32:21 As-Sajda (The Prostration)

أي: ولنذيقن الفاسقين المكذبين، نموذجًا من العذاب الأدنى، وهو عذاب البرزخ، فنذيقهم طرفًا منه، قبل أن يموتوا، إما بعذاب بالقتل ونحوه، كما جرى لأهل بدر من المشركين، وإما عند الموت، كما في قوله تعالى { وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَاسِطُو أَيْدِيهِمْ أَخْرِجُوا أَنْفُسَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ } ثم يكمل لهم العذاب الأدنى في برزخهم.وهذه الآية من الأدلة على إثبات عذاب القبر، ودلالتها ظاهرة، فإنه قال: { وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَى } أي: بعض وجزء منه، فدل على أن ثَمَّ عذابًا أدنى قبل العذاب الأكبر، وهو عذاب النار.ولما كانت الإذاقة من العذاب الأدنى في الدنيا، قد لا يتصل بها الموت، فأخبر تعالى أنه يذيقهم ذلك لعلهم يرجعون إليه ويتوبون من ذنوبهم كما قال تعالى: { ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ }

وقوله تعالى "ولنذيقنهم من العذاب الأدنى دون العذاب الأكبر" قال ابن عباس يعني بالعذاب الأدنى مصائب الدنيا وأسقامها وآفاتها وما يحل بأهلها مما يبتلي الله به عباده ليتوبوا إليه وروي مثله عن أبي بن كعب وأبي العالية والحسن وإبراهيم النخعي والضحاك وعلقمة وعطية ومجاهد وقتادة وعبد الكريم الجزري وخصيف وقال ابن عباس في رواية عنه يعني به إقامة الحدود عليهم. وقال البراء بن عازب ومجاهد وأبو عبيدة يعني به عذاب القبر. وقال النسائي أخبرنا عمرو بن على أخبرنا عبد الرحمن بن مهدي عن إسرائيل عن أبي إسحاق عن أبي الأحوص وأبي عبيدة عن عبد الله "ولنذيقنهم من العذاب الأدنى دون العذاب الأكبر" قال سنون أصابتهم وقال عبد الله بن الإمام أحمد حدثني عبد الله بن عمر القواريري حدثنا يحيى بن سعيد عن شعبة عن قتادة عن عروة عن الحسن العوفي عن يحيى بن الجزار عن ابن أبي ليلى عن أبي بن كعب في هذه الآية "ولنذيقنهم من العذاب الأدنى دون العذاب الأكبر" قال القمر والدخان قد مضيا والبطشة واللزام ورواه مسلم من حديث شعبة به موقوفا نحوه وعند البخاري عن ابن مسعود نحوه وقال عبد الله بن مسعود أيضا في رواية عنه العذاب الأدنى ما أصابهم من القتل والسبي يوم بدر وكذا قال مالك عن زيد بن أسلم قال السدي وغيره لم يبق بيت بمكة إلا دخله الحزن على قتيل لهم أو أسير فأصيبوا أو غرموا ومنهم من جمع له الأمران.

The Believer and the Rebellious are not equal

Allah tells us that in His justice and generosity, on the Day of Judgement He will not judge those who believed in His signs and followed His Messengers, in the same way as He will judge those who rebelled, disobeyed Him and rejected the Messengers sent by Allah to them. This is like the Ayat:

أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُواْ السَّيِّئَـتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ سَوَآءً مَّحْيَـهُمْ وَمَمَـتُهُمْ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ

(Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous good deeds, in their present life and after their death Worst is the judgement that they make.) (45:21),

أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ كَالْمُفْسِدِينَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الْمُتَّقِينَ كَالْفُجَّارِ

(Shall We treat those who believe and do righteous good deeds as corruptors on earth Or shall We treat those who have Taqwa as the wicked) (38:28)

لاَ يَسْتَوِى أَصْحَـبُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ

(Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise...) (59:20). Allah says:

أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤْمِناً كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقاً لاَّ يَسْتَوُونَ

(Is then he who is a believer like him who is a rebellious Not equal are they. ) i.e., before Allah on the Day of Resurrection. `Ata' bin Yasar, As-Suddi and others mentioned that this was revealed concerning `Ali bin Abi Talib and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it. Hence Allah has judged between them when He said:

أَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ

(As for those who believe and do righteous good deeds,) meaning, their hearts believed in the signs of Allah, and they did as the signs of Allah dictate, i.e. righteous good deeds.

فَلَهُمْ جَنَّـتُ الْمَأْوَى

(for them are Gardens of Abode) i.e., in which there are dwellings and houses and lofty apartments.

نُزُلاً

(as an entertainment) means, something to welcome and honor a guest,

بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَوَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فَسَقُواْ

(for what they used to do. And as for those who rebel,) means, those who disobeyed Allah, their dwelling place will be the Fire, and every time they want to escape from it, they will be thrown back in, as Allah says:

كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُواْ أَن يَخْرُجُواْ مِنْهَا مِنْ غَمٍّ أُعِيدُواْ فِيهَا

(Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein) (22:22). Al-Fudayl bin `Iyad said: "By Allah, their hands will be tied, their feet will be chained, the flames will lift them up and the angels will strike them.

وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّذِي كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ

(and it will be said to them: "Taste you the torment of the Fire which you used to deny.")" means, this will be said to them by way of rebuke and chastisement.

وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الاٌّدْنَى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الاٌّكْبَرِ

(And verily, We will make them taste of the near lighter torment prior to the greater torment,) Ibn `Abbas said, "The near torment means diseases and problems in this world, and the things that happen to its people as a test from Allah to His servants so that they will repent to Him." Something similar was also narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Al-Hasan, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Ad-Dahhak, `Alqamah, `Atiyah, Mujahid, Qatadah, `Abd Al-Karim Al-Jazari and Khusayf.

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَآ

(And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayat of his Lord, then turns aside therefrom) means, there is no one who does more wrong than the one whom Allah reminds of His signs and explains them to him clearly, then after that he neglects and ignores them, and turns away from them, forgetting them as if he does not know them. Qatadah said: "Beware of turning away from the remembrance of Allah, for whoever turns away from remembering Him will be the most misguided and the most in need, and the most guilty of sin." Allah says, warning the one who does that:

إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنتَقِمُونَ

(Verily, We shall exact retribution from the criminals.) meaning, `We shall avenge Ourselves on those who do that in the strongest possible terms.'

And We shall surely make them taste the nearer chastisement that is the chastisement of this world — in their being killed or taken captive or through years of drought and disease — before the greater chastisement the chastisement of the Hereafter that perhaps they namely those remaining of them may return to belief.

In verse 21:

وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ‌ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْ‌جِعُونَ

(And We will certainly make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment, so that they may return),

the word: أَدْنَىٰ (adna) has been used in the sense of 'nearer' and الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ (al adhab-ul-adna) denotes diseases, sufferings and calamities of the world that are made to befall a lot of people by Allah Ta'ala in order to warn them against their sins. The purpose is to chasten and alert them enough so that they leave off their sins and thus earn their deliverance from the Great Punishment of the Hereafter.

Hence, this verse seems to tell us that all these sufferings, accidents, diseases and pains that inflict sinners in the world are nothing but a sort of mercy for them in as much as they help them get out of their heedlessness and save themselves from the punishment of the 'Akhirah. However, for people who take no lesson even from such unwelcome happenings and fail to turn to Allah, for them, this punishment becomes twofold - first, the cash punishment right here in this world and then, the other being the Great Punishment of the Hereafter. As for the hardships of many kinds that come upon prophets and men of Allah, that is a separate matter. These hardships are a trial for them and trials are the source through which their ranks are raised. At is the hallmark of this trial? How do you recognize the quality of their response? If one were to observe such people even under the stress of calamities and hardships, it will be noticed that they have a kind of peace and tranquility emanating from their trust in Allah Ta’ ala. And it is Allah who knows best.