[1] (In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)

The meaning

More explanation

[2] 1. Blessed be [God Whose kingdom increases more and more]; He by Whose hand is the ownership [of all things], and is All-Able to do everything.

[3] 2. Who has created the dead [matter]^a, and [then He created] the living [beings out of the dead matter] to try you, which of you is best in deeds^b. And He is the Almighty^c the All-Forgiving^d.

[4] 3. [God] Who has created seven stratified^e [gaseous] heavens; you cannot see any non-observance^f in the creation of the Most Gracious!

Then [look at the sky, your first look, and] turn your [eye-] sight again [to make sure]: Can you^g see any rifts [in the heavens]? [No, of course.]^h

[5] 4. Then turn your [eye-] sightⁱ twice –– your [eye-] sight shall return to you disappointed^j eventhough it be open-eyed^k.

[6] 5. And We adorned the nearest firmament [to your earth] with [meteors which flash at night like] lamps, and made these [meteors] to stone devils^l; and We have prepared for them [for Doomsday] the chastisement of the Blaze.

^{2 a} The indication of this is His description of the earth in the Quran 16: 65, which means:

(And God sends down [rain] water from the sky, and gives therewith life to the earth [with the plant and much vegetation] after its death [with the drought.])

^{2 b} So He will reward him according to his deeds.

^{2 c} In His kingdom, so He will take revenge on the associaters and disbelievers.

^{2 d} For those of monotheists who repent. [Monotheists are those who exclusively devote their worship to God alone.]

^{3 e} It means: one over another.

^{3 f} It means: He missed nothing as regards the perfection of His creatures, but all His creatures are perfectly made, firmly organized, excellent in shape.

^{3 g} The beholder of the sky.

^{3 h} The answer is: No, no cracks nor any fissures; but when the Doom of man is due [when he dies], he will see the much many rifts, fissures and cracks in the sky.

As in His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 82: 1, which means

(When the sky [or heaven] shall split open.)

And in the Quran 84: 1, which means:

(When the sky [: the gaseous layers] shall tear apart.)

The meaning: The sight of man is defective about comprehension of the truth, and he cannot see the metaphysics; so on account of his defective eye looking, he sees the sky homogenous without any rifts, but he will see it cracked after his death and going to the world of souls.

Example: if you look with your unaided eye to a piece of cloth, you will see it homogenous without pores, but if you look to it with the microscope, you will see it having a large number of pores like the sieve.

Hence, the difference is between us and the souls, because their sight is sharp. God – be glorified – said in the Quran 50: 22, which means:

(We have now [by death] removed from you your cover [i.e. your body], so today keen is your sight.)

i.e. his sight will be sharp.

Therefore, one who cannot see the exact truth about the material objects, how can such one be certain about the spiritual creatures which he has not seen in the life of the World, like the angels, spirits, jinn (or genies) and devils; hence he denies their existence.

In fact, I myself, saw such cracking and rifting, when a fainting event happened to me, which is written in my book Man after Death with the title of Was it death or fainting? which is also written in my book An Hour with Ghosts

with the title of A trip in the world of ghosts

^{4 i} To look: can you see seven gaseous heavens, although the gases are matter, but you cannot see them because they are transparent.

Then look also twice for ascertaining.

^{4 j} Having not reached to an end, and it cannot see the gases of the sky.

^{4 k} It means: And in spite of that you are seer not blind, but you could not reach to an end.

^{5 l} If they try to eavesdrop.

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[7] 6. And there will be the chastisement of Hell for those who disbelieve in their Lord; what a miserable destiny [will their destiny be in Hell!]

[8] 7. When they will be cast into [Hell], they will hear its roaring^a – as it boils up^b.

[9] 8. As [Hell] would tear up [from simmering] with [extreme] rage [at disbelievers.]^c Whenever a [new] troop is flung therein its keepers ask them: Came there to you no warner to [warn] you [of this punishment^d]?

[10] 9. They will say: "Yes, indeed, a warner did come to us, but we denied [him] and said: 'God has not revealed anything^e; surely you [messengers] are in error [far from the truth] so great, [for that you say: God has revealed to us a book and a revelation!'] "

[11] 10. And they shall say: “Had we but listened [to the words of the messengers] or pondered [that to which they invited us], we should not have been among the inmates of the Blaze.”

[12] 11. Thus, [will] they confess their sins [but their confession will not avail them anything at that time, for] the inmates of the Blaze will be far removed [from God's mercy.]

^{7 a} Which is the sound of the flame and the emerging of gases out of it.

^{7 b} With its burning liquids.

^{8 c} And the pieces would separate the big one from the small; the ‘rage’ is the sound of its boiling or simmering.

The indication of this is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 25: 12, which means:

(When it[s keepers] see them from a place far-off, [they will increase its blaze so that] the [disbelievers] will hear the roaring sound of its [boiling] and [the rage of] its exhalation.)

So the sun is about to burst and tear up on account of the severe [pressure of] the gases imprisoned in its core following the cooling of its surface and the formation on its surface of a cold crust, which will be at the end of its life.

Then when the gases do not find an exit to get out, at that time the sun will burst and cut up into nineteen pieces; this will occur on Doomsday.

^{8 d} So as to avoid it by obeying your Lord?

^{9 e} It means: God has not revealed any book to any man.

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[13] 12. Surely those who fear their Lord, when alone in private^a –– there awaits them forgiveness and a great reward [in the Next Life.]

[14] 13. Conceal your saying or proclaim it [; it is all the same to Him^b]; for surely He is All-Knowing about [the secrets of the hearts] that are in the breasts [of people.]

[15] 14. Shall He Who created [breasts] not know [their secrets]? He is Most Kind [with His acts], the Most Aware [about His servants.]

[16] 15. It is [God] Who has made the earth manageable to you, [people, for dwelling and cultivation^c.]

Therefore walk in its high [mountainous] places^d [in addition to its low plains], and eat out of His provision^e, and of Him is [your praying to] quicken [the land with the plant.]^f

^{12 a} i.e. when they are alone in their privacy, when none of people may see them, so they do not disobey Him because they fear of Him.

^{13 b} The secret and the open are alike to Him.

^{15 c} It means: He made it prepared for your disposal and cultivation.

^{15 d} Seeking after provision with cultivation, industry and commerce.

The Arabic word in the aya literally means the high places; the meaning: You may obtain your provision not only in plains of the earth, but even on hills and mountains you may obtain your provision, that is by means of cultivation, hunting or extraction of metals out of the earth.

^{15 e} It means: Eat the fruits out of that which you plant, and the product of that which you manufacture, and the profit of that with which you trade.

^{15 f} It means: It is up to you to cultivate, and it is up to Him to plant and make it productive in order that you may eat.

So the word in the aya is related to spreading the plant on earth.

The indication of this is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 42: 28, which means:

(And it is He [: God] Who sends down the rain even after [people] have despaired [of sending it down], and [so He] spreads out His mercy [on earth])

I.e. He spreads the plant on the earth.

Moreover, God – be glorified – said in the Quran 43: 11, which means:

(And Who sent down out of the sky [rain] water in due measure, and We spread abroad, with the [rain, the plant on] a land that was barren.)

So the meaning: Of Him is your supplication, and of Him is your prayer, to grow and spread abroad your plant.

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[17] 16. Do you [people] feel secure that [God] Who is in heaven^a may not cleave the earth with you, [as did He cleave another earth with its people before you], so that it then [shall] violently heave^b?

[18] 17. Or do you feel secure that [God] Who is in heaven may not send against you [birds to shoot you with] pebbles^c, then [at that time] you will know how My warning is^{d
?}

[19] 18. Those before them^e had denied [their apostles; so We destroyed them with Our chastisement.]

Then how were the consequences of [their] denying [the punishment? Did not they face it?]

[20] 19. Have they^f not seen the birds – [that smote the Host of the Elephant with stones] – [flying] above them [in the sky], spreading out their wings [once] and [another time] folding them in?

None can withhold them [from smiting them with stones] except the Most Gracious; surely He is All-Seeing of everything.^g

[21] 20. Where are such hosts of yours, that can – apart from the Most Gracious – help you [in averting the punishment^h?]

The disbelievers are only in self-deception [with their wealth, their sons and their large number.]

[22] 21. Who is there to provide for you [the plant and fruits], if [God] were to withhold [the rain, which is] His provision?ⁱ but they obstinately persist with [their] opposition and aversion [away from the truth.]

[Some of Quraish tribesmen asked the Jews and said: “Are we the better guided or the companions of Mohammed?”

They said: “You are better guided than they are!”

As in His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 4: 51, which means:

(Haven't you [Mohammed] regarded those [Jews] who were given a portion of the [Heavenly] Book [: the Torah], [how] they believe in the priest [: Huyay, the son of Akhtab] and the arrogant [: Ka'ab, the son of Ashraf], and [how] they say to the disbelievers: "These [Jewish priests] are more rightly guided than those [Mohammed and his companions] who believe.")

So God – be glorified – disapproved their words, and He said:]

[23] 22. Is he then, who [will, on the Judgment Day, go prone upon his face [headlong to Hell]^j better guided or he who [will] walk upright upon a straight path [to Paradise!?]

^{16 a} i.e. in the space.

^{16 b} i.e. disturbs and quakes.

[This aya has been explained in the book The Universe and the Quran with the title of [The mistake of Astronomers about the Asteroids 1]

^{17 c} As did He send against the ‘Host of the Elephant’ and on the people of Lot.

^{17 d} When you will see the falling down of the pebbles and stones on you.

^{18 e} i.e. before the people of Mecca.

^{19 f} i.e. the people of Mecca.

^{19 g} A similar aya has been explained in the interpretation of the Quran 16: 79.

^{20 h} When the punishment settles on them.

It means: None can help and save you from the punishment, but only the Most Gracious, if you believe in Him today and follow His messenger.

^{21 i} It means: If He withholds the rain from you; who, other than God, can loose it or bring it down?

^{22 j} It means: How can you say to the associaters who will be admitted into the Fire on Doomsday: “You are better of guidance than the believers are” while they will go to Paradise?

The one who will ‘walk prone upon his face’ is the disbeliever and associater. The indication of this is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 17: 97, which means:

(And on Doomsday We will gather them together on their faces [directing towards Hell]; being blind [to the way of getting out of it], dumb [to speak with apology] and deaf [to hear the rapture and sounds of delight].)

So the meaning is: How do you, Jews, consider the associaters as having guidance, while they work in the life of the World, to deny, oppose and fight the messenger, and in the Next Life they will be dragged on their faces to Hell.

So the word in the aya means the falling of man on his face or head.

The word has also been explained in the interpretation of the Quran 26: 94

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[24] 23. Say: "It is [God] Who has formed your [souls from the ether]^a, and assigned for you hearing, sight and [spiritual] hearts^b; [but] only a small number of you show gratitude [to God^c.]"

[25] 24. Say: "It is He [: God] Who has scattered^d you [O people] throughout the earth^e, and to Him will you be gathered together^f [on the Day of Judgment.]"

[26] 25. And they [: the associaters] say: "When will this promise [of the punishment and the accounting] be fulfilled, if you [believers] are truthful [in your words]?"

[27] 26. Say: "God only knows [that.] And I am [sent] only to warn you clearly."^g

[Then God – be glorified – told about those of them who died, and He said:]

[28] 27. Then [when they died] they saw [the torment] close at hand; [at that time] the faces of the disbelievers were vexed^h, and it was said [to them by the angels]: "This is [the torment] for which you were asking [in the life of the World, with mocking; so now suffer of it.]"

^{23 a} Because the soul is the true man, while the body is nothing more than a mold in which the soul is formed and its particles are compiled and gravitated to each other.

^{23 b} These three are also some of the special senses of the soul; for had He meant the bodies, then God – be glorified – would have said: And assigned for you the ear, the eye and the heart.

Moreover, His saying – be glorified – which means: (has formed you), but He did not say: has created you. For the ‘creation’ is of the body, and the ‘formation’ is of the soul.

^{23 c} For His bounties.

^{24 d} And dispersed you.

^{24 e} In order to reproduce and fill the earth.

^{24 f} To be taken to account and judged.

^{26 g} i.e. I know not when the chastisement will afflict you or when the Judgment will be.

^{27 h} i.e. their faces were blackened and their circumstances were grievous.

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[The associaters desired for the death of the Prophet: so as to get rid of him, and they said: “He is only a possessed man, whose death we are awaiting.”

Therefore, this aya was revealed in reply to them:]

[29] 28. Say, [Mohammed, to your people who desire for your death]: "Have you considered: whether God will cause me and those [believers] with me to perish^a, or will have mercy on us [by enabling us to leave your city and go to another one]; still, who [else] may save the disbelievers from a painful doom [that may afflict you if you lose me either by my death or emigration]?"^b

[30] 29. Say, [Mohammed, to the disbelievers]: "It is He the Most Gracious: we have believed in Him [alone, as having no associate nor any son or daughter], and in Him we put [all] our trust [in preaching the religion of the Islam]; then [after your death] you, will know which [of us] is in manifest error [: we or you.]

[31] 30. Say: "Have you considered: if your water sinks away [deep in the earth]^c, who can then provide you with flowing [palatable] water?"^d

^{28 a} As you wish.

^{28 b} The meaning: God sent me to save you from the ignorance and to deliver you from the chastisement of the Next Life, and to lead you to dignity and glory; so if you lose me, whether by my death or by my emigration from you, then who, apart from me, will save you from the ignorance, and who will deliver you from God’s chastisement in the life of the World and in the Next Life?

^{30 c} And you drink it bitter or salt; it means: the water of wells.

^{30 d} This will occur when the earth will stop its axial rotation, and the heat will increase in the day side, so that the water of rivers and seas will evaporate, and no water will remain other than only the water of wells.

By God's help, the interpretation of the soora 67 of the Quran is completed;

So (praise be to God: Lord of the worlds.)

[1] بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

[2] 1. تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

[3] 2. الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

[4] 3. الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا مَّا تَرَى فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَنِ مِن تَفَاوُتٍ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِن فُطُورٍ

[5] 4. ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِأً وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ

[6] 5. وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاء الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِينِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ

[7] 6. وَلِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

[8] 7. إِذَا أُلْقُوا فِيهَا سَمِعُوا لَهَا شَهِيقًا وَهِيَ تَفُورُ

[9] 8. تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ كُلَّمَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ

[10] 9. قَالُوا بَلَى قَدْ جَاءنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ كَبِيرٍ

[11] 10. وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

[12] 11. فَاعْتَرَفُوا بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسُحْقًا لِّأَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

[13] 12. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ

[14] 13. وَأَسِرُّوا قَوْلَكُمْ أَوِ اجْهَرُوا بِهِ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ

[15] 14. أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ

[16] 15. هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًا فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِن رِّزْقِهِ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

[17] 16. أَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاء أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ

[18] 17. أَمْ أَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاء أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ

[19] 18. وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ

[20] 19. أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا الرَّحْمَنُ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ بَصِيرٌ

[21] 20. أَمَّنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ جُندٌ لَّكُمْ يَنصُرُكُم مِّن دُونِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنِ الْكَافِرُونَ إِلَّا فِي غُرُورٍ

[22] 21. أَمَّنْ هَذَا الَّذِي يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُ بَل لَّجُّوا فِي عُتُوٍّ وَنُفُورٍ

[23] 22. أَفَمَن يَمْشِي مُكِبًّا عَلَى وَجْهِهِ أَهْدَى أَمَّن يَمْشِي سَوِيًّا عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

[24] 23. قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ

[25] 24. قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِي ذَرَأَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

[26] 25. وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى هَذَا الْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

[27] 26. قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْعِلْمُ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ

[28] 27. فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةً سِيئَتْ وُجُوهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقِيلَ هَذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ تَدَّعُونَ

[29] 28. قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَهْلَكَنِيَ اللَّهُ وَمَن مَّعِيَ أَوْ رَحِمَنَا فَمَن يُجِيرُ الْكَافِرِينَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

[30] 29. قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ آمَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

[31] 30. قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَاؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا فَمَن يَأْتِيكُم بِمَاء مَّعِينٍ