CHAPTER 78: AN-NABA (THE GREAT NEWS)

It was revealed in the Mecca period. It consists of 40 verses. Naba means "news." It took this name because it begins with the news of the Day of Resurrection. (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/581)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

78/1-5 WHAT ARE THEY ASKING ONE ANOTHER?

Translation

1- About what are they asking one another?

2- About the great news—

3- That over which they are in disagreement.

4- No! They are going to know.

5- Then, no! They are going to know.

Commentary

(1-3) Allah Almighty, condemning the pagans for asking each other about the Day of Resurrection and denying its occurrence, commands: ‘About what are they asking one another? About the great news?’ What thing are they asking each other? The matter of the Resurrection? That is the great news which is very terrifying and baffling. (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 15/537) ‘That over which they are in disagreement.’ Nasafi says: "Some of those who asked each other about the resurrection were absolutely denying it, while others were in doubt about it." (S. HAWWA, 15/537)

"Naba" means "important news." Here, it is used in the sense of the "news of the resurrection." Since important events such as the disruption of the existing cosmic order of the universe on the Day of Resurrection, the disappearance of everything that exists except Allah, the resurrection after death, being called to account, etc., will occur, the news related to it is called "great news." (QUR’AN WAY, 5/535)

‘About that great news.’ Its description with the adjective "Great" actually shows and explains that it is the greatest news. This news is the news of the resurrection reported by the sending of the Prophet (pbuh) and especially by him through the Qur'an and Prophethood. That day is the day of the hereafter, the day of resurrection after death, where everyone will be questioned about their faith and deeds. (ELMALILI, 8/488)

(4, 5) ‘No! They are going to know.’ These words show that the news given is certain by rejecting their disagreement and denial and stating that their false beliefs are not correct. (ELMALILI, 8/489)

‘Then / Again, no! They are going to know.’ Allah Almighty repeats the expression of prohibition for a more severe threat. The expression "Then" indicates that the second threat is more severe than the first. Ibn Kathir says regarding the last two verses: "This is a very harsh and reinforced threat." (S. HAWWA, 15/538)

78/6-16 WE BUILT ABOVE YOU SEVEN STRONG HEAVENS

Translation

6- Have We not made the earth a resting place,

7- And the mountains as stakes?

8- And We created you in pairs,

9- And made your sleep [a means for] rest,

10- And made the night as a clothing,

11- And made the day for livelihood.

12- And We built above you seven strong [heavens],

13- And made [therein] a burning lamp [the sun],

14- And sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring water

15- That We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation

16- And gardens of thick foliage.

Commentary

(6, 7) ‘Have We not made the earth a resting place, and the mountains as stakes?’ While the earth, which has been made suitable for human life, is likened to a bed or cradle where people can sit, stand, lie down, and sleep, the mountains are likened to stakes driven in to keep the earth in place and balance. This is because mountains provide the balance of the globe. Indeed, in other verses, it is reported that firm mountains were placed on the earth so that it would not shake people (see e.g., Nahl 16/15; Mursalat 77/27). There are countless benefits to mountains, such as containing minerals, accumulating water, and forming various plants and forests on them. Allah Almighty created pairs of male and female for people to live happily in peace and tranquility and to continue their generations on this earth where He created and provided balance through mountains. Verse 8 expresses this. (cf. Rum 30/21; Najm 53/45; QUR’AN WAY, 5/536)

(8) ‘And We created you in pairs.’ Family life, social life, and the survival of the human race are tied to the reality of humans being created as pairs. In fact, this situation is not exclusive to humans. Along with humans, animals, plants, and all living and non-living beings were created in pairs. Almighty Allah built the order of the universe on everything being a pair and reserved oneness for His own Essence. (see Yasin 36/36; Dhariyat 51/49; O. CELIK, 5/338)

(9) ‘And made your sleep [a means for] rest.’ We made it a cessation of movement so that you can throw off the fatigue arising from excessive work and striving to provide a livelihood during a large part of the day. (From Ibn Kathir; S. HAWWA, 15/541)

(10) ‘And made the night as a clothing.’ Sleep rests the person. The darkness of the night also wraps around the person like a quilt. It hides one's private places and things that should remain secret. It protects from the light and heat of the sun. At the same time, the night serves as an ambush to reach certain goals that cannot be reached openly. People who rush about during the day with the intention of providing a livelihood return to their homes and nests at night to rest. (O. CELIK, 5/338, 339)

(11) ‘And made the day for livelihood.’ Ibn Kathir says: "We also made the day bright so that people can go back and forth during that time to provide their livelihoods, earn a profit, and engage in trade and similar activities." (S. HAWWA, 15/541)

(12) ‘And We built above you seven strong [heavens].’ Allah Almighty built these in a very strong way. Unlike buildings made by humans, they do not grow old or wear out with the passage of time. Although billions of galaxies and stars with different masses, orbits, and speeds circulate in the sky, no collision or disorder occurs. (see Mulk 67/3-4; O. CELIK, 5/339)

(13) ‘And made (in the sky) a burning lamp (like the Sun).’ (...) The Sun has become a huge ball of fire through the merging and integration of compressed and dense substances within it. Its surface temperature is 6,000 degrees Celsius, and its internal temperature is 20 million degrees Celsius. Every second in the sun, 564 million tons of hydrogen turn into 560 million tons of helium. The difference of 4 million tons of gaseous matter spreads into space as energy rays. (O. CELIK, 5/340)

(14-16) ‘And sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring water, that We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation and gardens of thick foliage.’ Nasafi says: "We sent down pouring water from the clouds when they are squeezed—that is, from the clouds that the winds have squeezed and whose time to rain has approached." (S. HAWWA, 15/541)

‘That We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation.’ To bring forth grained plants like wheat and barley, and vegetables eaten fresh. ‘And to grow gardens of thick foliage.’ To grow gardens where trees are entwined with one another. Ibn Kathir says: Even if they all grow in one place, let us grow gardens consisting of various fruits with different tastes and distinct scents. (S. HAWWA, 15/541)

All these signs of divine power and manifestations of majesty draw our attention to two important points: (1) First, this vast and magnificent order did not form on its own as a result of a coincidence. Moreover, it fulfills what is requested of it within a unique order and harmony. (2) Second, nothing in the universe was created without a purpose. Everything has a reason, wisdom, and goal. Similarly, man was not created in vain. He has been subjected to a test with all these blessings given in the worldly life and will one day give an account of what he has done. That is the day of resurrection, whose coming is certain. (O. CELIK, 5/340)

78/17-20 THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT IS AN APPOINTED TIME

Translation

17- Indeed, the Day of Judgement is an appointed time—

18- The Day the Horn is blown and you will come forth in multitudes

19- And the heaven is opened and will become gateways

20- And the mountains are removed and will be [as] a mirage.

Commentary

(17, 18) ‘Indeed, the Day of Separation is an appointed time.’ What is meant by the "Day of Separation" (Ayırım Günü) is the great day of accounting when truth will be distinguished from falsehood, the rightful from the wrongful, the believer from the denier, and the rewards for what was done in the world will be given. When the time of the resurrection—which is determined by Allah and known only to Him—arrives, humans and all other living beings will come together, and Almighty Allah will give His judgment among them. Thus, all injustices committed in the world will find their compensation, and flawless justice will be realized. This is why that day is called the "Day of Separation" or the "Day of Judgement." (From Qurtubi; QUR’AN WAY, 5/536)

‘The Day the Horn is blown and you will come forth in multitudes.’ ‘And (on that day) the heaven is opened as gateways, and the mountains are moved and become (scattered) like a mirage.’ That this blowing is not the first blowing (which is the blowing of destruction), but the second blowing of rising and awakening—as expressed in the verse: "Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on" (Zumar 39/68)—is explained by the phrase: "You will come forth in multitudes." (..) That is, when the Horn is blown, you dead will rise as if waking from sleep, and in accordance with the meaning of the verse: "The Day We will call forth every people with their leader" (Isra 17/71), every nation will be called with its leader and will immediately come to the place of gathering (mahshar) in rows upon rows, community by community, group by group. (ELMALILI 8/497)

(19) ‘And at that time the heaven is opened.’ The order of the universe has changed; the heaven, which is a closed, solid building today, has opened. In accordance with the meaning of the verse: "And the heaven will split asunder, for that Day it is frail" (Haqqa 69/16), it has split and opened in various places, "so it has become all gateways." It has opened as if every side consisted of doors so that by divine command the angels will descend, and the Spirit and the angels will be in ranks. Razi says: This opening is the meaning of the verses "When the sky has split asunder" (Inshiqaq 84/1) and "When the sky is cleft asunder" (Infitar 82/1). (ELMALILI, 8/497)

As reported in the verses, when the apocalypse breaks, the heaven splits (82/1), is torn apart (25/25), and becomes like molten metal (70/8) and like red-burning oil (55/37). Now the heavens are transformed into other heavens (14/48). "The Day the heaven will split asunder with the clouds, and the angels will be sent down in ranks (to the earth)." (25/25; I. KARAGOZ,8/384)

(20) ‘The mountains will be moved and will become a mirage.’ Ibn Kathir says: "One who looks thinks it is something. However, it is nothing. After that, it disappears completely. Neither itself nor its trace remains." (S. HAWWA, 15/544)

78/21-30 HELL LIES IN AMBUSH

Translation

21- Indeed, Hell has been lying in wait

22- For the transgressors, a place of return,

23- In which they will remain for ages [unending].

24- They will not taste therein [any] coolness or drink

25- Except scalding water and intense cold [dark fluid],

26- An appropriate recompense.

27- Indeed, they were not expecting an account

28- And denied Our signs with [emphatic] denial.

29- But all things We have enumerated in a writing.

30- "So taste [the recompense], for never will We increase you except in punishment."

Commentary

(21, 22) ‘Indeed, Hell is both a place of ambush and a place of return for the transgressors.’ Hell is described in the 21st verse as "mirsad." Mirsad means a place of observation or ambush. The guards of Hell are watching for the criminals who will arrive there. This word also carries the meaning of "observer." Accordingly, Hell itself is watching the transgressors. Thus, it is depicted almost as a conscious living being. Indeed, in the 8th verse of Surah Al-Mulk, it is brought to life with a descriptive expression stating that it roars with rage against the criminals to be thrown into it and is about to burst with fury. (O. CELIK, 5/342)

(23) ‘(The transgressors) will remain there for ages.’ The vast majority of Ahl al-Sunnah scholars (...) based on the use of the concepts "khulud" (immortality) and "abad" (eternity) in many relevant parts of the Holy Qur'an, which frequently contain the meaning of eternity, and relying on other evidence, have defended the eternity of the hellfire punishment for disbelievers and pagans. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/537)

(24-26) ‘The disbelievers taste neither a coolness nor a (good) drink in hell. They only (drink) a boiling water and pus as a punishment exactly appropriate (to what they did).’ They will not taste a breeze to refresh the heat of hell, nor a drink to quench their thirst. (..) Ibn Kathir says: Hamim means water that has reached the ultimate point of heat. Ghassaq, on the other hand, is the fluid formed by the collection of discharges from the pus, tears, and wounds of the people of Hell. This liquid is extremely cold. Its coldness is unbearable, and because of its smell, it cannot be approached. (S. HAWWA, 15/544)

‘(In the hereafter) they were not expecting to be called to account.’ A person who does not believe in the hereafter and that an account will be given to Allah becomes a disbeliever. The place where disbelievers will go is hell. Almighty Allah will call all people to account in the hereafter. (7/6, 7; I. KARAGOZ,8/386)

(27, 28) ‘Because they were not expecting an account (to be seen).’ ‘And they had denied Our signs to the utmost.’ The majority of the Meccans, who were the first addressees of our Prophet (pbuh), did not believe that the Qur'an was the word of Allah; they called the verses poetry, magic, tales of the ancients, and Muhammad's invention. (6/25, 8/21, 11/13, 29/50-51, 52/33-34, 28/48-50, 46/7, 68/15; I. KARAGOZ,8/386)

(29, 30) ‘And We have recorded everything (they did) one by one in a book.’ According to the weightiest interpretation, "everything" reported to be recorded in the 29th verse refers to the beliefs and deeds, goods and evils of people that require responsibility; and by the "book" in which these are recorded, the book of deeds or the Lawh-i Mahfuz (Preserved Tablet) is meant. The verse shows that nothing people do in the world will remain hidden from Allah and that they will be called to account for everything they did. (QUR’AN WAY 5/537)

(30) After their accounts are seen, the disbelievers are addressed: ‘So taste now! After this, the thing We will increase for you is only punishment.’ It has been narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said this verse is the harshest address in the Qur'an. (Qurtubi). According to other verses explaining the situation, as their skins burn, they will be renewed (Nisa 4/56), and as the fire of hell weakens, the fire will be increased and their punishment will continue. (Isra 17/97). (QUR’AN WAY, 5/537, 538)

78/31-37 THERE IS TRIUMPH FOR THE RIGHTEOUS

Translation

31- Indeed, for the righteous is attainment—

32- Gardens and grapevines

33- And magnificent, well-matched companions

34- And a full cup.

35- They will not hear therein any vain talk or falsehood—

36- [As] reward from your Lord, [a generous] gift [made due by] account,

37- [From] the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful. They possess not from Him [authority for] speech.

Commentary

(31-34) ‘Indeed, for the righteous (müttakiler) there is a triumph (from every fear and anxiety), and (in Paradise) gardens, vineyards, (..) companions of magnificent beauty, the same age, and overflowing cups.’ (..) The blessings, graces, and honors prepared in the hereafter for the obedient believers, referred to as "the righteous" in the 31st verse, are "of a kind that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind can fully conceive." (Bukhari, Tawhid 35; Muslim, Iman 312). Because the hereafter is entirely within the realm of the Unseen (Ghayb), and none knows the Unseen except Allah (cf. Baqara 2/3). Nevertheless, to provide His servants with an approximate idea of the afterlife’s blessings and to awaken a desire within them, Allah has given examples of objects and pleasures they most need and love in this world through a symbolic narration tailored to human perception—as He does in many other verses. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/539)

(35) ‘They will hear neither vain talk nor a lie in Paradise.’ Ibn Kathir says: There is neither empty and useless talk there, nor sin and falsehood. On the contrary, it is the Abode of Peace (Dar al-Salam). Everything there is free from deficiency. (S. HAWWA, 15/546)

(36) ‘(These are) given as a reward from their Lord, a sufficient gift.’ (..) There are also verses stating that the reward will be given in multiples according to deeds, even without measure (Baqara 2/261; Zumar 39/10; Ghafir 40/40). These verses indicate that the rewards in the hereafter will not be measured strictly by merit, but will be given as the immeasurable graces of Allah to the servants with whom He is pleased. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/540)

(37) ‘(Yes, this is) from the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and everything between them, the Most Merciful (Rahmân), to whom no one can dare to address (on that day).’ Nasafi says: "No one can intercede against Allah's punishment without His permission. Or, no one can address Him due to their fear." (S. HAWWA, 15/546)

78/38-40 WE HAVE WARNED YOU OF A NEAR PUNISHMENT

Translation

38- The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for one whom the Most Merciful permits, and he will say what is correct.

39- That is the True Day; so he who wills may take to his Lord a [way of] return.

40- Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will observe what his hands have put forth and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish that I were dust!"

Commentary

(38) ‘On the Day of the Hereafter, the Spirit (Gabriel) and the angels will stand in rows. None shall speak except those to whom the Most Merciful grants permission, and they will speak only the truth.’ According to most commentators, "the Spirit" here refers to Gabriel the Trustworthy (Jibril-i Amin). The fact that his name is mentioned separately is due to his higher status with Allah compared to other angels. (MAWDUDI, 7/18)

Intercession is meant by the word "to speak." There are two conditions for intercession: First, only those to whom Allah gives permission for intercession for someone will speak. Second, the one who intercedes will say correct and true things. Furthermore, the person for whom intercession is made must have been a believer during their lifetime and must not have been a disbeliever or a rebel. (MAWDUDI, 7/18)

This permission means the opening of the gate of intercession. The Prophet (pbuh) is the owner of "Maqam-i Mahmud" (The Praised Station) (cf. Isra 17/78) and is permitted for general intercession. The limit of this is seen in the following hadith: "My intercession is for those of my Ummah who commit major sins." (Abu Dawud, Sunnah 21; Tirmidhi, Qiyamah 11; Ibn Majah, Zuhd 37). The intercession of the angels is also tied to the condition of "Allah being pleased with the person to be interceded for" (cf. Anbiya 21/28). The intercession of people for one another is also dependent on Allah granting permission. (H. DONDUREN, 2/953)

(39) ‘This (resurrection) is the day that is 'certain truth.' So whoever wills, let him take a path (through faith and obedience) to his Lord.’ (...) Since the reality of that day and the fact that it has been reported to you are certain, from now on, the matter depends on your own will and your striving with your partial free will. Therefore, whoever wishes to reach his Lord—whose attributes and majesty have been described—and to attain His mercy and reach his goal, let him adopt a path of return that leads to Him, a place of recourse and a station that will eventually bring him to that goal, and let him follow a path accordingly. (ELMALILI, 8/504)

(40) ‘Because We have warned you of a near punishment. On that day, a person will look at the deeds his hands have sent forth, and the disbeliever will say: 'I wish I were dust!'‘ (...) Our Supreme Lord, as a manifestation of the name "Rahman" mentioned in verses 37 and 38, addresses His servants with the name of mercy and warns them in time about a "near punishment." The meaning of the warning is this: Do not ever doubt the hereafter. It is a reality. You have the opportunity and the freedom you need to turn your direction toward your Lord and take a path leading to Him. Do not waste your very short and precious life by assuming the punishment you are warned about is far away; life is short, thus the hereafter and the account are near. On that day, what you will see before you when you look is what you sent there while in this world—that is, your own faith and deeds. That day will be a dreadful day when the faithless will prefer being dust to being human. (QUR’AN WAY, 5/541, 542)

‘Will look at the deeds his hands have sent forth.’ These are the things people have done with their free will in the world, whether good or bad, reward or sin, beneficial or harmful. In the hereafter, people will find everything they did, small or large, written in the books of deeds kept by the recording angels (18/49), and they will see the atoms of good and evil they have done (99/7-8). "On that day, man will be informed of what he sent forward and what he left behind (while in the world)." (75/13; I. KARAGOZ,8/391)

‘And the disbeliever will say: 'I wish I were dust!'‘ "The disbeliever will say: I wish I had been dust in the world. I wish I had not been created as a human and held responsible, or he will say: 'I wish I were dust today and had not been resurrected.'" (From Nasafi; S. HAWWA, 15/548)

To say ‘I wish I were dust’ means "I wish I had not been resurrected." The disbeliever says: "I wish my book had not been given to me, I wish I did not know what my account was, I wish death had ended everything" (69/25-28) and cries out, "I wish I were destroyed!" (84/10-11; cf. 25/27-28; I. KARAGOZ,8/391)