عَمَُّْ ْ 1479 اَلنَّبَا
عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ ﴿۱﴾ عَنِ النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿۲﴾ الَّذِي هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿۳﴾ كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۴﴾ ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۵﴾ أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا ﴿۶﴾ وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا ﴿۷﴾ وَخَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا ﴿۸﴾
﴾1﴿ Amma Yatasaa-aloon
﴾2﴿ Anin-nabaa-il 'azeem
﴾3﴿ Allazi hum feehi mukh talifoon
﴾4﴿ Kallaa sa y'alamoon
﴾5﴿ Thumma kallaa sa y'alamoon
﴾6﴿ Alam naj'alil arda mihaa da
﴾7﴿ Wal jibaala au taada
﴾8﴿ Wa khalaq naakum azwaaja
﴾1﴿ About what are they asking one another
﴾2﴿ About the great news
﴾3﴿ That in which they differ
﴾4﴿ Never is it out of order; soon they will know
﴾5﴿ Again, never is it out of order; soon they will know
﴾6﴿ Did We not make the earth a resting place
﴾7﴿ And the mountains as pegs
﴾8﴿ And We created you in pairs
And this surah is also called Surah Amma, Surah Amma Yatasa'aloon, Surah Al-Tasa'ul, and Surah Al-Mu’sirat.
Relevancy:
This surah is connected to the previous surah in several ways. The first way is that in the previous surah, the rebuke was for denial, while in this surah, the rebuke is for dispute and questioning. The second way is that in the previous surah, the Day of Judgment was mentioned along with "Yawm al-Fasl" (the Day of Decision), whereas in this surah, the distinction and separation between the deniers and the righteous are mentioned, along with ten aspects.
Claim of this surah:
The rebuke is directed at those who deny resurrection after death, and its affirmation is presented through evidences, as well as the conditions of the deniers and the righteous—both as a warning and as glad tidings. Additionally, two of Allah’s Beautiful Names and fourteen of His active attributes have been mentioned.
Summary of the surah:
First, there is a rebuke for denying resurrection after death through the method of questioning and dispute, up to verse (5). Then, ten blessings are mentioned as proof of Allah’s power to resurrect after death, up to verse (16). After that, there is a warning about the Hereafter with ten aspects for the deniers, and glad tidings with ten aspects for the righteous.
[1,2,3] This rebuke is directed at the denial of resurrection and the Quran. (يَتَسَاءَلُونَ)—The meaning of Tasa’ul here is futile argumentation; their goal is not to seek the truth but to engage in meaningless debate.
(عَنِ النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ)—The Naba’ Azim (Great News) refers to resurrection after death, because the news of the Day of Judgment is immense and weighty in the heavens and the earth. Alternatively, it may refer to the Quran and Tawhid, as in Surah Sad (67).
(مُخْتَلِفُونَ)—There are those who affirm it, those who deny it, those who claim only souls will be resurrected, and those who argue that resurrection will be temporary.
Regarding their disputes, they say: This is magic, This is soothsaying, This is poetry, This is the speech of a madman, These are mere dreams, and This is a fabrication.
[4,5] In this passage, along with the rebuke (zajr), there is also a warning (takhwif). The word كَلَّا appears twice, and both instances serve as a deterrent (rad‘iyyah), but their references are separate.
The first كَلَّا is a rejection of their tasa’ul (futile questioning).
The second كَلَّا is a rejection of their ikhtilaf (dispute).
The repetition of (سَيَعْلَمُونَ) either emphasizes the severity and abundance of punishments or signifies two stages of punishment:
The first refers to the worldly punishment.
The second refers to the punishment of the Hereafter.
There is also a possibility that كَلَّا here means "indeed" or "truly."
[6,7,8] Here, ten blessings (ni‘am) are mentioned, with the purpose of demonstrating Allah’s power over resurrection after death. The reasoning is that His power over these grand creations is even greater than the power needed to resurrect life again.
1. First blessing: (أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا)
The earth has been made a place of rest and stability, just as a cradle (mihad) is prepared for an infant’s comfort.
2. Second blessing: (وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا)
This is a metaphorical comparison, likening mountains to pegs that stabilize the earth. Just as a nail has one part embedded in the ground and another part visible, mountains have a portion above the surface and a deeper foundation beneath the earth, preventing instability and excessive movement.
3. Third blessing: (وَخَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا)
Azwaj can refer to different kinds and forms of creation, or it can specifically mean the pairing of male and female.