Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (584)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

that everyone will acquire, though they did not possess it in this world. Nothing in His words, “You will come to know,” necessarily implies entering the Fire, let alone remaining there eternally. Likewise, seeing Hell does not mean that everyone who sees it will enter it. Those gathered for Judgment will see it with their own eyes. The Lord, exalted is He, has sworn that all people will inevitably see it: believers and disbelievers, righteous and wicked alike:

19:71 “There is none of you but will come to it. This is a decree your Lord has made binding.”

Thus, nothing in this surah rules out its address being general.

As for what they report from al-Hasan—that only the people of the Fire will be questioned about their blessings—it is unquestionably false: either it is falsely attributed to him, or it is an error on his part. The explicit, authentic hadiths refute it. Success comes from Allah.

It is clear that a surah of such momentous significance, with so stern a warning, cautioning man against distracting rivalry in accumulating more, and describing the condition of most people, cannot be restricted from beginning to end to the disbelievers. Such a restriction is not fitting for it. Reflecting on the hadiths traced back to the Prophet concerning it is sufficient to establish this. And Allah knows best.

Consider the rebuke directed at someone whom rivalry in accumulating more continued to distract throughout his entire life, until he visited the graves. He never awoke from the slumber of distraction; rather, this rivalry lulled his heart to sleep, and he did not regain consciousness until he was among the ranks of the dead.

Compare this with the condition of most people, and it will become clear to you that a general address is intended.

Consider, too, how He, glorified be He, attaches blame and warning to rivalry in accumulating more without specifying what is being amassed. This encompasses rivalry over all worldly things, in their various kinds and forms.

Moreover, takāthur (rivalry in accumulating more) is a reciprocal verbal form: each rival seeks to outdo the other, acquiring more of whatever they are competing over. What drives him to this is his assumption that

يحصل لكل أحد، لم يكن حاصلا له في الدنيا. وليس في قوله: سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ما يقتضى دخول النار، فضلا عن التخليد فيها. وكذلك رؤية الجحيم لا يستلزم دخولها لكل من رآها. فإن أهل الموقف يرونها، ويشاهدونها عيانا، وقد أقسم الرب ﵎ أن لا بد أن يراها الخلق كلهم مؤمنهم وكافرهم، وبرهم وفاجرهم ١٩: ٧١ وَإِنْ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا وارِدُها. كانَ عَلى رَبِّكَ حَتْماً مَقْضِيًّا. فليس في جملة هذه السورة ما ينفي عموم خطابها. وأما ما ذكروه عن الحسن: لا يسأل عن النعيم إلا أهل النار. فباطل قطعا، إما عليه وإما منه. والأحاديث الصحيحة الصريحة ترده. وبالله التوفيق. ولا يخفى أن مثل هذه السورة مع عظم شأنها وشدة تخويفها. وما تضمنته من تحذير الإنسان عن التكاثر الملهي، وانطباق معناها على أكثر الخلق يأبى اختصاصها من أولها إلى آخرها بالكفار، ولا يليق ذلك بها. ويكفي في ذلك تأمل الأحاديث المرفوعة فيها. والله أعلم. وتأمل ما في هذا العتاب الراجع لمن استمر على إلهاء التكاثر له مدة حياته كلها، إلى أن زار القبور، ولم يستيقظ من نوم الإلهاء، بل أرقد التكاثر قلبه فلم يستفق منه إلا وهو في عسكر الأموات. وطابق بين هذا وبين حال أكثر الخلق يتعين لك أن العموم مقصود. وتأمل تعليقه سبحانه الذم والوعيد على مطلق التكاثر من غير تقييد بمتكاثر به، ليدخل فيه التكاثر بجميع أسباب الدنيا، على اختلاف أجناسها وأنواعها. وأيضا فإن التكاثر تفاعل، وهو طلب كل من المتكاثرين أن يكاثر صاحبه. فيكون أكثر منه فيما يتكاثره به. والحامل له على ذلك: توهمه أن