Oaths That Seal the Truth

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ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَ سُبْحَانَهُ عَنْ حَالِ الْإِنْسَانِ فِي يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنَّهُ غَيْرُ مُمْتَنِعٍ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ لَا بِقُوَّةٍ مِنْهُ وَلَا بِقُوَّةٍ مِنْ خَارِجٍ

Then Allah, the Exalted, tells about the state of humankind on the Day of Judgment: they cannot escape Allah's punishment, neither by their own strength nor by any external force.

وَهُوَ النَّاصِرُ فَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا وَقَعَ فِي شِدَّةٍ فَإِمَّا أَنْ يَدْفَعَهَا بِقُوَّتِهِ أَوْ قُوَّةٍ مِنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَكِلَاهُمَا مَعْدُومٌ فِي حَقِّهِ

He is the helper, for when the servant falls into distress, he may either repel it with his own strength or with the strength of someone who helps him; both of these are absent in his case.

وَنَظِيرُهُ قَوْلُهُ سُبْحَانُ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ مِنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ

And similar is His saying, the Exalted: 'They cannot aid themselves, nor are they supported by Us.'

ثُمَّ أَقْسَمَ سُبْحَانَهُ بِـ وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ

Then Allah, the Exalted, swore by 'the sky which returns' and 'the earth which cleaves open.'

فَأَقْسَمَ بِالسَّمَاءِ وَرَجْعِهَا بِالْمَطَرِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَصَدْعِهَا بِالنَّبَاتِ

He swore by the sky and its returning of rain, and the earth and its cleaving with plants.

قال الفراء تبدى بالمطر ثم ترجع به في كل عام

Al-Fara' said it begins with rain, then it returns with it every year.

وَقَالَ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الرَّجْعُ الْمَطَرُ لِأَنَّهُ يَجِيءُ وَيَرْجِعُ وَيَتَكَرَّرُ

Abu Ishaq said the return is rain because it comes and goes repeatedly.

وكذلك قال ابن عباس ﵄ تبدى بالمطر ثم ترجع به في كل عام

Likewise, Ibn Abbas said it begins with rain and then returns with it every year.

وَالتَّحْقِيقُ أَنَّ هَذَا عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّمْثِيلِ

The correct view is that this is by way of analogy.

وَرَجْعُ السَّمَاءِ هُوَ إِعْطَاءُ الْخَيْرِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ مِنْ جِهَتِهَا حَالًا بَعْدَ حَالٍ عَلَى مُرُورِ الْأَزْمَانِ تَرْجِعُهُ رَجْعًا أَيْ تُعْطِيهِ مَرَّةً بَعْدَ مَرَّةٍ

The return of the sky is the giving of good that comes from it, time after time, as it keeps returning — meaning it gives again and again.

والخير كله من قبل السماء يجي لما كان أظهر الخير المشهود بالعيان المطر

All goodness comes from the sky, as the most apparent good seen with the eye is rain.

فُسِّرَ الرَّجْعُ بِهِ وَمُقَابَلَتُهُ بِصَدْعِ الْأَرْضِ عَنِ النَّبَاتِ

The return is interpreted as rain and its counterpart is the earth cleaving with plants.

وَفُسِّرَ الصَّدْعُ بِالنَّبَاتِ لِأَنَّهُ يَصْدَعُ الْأَرْضَ أَيْ يَشُقُّهَا

And the cleaving is interpreted as vegetation, as it cleaves the earth, meaning it splits it open.

فَأَقْسَمَ سُبْحَانَهُ بِالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْمَطَرِ وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ النَّبَاتِ

Thus, He, the Exalted, swore by the sky with its rain and the earth with its vegetation.

وَكُلُّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ آيَةٌ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللهِ تَعَالَى الدَّالَّةُ عَلَى رُبُوبِيَّتِهِ

Each of these is a sign from the signs of Allah, the Exalted, indicating His Lordship.

وَأَقْسَمَ عَلَى كَوْنِ الْقُرْآنِ حَقًّا وَصِدْقًا فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِ

And He swore concerning the truth and authenticity of the Quran, saying: 'Indeed, it is a decisive word, and it is not a jest.'

كَمَا أَقْسَمَ فِي أَوَّلِ السُّورَةِ عَلَى حَالِ الْإِنْسَانِ فِي مَبْدَئِهِ وَمَعَادِهِ

Just as He swore at the beginning of the Surah concerning the state of humankind in their origin and return.

وَالْقَوْلُ الْفَصْلُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَالْبَاطِلِ فَيُمَيِّزُ هَذَا مِنْ هَذَا

And the decisive word is that which distinguishes between truth and falsehood, differentiating this from that.

وَيَفْصِلُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ وَمُصِيبُ الْفَصْلِ الَّذِي يَنْفَصِلُ عِنْدَهُ الْمُرَادُ وَيَتَمَيَّزُ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ

And it distinguishes between people in what they differ, and the correct judgment is what clarifies the intended meaning and distinguishes it from others.