50:23 Qaaf (The letter Qaaf)

يقول تعالى: { وَقَالَ قَرِينُهُ } أي: قرين هذا المكذب المعرض، من الملائكة، الذين وكلهم الله على حفظه، وحفظ أعماله، فيحضره يوم القيامة ويحضر أعماله ويقول: { هَذَا مَا لَدَيَّ عَتِيدٌ } أي: قد أحضرت ما جعلت عليه، من حفظه، وحفظ عمله، فيجازى بعمله.

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن الملك الموكل بعمل ابن آدم أنه يشهد عليه يوم القيامة بما فعل ويقول "هذا ما لدي عتيد" أي معتد محضر بلا زيادة ولا نقصان وقال مجاهد هذا كلام الملك السائق يقول هذا ابن آدم الذي وكلتني به قد أحضرته وقد اختار ابن جرير أن يعم السائق والشهيد وله اتجاه وقوة فعند ذلك يحكم الله تعالى في الخليفة بالعدل فيقول "ألقيا في جهنم كل كفار عنيد" وقد اختلف النحاة في قوله "ألقيا" فقال بعضهم هي لغة لبعض العرب يخاطبون المفرد بالتثنية كما روي عن الحجاج أنه كان يقول يا حرسي اضربا عنقه ومما أنشد ابن جرير على هذه قول الشاعر فإن تزجراني يا ابن عفان أنزجر وإن تتركاني أحم عرضا ممنعا وقيل بل هي نون التأكيد سهلت إلى الألف وهذا بعيد لأن هذا إنما يكون في الوقف والظاهر أنها مخاطبة مع السائق والشهيد فالسائق أحضره إلى عرصة الحساب فلما أدى الشهيد عليه أمرهما الله تعالى بإلقائه في نار جهنم وبئس المصير "ألقيا في جهنم كل كفار عنيد" أي كثير الكفر والتكذيب بالحق عنيد معارض للحق معارض له بالباطل مع علمه بذلك.

The Angel will bear Witness; Allah commands that the Disbeliever be thrown into the Fire

Allah the Exalted states that the scribe angel, who is entrusted with recording the deeds of mankind, will testify against him or her about the deeds he or she did on the Day of Resurrection. He will say,

هَـذَا مَا لَدَىَّ عَتِيدٌ

("Here is (his record) ready with me!"), here it is prepared and completed without addition or deletion. This is when Allah the Exalted will judge the creation with fairness, saying,

أَلْقِيَا فِى جَهَنَّمَ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ

(Both of you throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever.) It appears that Allah will say these words to the Sa'iq and Shahid angels; the Sa'iq drove him to the grounds where Reckoning is held and the Shahid testified. Allah the Exalted will order them to throw him in the fire of Jahannam, and worse it is as a destination,

أَلْقِيَا فِى جَهَنَّمَ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ

(Both of you throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever.) meaning, whose disbelief and denial of truth was horrendous, who used to stubbornly reject the truth, knowingly contradicting it with falsehood,

مَّنَّـعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ

(Hinderer of good,) meaning for he did not fulfill the duties he was ordered, nor was he dutiful, keeping ties to kith and kin nor giving charity,

مُعْتَدٍ

(transgressor,) meaning, he transgresses the limits in spending. Qatadah commented, "He is a transgressor in his speech, behavior and affairs." Allah said,

مُرِيبٍ

(doubter,) meaning, he doubts and raises doubts in those who scrutinize his behavior,

الَّذِى جَعَلَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهاً ءَاخَرَ

(who set up another god with Allah.) meaning, he associated others with Allah and worshipped others besides Him,

فَأَلْقِيَـهُ فِى الْعَذَابِ الشَّدِيدِ

(Then both of you cast him in the severe torment.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said that the Prophet said,

«يَخْرُجُ عُنُقٌ مِنَ النَّارِ يَتَكَلَّمُ يَقُولُ: وُكِّلْتُ الْيَوْمَ بِثَلَاثَةٍ: بِكُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ، وَمَنْ جَعَلَ مَعَ اللهِ إِلهًا آخَرَ، وَمَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ، فَتَنْطَوِي عَلَيْهِمْ فَتَقْذِفُهُمْ فِي غَمَرَاتِ جَهَنَّم»

(A neck from the Fire will appear and will speak saying, "Today, I have been entrusted with three: Every obstinate tyrant, everyone who ascribed another god with Allah, and he who took a life without right." The neck will then close in on them and throw them in the midst of Jahannam.)"

Man and Devil dispute before Allah

Allah's saying;

قَالَ قرِينُهُ

(His companion will say), refers to the devil who is entrusted to every man, according to `Abdullah bin `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and several othes. He will say,

رَبَّنَا مَآ أَطْغَيْتُهُ

(Our Lord! I did not push him to transgression,) meaning, the devil will say this about the human who came on the Day of Resurrection as a disbeliever. The devil will disown him, saying,

رَبَّنَا مَآ أَطْغَيْتُهُ

(Our Lord! I did not push him to transgression) meaning, "I did not lead him astray,"

وَلَـكِن كَانَ فِى ضَلَـلٍ بَعِيدٍ

(but he was himself in error far astray.) meaning, he himself was misguided, accepting falsehood and stubborn to the truth. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said in another Ayah,

وَقَالَ الشَّيْطَـنُ لَمَّا قُضِىَ الاٌّمْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّن سُلْطَـنٍ إِلاَّ أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِى فَلاَ تَلُومُونِى وَلُومُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ مَّآ أَنَاْ بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَآ أَنتُمْ بِمُصْرِخِىَّ إِنِّى كَفَرْتُ بِمَآ أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِن قَبْلُ إِنَّ الظَّـلِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(And Shaytan will say when the matter has been decided: "Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me as a partner with Allah. Verily, there is a painful torment for the wrongdoers.") (14:22) Allah the Exalted said,

قَالَ لاَ تَخْتَصِمُواْ لَدَىَّ

((Allah) will say: "Dispute not in front of Me.") The Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored will say this to the man and his devil companion, who will be disputing before Him. The man will say, "O, Lord! This devil has misguided me away from the Remembrance after it came to me," while the devil will declare,

رَبَّنَا مَآ أَطْغَيْتُهُ وَلَـكِن كَانَ فِى ضَلَـلٍ بَعِيدٍ

(Our Lord! I did not push him to transgression, but he was himself in error far astray.) from the path of truth. The Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored will say to them,

لاَ تَخْتَصِمُواْ لَدَىَّ

(Dispute not in front of Me,) or `before Me,'

وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُم بِالْوَعِيدِ

(I had already in advance sent you the threat.) `I have given you sufficient proof by the words of the Messengers, and I have sent down the Divine Books; the evidences, signs and proofs have thus been established against you,'

مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَىَّ

(The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed, ) "I have made My decision," according to the explanation of Mujahid,

وَمَآ أَنَاْ بِظَلَّـمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

(And I am not unjust to the servants.) `I will not punish anyone, except on account of their sins after the proof has been established against them.'

And his companion the angel charged with him will say ‘This is what I have ready with me as testimony’ whereupon it will be said to Mālik the Keeper of the Fire

قَالَ قَرِ‌ينُهُ هَـٰذَا مَا لَدَيَّ عَتِيدٌ (And his companion will say, "This is what I have with me, ready (to be presented as his record of deeds)... 50:23]. The word qarin (translated above as 'companion) refers to the recording angel that accompanies man all the time. Earlier we have learnt that there are two angels that record deeds. In the preceding verse they were referred to as Sa'iq and Shahid. The context indicates that, on the Day of Resurrection, the two scribes will be entrusted with two different tasks. One, named as Sa'iq, will drive the people to the gathering place, and the second, named as Shahid will carry the records of deeds and it is this angel who, after reaching the plane of Hashr, will say, هَـٰذَا مَا لَدَيَّ عَتِيدٌ "This is what I have with me, ready (to be presented as his record of deeds)." Ibn Jarir, in his tafsir, states that the word garin comprehends both the angels Sa'iq and Shahid.