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lā yassammaʿūna ʾilā l-malaʾi l-ʾaʿlā wa-yuqdhafūna min kulli jānibin
They do not eavesdrop on the Supernal Elite—they are shot at from every side,
— Ali Quli Qarai
37Aṣ-ṢāffātالصافاتVerse 8 of 182
Those who set the Ranks37. Aṣ-Ṣāffātالصافات
al-Ṣaffāt
The Ranged Ones
MeccanVerse 8 of 182
Surah As-Saffat – Verses 8-10
8. “They cannot listen to (the secrets of) the exalted assembly and they are thrown at from every side,”
9. “(To be) driven off, and for them is an everlasting chastisement,”
10. “Except him who snatches a fragment, and he is pursued by a piercing flame.”
Satans are some responsible beings who will be called to account and will be given retribution by Allah. So, here the Qur’an says:
The next verse implies that they will seriously be driven back and will be sent off from the scene of heaven, and there is a permanent punishment for them. It says:
The Qur’anic term /la yassamma‘un/ (which is used in the sense of /yatasamma‘un/) means that: they want to listen to the news of the exalted assembly (High council), but they are not allowed. The Arabic phrase /mala’-il-’a‘la/ means the angels in the high world, because /mala’/ originally means ‘community and group who have the same attitude and, by this agreement and unity, they fill the eyes of others. And superiors, notables, and entourage of the centres of power are also called /mala’/ because their outward situation is considerable, but when it is qualified by /’a‘la/ (high), it refers to the high ranked angels of Allah.
The Arabic term /yaqŏifun/ is derived from /qaŏf/ in the sense of ‘throw’ and ‘shooting to a distanced place’, and the purpose here is ‘repelling Satans’ by ‘flames’, which will be explained later. This shows that Allah does not let them even approach the realm of ‘High Council’. The Arabic term /duhur/ is derived from /dahr/ in the sense of ‘drive off’. And the term /wasib/ originally means ‘chronic diseases’, but, in general, it means: permanent and lasting, and sometimes it has also been used with the sense of pure.
Here, it points to this meaning that not only Satans are prohibited from approaching the scene of heaven, but also they will finally be involved with the permanent chastisement, too. This, verse refers to a group of rebellious and insolent Satans who intend to ascend to the high expanse of heaven. It says:
The Qur’anic term /šihab/ originally means: a flame which comes up from a burning fire. It is also called to the fiery flames which are seen in the sky like an extended line. We know that these are not stars, but they are alike to stars. They are some small pieces of stone which are scattered in the sphere, and when they come into the gravity realm of the earth, they will be attracted toward the earth, and as the result of speed and their intense of strike with the air around the earth, they burn.
The Arabic word /thaqib/ means: penetrating and piercing, as if, because of an intense light, it pierces the face of the eye and burns it. Therefore, there are two barriers for the influence of Satans into the expanse of heavens: the first barrier is ‘throwing from every side’, which is also apparently done by /šuhub/. The second barrier is a special kind of flame which is called: ‘a piercing flame’. It waits for them that when they, now and then, approach ‘High council’ for eavesdropping, they will be struck by them.
Similar to this meaning is mentioned is Surah Al-Hijr, No. 15, verses 17 and 18, where He says:
Again, Surah Al-Mulk, No. 67, verse 5 says some meaning like this. It says: