15:85 Al-Hijr (The Rock)

أي: ما خلقناهما عبثا وباطلا كما يظن ذلك أعداء الله، بل ما خلقناهما { إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ } الذي منه أن يكونا بما فيهما دالتين على كمال خالقهما، واقتداره، وسعة رحمته وحكمته، وعلمه المحيط، وأنه الذي لا تنبغي العبادة إلا له وحده لا شريك له، { وَإِنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَآتِيَةٌ } لا ريب فيها لخلق السماوات والأرض أكبر من خلق الناس { فَاصْفَحِ الصَّفْحَ الْجَمِيلَ } وهو الصفح الذي لا أذية فيه بل يقابل إساءة المسيء بالإحسان، وذنبه بالغفران، لتنال من ربك جزيل الأجر والثواب، فإن كل ما هو آت فهو قريب، وقد ظهر لي معنى أحسن مما ذكرت هنا. وهو: أن المأمور به هو الصفح الجميل أي: الحسن الذي قد سلم من الحقد والأذية القولية والفعلية، دون الصفح الذي ليس بجميل، وهو الصفح في غير محله، فلا يصفح حيث اقتضى المقام العقوبة، كعقوبة المعتدين الظالمين الذين لا ينفع فيهم إلا العقوبة، وهذا هو المعنى.

يقول تعالى " وما خلقنا السموات والأرض وما بينهما إلا بالحق وإن الساعة لآتية " أي بالعدل " ليجزي الذين أساءوا بما عملوا " الآية وقال تعالى " وما خلقنا السماء والأرض وما بينهما باطلا ذلك ظن الذين كفروا فويل للذين كفروا من النار وقال تعالى أفحسبتم أنما خلقناكم عبثا وأنكم إلينا لا ترجعون فتعالى الله الملك الحق لا إله إلا هو رب العرش الكريم " ثم أخبر نبيه بقيام الساعة وأنها كائنة لا محالة ثم أمره بالصفح الجميل عن المشركين في أذاهم له وتكذيبهم ما جاءهم به كقوله " فاصفح عنهم وقل سلام فسوف يعلمون " وقال مجاهد وقتادة وغيرهما كان هذا قبل القتال وهو كما قالا فإن هذه مكية والقتال إنما شرع بعد الهجرة.

The World has been created for some Purpose, then the Hour will come

Allah says,

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَآ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ السَّاعَةَ لآتِيَةٌ

(And We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with the truth, and the Hour is surely coming), i.e., with justice to -

لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ

(requite those who do evil with that which they have done) 53:31 Allah says,

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَآءَ وَالاٌّرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَـطِلاً ذَلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنَ النَّارِ

(And We did not create the heaven and the earth, and all that is between them without purpose! That is what those who disbelieve think! Then let those who disbelieve be warned of the Fire!)(38:27)

أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ عَبَثاً وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لاَ تُرْجَعُونَ - فَتَعَـلَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ

("Did you think that We created you in play, and that you would not be brought back to Us" So exalted be Allah, the Truth, the King, none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Lord of the Honored Throne!)(23:115-116). Then Allah informed His Prophet about the Hour, and that it will be the faults of the idolators when they insult him and reject the Message that he brings to them. This is like the Ayah,

فَاصْفَحْ عَنْهُمْ وَقُلْ سَلَـمٌ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

(So turn away from them, and say: "Salam (Peace!)." But they will come to know) (43:89). Mujahid, Qatadah and others said: "This was before fighting was prescribed". It is as they said, because this Surah was revealed in Makkah and fighting was prescribed after the Hijrah.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ الْخَلَّـقُ الْعَلِيمُ

(Verily, your Lord is the Knowing Creator)(15:86). This is a confirmation of the Day of Resurrection and that Allah, may He be exalted, is able to bring the Hour to pass. He is the Creator and nothing is beyond Him. He is the Knowing, Who knows what has been dispersed from people's bodies and scattered throughout the regions of the earth, as He says:

أَوَلَـيْسَ الَذِى خَلَقَ السَّمَـوتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ بِقَـدِرٍ عَلَى أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم بَلَى وَهُوَ الْخَلَّـقُ الْعَلِيمُ - إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْئاً أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ - فَسُبْحَـنَ الَّذِى بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

(Is not He, Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like of them Yes, indeed! He is the Knowing, Creator. Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be!" - and it is! So glorified and exalted is He above all that they associate with Him, and in whose Hands is the dominion of all things, and to Him you shall return.)(36:81-83).

We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them save with the Truth. And truly the Hour shall come without doubt whereupon every person will be requited according to his deeds. So be forgiving O Muhammad (s) to your people with gracious forgiveness turn away from them without any feeling of anxiety — this was abrogated by the ‘sword’ verse Q. 95.

Commentary

Aikah means a dense forest. There are other views too. Some commentators say that there was a dense forest near Madyan, therefore, Aikah is actually the title of the people of Madyan. Others have said that the people of Aikah and the people of Madyan were two different people. It was after the destruction of one of them that Sayyidna Shu'ayb (علیہ السلام) was sent to the other.

In Tafsir Ruh al-Ma’ ani, the following marfu` hadith appears with reference to Ibn ` Asakir:

اِنَّ مَدیَنَ و اَصحَابَ الاَیکَۃِ اُمَّتَان بَعَثَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی اِلَیھِمَا شُعَیباً

Madyan and the people of Aikah are two peoples. Allah Ta` ala sent Shu'ayb to them.

And Al-Hijr is a valley situated in between Hijaz and Syria. It was inhabited by the people of Thamud.

A Brief Explanation

Described at the beginning of the Surah was the hostility of the disbelievers of Makkah against the Holy Prophet ﷺ which also carried words of comfort for him briefly. Now, at the end of the Surah, more words of comfort appear to mollify his concern about their grudge and hostility.

Here, he is being asked not to grieve over their hostile opposition because there is a day when all scores will be settled, and that is the day of Judgment, and it is bound to come as he has been told. Then, there is the fact that Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and whatever is there in between them but with truth and wisdom. The wise consid-eration behind this creation is that people should believe in the existence of the maker of the universe, attest to His Oneness and supremacy and obey His injunctions. Also present there is the consequence of not doing so, after the argument of Allah stands established, that the defaulter be punished. Since this promised punishment does not seem to come in full right here in this mortal world, it has to be somewhere else. For that, the time is fixed, the time of the Qiyamah, the Day of Judgment. And this Hour is sure to come. Everyone will be taken care of there.

This being the wise arrangement of things, let him not grieve. The better course for him is to overlook their wicked behaviour in a gracious manner, that is, neither pay attention to their behavior nor complain about it. The reason is that his Lord is great as Creator and great as the Master Knower as well. He knows his patience and fortitude and He knows the evil mechanizations of his enemies too. Therefore, He is to exact the full return from them of what they have been doing.