Allah the Exalted said,
[وَأَنَّ إِلَى
رَبِّكَ الْمُنتَهَى ]
(And that to your Lord is the End.) meaning, the return of everything on the
Day of Resurrection. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Amr bin Maymun Al-Awdi said,
"Once, Mu`adh bin Jabal stood up among us and said, `O Children of Awd! I am the
emissary of Allah's Messenger to you; know that the Return is to Allah, either
to Paradise or the Fire.''' Allah's statement,
[وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ
أَضْحَكَ وَأَبْكَى ]
(And that it is He Who makes you laugh, and makes you weep.) means that He
created in His creatures the ability to laugh or weep and the causes for each of
these opposites,
[وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ
أَمَاتَ وَأَحْيَا ]
(And that it is He Who causes death and gives life.) In a similar statement,
Allah said,
[الَّذِى خَلَقَ
الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَوةَ]
(Who has created death and life.)(67:2) Allah said,
[وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَ
الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ وَالاٍّنثَى - مِن نُّطْفَةٍ إِذَا تُمْنَى ]
(And that He creates the pairs, male and female. From Nutfah when it is
emitted.) as He said:
[أَيَحْسَبُ
الإِنسَـنُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى - أَلَمْ يَكُ نُطْفَةً مِّن مَّنِىٍّ يُمْنَى -
ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقَ فَسَوَّى - فَجَعَلَ مِنْهُ الزَّوْجَيْنِ الذَّكَرَ
وَالاٍّنثَى - أَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِقَـدِرٍ عَلَى أَن يُحْيِىَ الْمَوْتَى ]
(Does man think that he will be left neglected Was he not a Nutfah Then he
became an `Alaqah (something that clings); then (Allah) shaped and fashioned
(him) in due proportion. And made of him two sexes, male and female. Is not He
(Allah) able to give life to the dead)(75:36-40) Allah the Exalted said,
[وَأَنَّ عَلَيْهِ
النَّشْأَةَ الاٍّخْرَى ]
(And that upon Him is another bringing forth.) meaning, just as He first
originated creation, He is able to bring it back to life, resurrecting it for
the Day of Judgement,
[وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ
أَغْنَى وَأَقْنَى ]
(And that it is He Who Aghna (gives much) and Aqna (a little).) It is Allah
Who gives wealth to His servants and this wealth remains with them. This means
they are able to use it to their benefit, is this out of the completeness of His
favor. Most of the statements of the scholars of Tafsir revolve around this
meaning, such as those from Abu Salih, Ibn Jarir and others. Mujahid said that,
[أَغْنَى]
(Aghna) meaning: He gives wealth.
[وَأَقْنَى]
(Aqna) meaning: He gives servants. Similar was said by Qatadah. Ibn `Abbas
and Mujahid said;
[أَغْنَى]
(Aghna) means: He granted; while,
[وَأَقْنَى]
(Aqna) means: He gave contentment.
[وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ
رَبُّ الشِّعْرَى ]
(And that He is the Lord of Ash-Shi`ra.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn
Zayd said about Ash-Shi`ra that it is the bright star, named Mirzam Al-Jawza'
(Sirius), which a group of Arabs used to worship.
[وَأَنَّهُ أَهْلَكَ
عَاداً الاٍّولَى ]
(And that it is He Who destroyed the former `Ad) the people of Hud. They are
the descendants of `Ad, son of Iram, son of Sam, son of Nuh. As Allah the
Exalted said,
[أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ
فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ - إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ - الَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ
مِثْلُهَا فِى الْبِلَـدِ ]
(Saw you not how your Lord dealt with `Ad. Of Iram, with the lofty pillars,
the like of which were not created in the land)(89:6-8) The people of `Ad were
among the strongest, fiercest people and the most rebellious against Allah the
Exalted and His Messenger. Allah destroyed them,
[بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ
عَاتِيَةٍسَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَـنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ
حُسُوماً]
(By a furious violent wind! Which Allah imposed in them for seven nights and
eight days in succession.)(69:6-7) Allah's statement,
[وَثَمُودَ فَمَآ
أَبْقَى ]
(And Thamud. He spared none), declares that He destroyed them all and spared
none of them,
[وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِّن
قَبْلُ]
(And the people of Nuh aforetime.) before `Ad and Thamud,
[إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ
هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَى]
(Verily, they were more unjust and more rebellious and transgressing.) more
unjust in disobeying Allah than those who came after them,
[وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ
أَهْوَى ]
(And He destroyed the overthrown cities.) meaning, the cities (of Sodom and
Gomorrah) to which Prophet Lut was sent. Allah turned their cities upside down
over them and sent on them stones of Sijjil. Allah's statement that whatever has
covered it, has covered it, is like the case with the stones of Sijjil that He
sent on them,
[وَأَمْطَرْنَا
عَلَيْهِم مَّطَراً فَسَآءَ مَطَرُ الْمُنذَرِينَ ]
(And We rained on them a rain (of torment). And how evil was the rain of
those who had been warned!)(26:173) Allah said,
[فَبِأَىِّ آلاءِ
رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَى ]
(Then which of the graces of your Lord will you doubt) meaning, `which of
Allah's favors for you, O man, do you doubt,' according to Qatadah. Ibn Jurayj
said that the Ayah,
[فَبِأَىِّ آلاءِ
رَبِّكَ تَتَمَارَى ]
(Then which of the graces of your Lord will you doubt), is directed towards
the Prophet saying: "O Muhammad!'' However, the first ex- planation is better,
and it is the meaning that Ibn Jarir preferred.
[هَـذَا نَذِيرٌ
مِّنَ النُّذُرِ الاٍّوْلَى - أَزِفَتِ الاٌّزِفَةُ - لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ
اللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ - أَفَمِنْ هَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ - وَتَضْحَكُونَ وَلاَ
تَبْكُونَ - وَأَنتُمْ سَـمِدُونَ - فَاسْجُدُواْ لِلَّهِ وَاعْبُدُواْ ]
(56. This is a warner from the warners of old.) (57. The Azifah draws near.)
(58. None besides Allah can avert it.) (59. Do you then wonder at this reci-
tation) (60. And you laugh at it and weep not,) (61. While you are Samidun.)
(62. So fall you down in prostration to Allah and worship Him.)