Tafsir of At-Taghabun 8

Life after Death is True

Allah the Exalted informs about the disbelievers, idolators and the atheists that they claim that they will not be resurrected,

قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّى لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ

(Say: "Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of what you did...") meaning, `you will be informed of all of your actions, whether major or minor, big or small,'

وَذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

(and that is easy for Allah.) `resurrecting and recompensing you is easy for Allah.' This is the third Ayah in which Allah orders His Messenger to swear by His Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored, that Resurrection occurs. The first is in Surah Yunus,

وَيَسْتَنْبِئُونَكَ أَحَقٌّ هُوَ قُلْ إِى وَرَبِّى إِنَّهُ لَحَقٌّ وَمَآ أَنتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ

(And they ask you to inform them: "Is it true" Say: "Yes! By my Lord! It is the very truth! and you can not escape it!") (10:53), The second is in Surah Saba',

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لاَ تَأْتِينَا السَّاعَةُ قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّى لَتَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ

(Those who disbelieve say: "The hour will not come to us." Say: "Yes, by my Lord, it will come to you...") (34:3), and the third is this Ayah,

زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُواْ قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّى لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ وَذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

(The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected. Say: "Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of what you did; and that is easy for Allah.") Allah the Exalted said,

فَـَامِنُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنّورِ الَّذِى أَنزَلْنَا

(Therefore, believe in Allah and in His Messenger and in the Light which We have sent down.) that is, the Qur'an,

وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ

(And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.) none of your deeds ever escapes His knowledge.

The Day of At-Taghabun

Allah said,

يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ

(The Day when He will gather you on the Day of Gathering,) meaning the Day of Resurrection. This is the Day when the earlier and later generations will all be gathered in one area, a caller would be heard by them all, and one's vision would easily see them all. Allah said,

ذلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّجْمُوعٌ لَّهُ النَّاسُ وَذَلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّشْهُودٌ

(That is the Day whereon mankind will be gathered together, that is a Day when all will be present.) (11:103), and,

قُلْ إِنَّ الاٌّوَّلِينَ وَالاٌّخِرِينَ - لَمَجْمُوعُونَ إِلَى مِيقَـتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

(Say: "(Yes) verily, those of old, and those of later times. All will surely be gathered together for appointed meeting of a known Day.") (56:49-50) Allah's statement,

ذَلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ

(that will be the Day of At-Taghabun) Ibn `Abbas said, "It is one of the names of the Day of Judgement, and that is because the people of Paradise will have gained over the people of the Fire." Qatadah and Mujahid said similarly. Muqatil bin Hayyan said, "There is no mutual loss and gain greater than these entering Paradise and those being taken to the Fire." Allah explained His statement saying;

يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ ذَلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ وَمَن يُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَـلِحاً يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَـتِهِ وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَداً ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ - وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَكَذَّبُواْ بِـَايَـتِنَآ أُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَـبُ النَّارِ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

(And whosoever believes in Allah and performs righteous deeds, He will expiate from him his sins, and will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever; that will be the great success. But those who disbelieved and denied Our Ayat, they will be the dwellers of the Fire, to dwell therein forever. And worst indeed is that destination.) We explained these meanings several times before.