whether it wants to commit an act of betrayal or not." This was also the view of Mujahid and Qatadah. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, commented on the Ayah:

وَمَا تُخْفِى الصُّدُورُ

(and all that the breasts conceal.)"He knows, if you were able to, whether you would commit Zina with a woman or not." As-Suddi said:

وَمَا تُخْفِى الصُّدُورُ

(and all that the breasts conceal.) meaning, of insinuating whispers.

وَاللَّهُ يَقْضِى بِالْحَقِّ

(And Allah judges with truth, ) means, He judges with justice. Al-A`mash narrated from Sa`id bin Jubayr from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that this Ayah means: "He is able to reward those who do good with good and those who do evil with evil."

إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

(Certainly, Allah! He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.) This is how it was interpreted by Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him. This is like the Ayah:

لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيِجْزِى الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ بِالْحُسْنَى

(that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done, and reward those who do good, with what is best) (53:31).

وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ

(while those to whom they invoke besides Him,) means, the idols and false gods,

لاَ يَقْضُونَ بِشَىْءٍ

(cannot judge anything.) means, they do not possess anything and they cannot judge anything.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

(Certainly, Allah! He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.) means, He hears all that His creatures say and He knows all about them, so He guides whomsoever He wills and sends astray whomsoever He wills. And He judges with perfect justice in all of that.

The word: بَارِ‌زُونَ (barizun) in verse 16: يَوْمَ هُم بَارِ‌زُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى اللَّـهِ مِنْهُمْ (the day they will come in open view) refers to what would happen on the day of Resurrection when its land surface will be turned into a single level without any mountains, caves, trees or buildings that could obstruct the view. Therefore, everyone will be in an open expanse, open to view.

In the concluding sentence of the same verse, it was said: لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ (To whom belongs the kingdom today?). This statement has appeared in this verse after يَوْمَ التَّلَاقِ (a day of encounter) and يَوْمَ هُم بَارِ‌زُونَ (the day they will come in open view) and it is obvious that 'the day of encounter' and 'the day of gathering together' will materialize after the second Horn has been blown. Similarly, the event of 'the day they will come in open view' will also materialize after the second Horn has been blown, and a new venue in the form of a level surface will be' put in place, a place with no natural or man-made object obstructing the view. After that, now that this statement: لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ (To whom belongs the kingdom today?) has been introduced, it only shows that this statement of Allah Ta’ ala will be made after everyone has been raised again by virtue of the blowing of the second Horn. Al-Qurtubi has presented a Hadith in support with reference to Nahhas. This Hadith has been reported by Abu Wa'il from Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud ؓ . According to this Hadith, all human beings will be assembled together on a clear surface, a surface on which no sin would have been committed by anyone. At that time, a herald will be commanded to herald: لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ (To whom belongs the kingdom today?). Thereupon, the entire creation, believer or disbeliever, will respond saying: لِلَّـهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ‌ (To Allah alone, the One, the All-Dominant.). As for the believers, they will be more than pleased to say so, for this would be part of their belief. As for the disbelievers, they will confess to it sadly and helplessly.

There are countless signs in the universe which teach us lessons in symbolic language. One of these is the system of rains. This natural phenomenon is symbolic of God’s inspiration. Just as rains are useful for fertile land and useless for barren land, similarly the inspiration from God brings forth fruit in some but not in others. This ‘rain’ enters the souls of those who have kept their hearts open and makes their existence lush green. On the contrary, those whose hearts are full of the greatness of beings other than God are like barren lands. God is fully aware of His subjects. Whoever He finds capable, He chooses for the purpose of conveying His message. The main aim of this message is to warn the people of the fast approaching day when they will be presented before the Lord of the Universe, from whom nothing will be hidden and whose judgement will not be influenced by anybody.