Surah Qaaf (50) — Ayah 16

(Ayah 16) ➊ { وَ لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْاِنْسَانَ وَ نَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهٖ نَفْسُهٗ:} The original meaning of "waswasah" is that subtle or suppressed movement or sound which is generally not perceived. It also refers to a statement that is whispered very softly into someone's ear so that only he can hear it, and also to that thought which is placed into someone's heart without any sound, as Satan or the human self casts a waswasah into the heart. The answer to the doubt of the deniers of the Resurrection—that when we die and become dust, how will we be resurrected again—has already been mentioned: We know every particle of man that turns to dust, where it is; it is neither beyond Our knowledge nor beyond Our reach and power. Whenever We will, We can resurrect it. Now it is said that the existence of the particles of dust still remains and is visible; We even know those things of man that are even more hidden than this and apparently do not even remain in existence, because We created man, so who can know him better than Us? It is said: « اَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَ هُوَ اللَّطِيْفُ الْخَبِيْرُ» [الملک: ۱۴] "Does He not know Who created, and He is the Most Subtle, the All-Aware." Thus, We not only know his words and deeds, but also those things which his self casts as thoughts and waswasah into his heart. So We will not only resurrect him, but after resurrecting, We will also take account of all his deeds, and although Our knowledge alone is sufficient for reckoning, yet to complete the argument, We have also arranged for every word and deed of his to be written and preserved by angels.

➋ {وَ نَحْنُ اَقْرَبُ اِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيْدِ: ’’ الْوَرِيْدِ ‘‘} The vein that comes out of the heart, the cutting of which causes a person to die. Its name in the heart is "wateen," as it is said: «ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِيْنَ » [ الحاقۃ : ۴۶ ] "Then We would cut his life-vein." And in the neck, its name is "wareed," which is on the pattern of {’’وَرَدَ يَرِدُ‘‘} from {’’فَعِيْلٌ‘‘}, because blood flows into it from the heart. The meaning of {’’ حَبْلِ ‘‘} is also vein. The attribution of {’’ حَبْلِ ‘‘} to {’’ الْوَرِيْدِ ‘‘} is explanatory, meaning the vein which is the wareed, just as the attribution of "masjid al-jami‘" is. Shah Abdul Qadir writes: "The vein of the neck is meant, in which life flows from the heart to the brain. Its cutting causes death."

➌ "We are closer to him than his life-vein," because the parts of the human body conceal each other, but nothing can be hidden from Allah Almighty. The commentator Ibn Kathir has taken {’’ نَحْنُ ‘‘} here to mean angels, as in Surah Al-Waqi‘ah, Ayah (85): «وَ نَحْنُ اَقْرَبُ اِلَيْهِ مِنْكُمْ وَ لٰكِنْ لَّا تُبْصِرُوْنَ » (And We are closer to him than you, but you do not see), some Imams have taken the nearness of angels to be meant. Although this meaning is also possible, the apparent words indicate that Allah Almighty is speaking about Himself, and the certainty and awareness that my Lord is closer to me than my life-vein is more effective in restraining a person from committing sins and in creating love for Him. In Fath al-Bayan, Qushayri said: {’’ فِيْ هٰذِهِ الْآيَةِ هَيْبَةٌ وَ فَزَعٌ وَ خَوْفٌ لِقَوْمٍ وَ رَوْحٌ وَ أُنْسٌ وَ سُكُوْنُ قَلْبٍ لِقَوْمٍ ‘‘} "In this verse, there is for some people awe, anxiety, and fear, and for some people, comfort, intimacy, and tranquility of heart."

➍ The Noble Qur'an has explicitly stated that Allah Almighty is upon the Throne: «اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوٰى » [ طٰہٰ : ۵ ] "The Most Merciful rose over the Throne." Then what is meant by His being close to man? This discussion, inshaAllah, will come in Surah Al-Hadid, Ayah (4): « وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ».

1. 6. 1 That is, whatever a person hides and keeps concealed in his heart, We know all of it. Waswasah refers to the thoughts that pass through the heart, which no one except that person knows, but Allah knows even those waswasah. That is why it is mentioned in the hadith: Allah Almighty has forgiven my ummah for the thoughts that pass through their hearts, meaning He will not hold them accountable for them as long as they do not express them verbally or act upon them. (Al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman) 16. 1 Warīd refers to the jugular vein or the vein of life, cutting which causes death. This vein runs from one side of the throat to the shoulder of a person. We are absolutely close to the human being, in fact, so close that We even know the thoughts of his soul. Imam Ibn Kathir states that by نَحْنُ is meant the angels. That is, Our angels are even closer to a person than his jugular vein, because two angels are always present on a person's right and left, recording every word and deed of the person. And according to some, the angels of the night and day are meant. Two angels for the night are separate, and two angels for the day are separate. (Fath al-Qadeer)

16. We created man, and We know what his soul whispers to him [18], and We are closer to him than his jugular vein [19].

[18]
Satan Running Through Man Like Blood in the Veins:

Since We alone have created man, who else can know his nature better than Us? We even know the thoughts of his heart and the evil notions or whispers that arise within it. By the way, how do these whispers arise? Observe this in the following hadith: Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that she came to meet the Prophet ﷺ in the Prophet’s Mosque while he ﷺ was observing i‘tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan. When I was about to leave, he ﷺ stood up with me (to escort me home). When we reached near the door of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), two Ansari men (Usayd bin Hudayr and ‘Ammar bin Bashr, may Allah be pleased with them) met us. They greeted the Prophet ﷺ and moved ahead. The Prophet ﷺ said to them: “Wait a moment, (this woman is my wife).” They said: “Subhan Allah! O Messenger of Allah,” and your clarification was hard on them. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Satan reaches every vein of the human body like blood. I feared that he might cast some suspicion into your hearts.” [بخاری۔ کتاب الجہاد باب بیوت ازواج النبی ]

[19]
Allah Being Closer Than the Jugular Vein:

This nearness of Allah is in terms of His knowledge and His power, not in terms of His essence, because His essence is above the entire universe, upon the Throne. The abode of man’s soul or self or spirit is the human heart. So when Allah, in terms of His knowledge, knows even the thoughts of man’s heart and the ideas that arise within it, then the jugular vein, which is at the front of the neck, is quite far from the heart. In this sense, Allah is even closer to him than his jugular vein.