al-Wāqi‘ah

أفَرَأيْتُمُ النَّارَ الَّتِي تُورُونَ

أأنتُمْ أنشَأتُمْ شَجَرَتَهَا أمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنشِؤُونَ

نَحْنُ جَعَلْنَاهَا تَذْكِرَةً وَمَتَاعًا لِّلْمُقْوِينَ

فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ

71. Have you seen the fire which you kindle?

72. Is it you who made the tree thereof to grow, or are We the Grower?

73. We have made it a Reminder [of Hellfire] and an article of use for the travelers.

74. Then, glorify with praises the Name of your Lord, the Most Glorified.

The blessed Verses in question treat of the last argument presented for the acknowledgement of Resurrection. It is the creation of fire which is the most significant means of human life and the most effective means in all industries. The blessed Verse 71 is asking: "Have you ever thought about the fire which you kindle? Have you created the trees wherewith you kindle fire or We have created them?” The Arabic verbal form tawrun

("you kindle")

is cognate with wara and ira’ denoting "covering" and connoting the fire potential in the means of making fire which appears through sparkling. It is worthy of note that today we make use of matches, lighters, and the like to make fire but formerly iron and flint were used for making fire. Arabs of Hijaz used two trees growing in deserts named murkh and ‘affar for kindling fire such that the former was placed underneath and the latter was struck against it and they sparkled like flint stones.

Some Qur’anic exegetes maintain that the blessed Verses in question reflect Divine Omnipotence by saying that it is through His Will that fire is potentially existent in the wood of such trees as He created fire in the "green tree" (shajar akhdhar) despite the fact that trees live by water. God Almighty Who created fire and water beside each other or even one in the other. Then, why do you say that He cannot raise the dead on the Day of Resurrection?

The blessed Verse 73 further adds:

"We have made it a Reminder [of Hellfire] and an article of use for the travelers."

Emergence of fire from green trees reminds raising of the dead on the Day of Resurrection on the one hand and fire serves as a reminder for Hellfire on the other; as it is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S):

"The fire which you kindle

is one part of the seventy parts of Hellfire." ⁸

Finally, fire is one of the most significant discoveries in making which God Almighty makes all the contributions and human contributions are quite insignificant. Furthermore, it was through the discovery of fire that man entered another phase of civilization. The Glorious Qur’an tersely alludes to all these truths by such brief clause. It is also worthy of note that the immaterial benefit of fire, namely reminding man of Hellfire and the Day of Resurrection, precedes the material use of the same, since the former bears further significance and plays the fundamental role in this respect.

The blessed Verse 74 draws a conclusion by saying:

"Then, glorify with praises the Name of your Lord, the Most Glorified."

God Almighty, the Creator of all these Blessings each of which serve as a reminder of Resurrection and Divine Unity, Omnipotence, and Greatness, deserves to be praised and glorified of any defect and fault. He is the Lord and the Greatest, the All-Mighty, the Omnipotent. The blessed Verse seemingly addresses the Noble Prophet (S), but it actually addresses all mankind. It would be of interest to make mention of three meaningful traditions regarding the blessed Verses narrated from the Noble Prophet (S) and the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali (as).

1. According to Tafsir Ruh al-Ma‘ani, it is narrated from Imam ‘Ali (as) that one night when he was establishing his prayer reciting Surah al-Waqi‘a, he came unto the blessed Verses:

"Have you seen what is emitted into wombs? Is it you who create it in the form of man, or are We the Creator?"

he said thrice:

"Yes, You are the Creator of man, O Lord!"

When he came unto the blessed Verse:

"Is it you that make it grow, or are We the Grower?"

he said thrice:

"Yes, You are the Tue Cultivator, O Lord!"

When he came unto the blessed Verse:

"Is it you who cause it from the rain clouds to come down, or are We the Causer of it to come down?"

he said thrice:

"Yes, You are the One Who send down rain from clouds, O Lord!" ⁹

The tradition reflects that man is supposed to provide positive replies against the rhetorical questions attested in the Glorious Qur’an, as if God Almighty is speaking unto him. The, he is supposed to rejuvenate its truth in his soul and refrain from reciting Qur’anic Verses without paying attention to their significance.

2. It is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S):

"Never withhold your available extra water, pasture, and water from Allah's servants since God Almighty has placed it at the disposal of travelers and the needy." ¹⁰

3. It is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S) that upon the Revelation of the blessed Verse:

"Then, glorify with praises the Name of your Lord, the Most Glorified"

he said

"Use it as your formula of genuflexion (ruku‘) in establishing your prayers,"

namely say:

"Glorified and Praised is my Great Lord" (subhan rabbi al-a‘la wa bi-hamdih).

Footnotes

1. 8. Tafsir Ruh al-Ma‘ani; Tafsir Qurtubi.
2. 9. Tafsir Ruh al-Ma‘ani, under the blessed Verse in question.
3. 10. Tafsir Majma‘ al-Bayan; Tafsir Nur al-Thiqalayn; Durr al-Manthur; Man la Yahdhuruhu al-Faqih.