Surah Az-Zumar (39:67-70) from Tafheem-ul-Quran (Towards Understanding the Quran) by Syed Abul Ala Maududi

Verse 39:67

Arabic: وَ مَا قَدَرُوا اللّٰهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهٖ ۖۗ وَ الْاَرْضُ جَمِیْعًا قَبْضَتُهٗ یَوْمَ الْقِیٰمَةِ وَ السَّمٰوٰتُ مَطْوِیّٰتٌۢ بِیَمِیْنِهٖ ؕ سُبْحٰنَهٗ وَ تَعٰلٰی عَمَّا یُشْرِكُوْنَ 

Translation: They did not recognise the true worth of Allah. (Such is Allah’s power that) on the Day of Resurrection the whole earth will be in His grasp, and the heavens shall be folded up in His Right Hand. Glory be to Him! Exalted be He from all that they associate with Him.

Tafseer: The unbelievers are unaware of God’s glory and greatness. They have never fully appreciated His exalted status that makes the deities they worship pale into absolute insignificance. Astonishingly, however, such people look upon the objects which they themselves have made into God’s associates and partners and then consider them to be worthy objects of worship. In order to emphasize God’s absolute control over the heavens and the earth, the Qur’an has recourse to the metaphor ‘and the heavens shall be folded up in His Right Hand’. Just as it is easy for someone to hold a ball in his palm, and doing so does not weary him, so it will be on the Day of Judgement when the heavens and the earth will be rolled up in God’s Hand. This image is especially presented to the unbelievers who are ignorant of God’s greatness and glory so as to impress on them that for God the universe is no greater than a ball or a handkerchief. We find traditions in Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Bukhari, Muslim, Nasa‘i, Ibn Majah and Ibn Jarir al-Tabari on the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah to the effect that once when the Prophet (peace be on him) was delivering a sermon from the pulpit he recited this particular verse, adding: God will rotate the heavens and the earths [that is, planets] in His palm, as a child rotates a ball. He will pronounce: ‘I am the One God. I am the King. I am the Irresistible. All greatness belongs to Me. Where are the earthly kings? Where are the tyrants? Where are the mighty ones?’ While recounting these words, the Prophet (peace be on him) shook so violently that the Companions feared that he would collapse on the pulpit. (Bukhari, Kitab Tafsir al-Qur’an, Bab Qawlihi: ‘Wa al-ard jamian qabdatuhu’; Muslim, Kitab Sifat al-Qiyamah wa al-Jannah wa al-Nar; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar; Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-Zumar 39: 67.) On the one hand is God’s infinite glory. Just bear that in mind and then bring to mind the pettiness of holding other objects as associates with Him in His Godhead. 9

Verse 39:68

Arabic: وَ نُفِخَ فِی الصُّوْرِ فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَنْ فِی الْاَرْضِ اِلَّا مَنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ؕ ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِیْهِ اُخْرٰی فَاِذَا هُمْ قِیَامٌ یَّنْظُرُوْنَ 

Translation: And the Trumpet shall be blown and all who are in the heavens and the earth shall fall down dead save those whom Allah wills. Then the Trumpet shall be blown again, and lo! all of them will be standing and looking on.

Tafseer: For an elaboration of the Trumpet, see al-An’‘am 6, n. 48, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. II, p. 244; Ibrahim 14, n. 57, vol. IV, pp. 276-7; Ta Ha 20, n. 78, vol. V, pp. 223-4; and al-Hajj 22, n. 1, vol. VI pp. 5-6. The present verse states that the Trumpet will be blown twice. In Surah al-Naml 27: 58, however, there is reference to a blowing of the Trumpet preceding which all creatures will fall dead with dread and awe. Ahadith, therefore, speak of the blowing of the Trumpet thrice: (i) The first such occasion will fill everyone with awe and dread. (ii) The second will cause everyone’s death. (iii) The third will bring about resurrection. All the dead will rise from their graves to appear before their Lord. 9

Verse 39:69

Arabic: وَ اَشْرَقَتِ الْاَرْضُ بِنُوْرِ رَبِّهَا وَ وُضِعَ الْكِتٰبُ وَ جِایْٓءَ بِالنَّبِیّٖنَ وَ الشُّهَدَآءِ وَ قُضِیَ بَیْنَهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ وَ هُمْ لَا یُظْلَمُوْنَ 

Translation: The earth shall shine with the light of its Lord, and the Scroll (of deeds) shall be set in place, and the Prophets and all witnesses shall be brought, and judgement shall be justly passed among them, and they shall not be wronged;

Tafseer: Included in this are those witnesses who will testify that they had conveyed God’s message to mankind. There will also be those witnesses who will bear testimony to the deeds of people. These latter witnesses may not necessarily be human beings. The angels, the jinn, the animals the limbs of a person’s own body, the physical environment and the trees and stones may also testify to men’s deeds, each in its peculiar manner. 9

Verse 39:70

Arabic: وَ وُفِّیَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتْ وَ هُوَ اَعْلَمُ بِمَا یَفْعَلُوْنَ۠

Translation: and everyone shall be paid in full for all that he did. Allah is best aware of all that they do.

Surah Az-Zumar (39:67-70) from Tafheem-ul-Quran by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi

Verse 67

Arabic Text:
وَمَا قَدَرُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

English Translation:
They did not recognise the true worth of Allah. (Such is Allah’s power that) on the Day of Resurrection the whole earth will be in His grasp, and the heavens shall be folded up in His Right Hand. Glory be to Him! Exalted be He from all that they associate with Him. 12

Tafseer (Commentary):
That is, they have no conception of the greatness and glory of Allah; they have never tried to understand how high is the position of the Lord of the Universe and how insignificant are the beings whom these foolish people have made associates in Godhead and worthy of their worship. This is a figurative way of describing the complete control and authority of Allah over the earth and heavens. Just as a man encloses a small ball in the hollow of his hand with perfect ease, or a person rolls up an handkerchief in his hand without any difficulty, so will all men (who fail to conceive the greatness and glory of Allah) see with their own eyes, on the Day of Resurrection, that the earth and the heavens are like an ordinary ball and a small scroll in the hand of Allah. Traditions have been related in Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, Nasai, Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir and others, on the authority of Abdullah bin Umar and Abu Hurairah, that once during a sermon the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited this verse and then said: Allah will hold the heavens and the earths (i.e. the planets) in His grasp and will roll them about in such a way as a child rolls a ball, and will say: I am God, the One: I am the King: I am the All-Mighty, Owner of glory: Where are the kings of the world? Where are the tyrants? Where are the arrogant? Saying these words he started so shaking that we feared that he might topple over along with the pulpit. That is, there is no comparison whatever between Allah’s greatness and glory and the insignificance of those who are associated with Him in Godhead. 12

Verse 68

Arabic Text:
وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَى فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنظُرُونَ

English Translation:
And the Trumpet shall be blown and all who are in the heavens and the earth shall fall down dead save those whom Allah wills. Then the Trumpet shall be blown again, and lo! all of them will be standing and looking on. 12

Tafseer (Commentary):
For the explanation of Thoor (Trumpet), see (Surah Al- Anaam, Ayat 73); (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 48); (Surah Al-Kahf, Ayat 99); (Surah TaHa, Ayats 102-103); (Surah Al-Hajj, Ayat 1); (Surah Al-Momioon, Ayat 101); (Surah An-Naml, Ayat 87) and the E,Ns thereof. Here, mention has been made of the Turmpet’s being blown only twice. Besides, in Surah An-Naml there is the mention of another blowing of the Trumpet before these two, on hearing which everything in the earth and the heavens will be struck with terror (verse 87). On this very basis, the Ahadith mention that the Trumpet will be blown thrice: (1) Nafakhat al-Fazaon, hearing which everything will be struck with terror. (2) Nafakhat as-Saaq, on which everyone will fall down dead, (3) Nafakhat al-qiyam li-Rabbit-alamin, i.e. the Trumpet on the blowing of which all dead men will return to life and arise from their graves to present themselves before their Lord. 12

Verse 69

Arabic Text:
وَأَشْرَقَتِ الْأَرْضُ بِنُورِ رَبِّهَا وَوُضِعَ الْكِتَابُ وَجِيءَ بِالنَّبِيِّينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُم بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ

English Translation:
The earth shall shine with the light of its Lord, and the Scroll (of deeds) shall be set in place, and the Prophets and all witnesses shall be brought, and judgement shall be justly passed among them, and they shall not be wronged; 12

Tafseer (Commentary):
“The witnesses”: those who will bear witness to the effect that the Message of Allah had been conveyed to the people as well as those who will bear witness to the acts and deeds of the people. It is not necessary that these witnesses will be only human beings. The angels, the jinns, the beasts, men’s own limbs, their dwelling places and the trees and stones, will all be included among the witnesses. 12

Verse 70

Arabic Text:
وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتْ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ

English Translation:
and everyone shall be paid in full for all that he did. Allah is best aware of all that they do. 12

Tafseer (Commentary):
No specific additional commentary provided for this verse in the source. 12