Ta Ha — Verse 125

The Descent of Adam to the Earth and the Promise of Good for the Guided and Evil for the Transgressors Allah says to Adam, Hawwa' and Iblis, "Get down from here, all of you." This means each of you should get out of Paradise. We expounded upon this in Surah Al-Baqarah. بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ (Some of you as enemies to others.) 2:36 He (Allah) was saying this to Adam and his progeny and Iblis and his progeny. Concerning Allah's statement, فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّى هُدًى (Then if there comes to you guidance from Me,) Abu Al-`Aliyyah said, "This (guidance) means the Prophets, the Messengers and the evidence." فَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ هُدَاىَ فَلاَ يَضِلُّ وَلاَ يَشْقَى (Then whoever follows My guidance he shall neither go astray nor shall be distressed.) Ibn `Abbas said, "He will not be misguided in this life and he will not be distressed in the Hereafter." وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِى (But whosoever turns away from My Reminder,) This means, "Whoever opposes my command and what I have revealed to My Messenger, then he has turned away from it, neglected it and taken his guidance from other than it." فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكاً (verily, for him is a life of hardship,) meaning, his life will be hard in this world. He will have no tranquillity and no expanding of his breast (ease). Rather, his chest will be constrained and in difficulty due to his misguidance. Even if he appears to be in comfort outwardly and he wears whatever he likes, eats whatever he likes and lives wherever he wants, he will not be happy. For verily, his heart will not have pure certainty and guidance. He will be in agitation, bewilderment and doubt. He will always be in confusion and a state of uncertainty. This is from the hardship of life. Concerning His statement, وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيـمَةِ أَعْمَى (and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.) Mujahid, Abu Salih and As-Suddi said, "This means he will have no proof." `Ikrimah said, "He will be made blind to everything except Hell." This is as Allah says, وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ (And We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell.) 17:97 This is why Allah says, رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِى أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنتُ بَصِيراً (O my Lord! Why have you raised me up blind, while I had sight (before).) This means in the life of this world. قَالَ كَذَلِكَ أَتَتْكَ آيَـتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا وَكَذلِكَ الْيَوْمَ تُنْسَى ((Allah) will say: "Like this Our Ayat came unto you, but you disregarded them, and so this Day, you will be neglected.) Meaning, "When you turned away from the signs of Allah and dealt with them in the manner of one who does not remember them after they were conveyed to you. You neglected them, turned away from them and were heedless of them. Therefore, today We will treat you in the manner of one who has forgotten you." فَالْيَوْمَ نَنسَـهُمْ كَمَا نَسُواْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَـذَا (So this Day We shall forget them as they forgot their meeting of this Day.) 7:51 For verily, the punishment will be a retribution that is based upon the type of deed that was done. However, forgetting the words of the Qur'an, while understanding its meaning and acting upon its legislation, is not included in the meaning of this specific threat. Yet, forgetting the words of the Qur'an has been warned against from a different aspect. It has been reported in the Sunnah that it is absolutely forbidden and there is a serious threat against one who forgets Qur'an (that he previously memorized).

He shall say ‘My Lord why have you brought be to the assembly blind though I used to see?’ in the world and at the raising from the grave?

قال المعرِض عن ذكر الله: ربِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتني أعمى، وقد كنت بصيرًا في الدنيا؟

ولهذا يقول "رب لم حشرتني أعمى وقد كنت بصيرا" أي في الدنيا.

وقوله - سبحانه - : ( قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حشرتني أعمى وَقَدْ كُنتُ بَصِيراً ) استئناف مسوق لبيان ما يقوله ذلك المعرض عن طاعة الله يوم القيامة .أى : قال ذلك الكافر الذى حشره الله - تعالى - يوم القيامة أعمى : يا رب لماذا حشرتنى على هذه الحال مع أنى كنت فى الدنيا بصيرا؟

وقوله ( قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنْتُ بَصِيرًا ) اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك. فقال بعضهم في ذلك، ما حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا عبد الرزاق، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد ( قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى ) لا حجة لي.وقوله ( وَقَدْ كُنْتُ بَصِيرًا ) اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك، فقال بعضهم: معناه: وقد كنت بصيرا بحجتي.ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، عن مجاهد ( وَقَدْ كُنْتُ بَصِيرًا ) قال: عالما بحجتي.وقال آخرون. بل معناه: وقد كنت ذا بصر أبصر به الأشياء.* ذكر من قال ذلك:حدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: ثنا أبو عاصم، قال: ثنا عيسى، وحدثني الحارث، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد ( وَقَدْ كُنْتُ بَصِيرًا ) في الدنيا.حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله ( قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنْتُ بَصِيرًا ) قال: كان بعيد البصر، قصير النظر، أعمى عن الحقّ.قال أبو جعفر: والصواب من القول في ذلك عندنا، أن الله عزّ شأنه وجلّ ثناؤه، عمّ بالخبر عنه بوصفه نفسه بالبصر، ولم يخصص منه معنى دون معنى، فذلك على ما عمه ، فإذا كان ذلك كذلك، فتأويل الآية، قال: ربّ لم حشرتني أعمى عن حجتي ورؤية الأشياء، وقد كنت في الدنيا ذا بصر بذلك كله.فإن قال قائل: وكيف قال هذا لربه ( لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى ) مع معاينته عظيم سلطانه، أجهل في ذلك الموقف أن يكون لله أن يفعل به ما شاء، أم ما وجه ذلك؟ قيل: إن ذلك منه مسألة لربه يعرّفه الجرم الذي استحق به ذلك، إذ كان قد جهله، وظنّ أن لا جرم له، استحق ذلك به منه، فقال: ربّ لأيّ ذنب ولأيّ جرم حشرتني أعمى، وقد كنت من قبل في الدنيا بصيرا وأنت لا تعاقب أحدا إلا بدون ما يستحق منك من العقاب.

( قال رب لم حشرتني أعمى وقد كنت بصيرا ) بالعين أو بصيرا بالحجة .

قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنْتُ بَصِيرًا (125) وجملة قال رب لم حشرتني أعمى } مستأنفة استئنافاً ابتدائياً .وجملة { قال كذلك أتتك } الخ واقعة في طريق المحاورة فلذلك فصلت ولم تعطف .وفي هذه الآية دليل على أنّ الله أبلغ الإنسان من يوم نشأته التحذير من الضلال والشرك ، فكان ذلك مستقراً في الفطرة حتى قال كثير من علماء الإسلام : بأن الإشراك بالله من الأمم التي يكون في الفتر بين الشرائع مستحق صاحبه العقاب ، وقال جماعة من أهل السنّة والمعتزلة قاطبة : إنّ معرفة الله واجبة بالعقل ، ولا شك أنّ المقصود من ذكرها في القرآن تنبيه المخاطبين بالقرآن إلى الحذر من الإعراض عن ذكر الله ، وإنذار لهم بعاقبة مثل حالهم .والإشارة في { كذلك أتتك آياتنا } راجعة إلى العمى المضمن في قوله { لم حشرتني أعمى } ، أي مثل ذلك الحال التي تساءلت عن سببها كنت نسيت آياتنا حين أتتك ، وكنت تُعرض عن النظر في الآيات حين تُدعى إليه فكذلك الحال كان عقابك عليه جزاءً وفاقاً .وقد ظهر من نظم الآية أن فيها ثلاثة احتباكات ، وأن تقدير الأول : ونحشره يوم القيامة أعمى ونَنْساه ، أي نُقصيه من رحمتنا . وتقدير الثاني والثالث : قال كذلك أتتك آياتنا فنسيتها وعميتَ عنها فكذلك اليوم تنسى وتُحْشَر أعمى .والنسيان في الموضعين مستعمل كناية أو استعارة في الحرمان من حظوظ الرحمة .

قال على وجه الذل والمراجعة والتألم والضجر من هذه الحالة: { رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنْتُ } في دار الدنيا { بَصِيرًا } فما الذي صيرني إلى هذه الحالة البشعة.

قال رب لم حشرتني أعمى أي بأي ذنب عاقبتني بالعمى . وقد كنت بصيرا أي في الدنيا ، وكأنه يظن أنه لا ذنب له . وقال ابن عباس ومجاهد : أي لم حشرتني أعمى عن حجتي وقد كنت بصيرا أي عالما بحجتي ؛ القشيري : وهو بعيد إذ ما كان للكافر حجة في الدنيا .

God settled Satan as well as Adam on the earth and gave due warning in the very beginning that clashes of interest between the two would go on till Doomsday. Satan would make every possible effort to mislead mankind, therefore, people should make it a point to treat him as their greatest enemy and try to stay far away from his inducements. To give further guidance to man, God periodically sent him His messengers, or prophets, who instructed him in the reality of life in a language which was clearly intelligible to him. Now, the success or failure of man depends on his own acceptance or rejection of the Prophet’s guidance. One who accepts this guidance will once again be ushered into the comfortable life of paradise, whereas the life of one who fails to accept it will be a very severe one, from which he will never be able to escape. Those who turn away from God’s guidance will be reduced in the Hereafter to blindness, being deprived of both the eyes. The reason for this is that such people are given eyes in the world in order to be able to see and recognise God’s signs. But they live in such a manner that, when they encounter God’s signs, they fail to recognise them. Thus, they prove that, in spite of having eyes, they are really blind. So God will ask on that Day, what use it had been to give eyes to those who were determined to be blind.

وَمَنْ أَعْرَ‌ضَ عَن ذِكْرِ‌ي (And whoever turns away from My message - 20:124.) Here the word can refer both to the Qur'an and the Holy Prophet ﷺ as has been mentioned in other verses ذِكْرً‌ا ﴿10﴾ رَّ‌سُولًا (65:10). In both cases the meaning would be that if anyone fails in his duty to recite the Qur’ an or to comply with its commands, or if he fails to submit to the authority of the Holy Prophet then as punishment he would be condemned to a harsh and rigorous life in this world and would be raised blind on the Day of Resurrection. The truth about the life of infidels and evil-doers being harsh in this world Here one may ask that a life of penury and destitution in this world is not for the infidels and wicked people only but it afflicts good and pious people also. Indeed the prophets of Allah have to endure the greatest misfortunes and calamities in their worldly life. Sahih .al-Bukhari and all other books of Hadith contain a tradition in which, on the authority of Sa'd and others, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said that the severest trials and tribulations are suffered by the prophets and in the case of the pious people those who enjoy a higher rank in the hierarchy are the ones who will get a greater share of misfortunes. On the other hand the infidels and the evildoers enjoy a life of comfort and affluence. Therefore the words of the Qur'an that such people would be condemned to a harsh and rigorous life can refer to the life in the Hereafter (آخرَت) only, because experience shows that they have, in this world, all the comforts of life. The answer to the question posed above is that the punishment which the evil-doers will suffer in this world refers to the chastisement which awaits them in the grave where their existence will be made miserable and beyond endurance. Their graves will be their abodes and will squeeze them so tight that their graves will crack. There is a tradition in Musnad al-Bazzar on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself stated that the words مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا (straitened life) occurring in this verse (124) refer to the existence in the grave. (Mazhari) Another interpretation given to these words by Sayyidna Said ibn Jubair ؓ is that these people will be deprived of the gift of contentment which will result in an overpowering greed for worldly goods (Mazhari) but no amount of wealth will ever give them peace and content. The constant desire to augment their worldly possessions and the fear of any decrease in their size will always keep them anxious and uneasy. It is generally observed that the wealthy people who have all the means of comfort at their disposal actually are unable to enjoy comfort themselves, because comfort cannot be achieved without content and peace of mind.

He will say: My Lord!) O my Lord! (Wherefore hast Thou gathered me (hither) blind, when I was wont to see) in the life of this world?