44:1. Ha’. Meem.

44:2. By the clear Book,

44:3. verily We sent it down during a blessed night, for We were to give warning.

44:4. On that night, all matters are decided^{1This refers to Laylat al-Qadr, when Allah decrees matters for His slaves regarding their provision, lifespan and so on, for the coming year.} on the basis of wisdom,

44:5. by Our command. Verily, We were to send Messengers

44:6. as a mercy from your Lord. Verily He is the All-Hearing, All- FCnowing,

44:7. Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, if you would but be convinced!

44:8. There is no god but He - He gives life and causes death - your Lord, and the Lord of your forefathers.

44:9. Rather they are steeped in doubt and mockery.

44:10. So watch [O Muhammad] for the day when the sky will bring forth obvious smoke

44:11. that will envelop the people. [They will say:] This is a painful punishment!

44:12. Our Lord, remove the punishment from us; we will surely believe!

44:13. How is it that now they pay heed, when a Messenger who explained things clearly came to them before,

44:14. then they turned away from him and said: [He is] a madman, taught by others?

44:15. We will indeed remove the punishment for a little while, but you will surely go back [to disbelief].

44:16. On the day when We seize [them] with a mighty onslaught. We will surely exact retribution.

﴾By the clear Book﴿ this is an oath sworn by the Qur’an concerning the Qur’an. Allah swears by the clear Book that explains everything that needs to be explained, stating that He sent it down﴾during a blessed night﴿ that is, one in which there was much good and barakah (blessing), namely Laylat al-Qadr, which is better than a thousand months. Thus He sent down the best of words on the best of nights and days, to the best of people, in the language of the noble Arabs, to warn thereby people who were enveloped in ignorance and overcome with wretchedness, so that they might find enlightenment and be guided by it, and follow it, thus attaining a great deal of good in this world and in the hereafter. Hence Allah says: ﴾for We were to give warning﴿.

t﴾On that night﴿ namely the blessed night on which the Qur’an was revealed

﴾all matters are decided on the basis of wisdom﴿ that is, all matters are distinguished and clarified, and every issue of the divine decree and religious decree is recorded as Allah decides.

This recording and clarification that take place on Laylat al-Qadr is one example of the writing that will take place and be clarified, and it will be identical to what is written in al-Lawh al-Mahfoodh, in which Allah has decreed the affairs of all creatures and their lifespan, provision, deeds and circumstances.

Moreover, Allah has appointed angels to write down what will happen to a person when he is in his mother’s womb, then, after he comes to this world. He appoints noble scribes to write down and record his deeds, then on Laylat al-Qadr He decrees what is to happen for the coming year.

All this is part of Allah’s perfect knowledge, wisdom and care for His creation.

﴾fby Our command﴿ that is, this wise command is something that comes from Us

﴾Verily, We were to send Messengers﴿ and send down the Books, and the Messengers were to convey the commands of the Sender and tell of His decrees﴾as a mercy from your Lord﴿ that is, the sending of the Messengers and the revelation of the Books, the best of which is the Qur’an, is a mercy from the Lord of humankind to humankind. Allah has not bestowed any greater mercy upon His slaves than guiding them by means of the Books and Messengers. All good that they attain in this world and the hereafter is as a result of that and because of it.

﴾Verily He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing﴿ that is. He hears all voices and knows all matters, visible and hidden. He knew that people needed His Messengers and Books, so He had mercy on them and bestowed that and blessed them with it. To Him be all praise.

c-fLord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them﴿ that is, the Creator and Controller of all of that; He controls it as He wills.

﴾if you would but be convinced﴿ that is, and know that for certain. You should know that the Lord of all creatures is their true God, hence He says:

﴾There is no god but He﴿ that is, there is none worthy of worship except Him.

﴾He gives life and causes death﴿ that is, He alone has control over life and death, and He will gather you after your death and requite you for your deeds; if they are good then the outcome will be good, and if they are bad then the outcome will be bad.

﴾your Lord, and the Lord of your forefathers﴿ that is, Lord of the first and the last. Who cares for them and bestows blessings upon them, and protects them from harm.

Having affirmed His Lordship and divinity in such a way as to establish complete certainty and ward off doubt, Allah now tells us that those who disbelieve despite all this clear evidence ﴾are steeped in doubt and mockery﴿ that is, they are immersed in doubt and confusion, heedless about the purpose for which they were created. They have been distracted by focusing on falsehood that will only bring them harm.

﴾So watch [O Muhammad]﴿ that is, expect the punishment to befall them, for it is at hand and its time has come.

﴾for the day when the sky will bring forth obvious smoke that will envelop the people﴿ that is, that smoke will surround them.

﴾[They will say:] This is a painful punishment!﴿

The commentators differed as to what is meant by this smoke. It was suggested that it is the smoke that will envelop the people when the fire comes near the evildoers on the Day of Resurrection, and that here Allah is warning them of the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, and instructing His Prophet (ﷺ) to watch and wait for that day to come upon them.

This interpretation is supported by the fact that this is the way of the Qur’an in warning the disbelievers and giving them respite, alerting them to that day and its punishments, and consoling the Messenger (ﷺ) and the believers by telling them to wait and see what will happen to those who harm them. It is also supported by the fact that Allah says in this passage (44: 13): ﴾How is it that now they pay heed, when a Messenger who explained things clearly came to them before﴿. This will be said on the Day of Resurrection to the disbelievers, when they ask to go back to this world and they will be told that the time for going back is now over.

It was also suggested that what is meant by the smoke is what happened to the disbelievers ofQuraysh when they refused to believe and were too arrogant to accept the proof. So the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed against them, saying:

«0 Allah! Help me against them by afflicting them with seven years of famine similar to the seven years of Yoosuf.» (Bukhari)

Therefore Allah sent against them a great famine, until they began to eat dead animals and bones, and they began to see the area between heaven and earth as if it were smoke, but it was not smoke; that was the effect of intense starvation.

Based on this interpretation, the words t﴾the day when the sky will bring forth obvious smoke﴿ refer to what they thought they were seeing, and it was not real smoke.

This situation continued until they asked the Messenger of Allah <ig) for mercy, and requested him to call upon Allah for them and ask Him to grant them relief. So he called upon his Lord, and Allah granted them relief. According to this interpretation, in verse 15 ﴾ We will indeed remove the punishment for a little while, but you will surely go back [to disbelief]﴿, Allah is stating that He will divert it from them, and warning them that they will go back to arrogance and disbelief. He foretold that this would happen, and it indeed happened; and He foretold that He would punish them with a mighty onslaught. The commentators said that that was the Battle of Badr. This view carries weight.

It is also possible that what is mentioned in the passage, ﴾So watch [O Muhammad] for the day when the sky will bring forth obvious smoke that will envelop the people. [They will say:] This is a painful punishment! Our Lord, remove the punishment from us; we will surely believe! How is it that now they pay heed, when a Messenger who explained things clearly came to them before, then they turned away from him and said: [He is] a madman, taught by others?﴿ (44: 10-14), will all happen on the Day of Resurrection, and that the words, ﴾We will indeed remove the punishment for a little while, but you will surely go back [to disbelief]. On the day when We seize [them] with a mighty onslaught. We will surely exact retribution.﴿ (44:15-16) refer to what happened to Quraysh (on the day of Badr), as mentioned above.

These verses may also include both meanings, because there is nothing in the wording to rule that out; rather they are perfectly applicable to both, and this is what appears most likely to be correct in my view. And Allah knows best.

44:17. Indeed We tested the people of Pharaoh before them, when a noble Messenger came to them, [saying]:

44:18. Hand over to me the slaves of Allah. Verily I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.

44:19. Do not be arrogant towards Allah, for I come to you with clear authority.

44:20. Verily I seek refuge with my Lord and your Lord lest you kill me.

44:21. If you do not believe me, then let me be.

Having mentioned the rejection of those who disbelieved in the Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ), Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) states that they had a precedent among the earlier disbelievers, and He mentions their story with Moosa and how Allah punished them, in order to deter these disbelievers (Quraysh) from what they were doing:

﴾Indeed We tested the people of Pharaoh before them﴿ that is, We tested them by sending to them Our Messenger Moosa ibn ‘Imran, the noble Messenger who had a sublime character and attitude that did not exist in others.

He said to them: ﴾Hand over to me the slaves of Allah that is, he said to Pharaoh and his chiefs: hand over to me the slaves of Allah, meaning the Israelites. In other words: let them go and release them from torment and stop mistreating them, for they are my people and the best of nations of their time. But you have wronged them and enslaved them unjustifiably. So let them be free to worship their Lord.﴾Verily I am a trustworthy Messenger to you﴿ that is, a Messenger from the Lord of the worlds, faithful to the purpose for which He has sent me; I do not withhold anything of the message from you, and I do not add anything to it or take anything away from it, and this requires you to submit completely to Him.

﴾Do not be arrogant towards Allah﴿ by refusing to worship Him or being high-handed towards the slaves of Allah (‘[for I come to you with clear authority﴿ that is, with clear evidence. This refers to what he brought of dazzling miracles and overwhelming signs. But they rejected him and were about to kill him, so he sought refuge with Allah from their evil, saying: ﴾Verily I seek refuge with my Lord and your Lord lest you kill me﴿ in the worst manner, which is by stoning to death.

﴾If you do not believe me, then let me be﴿ that is, you have three choices: either believe in me, which is what I want for you; or if that does not happen, then let me be and do not be against me or for me, just do not harm me.

But they did not choose either of these two options; rather they continued to stubbornly oppose Allah and fight His Prophet Moosa (عليه السلام), and did not release his people, the Israelites, for him.

44:22. Then he called upon his Lord, [saying]: Verily these are wicked people.

44:23. [Allah said:] Travel by night with My slaves; you will surely be pursued.

44:24. And leave the sea parted [behind you];^{1After crossing the path through the parted sea, Moosa wanted to strike it again with his staff so that the waters would close. But Allah instructed him to leave it alone so that Pharaoh and his troops would enter it, then He would cause it to close on them and drown them. (an-Nasafi)} for they are an army destined to be drowned.

44:25. How many gardens and springs did they leave behind,

44:26. and cornfields and splendid mansions,

44:27. and a life of ease in which they had taken such delight.

44:28. And so it was; and We caused other people to inherit such things.

44:29. Neither heaven nor earth wept for them, nor were they given respite.

﴾Then he called upon his Lord, [saying]: Verily these are wicked people﴿ that is, they have committed evil deeds, which requires hastening the punishment.

Thus Moosa (عليه السلام) described their condition; this was an implicit supplication against them, by describing them as wicked, which is more eloquent than praying against them explicitly. This is like the verse which tells us that Moosa (عليه السلام) said of himself: q.. .0 my Lord, I am in need of whatever good You may bestow upon

So Allah instructed him to leave at night with His slaves, and told him that Pharaoh and his people would pursue him.

﴾And leave the sea parted [behind you]﴿ that is, leave it as it is. This refers to the time when Moosa took the Children of Israel away by night, as Allah instructed him, then they were pursued by Pharaoh. Allah instructed Moosa to strike the sea, so he struck it, and it turnedinto twelve pathways, in between which the water became like huge mountains, and Moosa and his people followed those pathways.

When they emerged from the sea, Allah instructed him to leave the sea parted - that is, to leave it as it was, so that Pharaoh and his troops could pursue them, ﴾for they are an army destined to be drowned﴿.

When all the people of Moosa had come out of the sea, and the people of Pharaoh had entered it, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) commanded the sea to close over them, so every single one of them was drowned. They left behind all that they had enjoyed of this worldly life, and Allah caused the Children of Israel, who had been enslaved by them, to inherit it.

﴾How many gardens and springs did they leave behind, and cornfields and splendid mansions, and a life of ease in which they had taken such delight. And so it was; and We caused other people to inherit such things﴿ namely the blessings mentioned. Elsewhere, Allah says:

﴾And so it was; and We caused the Children of Israel to inherit such

﴾Neither heaven nor earth wept for them﴿ that is, when Allah destroyed them and eradicated them, neither the heavens nor the earth wept for them. In other words, nobody grieved for them or felt sorry for their loss. Rather everyone rejoiced at their destruction, even the heavens and the earth, because they had not left behind any legacy except something shameful, which brought upon them the curse and the hatred of all the worlds.

﴾nor were they given respite﴿ that is, there was no deferral of their punishment; rather it struck them instantly.

04

44:30. Thus We delivered the Children of Israel from the humiliating punishment,

44:31. from Pharaoh. Indeed he was high-handed in the land and was one who transgressed all bounds.

44:32. We chose them, knowingly, above all other nations [of that time],

44:33. and We showed them signs in which there was a clear test.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) reminds the Children of Israel of His blessings, as He says:

﴾Thus We delivered the Children of Israel from the humiliating punishment﴿ that they were suffering ﴾from Pharaoh﴿ when he slaughtered their sons and let their womenfolk live.

﴾Indeed he was high-handed in the land﴿ that is, he was arrogant in the land, without justification

﴾and was one who transgressed all bounds﴿, audaciously overstepping and violating the limits set by Allah.

﴾[We chose them﴿ that is, We selected them ﴾knowingly﴿ that is, We knew that they deserved that virtue ﴾above all other nations﴿ that is, over all other nations of their own time and those who came before them and after them, until Allah brought the Ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ), who surpassed all other nations, and Allah made them the best nation that He had brought forth for humankind, and He blessed them with virtues with which He did not bless others.

﴾fand We showed them﴿ namely the Children of Israel ﴾signs﴿ that is, dazzling signs and clear miracles ﴾in which there was a clear test﴿ that is, We tested them by bestowing much good upon them and clear favours from Us to them, and proof for them of the soundness of what their Prophet Moosa (عليه السلام) brought to them.

44:34. Verily these people [Quraysh] say:

44:35. There is nothing but our first death, and we will not be resurrected.

44:36. Then bring back our forefathers, if you are telling the truth!

44:37. Are they better [in power and strength], or the people ofTubba*^{1Tubba1: a hereditary title of the kings ofYemen.} and those who came before them? We destroyed them, for verily they were evildoers.

﴾Verily these people [Quraysh]﴿ that is, these disbelievers who think the resurrection is unlikely

﴾say: There is nothing but our first death, and we will not be resurrected﴿ that is, there is only the life of this world; there is no resurrection, no paradise and no hell.

Then they said, showing audacity towards their Lord and trying to outwit Him: ﴾Then bring back our forefathers, if you are telling the truth! ﴿ This was one of the demands made by the extremely stubborn ignorant people. What connection is there between the truthfulness of the Messenger (ﷺ) and bringing their forefathers back to life? The signs had already established the truthfulness of what he had brought to them, and these signs were many and varied.

﴾Are they﴿ namely the people referred to here (Quraysh) ﴾better [in power and strength], or the people of Tubba‘ and those who came before them? We destroyed them, for verily they were evildoers﴿. They are no better than them, for they have committed the same evildeeds, so they should expect the same destruction as that which befell their fellow evildoers.

44:38. We have not created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in vain.

44:39. We have not created them both except for a true purpose, but most of them do not know.

44:40. Verily the Day of Judgement is the time appointed for all of them,

44:41. a day on which no friend [or relative] will avail another at all, nor will they be helped,

44:42. except those to whom Allah shows mercy. Verily He is the Almighty, the Most Merciful.

Here Allah tells us about the perfect nature of His might and wisdom, and that He has not created the heavens and earth in vain or for no purpose; He has only created them for a true purpose. In other words, their very creation is based on truth and contains truth, for He has created them to worship Him alone with no partner or associate, and so that He might issue commands and prohibitions to them, and reward them or punish them.

﴾but most of them do not know﴿ therefore they do not reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth.

i﴾ Verily the Day of Judgement which is the Day of Resurrection, on which Allah will judge between the first and the last, and between all those who differ

﴾is the time appointed for all of them﴿ that is, for all of creation.

Allah will gather all of them on that day, and He will bring them and their deeds and requite them for those deeds. No friend or relative will benefit from another, ﴾nor will they be helped﴿ that is, nor will they be protected from the punishment of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), because no one among creation has any control over anything whatsoever.

﴾except those to whom Allah shows mercy. Verily He is the Almighty, the Most Merciful﴿ for they are the ones who will be helped, by the mercy of Allah, which they strove to attain and worked hard in this world for that purpose.

(8'-tr: jU-oJI ijj-)

44:43. Verily the tree of Zaqqoom

44:44. will be the food of the wicked.

44:45. Like dregs of oil, it will boil in their bellies,

44:46. like the boiling of scalding water.

44:47. [It will be said:] Seize him and drag him into the middle of the blazing fire,

44:48. then pour over his head the punishment of scalding water.

44:49. Taste it, O you who were mighty and honourable!

44:50. This is what you used to doubt.

Having mentioned the Day of Resurrection, and stated that He will judge between His slaves on that day, Allah now tells us that they will be divided into two groups: one group in paradise and the other in hell. The latter are the sinners who did deeds of disbelief and disobedience. ﴾Verily﴿ their food will be ﴾the tree of Zaqqoom﴿ which is the worst and most terrible of trees; its food is ﴾Like dregs of oil﴿ or like stinking pus, with a foul stench and taste, exceedingly hot. It will boil in their bellies ﴾ 1 i ke the boiling of scalding water﴿.

And it will be said to the one who is being punished: ﴾Taste it﴿ that is, taste the painful punishment, ﴾0 you who were mighty and honourable!﴿as you thought you were mighty and would be protected from the punishment of Allah, and you thought you were dear to Allah and no punishment would befall you. But today it will become clear to you that you are humiliated, insignificant and worthless.

﴾This﴿ namely the great punishment is what you used to doubt﴿, but now it has become clear to you that it is certain and true.

44:51. Verily the righteous will be in a secure place,

44:52. amidst gardens and springs,

44:53. wearing green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade, facing one another.

44:54. So it will be, and We will marry them to fair companions with big beautiful eyes.

44:55. There they will call for every kind of fruit, secure from all ills.

44:56. They will not taste death therein, except the first death, and He will protect them from the punishment of the blazing fire,

44:57. by the grace of your Lord. That is the supreme triumph.

44:58. We have made this [Qur’an] easy, in your own language, so that they may pay heed.

44:59. So wait; verily they too are waiting.

This is the reward of the righteous, who feared Allah and feared His wrath and punishment by refraining from sin and by doing deeds of obedience. As they are not subject to divine wrath and punishment, it is confirmed that they will attain the pleasure of Allah and the immense reward, in shady places with many trees and fruits, flowing springs, and rivers flowing at their feet in the gardens of bliss.

The gardens are described as containing all kinds of delights, perfect in all aspects and not tainted with any unpleasantness in any way whatsoever.

Their garments will be of green silk, fine silk and heavy brocade, such as they desire.

﴾facing one another﴿ in their hearts and physically, in perfect comfort, reassurance, love, good companionship and the best etiquette.

﴾So it will be﴿ that is, there will be perfect bliss and happiness, ﴾and We will marry them to fair companions with big beautiful eyes﴿ that is, beautiful women, whose beauty is astounding and dazzling; they will have huge and beautiful eyes.

﴾There﴿ that is, in paradise﴾they will call for every kind of fruit﴿ both that which has a name in this world and that which has no equivalent in this world. They will call for every kind and type of fruit, which will be brought to them immediately, with no effort

﴾secure from all ills﴿ that is, they will be safe from that coming to an end, and safe from harm, safe from anything that could spoil their bliss, safe from being expelled from paradise, and safe from death. Hence Allah says:

﴾They will not taste death therein, except the first death﴿; there will be no death there at all.

Thus they will attain everything they loved and wanted.

ffand He will protect them from the punishment of the blazing fire, by the grace of your Lord﴿ that is, attaining bliss and being protected from the punishment will happen by the grace and kindness of Allah towards them, for it is He Who enables them to do the righteous deeds by means of which they will attain goodness in the hereafter, and He will also give them more than they could deserve by virtue of their deeds.

﴾That is the supreme triumph﴿ and what triumph could be greater than attaining the pleasure of Allah and His paradise, and being safe from His punishment and wrath?

﴾ We have made this [Qur’an] easy, in your own language﴿ that is. We have made it easy in your language, which is the most eloquent and most sublime of all languages, so its words and meanings have been made easy

﴾so that they may pay heed﴿ to that which will benefit them, and do it, and to that which will harm them, and refrain from it.

﴾So wait﴿ that is, wait for what your Lord has promised you of goodness and victory

﴾verily they too are waiting﴿ for what will befall them of punishment. What a great difference there is between the two kinds of waiting: the Messenger of Allah and his followers are waiting for goodnessin this world and the hereafter, whilst their opposite numbers are waiting for evil in this world and the hereafter.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat ad-Dukhan.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.