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 ».