al-Qiyāmah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ

أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ

بَلَىٰ قَادِرِينَ عَلَىٰ أَن نُّسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ

1. I swear by the Day of Resurrection.
2. And I swear by the self-reproaching self [the awakened conscience reproaching committing sins].
3. Does man think that We shall not assemble his bones.
4. Yes, We are Able to put together in perfect order the tips of his fingers.

The blessed Chapter opens with two meaningful oaths:

Qur’an exegetes disagree on the connotation of la; some maintain that it is an emphatic particle and thereby lays further emphasis on the oath rather than negating it; some hold that it is a negative particle implying that the question is of such significance that an oath is not taken thereto, as it is said in common usage that someone’s life is far dearer to be sworn on it. The majority of the exegetes opt for the former, though some prefer the latter, maintaining that a clause may not be opened by the redundant la, but the emphatic particle occurs in the middle of the clause.

However, the former interpretation sounds to be further befitting, since the Qur’an swears by things more significant that the Day of Resurrection, e.g. the Pure Essence of God Almighty. Thus, it would be quite natural to swear by the Day of Resurrection herein. Furthermore, the occurrence of the redundant la is common in Arabic. In this respect, certain opening lines by the pre-Islamic poet Imra’ al-Qays have been quoted which are indicative of the usage of the redundant la in the Arabic tongue.

We maintain that discussing the redundancy or the negation of the la is not that significant, since the usage entails the same result, namely the significance of the object of the oath. The point is that the existence of conscience in the heart reflects the inevitable Resurrection, as human soul is brimmed with happiness upon doing good righteous deeds and it is thereby rewarded. Au contraire, the soul is severely tormented and chastised upon committing evil deeds, such that man may commit suicide in order to deliver himself from pangs of conscience; thus, the verdict as to the severest punishment is issued by conscience and man executes the verdict.

The reflection of the self-reproaching self in human soul is so wide ranging that it may be studied and investigated from any aspect. Taking into account the truth that there is a small means of trial in the microcosm, i.e. human existence, how may one imagine that the macrocosm with all its majesty be deprived of a great just tribunal? Thus, we learn about the inevitability of the Day of Resurrection through the conscience in human heart. The interesting link between the twain oaths are thereby manifested. In other words, the latter oath serves as an argument substantiating the former.

Qur’an exegetes suggest different interpretations for the nature of the self-reproaching self. A well-known interpretation was already mentioned according to which human conscience reproaches man upon his committing evil deeds and makes him to revise and compensate his past evil deeds. Another interpretation is that it implies censuring all mankind on the Day of Resurrection, such that the believers reproach themselves for not having done more good righteous deeds and the disbelievers reproach themselves for having trodden the path of disbelief, polytheism, and sin.

Some exegetes hold that the self-reproaching self reflects that of the disbeliever that reproaches him for having done evil deeds. However, the first interpretation is in line with the preceding and the following blessed Verses. The tribunal of the conscience is so majestic and cherished that God Almighty swears by it and regards it as something significant. It is truly majestic, since it is one of the most significant of human means of salvation provided that the conscience happens to be awakened rather than enfeebled by the burden of sins. It is also worthy of note that the object of the oath (muqassamun lahu) is omitted as the contextual meaning of the following blessed Verses reflect the same.

Thus, the blessed Verses in question say:

"By the Day of Resurrection and the self-reproaching slef that you shall be all raised on the Day of Resurrection and shall be recompensed for your deeds."

It is interesting that the blessed Verse swears by the Day of Resurrection that there shall be Resurrection, reflecting that it is regarded as a certainty by which one may swear against those who belie it. Finally, different selves have been enumerated in the Qur’anic Verses, the traditions, and the prayers.

1. The soul that bids to evil (nafs ammara bi-’l-su’) and may lead to decadence and corruption if it is unchecked by reason and faith.

Thus, it is reflected in the Qur’an:

Such self bids man to commit evil deeds, unless God Almighty grants mercy. It persists in bidding man to evil so that he may be entangled with the evil consequences of his evil deeds. In this vein, it is narrated from the Noble Imam ‘Ali (as) that the soul bidding man to evil may be likened to a hypocrite who flatters a man and pretends to be his friend so that it may overcome him and lead him to the following stages.¹ It is reflected in the Holy Qur’an that having cast Joseph (as) into a well, his brothers returned to their father with his shirt smeared with blood, saying that a wolf had devoured Joseph (as).

The Prophet Jacob (as) replied:

namely your selves adorned such evil deeds in our eyes and provoked you to commit such evil deed. According to a tradition, the believers are required to invoke God Almighty by saying:

"O Lord! Do not leave me with my self for a twinkling of an eye." ³

In his prayers of the complainants (munajat shakkin) the Noble Imam Zayn al-‘Àbidin (as) thus invokes God Almighty:

"I complain to You of the self bidding man to evil, hastening toward misdeeds and sins. Afflicted by any evil, it cries out. It is niggardly when some good is supposed to be done to others by it. It is quite prone to sports and indulgence. It is imbued with neglect and negligence. It leads me to hasten toward committing sins and impedes me from repentance.”

2. The reproaching self (nafs lawwama) which is mentioned in the blessed Chapter in question and may imply conscience. It is in man’s nature to reproach himself owing to committing misdeeds or decrease in the good ones in this world and the Hereafter. Such reproach is equal to repentance that may serve as a prelude to repenting from committing sins or it may lead to despair and self-alienation.

3. The peaceful self (nafs mutma’inna) that results from establishing ritual prayers and remembrance of God Almighty though which man attains to security and peace of mind.

Mention is made of the peaceful self in the Qur’anic Verses, e.g.

A man endowed with security and peace of mind does not entertain fear of death, but he is eager to fall a martyr in Allah’s Cause. He is indifferent to mammon but is always satisfied with Divine Preordainments. The blessed Verses 3 and 4 include a rhetorical question:

In this vein, it is narrated that a polytheist by the name of Ibn Rabi‘a who was the Noble Prophet’s (S) neighbor came to him and inquired about the nature and the time of the Day of Resurrection and said to the Noble Prophet (S) that even if he saw that Day, he would not believe in him as it would be incredible to God might assemble the bones. Then the blessed Verses in question were revealed and replied to his question. Thus, the Noble Prophet (S) invoked God Almighty to rid him of such evil neighbor.⁷

Qur’anic Verses with the same theme are to be found, an instance of which is

One of the disbelievers held a piece of rotten bone in his hand and aiming at belying Resurrection he asked the Noble Prophet:

It is noteworthy that the verbal form yahsabu ("think, imagine"), derived from the root h-s-b, implies that these disbelievers did not truly believe in their own words but they solely relied on unfounded claims and illusions. Particular emphasis is herein laid on bones, since compared to other bodily organs, bones last longer such that when it turns into dust and be scattered, shallow people set less hopes in their assembly. Furthermore, bones constitute the pillars of the body by which all human movements and activities may be possible. The diversity of the sizes and the forms of the bones is one of the wonders of Creation and the mere dysfunction of a tiny vertebra in the backbone may entail the paralysis of the whole body.

The Arabic plural nominal form banan denotes fingers and fingertips, both of which imply that not only God Almighty shall assemble the bones, but He shall put the smallest and the most delicate of the bones, namely the fingertips, in their original form. The expression may be a delicate allusion to the fingerprints which are different in men. In other words, these fingerprints reflect human character. Thus, fingerprinting has turned into a discipline employed in criminology, such that if a burglar touches a door handle, window, lock, or box, a sample of his fingerprint may be taken to compare with the existing records of the thieves and criminals and lead to his arrest.