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Day 52: Tafsir Part 47

SURAH AL-KAHF AYAH 47-48

Description
This video discusses the tafsir of ayahs 47 and 48

The primary objective of the Quran is to reach humanity and to penetrate the hearts of humanity.
That is why it is not complex language or literature.
And for the one that reflects on it they will see more and more of its nuanced complexity.
The deeper you dig, the more you start seeing. But it doesnt mean that if you dont dig deep you wont feel or
learn anything
o Example of those sahaba that heard ayahs being recited and that transformed their lives
There are levels of appreciating the Quran. When we are in a particular phase of our life, we start thinking that
the way that we came to appreciate the Quran at that time is the way everyone should understand it
The Quran is supposed to be simple at one level too. And sometimes the most profound meaning is right there
infront of us and doesnt require deeper digging

Ayah 47

Translation: The day on which We make the mountains sail or move smoothly and you (referring to the Prophet (pbuh))
will see the Earth come out and be exposed and We will have herded them and We wouldnt have left behind from
among them any single one.

to walk or move casually

for something to come out and be exposed; to become apparent

to expose or bring to light

It is closer to herding rather than gathering ( )like Jumuah.

All mushed and directed towards one place. It is a violent term, not a soft one.

The previous discussion was about plants and that theyre reduced to nothing and the winds can blow them away
Allah is giving us that scence of something that is so fragile and frail and doesnt last on the Earth.

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But you cant say that about mountains. They are the image of stability.
o So the idea of youre my rock or mountain i.e. youre my source of stability and someone I can lean on
So the idea of mountains now moving, Allah is shifting the scence from this world, Allah shows us in this world
plants that move. And the scence is shifting to the akhirah and will show us that
There was also an ayah about the end of life of how it will wither away and come to an end. But now in these
ayaat, life is starting again and the way it comes about is that even things that never moved before are now
moving. The shift is described in this ayah
The other thing has to do with good things that last.
things that last.
o
o

In the worldly sense mountains are something that last

Allah is drawing a really beautiful contrast saying that there are good deeds you will do that will last
even longer than mountains, because the mountains will eventually move

Another recitiation is

the day on which mountains are going to be made to sail

o
o

Compared to the day on which We make the mountains sail

In this other recitation, you omit mention of Allah and remove His mention. You just say the mountains
are made to sail but you didnt attribute that to Allah
The benefit of this is that it creates a mystery. It is the scene where you are seeing mountains
move and you are wondering who is doing that
That is the point of passive. Something is happening and you cant attribute it to who should be
held responsible
o Other places in the Quran in Surah Al-Naml verse 88, you see the mountains as they are set in place and
they are going to moving like the motion of clouds and in Surah Waqiah verse 6, and mountains are
going to be ground and theyre going to just fly around. And several other ayahs.
One of the best things you can do to appreciate these ayaat is to take a trip to the mountains you look at these
mountains and you realize how insignificant you are. And how massive these mountain ranges are

There is a switch from present tense in the beginning of the ayah to the verb we gathered them in the past

Ibn Ashoor says that when something is being said about the future, but the speaker is basically telling the
audience that this is as good as done, then they will switch over to the past tense to illustrate that this of all
things is what you should worry about the most because this is a done deal
The other grammatical piece is something called a or adverb it means something is happening while
something else is happening so 2 things are happening at the same time
o

So grammatically is considered a so basically you are saying that the mountains are
moving, the earth is being exposed and the gathering has begun. This makes them concurrent.

But making the in past tense, you are saying that one started before the other.

So the gathering has already started in Arafa which is going to have to be expanded to fit all of
humanity
But the region is surrounded by mountains. And so as the gathering is being flooded,
room is being made for more and more people to fit.
And so the mountains around them will begin to be moved and you will see more and
more earth being exposed that you never saw before so its the earth that is under the
mountains that is being exposed and being brought up to the surface - this is all while
the gathering had already started
The motion of the mountain is going to happen as they are gathering in more and more

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And nobody is going to be left out

we will not leave behind

is betrayal ghaddar is something who left you hanging

a stream; the left behing streams of the rain

the pony tail of a woman that she throws behind her

The idea is that Allah will not leave anyone behind

In the previous ayaat, Allah swt took compelte control over every plant, seed and every small crushed piece that
moves by the wind
o And from that, if He is in control of even the smallest seen then it is easy to see that He will not leave
any human being out of His control

Ayah 48

Translation: They are as good as having been presented already (past tense: sense the urgency) before your Master in
rows. You have (plural you) arrived before us just like We had created you the first time. Instead you were all falsely
convinced that We are not going to be providing any appointed tim or place for you

The Quran switched person tense all the time. This is called transition or . This is like changing scences in
a movie.
o They at the beginning of the ayah becomes you (collective) in the ayah and just in a couple of words
this now includes you and I as well and not just them and we are transported to the scene of standing
infront of Allah swt

Used when somebody or something comes after toil and difficulty

o

When you arrive easily you use

E.g.

Here, you have arrive. This laborsome effort to finally get here and have arrived before Us.

Just as We have created all of you.

This is the first creation of us when the soul was created. In Surah Araf is the conversation of this first creation

is - not a natural connection here. Your voice is supposed to rise when reading this .

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We were just transported before Allah and He is addressing all of us directly and the tone is intense and
it is captured in this

JUST as We created you the first time

Tafsir Commentary
Qurtubi said Allah avoided saying, they will be presented before Allah or before Us, and instead said, they will be
presented before your Rabb.
o This refers to the Prophet (pbuh). Why is he being referred to?
o While everyone else is gathered, this one man is being taken aside and is being shown the scence. He
(pbuh) has been separated from the gathering and is getting to see it happen
o The Prophet (pbuh) is being separated. This is mentioned because Quraish were criminals against him
and violated his rights. So Allah is saying they will be presented before your Master and Allah will take
care of them
o In presenting it this way there is an additional threat to those that are insulting the Prophet (pbuh) that
Allah Himself will come and take care of these criminals and that the Prophet (pbuh) should not worry.
This is a way of giving the Prophet (pbuh) support
From the imagery perspective, you have in these ayahs the worst chaos. It is absolute pandemonium from the
beginning to the ayahs of judgment Day.
o And yet, Allah produces the most incredible order in umanity when everything else is falling apart
o

this is singular. The plural of it is rows and it is used in the Quran.

Allah went out of His way to use the singular form. The plural form would have signified row
after row after row
When the singular is used this way it is as if to say they are going to be presented before
your Rabb in the kind of rows that until youve seen those you have not seen a row.
This is the epitomy of lining up itself. Its the ultimate form of unity and discipline
When things are shaking up and the mountains are moving and theres an earthquake, it
is an absolute chaos and people turn into basically scattered locusts
But Allah swt says He will bring order about

Qurtubi says
o Allah swt is going to make a call on the Day of Resurrection with a voice that is high but not harsh or ugly
and will say, My servants. I am Allah, no one is to be worshipped or obeyed in any way, shape or form,
except I Myself. I am the most Merciful and the Most loving and caring of all those who can show love
and care. And I am the Most rightful in governance among all those that may govern. And I am the
quickest of those who can bring to account. My servants, there is no fear that is to fall upon you today. It
is not you in fact that are gong to be grieving. Bring forward and present your cases. And make your
answers easy (scholars say regarding this that this is referring to the believers and their answers will
become easy also) for you are now to be questions and be brough to account. My angels, get my slaves
to stand up in rows on the very tips of their toes for reckoning.
You dont have placeon the ground to put your full foot down but have to literally stand next to
each other on the tips of your toes.
This hadith to Qortubi is the final elaboration of what this ayah means when they are standing in
rows even though most mufassireen didnt include it
Al-Shinqeeti says, that the singular form of rows means multiples rows. But the use of the singular just
emphasizes the ultimate rows
Imam Razi says that can also mean standing in rows not just being in rows

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In Sahih Muslim, Aisha rA said, I head the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying, people will be herded on the day
of Resurrection barefoot, nude and skins touching. I said, Messenger of Allah (pbuh), men and women looking
at each other? He said, Aisha the horror of that day is going to keep people from looking at each other.

You had assumed that we will not make a time or place of promise for you

means a belief that is actually false. A false assumption

o

Or something you say that is bound to be proven false.

this refers to the appointed time and also the appointed place; time and place
So Allah is saying that you instead assumed that We will not give you a promised time or a promised place
Putting this into perspective from the story of the gardener, he assumed that this would never happen. So Allah
is saying, you didnt think the time would come. But it isnt just the time, it is also the place of promise.

Concluding Remarks
One of the running themes in this Surah is a belief that the material or physical good is the ultimate good.
Throught the entire Surah, that is the case
Even later on in the story of Musa alayahi alsalam he sees only the material things in what al-Khidr is doing and
assumes it is all bad. He does not see beyond the material that is infront of him.
Allah is saying that in order for people to become completely deluded in this life, you have to remove the
concept of the day of Judgment from them completely. They have to have no concept of resurrection or what
Allah has promised.
o This is the heedlessness that is targeted in this Surah
o Allah does not want people to have an ugly life in this world. He doesnt want you to just live for the
akhirah and have an ugly life in this world
o The crime is to become people of dunya at the expense of your akhirah

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