79:1. By those who wrest violently,

79:2. and by those who draw out gently,

79:3. and by those who glide swiftly,

79:4. those who press forward as in a race,

79:5. and who carry out the command [of Allah],

79:6. on the day when the earth is shaken violently [by the first Trumpet blast],

79:7. followed by the second Trumpet blast,

79:8. on that day hearts w ill be pounding

79:9. and eyes will be downcast.

79:10. They say: Will we really be restored to our former state,

79:11. even after we have turned into crumbling bones?

79:12. They say: Then [if that is true] we would indeed be losers!

79:13. It will be but a single blast [of the Trumpet],

79:14. then immediately they will be back above ground.

These oaths are sworn by the noble angels and their deeds which are indicative of their perfect submission to the command of Allah and their hastening to carry out His commands. It may be that what is attested to is the requital and the resurrection, based on the fact that they are followed by a description of the resurrection.

It may be that what is attested to and what is sworn by is one and the same, and that Allah swears by the angels because belief in them is one of the six pillars of faith.

Moreover, mention of their deeds here refers to the requital, of which the angels are in charge at the time of death and before and after that moment. Hence Allah says:

﴾By those who wrest violently﴿ - this refers to the angels who pull out souls forcefully and keep on pulling until the soul has been completely brought forth from the body, then it will be requited for its deeds.

﴾and by those who draw out gently﴿ - this also refers to angels, who pull souls out gently. This indicates that gentle pulling out is for the souls of the believers and violent wresting is for the souls of the disbelievers.

﴾and by those who glide swiftly﴿ that is, who move through the air, ascending and descending.

﴾those who press forward as in a race﴿, hastening to fulfil the command of Allah and to outrun the devils when conveying revelation to the Messengers of Allah, so that the latter will not eavesdrop on it.

﴾]and who carry out the command [of Allah]﴿ this refers to the angels whom Allah appoints to control many of the matters of the universe, in both the upper and lower realms, such as rain, vegetation, trees, winds, seas, foetuses, animals, paradise, hell and so on.

﴾on the day when the earth is shaken violently [by the first Trumpet blast]﴿ which will signal the onset of the Hour ﴾followed by the second Trumpet blast﴿.

﴾on that day hearts will be pounding﴿ that is, they will be deeply troubled by the intensity of what they see and hear

﴾and eyes will be downcast﴿ that is, humbled and brought low, for fear will have seized their hearts and they will be stunned by panic and overwhelmed with regret and sorrow

They - namely the disbelievers in this world - say, by way of denial: ﴾Will we really be restored to our former state, even after we have turned into crumbling bones?﴿ that is, bones that are worn out and disintegrated.

﴾They say: Then [if that is true] we would indeed be losers!﴿ That is, they think it unlikely that Allah will resurrect them and recreate them after they have turned into crumbling bones, out of ignorance of Allah’s might and showing audacity and disrespect towards Him.

Allah says, explaining how easy this is for Him: ﴾It will be but a single blast [of the Trumpet]﴿ whereupon all creatures ﴾will be back above ground﴿ that is, on the surface of the earth, standing and looking around. Allah will gather them and judge between them on the basis of His just rule, and He will requite them.

79:15. Has there come to you the story of Moosa,

79:16. when his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Tuwa?

79:17. [Saying:] Go to Pharaoh, for he has indeed transgressed all bounds,

79:18. and say: Are you willing to be purified?

79:19. and for me to guide you to your Lord, so that you may come to fear Him?

79:20. Then Moosa showed him the great sign.

79:21. But Pharaoh denied it and disobeyed.

79:22. Then he turned away and began scheming.

79:23. He gathered [his people] and made a proclamation,

79:24. saying: I am your lord most high.

79:25. So Allah seized him for an exemplary punishment in the hereafter and in this life.^{1His punishment in this world was drowning, and his punishment in the hereafter will be the fire of hell. (ash-Shawkani et al.)}

79:26. Verily in this there is a lesson for those who fear Allah.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says to His Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ): ﴾Has there come to you the story of Moosak This is a question about a matter of great significance that definitely happened. That is, has news come to you of him, ﴾when his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Tuwa?﴿ Juwa is the place where Allah spoke to him, bestowed the message upon him and chose him for His revelation and to bring him close to Him. He said to him:

﴾Go to Pharaoh, for he has indeed transgressed all bounds﴿ that is, tell him to stop his transgression, polytheism and disobedience, speaking to him gently:﴾...so that perhaps he may pay heed or fear Allah.﴿ (TaHa 20: 44) ﴾and say﴿ to him: ﴾Are you willing to be purified?﴿ That is, are you willing to attain some praiseworthy and good characteristics, which people of understanding compete to attain, which means purifying yourself from the filth of disbelief and transgression and attaining faith and doing righteous deeds?

﴾and for me to guide you to your Lord﴿ that is, show you the way to Him and explain to you how you may attain His pleasure and avoid His wrath

﴾so that you may come to fear Him﴿ when you come to know the straight path. But Pharaoh rejected that to which Moosa called him.

﴾Then Moosa showed him the great sign﴿ - this does not refer to one sign in particular, because there were many signs.

﴾So Moosa threw down his staff, and suddenly it was a serpent, plain for all to see. And he drew forth his hand, and it appeared shining white to all beholders.﴿ (ash-Shu'ara' 26: 32-33)

﴾But Pharaoh denied it)﴿ that is, the truth ﴾and disobeyed﴿ the command.

﴾Then he turned away and began scheming﴿ that is, striving to oppose and fight the truth.

﴾He gathered [his people] and made a proclamation, saying﴿ to them: ﴾I am your lord most high﴿. So they submitted to him and affirmed his falsehood when he made fools of them.

﴾So Allah seized him for an exemplary punishment in the hereafter and in this life﴿ that is, his punishment became a sign and a deterrent, a reminder of punishment in this world and the hereafter.

﴾Verily in this there is a lesson for those who fear Allah﴿ for the one who fears Allah is the one who will benefit from signs and lessons. When he sees the punishment of Pharaoh, he will realise that whoever is arrogant and disobeys, and opposes the Sovereign Most High, Hewill punish him in this world and the hereafter. As for the one whose heart is devoid of fear of Allah, no matter what sign comes to him, he will not believe in it.

79:27. Are you more difficult to create, or the heaven? He built it,

79:28. raised its height and perfected it;

79:29. He darkened its night and brought forth its daylight.

79:30. And after that He spread out the earth,

79:31. brought forth from it its water and its vegetation,

79:32. and set the mountains firmly,

79:33. as provision for you and your livestock.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, giving a clear sign to those who disbelieve in the resurrection and think it unlikely that Allah will recreate their bodies:

﴾Are you!), O humans, ﴾more difficult to create, or the heaven﴿ with its immense size, strong structure and great height? Allah ﴾built it, raised its height!﴿ that is, its size and shape ﴾and perfected it﴿ with dazzling, astounding precision.

﴾He darkened its night﴿ so that its darkness envelops all parts of the heaven and the face of the earth is overshadowed with darkness, ﴾and brought forth its daylight!) that is. He made a great light to prevail in it when He brings the sun (during the day), so that people may go about their business, both religious and worldly.

﴾And after that He spread out the earth﴿ that is, after creating the heaven; He spread it out and deposited in it that which is beneficial for man. This is explained in the following two verses: ﴾brought forth from it its water and its vegetation, and set the mountains firmly﴿ that is, He fixed them in the earth.

The spreading out of the earth came after the creation of the heavens, as is stated in this passage.

The One Who created the mighty heavens and all that they contain of lights and heavenly bodies, and the solid earth and all that it contains of necessities and that which benefits people, will inevitably resurrect those who are accountable, then He will requite them for their deeds. Whoever did good will have the best reward, and whoever did evil, let him blame no one but himself.

Hence after mentioning the resurrection, Allah mentions the requital and says:

79:34. So when the greatest calamity comes,

79:35. on that day man will remember all that he did,

79:36. and the blazing fire will be exposed for all to see.

79:37. Then as for the one who transgressed all bounds

79:38. and preferred the life of this world,

79:39. verily the blazing fire will be his abode.

79:40. But as for the one who feared standing before his Lord and restrained himself from base desires,

79:41. verily paradise will be his abode.

That is, when the resurrection comes, with great hardship that will make all other hardships pale into insignificance, at that time a father will show no care for his son, nor a husband for his wife, nor any love for his beloved.

﴾on that day man will remember all that he did﴿ in this world, both good and bad, and he will wish for an atom’s weight more of good deeds, and he will feel regret and sorrow for the addition of even an atom’s weight to his bad deeds.

At that time he will realise what will make him win or lose was his efforts in this world, and all connections and relationships he had in this world will be severed; nothing will be able to benefit him except righteous deeds.

﴾and the blazing fire will be exposed for all to see﴿ that is, it will be brought into view and made visible to everyone. It will be made visible for its people, for it has been prepared to ensnare them and is waiting for the command of its Lord.

﴾Then as for the one who transgressed all bounds﴿ that is, he overstepped the mark by daring to commit major sins, and he did not adhere to the limits set by Allah.

﴾and preferred the life of this world﴿ to the hereafter, so his efforts were for the sake of this world and his time was spent in trying to accumulate worldly gains and pursue worldly desires; he forgot the hereafter and failed to strive for it.

﴾verily the blazing fire will be his abode﴿ that is, it will be the fate and final abode of the one who is like this.

﴾But as for the one who feared standing before his Lord﴿-) that is, he feared being presented before Him and being requited on thebasis of justice, and that fear had an impact on his heart, so he forbade to himself worldly desires that could cause him to drift away from obedience to Allah, and his inclinations fell in line with that which the Messenger (ﷺ) brought, striving against whims and physical desires that divert one from good.

﴾verily paradise﴿ with all that it contains of goodness, joy and bliss ﴾will be his abode﴿ that is, it is the abode of anyone who is like this.

79:42. They ask you about the Hour: When will it arrive?

79:43. How could you possibly know that?

79:44. Its knowledge rests with your Lord alone.

79:45. You are but a warner for those who fear it.

79:46. On the day they see it, it will be as if they had remained [in this world] no more than an afternoon [of a day] or the morning thereof.

That is, those who stubbornly deny the resurrection ask you ﴾about the Hour﴿ - when will it happen and ﴾When will it arrive?﴿ So Allah answered them by saying:

﴾How could you possibly know that?﴿ for there is no benefit for you or for them in knowing that and knowing when it will come. Because there is no religious or worldly benefit for people in knowing when the Hour will come - rather the benefit is in its being hidden from them - knowledge of that has been withheld from all of creation, and Allah has kept that knowledge to Himself. Therefore He says:

﴾Its knowledge rests with your Lord alone﴿ that is, its knowledge is with Him alone, as He says elsewhere:

﴾They ask you about the Hour: When will it come to pass? Say: The knowledge thereof is with my Lord [alone]. None but He can disclose when its time will come. It will weigh heavily on the heavens and the earth; it will not come upon you but suddenly. They ask you as if you were well-informed of it. Say: The knowledge thereof is with Allah [alone], but most people do not realise.﴿ (al-A ‘ra/7: 187)

﴾(You are but a warner for those who fear it﴿ that is, the benefit of your warning is only for those who fear the coming of the Hour and who fear the standing before Allah. They are the ones who do not care about anything except preparing for it and striving for it.

As for the one who does not believe in it, no attention should be paid to him or to his stubbornness, because his stubbornness is based on obstinacy and disbelief. If he has reached such a state, answering his questions is pointless and the wise person should rise above that.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat an-Nazi*at.

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