Surah Al-Inshiqaq, verse 20
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Without diacritics
فما لهم لا يؤمنون
What then is the matter With them, that they Believe not?—
A translation is its translator's understanding of the Quran, not the Quran itself. Our method
- Verse 20 of 25
- Juz 30
- Page 589
What Ibn Ashur says, in summary
al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir · التحرير والتنوير · One passage explains 84:20 to 84:21.
In short
The meaning is: why do they not fear the terrors of the day of meeting God, so that they believe?
Arabic source
والمَعْنى: فَما لَهم لا يَخافُونَ أهْوالَ يَوْمِ لِقاءِ اللَّهِ فَيُؤْمِنُوا.
reported as one view
The verse may be a deduction from what was said about those given their book behind their backs; the plural pronoun is used because the relative «من» covers all who fit the description, namely the group.
Arabic source
يَجُوزُ أنْ يَكُونَ التَّفْرِيعُ عَلى ما ذُكِرَ مِن أحْوالِ مَن أُوتِيَ كِتابَهُ وراءَ ظَهْرِهِ، وأُعِيدَ عَلَيْهِ ضَمِيرُ الجَماعَةِ؛ لِأنَّ المُرادَ بِـ (مَن) المَوْصُولَةِ كُلُّ مَن تَحِقُّ فِيهِ الصِّلَةُ فَجَرى الضَّمِيرُ عَلى مَدْلُولِ (مَن) وهو الجَماعَةُ.
reported as one view
It may also be deduced from the address to man that he is toiling to his Lord and will meet Him: if that is established, how do those who denied the resurrection not believe?
Arabic source
ويَجُوزُ أنْ يَكُونَ مُفَرَّعًا عَلى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿يا أيُّها الإنْسانُ إنَّكَ كادِحٌ إلى رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلاقِيهِ﴾ [الإنشقاق: ٦] أيْ: إذا تَحَقَّقْتَ ذَلِكَ فَكَيْفَ لا يُؤْمِنُ بِالبَعْثِ الَّذِينَ أنْكَرُوهُ ؟ !
The meaning is wonder and rejection of their lack of faith despite the clear proofs of the truth of what they were called to and warned of.
Arabic source
والمَعْنى: التَّعْجِيبُ والإنْكارُ مِن عَدَمِ إيمانِهِمْ مَعَ ظُهُورِ دَلائِلِ صِدْقِ ما دُعُوا إلَيْهِ وأُنْذِرُوا بِهِ.
«Prostration» here means submission and humility: when the Quran is recited to them they do not submit to God, to the Quran's meanings and its proof, nor believe in its truth; the proof is that it is set against «rather those who disbelieve deny».
Arabic source
والسُّجُودُ مُسْتَعْمَلٌ بِمَعْنى الخُضُوعِ والخُشُوعِ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿والنَّجْمُ والشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدانِ﴾ [الرحمن: ٦] وقَوْلِهِ: ﴿يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلالُهُ عَنِ اليَمِينِ والشَّمائِلِ سُجَّدًا لِلَّهِ﴾ [النحل: ٤٨] أيْ: إذا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ القُرْآنُ لا يَخْضَعُونَ لِلَّهِ ولِمَعانِي القُرْآنِ وحُجَّتِهِ، ولا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِحَقِيقَتِهِ ودَلِيلُ هَذا المَعْنى مُقابَلَتُهُ بِقَوْلِهِ: (﴿بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُكَذِّبُونَ﴾ [الإنشقاق: ٢٢]) .
his preferred view
Nothing in this verse requires a prostration of the Quran here; the sounder view of Malik and his companions is that it is not one of the Quran's prostrations, contrary to Ibn Wahb of Malik's companions, who counted fourteen.
Arabic source
ولَيْسَ في هَذِهِ الآيَةِ ما يَقْتَضِي أنَّ عِنْدَ هَذِهِ الآيَةِ سَجْدَةً مِن سُجُودِ القُرْآنِ والأصَحُّ مِن قَوْلِ مالِكٍ وأصْحابِهِ أنَّها لَيْسَتْ مِن سُجُودِ القُرْآنِ خِلافًا لِابْنِ وهْبٍ مِن أصْحابِ مالِكٍ فَإنَّهُ جَعَلَ سُجُوداتِ القُرْآنِ أرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ.
More points (14)
The third-person pronoun is used because the rebuke and wonder are aimed specifically at the polytheists among those included in the word «man», since warning them is more important; the pronoun is a shift of person.
Arabic source
وجِيءَ بِضَمِيرِ الغَيْبَةِ لِأنَّ المَقْصُودَ مِنَ الإنْكارِ والتَّعَجُّبِ خُصُوصُ المُشْرِكِينَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ شَمِلَهم لَفْظُ الإنْسانِ في قَوْلِهِ: ﴿يا أيُّها الإنْسانُ إنَّكَ كادِحٌ﴾ [الإنشقاق: ٦] لِأنَّ العِنايَةَ بِمَوْعِظَتِهِمْ أهَمُّ فالضَّمِيرُ التِفاتٌ.
reported as one view
It may also be deduced from «you shall surely ride stage after stage», in which case it is specific to the polytheists, since they are the more important in these admonitions; the pronoun is likewise a shift of person.
Arabic source
ويَجُوزُ أنْ يَكُونَ تَفْرِيعًا عَلى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَنْ طَبَقٍ﴾ [الإنشقاق: ١٩] فَيَكُونُ مَخْصُوصًا بِالمُشْرِكِينَ بِاعْتِبارِ أنَّهم أهَمُّ في هَذِهِ المَواعِظِ، والضَّمِيرُ أيْضًا التِفاتٌ.
reported as one view
It may also be deduced from the states sworn by in the oath, since those things are proofs of God's great power and His sole divinity, so mentioning them reminds of His oneness; the shift of person is the same.
Arabic source
ويَجُوزُ تَفْرِيعُهُ عَلى ما تَضَمَّنَهُ القَسَمُ مِنَ الأحْوالِ المُقْسَمِ بِها بِاعْتِبارِ تَضَمُّنِ القَسَمِ بِها أنَّها دَلائِلُ عَلى عَظِيمِ قُدْرَةِ اللَّهِ تَعالى وتَفَرُّدِهِ بِالأُلْهِيَّةِ، فَفي ذِكْرِها تَذْكِرَةٌ بِدَلالَتِها عَلى الوَحْدانِيَّةِ، والِالتِفاتُ هو هو.
The interrogative is used to express wonder at their lack of faith and to reject the absence of their faith, since a strange and rejected thing is naturally asked about; this use is a metaphor by the relation of implication.
Arabic source
وهَذا الِاسْتِفْهامُ مُسْتَعْمَلٌ في التَّعْجِيبِ مِن عَدَمِ إيمانِهِمْ وفي إنْكارِ انْتِفاءِ إيمانِهِمْ؛ لِأنَّ شَأْنَ الشَّيْءِ العَجِيبِ المُنْكَرِ أنْ يُسْألَ عَنْهُ، فاسْتِعْمالُ الِاسْتِفْهامِ في مَعْنى التَّعْجِيبِ والإنْكارِ مَجازٌ بِعَلاقَةِ اللُّزُومِ، واللّامُ لِلِاخْتِصاصِ.
The clause «they do not believe» stands in the position of a state; had a noun stood in its place it would be accusative, and the state is what carries the wonder.
Arabic source
وجُمْلَةُ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ في مَوْضِعِ الحالِ، فَإنَّها لَوْ وقَعَ في مَكانِها اسْمٌ لَكانَ مَنصُوبًا كَما في قَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿فَما لَكم في المُنافِقِينَ فِئَتَيْنِ﴾ [النساء: ٨٨] والحالُ هي مَناطُ التَّعْجِيبِ
The object of «believe» is omitted, indicated by the context: they do not believe in the resurrection and the recompense.
Arabic source
ومُتَعَلِّقُ يُؤْمِنُونَ مَحْذُوفٌ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ السِّياقُ، أيْ: بِالبَعْثِ والجَزاءِ.
reported as one view
«Believe» may be treated as intransitive: they do not have the quality of faith — what is the reason they are not believers, given the clear proofs of God's sole divinity, and how do they persist in associating others with Him?
Arabic source
ويَجُوزُ تَنْزِيلُ فِعْلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ مَنزِلَةَ اللّازِمِ، أيْ: لا يَتَّصِفُونَ بِالإيمانِ، أيْ: ما سَبَبُ أنْ لا يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ، لِظُهُورِ دَلائِلَ عَلى انْفِرادِ اللَّهِ تَعالى بِالإلَهِيَّةِ، فَكَيْفَ يَسْتَمِرُّونَ عَلى الإشْراكِ بِهِ ؟ !
«They do not prostrate» is joined to «they do not believe», and the clause «when the Quran is recited to them» is placed before its operator to show concern for it and to honour the Quran.
Arabic source
و﴿لا يَسْجُدُونَ﴾ عُطِفَ عَلى لا يُؤْمِنُونَ و﴿وإذا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ القُرْآنُ﴾ ظَرْفٌ قُدِّمَ عَلى عامِلِهِ لِلِاهْتِمامِ بِهِ وتَنْوِيهِ شَأْنِ القُرْآنِ.
Reciting the Quran to them means reciting it as a delivery and a call; the Prophet used to present it to them in groups and singly.
Arabic source
وقِراءَةُ القُرْآنِ عَلَيْهِمْ قِراءَتُهُ قِراءَةَ تَبْلِيغٍ ودَعْوَةٍ، وقَدْ كانَ النَّبِيءُ ﷺ يَعْرِضُ عَلَيْهِمُ القُرْآنَ جَماعاتٍ وأفْرادًا
الشافعي وأبو حنيفة
Al-Shafi'i said it is a sunna, and Abu Hanifa said it is obligatory.
Arabic source
وقالَ الشّافِعِيُّ: هي سُنَّةٌ. وقالَ أبُو حَنِيفَةَ: واجِبَةٌ.
his preferred view
The most likely view is that the prostrations held to be obligatory are eleven, which were transmitted with sound chains from the Companions; three other verses, this one among them, have reports that the Prophet prostrated when reciting them, but other reports contradict them, so either he abandoned that prostration or did not stress it.
Arabic source
والأرْجَحُ أنَّ عَزائِمَ السُّجُودِ المَنسُوبَةَ إحْدى عَشْرَةَ سَجْدَةً وهي الَّتِي رُوِيَتْ بِالأسانِيدِ الصَّحِيحَةِ عَنِ الصَّحابَةِ. وإنَّ ثَلاثَ آياتٍ غَيْرَ الإحْدى عَشْرَةَ آيَةً رُوِيَتْ فِيها أخْبارٌ أنَّها سَجَدَ النَّبِيءُ ﷺ عِنْدَ قِراءَتِها مِنها هَذِهِ وعارَضَتْها رِواياتٌ أُخْرى فَهي إمّا قَدْ تَرَكَ سُجُودَها وإمّا لَمْ يُؤَكِّدْ ومِنها قَوْلُهُ تَعالى هُنا ﴿وإذا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ القُرْآنُ لا يَسْجُدُونَ﴾ .
ابن العربي
Ibn al-Arabi said the prostration in Surat al-Inshiqaq is the view of the Medinans among Malik's companions.
Arabic source
وقالَ ابْنُ العَرَبِيِّ: ”السُّجُودُ في سُورَةِ الِانْشِقاقِ قَوْلُ المَدَنِيِّينَ مِن أصْحابِ مالِكٍ“ . اهـ.
I say: that is the view of Ibn Wahb, and there is nothing specific to this verse; it concerns the three prostrations beyond the eleven.
Arabic source
قُلْتُ: وهو قَوْلُ ابْنِ وهْبٍ ولا خُصُوصِيَّةَ لِهَذِهِ الآيَةِ، بَلْ ذَلِكَ في السَّجَداتِ الثَّلاثِ الزّائِدَةِ عَلى الإحْدى عَشْرَةَ
مالك وأبو حنيفة والشافعي وأحمد
Malik said in al-Muwatta, after relating Abu Hurayra's hadith, that the obligatory prostrations are eleven, none of them in the short suras; Abu Hanifa and al-Shafi'i said they are fourteen, adding al-Najm, al-Inshiqaq and al-Alaq; Ahmad said fifteen, adding the prostration at the end of Surat al-Hajj, so it has two prostrations for him.
Arabic source
وقَدْ قالَ مالِكٌ في المُوَطَّأِ بَعْدَ أنْ رَوى حَدِيثَ أبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: ”الأمْرُ عِنْدَنا أنَّ عَزائِمَ السُّجُودِ إحْدى عَشْرَةَ سَجْدَةً لَيْسَ في المَفَصَّلِ مِنها شَيْءٌ“ . وقالَ أبُو حَنِيفَةَ والشّافِعِيُّ: سَجَداتُ التِّلاوَةِ أرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ بِزِيادَةِ سَجْدَةِ سُورَةِ النَّجْمِ وسَجْدَةِ سُورَةِ الِانْشِقاقِ وسَجْدَةِ سُورَةِ العَلَقِ. وقالَ أحْمَدُ: هُنَّ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ سَجْدَةً بِزِيادَةِ السَّجْدَةِ في آخِرِ الآيَةِ مِن سُورَةِ الحَجِّ فَفِيها سَجْدَتانِ عِنْدَهُ.
A summary of the Arabic commentary, written with AI and checked against it point by point under our rules. Each point shows the Arabic words it rests on. It leaves out chains of narration, poetry and fine grammar; the full text has them.
Read Ibn Ashur's full commentary (Arabic)Word by word
- فَمَاSo whatfamā
- لَهُمْ(is) for themlahum
- لَاnotlā
- يُؤْمِنُونَthey believeyu'minūna
Classical tafsir of this verse (in Arabic)
A tafsir is its author's reading, shown as its author wrote it. Our method
- التحرير والتنوير — محمد الطاهر ابن عاشور
- روح المعاني في تفسير القرآن العظيم والسبع المثاني — شهاب الدين محمود الألوسي
- لطائف الإشارات — عبد الكريم بن هوازن القشيري
- الميزان في تفسير القرآن — محمد حسين الطباطبائي
- مفاتيح الغيب (التفسير الكبير) — فخر الدين الرازي
- تأويلات أهل السنة — أبو منصور الماتريدي
- الكشاف عن حقائق غوامض التنزيل — جار الله الزمخشري
- المحرر الوجيز في تفسير الكتاب العزيز — ابن عطية الأندلسي
- الجامع لأحكام القرآن — أبو عبد الله القرطبي
- نظم الدرر في تناسب الآيات والسور — برهان الدين البقاعي