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wa-ʾashraqati l-ʾarḍu bi-n-nūri rabbihā wa-wuḍiʿa l-kitābu wa-jīʾa bi-n-nabiyyīna wa-sh-shuhadāʾi wa-quḍiya baynahum bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-hum lā yuẓlamūna
The earth will glow with the light of her Lord, and the Book will be set up, and the prophets and the martyrs will be brought, and judgment will be made between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Zumar - Verse 69
69. [On that Day] the earth will shine with the Light of its Lord and the Book of deeds will be placed [forward] and the Prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward and it will be judged between them with truth and they will not be wronged.
The phrase:
denotes either the Light of Truth and Justice with which God Almighty illuminates the earth on that Day or a Light other than the one shed by sun and moon to be Divinely created on that Day. The exegetic work Atyab al-Bayan reads:
“Since the light of sun and moon is not apparent,
indicates the Light shed by believers,”
then this Verse in cited as evidence thereof:
The blessed Verse in question resumes the discussion concerning Resurrection, saying:
Different interpretations have been suggested as to the “shining” with Divine Light, the most significant of which are the following:
1. Some exegets maintain that Divine Light indicates Truth and Justice with which God Almighty illuminates the face of the earth.
In his Bihar al-Anwar ‘Allama Majlisi says:
“That is, the earth shall be illuminated with Divine Justice on the Day of Resurrection, since Justice is the Light of the earth.” 21
Some other exegets maintain that the Prophetic tradition:
“Wrong doing manifests itself as darkness and shadows on the Day of Resurrection”
substantiating the suggestion in question.22 In his Kashshaf, Zamakhshari suggests the same meaning, saying:
“On that Day, the earth shall be illuminated by the administration of justice and fair arbitration of records of righteous and vicious deeds.”
2. Some other exegets hold that it is a reference to a Light other than that of sun and moon which shall be created by God Almighty particularly for that Day.
3. The eminent author of [the exegetic work] Tafsir al-Mizan [‘Allama Tabataba’i] says:
“Illumination of the earth by Divine Light is regarded as one of the characteristics of the Day of Resurrection which is uncovering veils and manifestation of the truth behind things and human deeds including good, evil, obedience, disobedience, truth, and falsehood,”
following which Verse 22 of Chapter 50 is quoted to substantiate the suggested meaning:
It is true that Divine Light on that Day encompasses all things, but the emphasis laid on the earth refers to the fact that it makes a reference to the state of people on earth on that Day. It is to be noted that the aforementioned interpretations are not inconsistent; however the first and the third interpretations sound more appropriate.
The blessed Verse in question indubitably refers to Resurrection and interpreting it in a number of traditions narrated from the Noble Prophet’s (S) Household (as) [Ahl al-Bayt] to Imam Mahdi’s (as) Rise at the end of the world is in fact a kind of comparison and likening, emphasizing that upon his Rise, incidents resembling Resurrection shall occur and he will administer justice as per the nature of the world as the rightful Imam (as), the Successor to the Noble Prophet of Islam (S), and the Vicegerent of God Almighty on the earth.
Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar narrates from Imam Sadiq (as):
“Upon the Rise of our Riser, the earth shall be illuminated by Divine Light and Lord’s servants shall not be in need of sun shine and darkness shall wither away.”
The second clause of the blessed Verse in question treats of the record of deeds, saying that on that Day, the record of deeds shall be put forward and man’s deeds shall be reckoned;
Such records embrace all the significant and non-significant deeds and according to the Holy Qur’an23:
The following clause of the blessed Verse in question treating of witnesses further adds:
Prophets shall be summoned to talk to sinners concerning the fulfillment of their Prophetic Missions:
Witnesses shall be called to the Just Tribunal to bear witness. It is true that God is Omniscient, but the testimony of witnesses shall be required for laying emphasis on Divine Justice. Who are these witnesses? Qur’anic exegets are not unanimous on the issue. Some regard the good, the pure, and the just among communities who bear witness to Prophetic Missions and some regard the deeds of the people contemporaneous with Prophets. The Infallible Imams (as) are regarded as the forerunners of the witnesses.
Substantiating their arguments by the Qur’anic Verse:25
some other exegets interpret witnesses as angels bearing testimony to man’s deeds. Yet, there are exegets who interpret the word alluding to bodily members, space, and time of obedience and disobedience as witnesses on the Day of Resurrection. However, the word
is apparently employed in its broad semantic range and each of the exegets refer to one of the aspects thereof. The fourth clause says:
The fifth clause further adds:
It is evident that when God Almighty wields sway, the earth is illuminated by the Light of His Justice, the record precisely reflecting man’s deeds is put forward, and the Prophets and just witnesses make their presence, the Judgment shall be based on Truth and Justice and wrong doing may not find its way there.
Footnotes