This is a translation from Dr Fadel Saleh Al-Samarra’i’s لَمَسات بَيانِيَّة لِسُوَر القُرْآن الكَرِيم ‘Rhetorical Perceptions in the Surahs of the Holy Qur’an.’ Dr Fadel (b.1933) is a former Professor of Literature at the College of Arabic Language at the University of Sharjah. His full biography can be read here.

Surah Al-Takathur (The Rivalry in world increase)

أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ ١

حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ ٱلْمَقَابِرَ ٢

كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ٣

ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ٤

كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ ٱلْيَقِينِ ٥

لَتَرَوُنَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ ٦

ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ ٱلْيَقِينِ ٧

ثُمَّ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ ٨

Competition for more ˹gains˺ diverts you ˹from Allah˺, until you end up in ˹your˺ graves. But no! You will soon come to know. Again, no! You will soon come to know. Indeed, if you were to know ˹your fate˺ with certainty, ˹you would have acted differently˺. ˹But˺ you will surely see the Hellfire. Again, you will surely see it with the eye of certainty. Then, on that Day, you will definitely be questioned about ˹your worldly˺ pleasures.

The Purpose of the Surah

This Meccan surah speaks of people’s preoccupation with the allurements of life and the fleeting pleasures of this world until death comes suddenly and cuts them off from their enjoyment, (أَلْهَىٰكُمُٱلتَّكَاثُرُ حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ ٱلْمَقَابِرَ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ) “Competition for more ˹gains˺ diverts you ˹from Allah˺, until you end up in ˹your˺ graves. But no! You will soon come to know. Again, no! You will soon come to know.” Some people live for their bodies and neglect their souls, and this surah warns those who live for their bodies.

The prohibition in this surah against the pursuit of worldly gain is not a prohibition against the act of accumulating wealth itself, but rather a prohibition against being distracted by it (wealth, children, and adornments) from the worship of Allah, the One and Only. The verses warn those who live for their bodies and those who are distracted by the pursuit of worldly gain from the worship of Allah that the end of these bodies is death, where bodies perish and souls ascend to their Creator. The verses warn people: Beware of living solely for your physical bodies. Allah Almighty created the body and placed within it the soul, which has its own nourishment: obedience to Allah and devotion to Him. If people insist on living solely for their physical desires, they will surely witness Hell with their own eyes, and then Allah Almighty will question them about the pleasures of the body, (كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ ٱلْيَقِينِ لَتَرَوُنَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ ٱلْيَقِينِ ثُمَّ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ) “Indeed, if you were to know ˹your fate˺ with certainty, ˹you would have acted differently˺. ˹But˺ you will surely see the Hellfire. Again, you will surely see it with the eye of certainty. Then, on that Day, you will definitely be questioned about ˹your worldly˺ pleasures.”

Therefore, a person is required to maintain a balance between the physical needs of the body and the needs of the soul through acts of worship, observing prayers, seeking forgiveness, drawing closer to Allah, and obeying Him.

The Rhetorical Perceptions in the surah

What is the difference between knowledge of certainty, the eye of certainty, and the truth of certainty?

In Surah At-Takathur, Allah Almighty said: (كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ) “Indeed, if you were to know ˹your fate˺ with certainty” and immediately after it: (ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ ٱلْيَقِينِ) “Again, you will surely see it with the eye of certainty,” and in Surah Al-Haqqah: (وَإِنَّهُ لَحَقُّ الْيَقِينِ) “And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.”

So what is the significance of the difference between knowledge of certainty (علم اليقين), the eye of certainty (عين اليقين), and the truth of certainty (حق اليقين)? Do we understand from this that certainty has different levels?

Certain knowledge (علم اليقين) is to be certain of something. The highest level is absolute certainty (حق اليقين), then comes the eye of certainty (عين اليقين) i.e. certainty being the established, true, and unchanging matter, and below that is certain knowledge (علم اليقين).

When Ibrahim, peace be upon him, asked his Lord, “How do You bring the dead back to life?” He said, “Do you not believe?” He said, “Yes.” This is certain knowledge (علم اليقين). Ibrahim was not doubtful, and Ibrahim knew it with certainty (علم اليقين). He was not uncertain, so he knew it with certainty. When he saw the bird, it became the eye of certainty (عين اليقين), because he saw it and witnessed it with his own eyes. That is why the ancients give an example, saying, “People’s knowledge of death is certain knowledge (علم اليقين). But when one sees the angels of death while in the throes of death, this is the eye of certainty (عين اليقين), and when one experiences it, it becomes absolute certainty (حق اليقين).”

Why was the conjunction (ثم) “then” used in imperative style (Insha’i)?

In grammar books, (ثم) “then” is a conjunction (حرف عطف) that indicates delay. So what is the secret behind the inclusion of the conjunction in the imperative style (الإنشائي) in the Almighty’s saying (ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ ٱلْيَقِينِ) “Again, you will surely see it with the eye of certainty”?

Firstly, we say that, grammatically speaking, (ثم) is not limited to imperative (إنشائي) or declarative (خَبَر) sentences.[1] (ثم) appears in many places in the Holy Quran:

(ثُمَّ صُبُّوا۟ فَوْقَ رَأْسِهِ) “Then pour over their heads”[2] (imperative),

(ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ ٱلنَّاسُ) “Then pour forth from where the people poured forth”[3] (imperative),

(ثُمَّ كِيدُونِ فَلَا تُنظِرُونِ) “Then plot against me all together”[4] (imperative),

(ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ) “Then repent to Him”[5] (imperative).

Therefore, (ثم) is not limited to declarative (خَبَر) or imperative (إنشائي) sentences. (For your information, an imperative (إنشائي) sentence is one that includes a command, question, hope, exhortation, etc.) This rule applies to the style regardless of the speaker.

(ثم) can indicate an order of events, not a chronological order

There is another point that (ثم) can simply indicate a sequence in the narrative. (ثم) indicates sequence and a pause, and this is what the grammarians speak of. They say that (ثم) comes simply to indicate a sequence in the narrative, not in the events themselves, as evidenced by the verse: (فَإِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ ٱللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ) “to Us is their return and Allah is a Witness over what they do.”[6] There is no commentary (تعقيب) in the verse because Allah is always a witness to what they do.

Similarly, in His saying, (ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ) “seek your Lord’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance”[7] and as the poet said:

أنا من ساد ثم ساد أبوه ثم قد ساد قبل ذلك جده

“I am the one who ruled, then his father ruled, and before that his grandfather ruled.”[8]

This is an order of events, not a chronological order, as if we were to say, for example: “I liked what you did today, then what you did yesterday was even more impressive.”

This is a sequence in the narration, regardless of its time.

(ثم) can indicate a sequence in rank

Sometimes there is a delay in the order, as in the Almighty’s saying: (أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ يَتِيماً ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ أَوْ مِسْكِيناً ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ) “or to give food in times of famine to an orphaned relative or to a poor person in distress, and—above all—to be one of those who have faith and urge each other to perseverance and urge each other to compassion.”[9]

So what is the meaning of faith (iman) after feeding? This cannot be the intended meaning. Rather, the intended meaning is that the level of iman is higher than feeding, and the word (ثم) was not used to indicate sequence because if one were not a believer, there would be no benefit in it. This is what we call sequence in rank (الترتيب في المنزلة).

Likewise, the Almighty’s saying,

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَـٰمُوا۟ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا۟ وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟ وَأَبْشِرُوا۟ بِٱلْجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ

Surely those who say, “Our Lord is Allah,” and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them, ˹saying,˺ “Do not fear, nor grieve. Rather, rejoice in the good news of Paradise, which you have been promised.[10]

There is no doubt that steadfastness (الإستقامة) is the highest rank.

Why was (ثُمَّ) used in the verses, “You will surely see the Hellfire. Again (ثُمَّ), you will surely see it with the eye of certainty”?

This is not an imperative (إنشاء), but rather the response to an oath (جواب القسم). An oath is an imperative, while the response to an oath, according to the rules of grammar, is only an imperative with the preposition “ba” (ب). It can only be an imperative with a declarative statement (الخبر), whether it be a command or a plea.

For example, one cannot say, (والله افعل) “By Allah, do it!” or (والله لا تفعل) “By Allah, don’t do it!” but rather you say, (والله لأفعلنّ) “By Allah, I will do it!” or (والله لتفعلنّ) “By Allah, you will do it!”

The response to an oath cannot be a command or an imperative unless it is preceded by “ba” (ب), as in (بالله عليك افعل) “By Allah, do it!” or (بالله عليك لا تفعل) “By Allah, don’t do it!” or (بربّك هل فعلت؟) “By your Lord, did you do it?” Without “ba” the response to an oath is not a command.

Therefore, the response is declarative (خبر) and only becomes imperative with “ba” (ب), as in (تَٱللَّهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَـٰمَكُم) “By Allah! I will surely plot against your idols!”[11]

(تَٱللَّهِ) “By Allah” is the imperative (إنشاء), and (لَأَكِيدَنَّ) “I will plot” is the declarative (خبر).

There is a difference between an oath and its response. The response to an oath is declarative, except in the cases we have excluded and those that can be used with “ba” alone; the rest are declarative.

The repetition here with (ثُمَّ) is for emphasis

لَتَرَوُنَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ ٱلْيَقِينِ “you will surely see the Hellfire. Again (ثُمَّ), you will surely see it with the eye of certainty.”

Some scholars believe that this use of (ثُمَّ) is for emphasis, and it may occur if the sentence is repeated for emphasis.

إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

for he contemplated and determined ˹a degrading label for the Quran˺. May he be condemned! How evil was what he determined! (ثُمَّ) May he be condemned even more! How evil was what he determined![12]

The repetition here is for emphasis, and there is no objection to separating it with a conjunction like (ثُمَّ).

Repetition may also occur without a conjunction, as in the Almighty’s saying (فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً) “So, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with ˹that˺ hardship comes ˹more˺ ease.”[13]

It can be for emphasis with a conjunction, as in saying (والله ثم والله) “By Allah, then by Allah”.

Another group of scholars said that (ثُمَّ) is not an affirmation for emphasis, but rather the context is different. So the first (ثُمَّ) is in the torment of the grave and the second is in the reckoning on the Day of Resurrection (a delay in time), and this is what most people prefer.

Two types of knowledge

At the beginning of Surat At-Takathur, it says, كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ “You will soon come to know. Again, no! You will soon come to know.”

Here, knowledge (العلم) is two kinds of knowledge: knowledge at the time of witnessing and dying, and the second kind of knowledge at the time of reckoning on the Day of Resurrection. If the first kind of knowledge is the same as the second kind of knowledge, then (ثُمَّ) is for emphasis. If the second kind of knowledge is not the first kind of knowledge, then (ثُمَّ) is for delay in time because it establishes a new meaning.

Notes

[1] In Arabic grammar, Khabar (الخَبَر) and Insha’i (إنشائي) are two distinct classifications used to categorize sentences based on their function and truth value, particularly within the study of rhetoric (علم المعاني – Ilm ul-Ma’ani). Khabar sentences are used to inform or report information and can be true or false such as “Zaid is a student”. Insha’i sentences on the other hand are sentences that create a new reality or action being spoken upon. They are not designed to convey information that can be verified as true or false. This includes commands, prohibitions, questions, wishes, and vocatives.

[2] Surah Ad-Dukhan, ayah 48

[3] Surah Al-Baqara, ayah 199

[4] Surah Al-A’raf, ayah 195

[5] Surah Hud, ayah 3

[6] Surah Yunus, ayah 46

[7] Surah Hud, ayah 3

[8] Abu Nuwas (d.814 CE). https://www.aldiwan.net/poem62605.html

[9] Surah Al-Balad, ayaat 14-17

[10] Surah Fussilat, ayah 30

[11] Surah Al-Anbiya, ayah 57

[12] Surah Al-Muddaththir, ayaat 18-20

[13] Surah Ash-Sharh, ayaat 5-6