al-Wāqi‘ah

فَلَوْلَآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ

وَأنتُمْ حِينَئِذٍ تَنظُرُونَ

وَنَحْنُ أقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَكِن لَآ تُبْصِرُونَ

فَلَوْلَآ إِن كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ

تَرْجِعُونَهَا إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

83. Then why do you not intervene when the soul of a dying person reaches the throat?

84. And you at the moment are looking on,

85. But We are nearer unto him than you, but you see not,

86. Then why do you not, if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense

87. Bring back the soul if you are truthful?

The last moments of life preoccupies man with serious thoughts, when nothing may be done to bring the person back to normal life conditions, when the people surrounding the dying person desperately look at them and see that they are dying like a burnt out candle bidding farewell to life and no one may do anything to restore their life. Human weakness is reflected in such moments. Despite modern sophisticated technical and medical equipment, such weakness is evident like former times. To draw a conclusion out of the preceding discussions on Resurrection and providing replies to liars and deniers, the Holy Qur’an provides a telling depiction of the last moments, saying:

"Then why do you not intervene when the soul of a dying person reaches the throat? And you at the moment are looking on". The people surrounding the dying person are herein addressed. While looking at the dying person, they see that they cannot do anything, but notice that life and death are dependent upon Divine Will and they know that the same fate is in store for all of them. The blessed Verse 85 is saying that We are nearest unto him than you and Our angels, prepared to take his life, are also nearest unto him then you, but you fail to see;

("But We are nearer unto him than you, but you see not").

We are fully aware of what is happening in the soul and the perturbed depth of his being as We have decreed that his life be taken at an appointed time, but you see him outwardly unaware of the manner of his departure for the other world and the violent tempests of that time. Thus, the blessed Verse reflects that God Almighty is Nearer unto the dying person. Nonetheless, some Qur’an exegetes maintain that the blessed Verse may reflect that the angels responsible for taking the life of the dying person are here being intended. However, the former exegesis is further consistent with the literal meaning of the blessed Verse. It is worthy of note that God Almighty is Nearest unto us than anyone else, not only at the time of dying, but at all times.

He is even Nearer unto us then ourselves, but we are far from Him owing to our ignorance. Above all, the point in question is quite manifest at the time of dying. It goes without saying that being near to God Almighty or being far away from Him is spiritual rather than spatial or temporal. It is like nearness to or remoteness from the Friends of God Almighty in common usage of the term. However, nearness unto God Almighty entails a more sublime significance solely intelligible to

"those deeply rooted in knowledge"

(rasikhun fi al-‘ilm), namely the Ahl al-Bayt.¹⁷ The blessed Verses 86 and 87 further emphasize and expound the same truth by saying that if you shall never be recompensed for your deeds, then bring him back if you are truthful. Your failure to carry out the same reflects that you have no authority over life and death, but it is God Almighty Who rewards and chastises you for your deeds and He is the One who causes death and gives life. It is worthy of note that the Arabic word madinin is the oblique plural form of madin which is cognate with dayn ("recompense").

In short, the blessed Verses in question are addressed to deniers of Divine Origin and Resurrection warning them that you imagine that you may do anything, but when the soul of the dying person is at his throat, you notice that you may not do anything to bring him back to life. Then We are Nearer to him than you, but you do not comprehend the manner by which We take his soul, whereas you have not authority over warding off death and keeping your beloved alive.

Footnotes

1. 17. Tafsir Nur, vol. 11, p. 5; Tafsir al-Furqan; Tafsir Nimuna, under the blessed Verse in question.