Cattle, Livestock — Verse 30

Wishes and Hopes Do Not Help One When He Sees the Torment Allah mentions the condition of the disbelievers when they are made to stand before the Fire on the Day of Resurrection and witness its chains and restraints, along with seeing the horrible, momentous conditions in the Fire with their own eyes. This is when the disbelievers will say, يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ("Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!") They wish that they would be sent back to the life of the world so that they could perform righteous deeds, refrain from disbelieving in the Ayat of their Lord and be among the believers. Allah said, بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ (Nay, what they had been concealing before has become manifest to them.) meaning, the disbelief, denial and rebellion that they used to hide in their hearts will then be uncovered, even though they will try to hide this fact in this life and the Hereafter. Earlier, Allah said, ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَتُهُمْ إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ - انظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ (There will then be (left) no trial for them but to say: "By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who joined others in worship with Allah." Look! How they lie against themselves! But the (lie) which they invented will disappear from them. ) It is also possible that the meaning here is that the disbelievers will realize the truth that they knew all along in their hearts, that is, that what the Messengers brought them in this life is true, although they used to deny his Message before their followers. Allah said that Musa said to Fir`awn, لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَآ أَنزَلَ هَـؤُلاءِ إِلاَّ رَبُّ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ بَصَآئِرَ ("Verily, you know that these signs have clearly been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence.") 17:102 Allah said about Fir`awn and his people, وَجَحَدُواْ بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَآ أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْماً وَعُلُوّاً (And they belied them (those Ayat) wrongfully and arrogantly, though they were themselves convinced thereof.) 27:14 بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ (Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before.) 6:28 When this occurs, and the disbelievers ask to be returned to this life, they will not do so because they truly wish to embrace the faith. Rather, they ask to be returned to this life for fear of the torment that they are witnessing before them, as punishment for the disbelief they committed, and to try and avoid the Fire that they see before their eyes. وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ (But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars.) meaning, they lie when they say they wish to go back to this life so that they can embrace the faith. Allah states that even if they were sent back to the life of this world, they will again commit the disbelief and defiance that they were prohibited. وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ (And indeed they are liars.) in their statement that, وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ - وَقَالُواْ إِنْ هِىَ إِلاَّ حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ ("Would that we were but sent back! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!" Nay, what they had been concealing before has become manifest to them. But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars. And they said: "There is no (other life) but our (present) life of this world, and never shall we be resurrected.") Therefore, they will revert to their old behavior and say, إِنْ هِىَ إِلاَّ حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا (There is no life but our life of this world) and there is no Hereafter, وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ (and never shall we be resurrected. ) Allah said, وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ (If you could but see when they will stand before their Lord!) in front of Him, أَلَيْسَ هَـذَا بِالْحَقِّ ("Is not this the truth") meaning, is not Resurrection true, contarary to what you thought, قَالُواْ بَلَى وَرَبِّنَا قَالَ فَذُوقُواْ العَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ (They will say: "Yes, by our Lord!" He will then say: "So taste you the torment because you used not to believe.") and because you today denied Resurrection. Therefore, taste the torment, أَفَسِحْرٌ هَـذَا أَمْ أَنتُمْ لاَ تُبْصِرُونَ ("Is this magic, or do you not see") 52:15

If you could see when they are made to stand when they are presented before their Lord you would certainly see an awesome thing! He will say to them by the tongue of the angels in rebuke ‘Is this resurrection and reckoning not the truth?’ They will say ‘Yes indeed by our Lord’ it is the truth! He will say ‘Then taste the chastisement because you disbelieved’ during life on earth.

If you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord, at the major resurrection, and this [that follows] is an imagined representation of their state in terms of their veiledness and distance, for otherwise there would be no words and no response at that [moment] because of their being deprived from the presence and the witnessing, even though they might be at the source of nondelimited union. Know that 'to stand before' (waqafa ʿalā) something is different from 'to stand with' (waqafa maʿa) it, for to stand with something is voluntary and willingly done, whereas to stand before something can only be by coercion or out of aversion. Thus the one who stands with God in [his] affirmation of Oneness - like the one who said, 'Desire stands whence you [stand] and I can neither walk behind it nor ahead [of it]' - will not be made to stand for the reckoning. Rather he will be among those of the greatest prize of whom He says: and restrain yourself along with those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening, desiring His countenance [Q. 18:28]; you are not accountable for them in anything [Q. 6:52]; and he will be rewarded by all kinds of bliss in all of the gardens. As for the one who stands with the other through idolatrous association, he will stand before the Lord and will be chastised with all manner of chastisement in the [various] levels of all the fires, because of his veil being denser and his unbelief greater. As for the one who stands with the human realm (nāsūt) by his love of pleasures and desires and lingers in the veil of the vestiges [thereof], he will stand before the spiritual realm (malakūt) and chastised with the fires of privation from what is desired and unleashed on him shall be the Zabāniya angels [cf. Q. 96:18] of [his] dark configurations and he will be bounded together with the devils of [his] ruinous caprices. As for the one who stands with the acts, having emerged from the veil of the vestiges, he will stand before the realm of divine power (jabarūt) and will be chastised with the fire of ambition and hope and is returned to the station of the spiritual realm (malakūt).

If you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord, at the major resurrection, and this [that follows] is an imagined representation of their state in terms of their veiledness and distance, for otherwise there would be no words and no response at that [moment] because of their being deprived from the presence and the witnessing, even though they might be at the source of nondelimited union. Know that 'to stand before' (waqafa ʿalā) something is different from 'to stand with' (waqafa maʿa) it, for to stand with something is voluntary and willingly done, whereas to stand before something can only be by coercion or out of aversion. Thus the one who stands with God in [his] affirmation of Oneness - like the one who said, 'Desire stands whence you [stand] and I can neither walk behind it nor ahead [of it]' - will not be made to stand for the reckoning. Rather he will be among those of the greatest prize of whom He says: and restrain yourself along with those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening, desiring His countenance [Q. 18:28]; you are not accountable for them in anything [Q. 6:52]; and he will be rewarded by all kinds of bliss in all of the gardens. As for the one who stands with the other through idolatrous association, he will stand before the Lord and will be chastised with all manner of chastisement in the [various] levels of all the fires, because of his veil being denser and his unbelief greater. As for the one who stands with the human realm (nāsūt) by his love of pleasures and desires and lingers in the veil of the vestiges [thereof], he will stand before the spiritual realm (malakūt) and chastised with the fires of privation from what is desired and unleashed on him shall be the Zabāniya angels [cf. Q. 96:18] of [his] dark configurations and he will be bounded together with the devils of [his] ruinous caprices. As for the one who stands with the acts, having emerged from the veil of the vestiges, he will stand before the realm of divine power (jabarūt) and will be chastised with the fire of ambition and hope and is returned to the station of the spiritual realm (malakūt).

ولو ترى -أيها الرسول- منكري البعث إذ حُبسوا بين يدي الله تعالى لقضائه فيهم يوم القيامة، لرأيت أسوأ حال، إذ يقول الله جل وعلا أليس هذا بالحق، أي: أليس هذا البعث الذي كنتم تنكرونه في الدنيا حقًّا؟ قالوا: بلى وربنا إنه لحق، قال الله تعالى: فذوقوا العذاب بما كنتم تكفرون أي: العذاب الذي كنتم تكذبون به في الدنيا بسبب جحودكم بالله تعالى ورسوله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.

ثم قال "ولو ترى إذ وقفوا على ربهم" أي أوقفوا بين يديه قال "أليس هذا بالحق" أي أليس هذا المعاد بحق وليس بباطل كما كنتم تظنون "قالوا بلى وربنا قال فذوقوا العذاب بما كنتم تكفرون" أي بما كنتم تكذبون به فذوقوا اليوم مسه "أفسحر هذا أم أنتم لا تبصرون".

ثم بين - سبحانه - حالهم عندما يقفون ليستمعوا إلى ما يوجهه إليهم ربهم من توبيخ وتقريع بسبب كفرهم فقال :{ وَلَوْ ترى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ على رَبِّهِمْ قَالَ أَلَيْسَ هذا بالحق } .أى : قال لهم - سبحانه - أليس هذا البعث الذى تشاهدونه بأعينكم ثابتاً بالحق؟ وهنا يجيبون خالقهم مصدقين لأن الواقع يحتم عليهم ذلك فيقولون - كما حكى القرآن عنهم - { بلى وَرَبِّنَا } أى : قالوا : بلى يا ربنا إنه للحق الذى لا شك فيه ، ولا باطل يحوم من حوله ، وأكدوا اعترافهم بالقسم شاهدين على أنفسهم بأنهم كانوا كافرين فى الدنيا .وهنا يحكم الله فيهم بحكمه العادل فيقول : { قَالَ فَذُوقُواْ العذاب بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ } أى : إذا كان الأمر كما ذكرتم وشهدتم على أنفسكم ، فانغمسوا فى العذاب ذائقين لآلامه وأهواله بسبب كفركم بآيات الله ، وإنكاركم لهذا اليوم العصيب .والذوق هنا كناية عن الإحساس الشديد بالعذاب بعد أن وقعوا فيه .

القول في تأويل قوله : وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ قَالَ أَلَيْسَ هَذَا بِالْحَقِّ قَالُوا بَلَى وَرَبِّنَا قَالَ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ (30)قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره: " لو ترى " ، يا محمد، هؤلاء القائلين: ما هي إلا حياتنا الدنيا وما نحن بمبعوثين =" إذ وقفوا " ، يوم القيامة، أي: حبسوا, (4) " على ربهم "، يعني على حكم الله وقضائه فيهم =" قال أليس هذا بالحق " ، يقول: فقيل لهم: أليس هذا البعثُ والنشر بعد الممات الذي كنتم تنكرونَه في الدنيا، حقًّا ؟ فأجابوا، فقالوا: " بَلَى " والله إنه لحقّ =" قال فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ" ، يقول: فقال الله تعالى ذكره لهم: فذوقوا العذاب الذي كنتم به في الدنيا تكذبون (5) =" بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ" ، يقول: بتكذيبكم به وجحودكموه الذي كان منكم في الدنيا .--------------الهوامش :(4) انظر تفسير"وقف" فيما سلف قريبا ص: 316.(5) انظر تفسير"ذاق العذاب" فيما سلف ص: 47 ، تعليق: 1 ، والمراجع هناك.

قوله عز وجل : ( ولو ترى إذ وقفوا على ربهم ) أي : على حكمه وقضائه ومسألته ، وقيل : عرضوا على ربهم ، ( قال ) لهم وقيل : تقول لهم الخزنة بأمر الله ، ( أليس هذا بالحق ) ؟ يعني : أليس هذا البعث والعذاب بالحق؟ ( قالوا بلى وربنا ) إنه حق ، قال ابن عباس : هذا في موقف ، وقولهم : والله ربنا ما كنا مشركين في موقف آخر ، وفي القيامة مواقف ، ففي موقف يقرون ، وفي موقف ينكرون . ( قال فذوقوا العذاب بما كنتم تكفرون ) .

لمّا ذكر إنكارهم البعث أعقبه بوصف حالهم حين يحشرون إلى الله ، وهن حال البعث الذي أنكروه .والقول في الخطاب وفي معنى { وقفوا } وفي جواب { لو } تقدّم في نظريتها آنفاً . وتعليق { على ربّهم } بِ { وقفوا } تمثيل لحضورهم المحشر عند البعث . شبّهت حالهم في الحضور للحساب بحال عبد جنى فقُبض عليه فوُقف بين يدي ربّه . وبذلك تظهر مزية التعبير بلفظ { ربّهم } دون اسم الجلالة .وجملة : { قال أليس هذا بالحقّ } استئناف بياني ، لأنّ قوله : { ولو ترى إذ وقفوا } قد آذن بمشهد عظيم مهول فكان من حقّ السامع أن يسأل : ماذا لقوا من ربّهم ، فيجاب : { قال أليس هذا بالحقّ } الآية .والإشارة إلى البعث الذي عاينوه وشاهدوه . والاستفهام تقريري دخل على نفي الأمر المقرّر به لاختبار مقدار إقرار المسؤول ، فلذلك يُسأل عن نفي ما هو واقع لأنّه إن كان له مطمع في الإنكار تذرّع إليه بالنفي الواقع في سؤال المقرِّر . والمقصود : أهذا حقّ ، فإنّهم كانوا يزعمونه باطلاً . ولذلك أجابوا بالحرف الموضوع لإبطال ما قبله وهو { بَلَى } فهو يُبطل النفي فهو إقرار بوقوع المنى ، أي بلى هو حقّ ، وأكّدوا ذلك بالقسم تحقيقاً لاعترافهم للمعترف به لأنّه معلوم لله تعالى ، أي نقِرّ ولا نشكّ فيه فلذلك نقسم عليه . وهذا من استعمال القسم لتأكيد لازم فائدة الخبر .وفُصل { قال فذوقوا العذاب } على طريقة فصل المحاورات . والفاء للتفريع عن كلامهم ، أو فاء فصيحة ، أي إذ كان هذا الحقّ فذوقوا العذاب على كفركم ، أي بالبعث . والباء سببية ، و«ما» مصدرية ، أي بسبب كفركم ، أي بهذا . وذوْق العذاب استعارة لإحساسه ، لأنّ الذوق أقوى الحواسّ المباشرة للجسم ، فشبّه به إحساس الجلد .

أي: { وَلَوْ تَرَى } الكافرين { إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ } لرأيت أمرا عظيما، وهَوْلًا جسيما، { قَالَ } لهم موبخا ومقرعا: { أَلَيْسَ هَذَا } الذي ترون من العذاب { بِالْحَقِّ قَالُوا بَلَى وَرَبِّنَا } فأقروا، واعترفوا حيث لا ينفعهم ذلك، { قَالَ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ }

قوله تعالى : ولو ترى إذ وقفوا على ربهم قال أليس هذا بالحق قالوا بلى وربنا قال فذوقوا العذاب بما كنتم تكفرونقوله تعالى : ولو ترى إذ وقفوا على ربهم وقفوا أي : حبسوا على ربهم أي : على ما يكون من أمر الله فيهم . وقيل : على بمعنى ( عند ) أي : عند ملائكته وجزائه ; وحيث لا سلطان فيه لغير الله عز وجل ; تقول : وقفت على فلان أي : عنده ; وجواب لو محذوف لعظم شأن الوقوف . قال أليس هذا بالحق تقرير وتوبيخ أي أليس هذا البعث كائنا موجودا ؟ قالوا بلى ويؤكدون اعترافهم بالقسم بقولهم : وربنا . وقيل : إن الملائكة تقول لهم بأمر الله أليس هذا البعث وهذا العذاب حقا ؟ فيقولون : بلى وربنا إنه حق . قال فذوقوا العذاب بما كنتم تكفرون .

Whenever a man denies the Truth or follows the desires of his self, it is because he does not live his life in this world on the understanding that he will be resurrected after death and made to stand before the Lord of the universe to give an account of himself in everyday life. Man has been given a certain power which he uses unhesitatingly. He has the material prop of wealth, and friends and companions on whom he relies. He has been given a brain, which he uses to think out arrogant strategies and find clever pretexts for his transgressions. The success of his initiatives deceives him; he starts placing false reliance on things other than God, and imagines that the position he enjoys today is of a perennial nature. He forgets that whatever he has been given in this world is only by way of trial and is not a matter of entitlement. This type of life is thoroughly sinful, whether led in open denial of the Hereafter or without actually uttering the words of denial. On what basis does man rush towards worldly things—thinking them his own? Man has not paid any fee for the sunlight in which he walks or for the air he breathes. No part or ingredient of the earth from which he derives the wherewithal to live has been made by him. None of the favourite things towards which he rushes can he call his own. When these things have not been created by man, should not the Lord of all these things have any right over man? The fact is that man’s very utilisation of the present world makes it only logical that he should be made to stand before his Lord on the day of reckoning.

As for the statement in the third verse (29): وَقَالُوا إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا (And they say, "There is nothing real but this worldly life of ours" ), it reverts back to the word, عَادُوا (` adu: would again go for) in verse 28. Thus, it means that should they be returned to the world, then, once they reach there, they will still say that they do not accept any life other than the life of this world. Life here is the life and they were not going to be raised again. A question arises here: When they have seen their return to life on the day of Qiyamah - and reckoning and accounting and reward and punishment - how can it be possible that they would deny it once they have been sent back into the world? The answer is that denial does not make it necessary that, in reality, they remain uncertain about these events and facts. Instead, it would be very much like our contemporary disbelievers and wrong-doers who, despite their knowledge of Islamic realities, keep sticking to their denial and falsification simply because of their hostility, that these people, once they are returned to the world, and despite having personal certainty of the realities of the day of Qiyamah, of rising to life back again, and of what would happen in the Hereafter, they would still resort to their old habit of belying and falsification simply because of their wickedness or hostility. This is what the Qur'an has said about some disbelievers within this present life: وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا They are striving hard to deny Our signs - while in them-selves being certain of their truth - (only) unjustly, and out of pride - 27:14. This is also similar to what was said about the Jews that they recognized the Last Prophet ﷺ as they would recognize their sons, yet they remained all bent on opposing him. To sum up, it can be said that the Creator knows, in His eternal knowledge, that the claim of these people that once they have been sent back to the world, they would become ideal Muslims, is a lie and a deception. If they were, as they wished, to be released into the world put together after its destruction, then, once again, they would do exactly the same things they used to do in their earlier lives. The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: At the time of reckoning, Allah Ta` ala will ask Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) to stand near the Scale of Justice and will ask him that he should look at the deeds of his progeny and allow anyone whose good deeds outweigh his sins to go to Paradise. And then He would say: The one I shall admit to the punishment of Hell will be the one about whom I know that he, i f sent to the world again, would do the same thing he had been doing earlier.

(If thou couldst see) O Muhammad (when they are set before) constrained before (their Lord! He will say) Allah says to them; it is also said that this means: the angels say to them: (Is not this real?) Is not this torment and resurrection after death real? (They will say: Yea, verily, by our Lord!) It is the Truth as informed by the messengers (He will say: Taste now the retribution for that ye used to disbelieve) in your resurrection after death.