50:16 Qaaf (The letter Qaaf)

يخبر تعالى، أنه المتفرد بخلق جنس الإنسان، ذكورهم وإناثهم، وأنه يعلم أحواله، وما يسره، ويوسوس في صدره وأنه أقرب إليه من حبل الوريد، الذي هو أقرب شيء إلى الإنسان، وهوالعرق المكتنف لثغرة النحر، وهذا مما يدعو الإنسان إلى مراقبة خالقه، المطلع على ضميره وباطنه، القريب منه في جميع أحواله، فيستحي منه أن يراه، حيث نهاه، أو يفقده، حيث أمره، وكذلك ينبغي له أن يجعل الملائكة الكرام الكاتبين منه على بال، فيجلهم ويوقرهم، ويحذر أن يفعل أو يقول ما يكتب عنه، مما لا يرضي رب العالمين.

يخبر تعالى عن قدرته على الإنسان بأنه خالقه وعمله محيط بجميع أموره حتى إنه تعالى يعلم ما توسوس به نفوس بني آدم من الخير والشر وقد ثبت في الصحيح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال "إن الله تعالى تجاوز لأمتي ما حدثت به أنفسها ما لم تقل أو تعمل" وقوله عز وجل "ونحن أقرب إليه من حبل الوريد" يعني ملائكته تعالى أقرب إلى الإنسان من حبل وريده إليه ومن تأوله على العلم فإنما فر لئلا يلزم حلول أو اتحاد وهما منفيان بالإجماع تعالى الله وتقدس ولكن الله لا يقتضيه فإنه لم يقل وأنا أقرب إليه من حبل الوريد وإنما قال "ونحن أقرب إليه من حبل الوريد" كما قال في المحتضر "ونحن أقرب إليه منكم ولكن لا تبصرون" يعني ملائكته وكما قال تبارك وتعالى "إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظون" فالملائكة نزلت بالذكر وهو القرآن بإذن الله عز وجل وكذلك الملائكة أقرب إلى الإنسان من حبل وريده إليه بإقدار الله جل وعلا لهم على ذلك فللملك لمة من الإنسان كما أن للشيطان لمة وكذلك الشيطان يجري من ابن آدم يجرى الدم كما أخبر بذلك الصادق المصدوق.

Allah encompasses and watches all of Man's Activity

Allah the Exalted affirms His absolute dominance over mankind, being their Creator and the Knower of everything about them. Allah the Exalted has complete knowledge of all thoughts that cross the mind of man, be they good or evil. In the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى تَجَاوَزَ لِأُمَّتِي مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَقُلْ أَوْ تَعْمَل»

(Verily, Allah the Exalted has forgiven my Ummah (Muslims) for what they talk (think) to themselves about, as long as they do not utter or implement it.) The statement of Allah the Exalted,

وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ

(And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.) means, His angels are nearer to man than his jugular vein. Those who explained `We' in the Ayah to mean `Our knowledge,' have done so to avoid falling into the idea of incarnation or indwelling; but these two creeds are false according to the consensus of Muslims. Allah is praised and glorified, He is far hallowed beyond what they ascribe to Him. The words of this Ayah do not need this explanation (that `We' refers to `Allah's knowledge'), for Allah did not say, `and I am closer to him than his jugular vein.' Rather, He said,

وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ

(And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. ) just as He said in the case of dying persons,

وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تُبْصِرُونَ

(But We are nearer to him than you, but you see not.) (56:85), in reference to His angels (who take the souls). Allah the Exalted the Blessed said,

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَـفِظُونَ

(Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr and surely, We will guard it.) (15:9) Therefore, the angels brought down the revelation, the Qur'an, by the leave of Allah, the Exalted, the Most Honored. Thus, the angels are closer to man than his own jugular vein, by the power and leave of Allah. Consequently, the angel touches mankind, just as the devil touches them, for the devil is as close to them as the blood that runs in their veins; just as Allah's Prophet , who is truthful and was told the truth, told us. Allah's statement here,

إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ

((Remember) that the two receivers receive,) in reference to the two angels who receive and record the deeds of mankind.

عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ

(one sitting on the right and one on the left.) means ready to note,

مَّا يَلْفِظُ

(whatever he utters), in reference to the human,

مِن قَوْلٍ

(of a word), means any word that he or she speaks,

إِلاَّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ

(but there is a watcher by him ready.) means, but there is a scribe whose job is to record it, leaving no word or movement unrecorded. Allah the Exalted said,

وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَـفِظِينَ - كِرَاماً كَـتِبِينَ - يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ

(But verily, over you (are appointed angels) to watch you, Kiraman (honorable) Katibin writing down (your deeds), they know all that you do.) (82:10-12) Therefore, the scribe records every word that is spoken, according to the explanation of Al-Hasan and Qatadah. This is also the apparent meaning of this Ayah. Imam Ahmad recorded that Bilal bin Al-Harith Al-Muzani said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللهِ تَعَالَى مَا يَظُنُّ أَنْ تَبْلُغَ مَا بَلَغَتْ يَكْتُبُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ بِهَا رِضْوَانَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَلْقَاهُ، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللهِ تَعَالَى مَا يَظُنُّ أَنْ تَبْلُغَ مَا بَلَغَتْ، يَكْتُبُ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ بِهَا سَخَطَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَلْقَاه»

(Verily, a man might utter a word that pleases Allah the Exalted, unaware of how highly it will be regarded, and on its account Allah the Exalted and Most Honored decrees His pleasure of him until the Day he meets Him. A man might indeed utter a word that angers Allah the Exalted, unaware of how dreadful it will be and on its account Allah the Exalted decrees for him His anger until the Day he meets Him.)" `Alqamah used to say, "How many words did I not utter because of the Hadith that Bilal bin Al-Harith narrated." At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah collected this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih." There is a Hadith similar to this in the Sahih.

Reminding Mankind of the Stupor of Death, the Blast of the Trumpet and the Day of Gathering

Allah the Exalted and Most High said,

وَجَاءَتْ سَكْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ بِالْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ

(And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!") Allah the Exalted and Most Honored says, `O mankind! This is the stupor of death that has come in truth; now, I have brought forth to you the certainty that you were disputing,'

ذَلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ

(This is what you have been avoiding!), means, `this is the end that you were trying to escape; it has come to you! Therefore, you will have neither a shelter nor a refuge nor a sanctuary nor an asylum from it.' In the Sahih, the Prophet said, while wiping sweat from his face when the stupor of death overcame him,

«سُبْحَانَ اللهِ إِنَّ لِلْمَوْتِ لَسَكَرَات»

(Glory be to Allah! Verily, death has its stupor.) The Ayah,

ذَلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ

(This is what you have been avoiding!) has two possible meanings. One of them is this: `what you have been trying to avert, escape and flee from has come to you and resided in your home!' The second meaning is, `you had no way of escaping or averting this end. ' At-Tabarani collected a Hadith in Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabir from Samurah who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَفِرُّ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ مَثَلُ الثَّعْلَبِ تَطْلُبُهُ الْأَرْضُ بِدَيْن، فَجَاءَ يَسْعَى حَتْى إِذَا أُعْيِيَ وَأُسْهِرَ دَخَلَ جُحْرَهُ وَقَالَتْ لَهُ الْأَرْضُ: يَا ثَعْلَبُ، دَيْنِي. فَخَرَجَ وَلَهُ حُصَاصٌ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ كَذلِكَ حَتَّى تَقَطَّعَتْ عُنُقُهُ وَمَات»

(The parable of whoever tries to avoid death is that of a fox that had a debt to pay to the earth. The fox went away and when he became tired and the time to sleep overtook him, he entered his den. The earth said to him, `O fox! Pay my debt!' The fox went out howling and continued until his neck was cutoff, (i.e.,) he died.) This parable indicates that just as the fox had no way of escaping or avoiding the earth, likewise, man has no way of avoiding death. Allah the Exalted the Blessed said,

وَنُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ ذَلِكَ يَوْمَ الْوَعِيدِ

(And the Trumpet will be blown -- that will be the Day of the threat.) Earlier we discussed the information about the blowing of the Trumpet, the fear that follows it, the death of everything and then resurrection, all this will occur on the Day of Resurrection. We also mentioned that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a Hadith,

«كَيْفَ أَنْعَمُ وَصَاحِبُ الْقَرْنِ قَدِ الْتَقَمَ الْقَرْنَ، وَحَنَى جَبْهَتَهُ، وَانْتَظَرَ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَه»

(How can I feel comfort while the angel responsible for the Trumpet has placed the Trumpet to his mouth and lowered his forehead awaiting when he will be commanded (by Allah to blow in it)) They said, "O Allah's Messenger, what should we say" He said,

«قُولُوا حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيل»

(Say, "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.)" The Companions repeated this invocation, saying, "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs (for us)." Allah said,

وَجَآءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّعَهَا سَآئِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ

(And every person will come forth along with a Sa'iq and a Shahid.) meaning, an angel to drive him to the gathering place and an angel to bear witness against him with regards to his deeds. This is the apparent meaning of this honorable Ayah and it is the meaning that Ibn Jarir preferred. It was narrated from Yahya bin Rafi`, the freed servant of Thaqif, that he heard `Uthman bin `Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, giving a speech in which he recited this Ayah,

وَجَآءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّعَهَا سَآئِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ

(And every person will come forth along with a Sa'iq and a Shahid.) and then said, "A Sa'iq to drive every person to Allah the Exalted, and a Shahid to witness against him what he has done." The statement of Allah the Exalted,

لَّقَدْ كُنتَ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَـذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ

(Indeed you were heedless of this. Now We have removed from you, your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!) is directed at humanity. Allah said,

لَّقَدْ كُنتَ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَـذَا

(Indeed you were heedless of this.), of this Day,

فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ

(Now We have removed from you, your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!) `your sight is now clear and strong.' Everyone, including the disbelievers, will have clear sight on the Day of Resurrec- tion. However, having sight will not be helpful to the dis- believers on that Day, for Allah the Exalted said,

أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا

(How clearly will they (disbelievers) see and hear, the Day when they will appear before Us!) (19:38), and,

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُواْ رُءُوسِهِمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ رَبَّنَآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَارْجِعْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـلِحاً إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ

(And if you only could see when the criminals hang their heads before their Lord (saying): "Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world), that we will do righteous good deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty.)(32:12)

وَقَالَ قَرِينُهُ هَـذَا مَا لَدَىَّ عَتِيدٌ - أَلْقِيَا فِى جَهَنَّمَ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ - مَّنَّـعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ مُّرِيبٍ - الَّذِى جَعَلَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهاً ءَاخَرَ فَأَلْقِيَـهُ فِى الْعَذَابِ الشَّدِيدِ - قَالَ قرِينُهُ رَبَّنَا مَآ أَطْغَيْتُهُ وَلَـكِن كَانَ فِى ضَلَـلٍ بَعِيدٍ - قَالَ لاَ تَخْتَصِمُواْ لَدَىَّ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُم بِالْوَعِيدِ

And verily We created man and We know wa-na‘lamu is a circumstantial qualifier with an implicit preceding nahnu what mā relates to the verbal action his soul whispers to him what it speaks to him the bi- of bihi ‘him’ is extra or it is required for the intransitive verb to become transitive and take a direct object; the suffixed personal pronoun in bihi ‘him’ refers to man; and We are nearer to him in knowing him than his jugular vein habli’l-warīdi the genitive annexation is explicative; al-warīdān are two principal veins on either side of the neck.

Linkage

The preceding verses purported to quell the doubt of those who denied the possibility of Resurrection and who thought that raising the dead was inconceivable. As a result, the unbelievers drew a false analogy between their finite knowledge and power and the infinite knowledge and power of Allah. Therefore, the perplexity arose in their mind: 'after we die, disintegrate, with our organs torn apart, our bodies reduced to particles of dust and scattered or spread all over the world, how is it possible to gather them together and recompose them back into our original shape and bodies?

The preceding verses responded that the Divine knowledge is all-encompassing and He knows every single particle of the universe, and therefore it is not difficult for Him to recollect these particles. The same subject has been further elaborated in the present verses by declaring that Allah not only has the complete knowledge of man's scattered particles, but He also has the full knowledge of all thoughts that cross the mind of man. The verse explains the reason for that: Allah is nearer to him than his jugular vein, on which is dependent his very life. Therefore, He knows man's conditions and circumstances more than man himself.

Allah is Nearer to Man than his Jugular Vein: An Analysis

The concluding part of verse [ 16] says: نَحْنُ أَقْرَ‌بُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِ‌يدِ (We are closer to him than [ his ] jugular vein). The 'closeness' in the verse, by consensus of scholars, refers to "nearness in terms of all-encompassing knowledge" not in terms of physical closeness. In this manner, the verse means that Allah's power and knowledge has so encompassed man from within and without that His power and knowledge is nearer to him than his own jugular vein.

The term warid [ pl. awridah ] in the Arabic language are animal veins which supply blood to the entire body. Medically, there are two types of veins: [ 1] the veins that emerge from the liver and supply pure blood to the entire human body. Medically, only these veins are referred to as warid [ awridah ]; and [ 2] the veins that emerge from animal heart and supply the subtle vapor of blood to the entire human body which in medical terminology is referred to as ruh [ soul ]. These veins are called in Arabic shiryan [ which actually refers to an artery ]. The first type of veins is thick-walled and the second type is thin-walled.

The word warid in the above verse does not necessarily apply to the vein that comes from the liver in the medical sense. In fact it could well apply, in the literal sense, to the vein that comes from the heart because in that too a type of blood circulates. As the purport of this verse is to show that Allah possesses full knowledge of all thoughts that cross the mind of man, the literal sense of the term seems more appropriate. Nevertheless, whether the word warid is taken medically in the sense of a vein coming from the liver or in the sense of an artery coming from the heart is immaterial. In both cases the living creatures' life depends on it.

If the veins or arteries are cut, they lose their soul and die. In short, Allah encompasses complete and full knowledge about everything of man, because He is closer to him than his neck-vein.

According to the Honourable Sufis, here the term qurb (closeness) goes beyond the concept of nearness in terms of knowledge. It is a special type of ittisal [ contact or bond or relationship between Allah and His creation, including man who is placed at the centre of the wonderful universe ], the reality and nature of which is not known to anyone, but it does necessarily exist bila kaif "without how" or indescribably. Various Qur'anic verses and authentic Prophetic Traditions bear ample testimony to this fact. For example, the Qur'an commands: وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِ‌ب ۩ ﴿19﴾ (and bow down in sajdah, and come closer....A1-Alaq: 18) This is just like what the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: "The closest that a servant can be to his Lord is when he is in prostration. Therefore, make abundant supplications (i.e. while prostrating)." Another Tradition reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: "When My servant performs supererogatory prayers, he attains proximity to Me." On the occasion of migration to Madinah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said to Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَنَا "Allah is with us. (9:40) " Holy Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) said to the children of Israel: "إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَ‌بِّي "My Lord is with me." (26:62)

This qurb [ nearness or proximity to Allah ], which man attains through nearness of obligatory and supererogatory works and through his efforts, is reserved exclusively for a believer. Such believers are called awliya'ullah [ the friends of Allah: they are those whom Allah has chosen as His friends ]. This special bond with Allah is different from the general relationship between Allah and man, whether believer or non-believer. In brief, the above verses and narrations bear testimony to the fact that man has a special type of proximity to his Creator and Master though its reality and nature cannot be perceived. Maulana Rumi (رح) has versified this concept thus:

اتصالے بےمثال و بےقیاس ہست ربّ النَّاس را با جانِ ناس

The Lord of the people has a special contact with the people which is beyond one's perception and has no other example.

This nearness and proximity cannot be perceived by the ordinary sensation of physical sight, but it is attained through farasah of 'iman [ perspicacity through faith ]. Tafsir Mazhari interprets qurb and ittisal in this verse in the same sense. We have learnt earlier the interpretation of the majority of the commentators that it is not physical proximity, but rather the all-encompassing, full and complete knowledge of Allah. Apart from these two interpretations, Ibn-Kathir interprets it in a third way. He says that the pronoun "We" does not refer to the "Being" of Allah, but to His angels who are all the time with man. They know man's soul so closely that man himself is not so well aware of it. Allah knows best!