51:8 Adh-Dhaariyat (The Winnowing Winds)

{ إِنَّكُمْ } أيها المكذبون لمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، { لَفِي قَوْلٍ مُخْتَلِفٍ } منكم، من يقول ساحر، ومنكم من يقول كاهن، ومنكم من يقول: مجنون، إلى غير ذلك من الأقوال المختلفة، الدالة على حيرتهم وشكهم، وأن ما هم عليه باطل.

أي إنكم أيها المشركون المكذبون للرسل لفي قول مختلف مضطرب لا يلتئم ولا يجتمع وقال قتادة إنكم لفي قول مختلف ما بين مصدق بالقرآن ومكذب به.

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Affirming the News of the Resurrection The Commander of the faithful,

`Ali bin Abi Talib may Allah be pleased with him, ascended the Minbar in Kufah and declared, "Any Ayah in the Book of Allah the Exalted and any Sunnah from Allah's Messenger ﷺ you ask me about today, I will explain them." Ibn Al-Kawwa stood up and said, "O Leader of the faithful! What is the meaning of Allah's statement,

وَالذَرِيَـتِ ذَرْواً

(By the scattering Dhariyat)," and `Ali said, "The wind." The man asked,

فَالْحَـمِلَـتِ وِقْراً

"(And the laden Hamilat)" `Ali said, "The clouds." The man again asked,

فَالْجَـرِيَـتِ يُسْراً

"(And the steady Jariyat)" `Ali said, "The ships." The man asked,

فَالْمُقَسِّمَـتِ أَمْراً

"(And the distributors of command)" `Ali said, it refers to "The angels." Some scholars said that Al-Jariyat Yusra refers to the stars that float in their orbits with ease. This would mean that the things mentioned were ascendant in their order, beginning with the lower, then mentioning the higher one after that, etc. The winds bring the clouds, the stars are above them and the angels who distribute by Allah's order are above that, and they descend with Allah's legislative orders and the decrees He determines. These Ayat contain a vow from Allah that Resurrection shall come to pass. Allah's statement,

إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَصَـدِقٌ

(Verily, that which you are promised is surely true.), it is a truthful promise,

وَإِنَّ الدِّينَ

(And verily, Ad-Din) the Recompense,

لَوَاقِعٌ

(will occur), it will surely come to pass. Then Allah the Exalted said,

وَالسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ الْحُبُكِ

(By the heaven full of Hubuk,) Ibn `Abbas said; "Full of beauty, grace, magnificence and perfection." Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abu Malik, Abu Salih, As-Suddi, Qatadah, `Atiyah Al-`Awfi, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and others said similarly. Ad-Dahhak, Al-Minhal bin `Amr and others said, "The meandering of the water, sand and plants when the wind passes over them; carving paths out of them, that is the Hubuk." All of these sayings return to the same meaning, that of beauty and complexity. The sky is high above us, clear yet thick, firmly structured, spacious and graceful, beautified with stars such as the sun and orbiting planets such as the moon and the planets of the solar system.

The Differing Claims of the Idolators

Allah the Exalted said,

إِنَّكُمْ لَفِى قَوْلٍ مُّخْتَلِفٍ

(Certainly, you have different ideas.) Allah says, `you disbelievers who deny the Messengers have different and confused opinions that do not connect or conform to each other.' Qatadah commented on the Ayah, "You have different ideas about the Qur'an. Some of you agree that it is true while some others deny this fact." Allah said,

يُؤْفَكُ عَنْهُ مَنْ أُفِكَ

(Turned aside therefrom is he who is turned aside.) Allah says, these confused and different opinions only fool those who are inwardly misguided. Surely, such falsehood is accepted, embraced and it becomes the source of confusion only for those who are misguided and originally liars, the fools who have no sound comprehension, as Allah said,

فَإِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ - مَآ أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ بِفَـتِنِينَ - إِلاَّ مَنْ هُوَ صَالِ الْجَحِيمِ

(So, verily you and those whom you worship cannot lead astray, except those who are predetermined to burn in Hell!)(37:161-163) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and As-Suddi said:

يُؤْفَكُ عَنْهُ مَنْ أُفِكَ

(Turned aside therefrom is he who is turned aside.) "He who is misguided is led astray from it. " Allah said;

قُتِلَ الْخَرَصُونَ

(Cursed be Al-Kharrasun), Mujahid said; "The liars. This is similar to what is mentioned in (Surah) `Abasa:

قُتِلَ الإِنسَـنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُ

(Be cursed man! How ungrateful he is!)(80:17) Al-Kharrasun are those who claim that they will never be brought back to life, doubting the coming of Resurrection." `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas;

قُتِلَ الْخَرَصُونَ

(Cursed be Al-Kharrasun), "Cursed be the doubters." Mu`adh said similarly, may Allah be pleased with him. During one of his speeches he said, "Destroyed be the doubters." Qatadah said, "Al-Kharrasun are the people of doubt and suspicion." Allah said;

الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى غَمْرَةٍ سَـهُونَ

(Who are under a cover of Sahun,) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others said; "In disbelief and doubt, they are heedless and playful." Allah said,

يَسْـَلُونَ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ الدِّينِ

(They ask: "When will be the Day of Ad-Din") They utter this statement in denial, stubbornness, doubt and suspicion. Allah the Exalted replied,

يَوْمَ هُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ يُفْتَنُونَ

((It will be) a Day when they will be Yuftanun in the Fire!) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and several others said that Yuftanun means punished. Mujahid said: "Just as gold is forged in the fire." A group of others also including Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Zayd bin Aslam, and Sufyan Ath-Thawri said, "They will be burnt."

ذُوقُواْ فِتْنَتَكُمْ

(Taste you your trial!), Mujahid said, "Your burning" while others said, "Your punishment."

هَـذَا الَّذِى كُنتُمْ بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ

(This is what you used to ask to be hastened!) This will be said admonishing, chastising, humiliating and belittling them. Allah knows best.

إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّـتٍ وَعُيُونٍ ءَاخِذِينَ مَآ ءَاتَـهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ مُحْسِنِينَ كَانُواْ قَلِيلاً مِّن الَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ وَبِالاٌّسْحَـرِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ

indeed you O people of Mecca with regard to the matter of the Prophet s and the Qur’ān are of differing opinions some say of the Prophet that he is ‘a poet’ ‘a sorcerer’ or ‘a soothsayer’ and of the Qur’ān that it is ‘poetry’ ‘sorcery’ or ‘soothsaying’.

وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْحُبُكِ إِنَّكُمْ لَفِي قَوْلٍ مُّخْتَلِفٍ (By the sky, having paths, you are (involved) in a contradictory statement - 51:7-8) Hubuk is the plural habikah and primarily denotes thin irregular lines or streaks on fabrics when woven. They resemble tracks and pathways; therefore pathways are also referred to as hubuk in Arabic. Most interpreters take this to be the meaning in this context. Some scholars say that the 'tracks' refer to pathways used by the angels for entrance and exit. Others say that the tracks or paths of heaven are those orbits of planets and stars that are visible in the sky.

As the streaks of the woven fabric is its beauty, some scholars tend to interpret the verse as 'By the heaven full of beauty, grace, magnificence and perfection'.

Differing Beliefs of the Pagans

إِنَّكُمْ لَفِي قَوْلٍ مُّخْتَلِفٍ (you are [ involved ] in a contradictory statement... 51:8) Verse [ 7] was an oath and this verse is the statement for which oath is sworn. Apparently, the verse addresses the pagans of Makkah who assigned contradictory attributes to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، calling him at different times a madman, a sorcerer, a poet and other discordant names. According to another possible interpretation, the verse addresses the entire humankind - Muslims as well as non-believers. Thus 'contradictory statement' would mean that a sector believed in the Holy Prophet ﷺ and accepted him; and another sector rejected him and opposed him (Mazhari).