Session 6: The Deniers' Dialogue.

Part 1 of 7. About this session.

The previous passage ended with two groups: those who have taqwa and set things right, and those who deny Allah’s ayat and are too proud to follow them. This passage stays with the second group for five ayat, and then turns back to the first.

Ayah 37 asks: who is more unjust than someone who invents a lie about Allah or denies His ayat? Such people still receive their portion of what was written for them, until the angels come to take their souls. Then the angels ask, “Where are those you used to invoke besides Allah?” They answer that those have left them, and they admit that they disbelieved.

In ayat 38 and 39 the nations meet in the Fire and turn on each other. The followers ask Allah to double the punishment of those who led them astray. The answer is that each has double, and the leaders tell the followers they were no better. Ayah 40 says the gates of heaven will not be opened for those who deny and are too proud, and they will not enter Paradise until a camel passes through the eye of a needle.

Then the passage turns. Ayah 42 promises Paradise to those who believe and do good, and in the middle of that promise it says that Allah asks no soul for more than it can carry. In ayah 43 the resentment is taken out of their hearts, and they praise Allah for guiding them: “we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us.”

Part 2 of 7. The passage, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 37.

And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie or denies His verses? Those will attain their portion of the decree until when Our messengers come to them to take them in death, they will say, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allah?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.

Ayah 38.

[Allah] will say, "Enter among nations which had passed on before you of jinn and mankind into the Fire." Every time a nation enters, it will curse its sister until, when they have all overtaken one another therein, the last of them will say about the first of them "Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire. He will say, "For each is double, but you do not know."

Ayah 39.

And the first of them will say to the last of them, "Then you had not any favor over us, so taste the punishment for what you used to earn."

Ayah 40.

Indeed, those who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into the eye of a needle. And thus do We recompense the criminals.

Ayah 41.

They will have from Hell a bed and over them coverings [of fire]. And thus do We recompense the wrongdoers.

Ayah 42.

But those who believed and did righteous deeds - We charge no soul except [within] its capacity. Those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.

Ayah 43.

And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allah, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."

Part 3 of 7. The explanation, from the classical tafsir.

What the classical commentators say about these seven ayat. Take this one if you want to go deeper.

Ayah 37 follows someone who lies about Allah to the moment of death. Ayat 38 to 39 move to the Fire, ayat 40 to 41 say what is closed to them and what waits for them, and ayat 42 to 43 turn to the people of Paradise. The four units follow Ibn Kathir’s four comments on the passage.

Reading guide: source summaries below are paraphrases, not direct quotations. Reflections and facilitator notes are editorial teaching suggestions. The Verses and audio page uses Saheeh International; English wording quoted from tafsir editions follows those editions and may differ.

Ayah 37 — The lie, the portion, and the question at death.

First, the ayah again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 37: And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie or denies His verses? Those will attain their portion of the decree until when Our messengers come to them to take them in death, they will say, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allah?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.

Someone who lies about Allah or denies His ayat still receives what was written for him. Then the angels come to take his soul and ask where his partners are, and he admits they are gone.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir says no one is more unjust than a person who invents a lie about Allah or rejects His ayat. On “their portion of the decree” he reports Muhammad ibn Kab al-Qurazi: each person’s deeds, provision and lifespan. At death the angels come to take their souls and ask them, to frighten them: where are the partners you used to call on instead of Allah? They answer that those have gone and left them, and they admit that they disbelieved.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn says the lie is ascribing a partner or a child to Allah. Their portion of “the Book” is what is written for them in the Preserved Tablet, al-lawh al-mahfuz: provision, the length of life and other matters, until the angels come to take their souls. The angels ask their question as a reprimand.

Optional source note — al-Tabari on what “their portion” is.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari ties the lie back to ayah 28: people who did something shameful and said “Allah commanded us to it.” Denying His signs means denying His proofs of His oneness and of His prophets. “Their portion of the Book” is their share of what Allah wrote for them in the Preserved Tablet, and he records six views of what that share is: the punishment prepared for disbelief; the misery or happiness written beforehand; their own record of deeds, good repaid with good and evil with evil; what they were promised in the Book, good or evil; that their faces would be blackened; and their provision, lifespan and deeds. He prefers the view that it is what was written for them in this world — good and evil, provision, deeds and term — and he gives his reason: the ayah says it lasts “until Our messengers come to take them in death,” and no angel of death comes in the Hereafter, where the punishment has no end.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: “Our messengers” are the angel of death and his helpers, and they take them in full, every one of them, from this world to the next. The angels ask where the ones they took as protectors are, and why they do not rescue them now. Dallu anna, “they have departed from us,” means they went another way and left us when we needed them.

Optional source note — al-Qurtubi on the Book and the question.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi lists the same views of the portion — provision, lifespan and deeds (Ibn Zayd); misery and happiness (Said ibn Jubayr); good and evil (Ibn Abbas); punishment in proportion to their disbelief (al-Hasan and Abu Salih) — and reports al-Tabari’s preference with its reason. He adds two more readings of “the Book”: the Qur'an, because it mentions their punishment, or the Preserved Tablet. The angels’ question is a question of rebuke; “those you used to invoke” means those you used to worship; and dallu means they came to nothing and went.

Optional note — the same scene in Surah Ghafir.

Reading note: This one is our observation, not the commentators’. Surah Ghafir Surah Ghafir, ayat 73 to 74 has the same scene and the same answer. There too they are asked where their partners are, and six Arabic words in a row are the same as these words of ayah 37: “besides Allah?” They will say, “They have departed from us.”

Reflection: The question at death is about who a person called on. The things we lean on besides Allah can be gone at the very moment we need them.

Ayat 38 to 39 — The nations blame each other.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 38: [Allah] will say, "Enter among nations which had passed on before you of jinn and mankind into the Fire." Every time a nation enters, it will curse its sister until, when they have all overtaken one another therein, the last of them will say about the first of them "Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire. He will say, "For each is double, but you do not know."

Ayah 39: And the first of them will say to the last of them, "Then you had not any favor over us, so taste the punishment for what you used to earn."

In the Fire, the followers ask Allah to double the punishment of those who led them astray. He answers that each has double, and the leaders tell the followers they were no better.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir says this is said to those who lie about Allah and reject His ayat: enter the Fire with earlier nations like you, of jinn and people. “The last of them” are the followers, who complain that “the first of them” misled them, as in Surah Al-Ahzab, ayat 66 to 68. Allah answers, “For each is double”: each is repaid for his deeds, and those who lead others astray carry others’ burdens along with their own (Surah An-Nahl, ayah 25, Surah Al-'Ankabut, ayah 13). On ayah 39 he reports al-Suddi: you went astray just as we did.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn says each community curses the one before it, because it went astray by following it. “The last” are the followers and “the first” are those they looked up to. There is a double punishment for each. On ayah 39 the leaders say: you did not disbelieve because of us, so we are the same.

Optional source note — al-Tabari on the sister nation and on ayah 39.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari says “its sister” means its sister in religion and creed; the word is feminine because a nation, umma, is meant. “The last” are those who came later and took the earlier ones as their leaders in going astray, and they ask: these misled us from Your way, so give them double our punishment. Dif of a thing, he says, is the same again. Allah answers that the punishment is repeated for all of them, first and last, followers and followed. “But you do not know” means you do not know the measure of what Allah has prepared for you, which is why one nation asks for double for the other.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: On ayah 39 he says the first nations answer: you have no advantage over us. You knew what Allah’s punishment did to us, and the messengers came to you as they came to us. Did you turn back? So the followers have no argument left. He reports the same from Abu Mijlaz and al-Suddi. Mujahid read “no advantage” as “no lightening of the punishment”; al-Tabari rejects this, because the past tense in the ayah shows the reproach is about what they did before, not about their request for double.

Optional source note — al-Qurtubi on the followers and the leaders.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi says “the last” are the followers and “the first” are the leaders. They speak to their Lord about the leaders, not to them. Dif is the like of a thing, added once or more, and he compares Surah Al-Ahzab, ayah 68. On “they do not know,” read with ya: no group knows what the other suffers — if someone in the Fire knew that another’s punishment was heavier than his, that would be a kind of comfort. Read with ta, it means you who are addressed, or you people of this world, do not know the measure of their punishment.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: On ayah 39 he gives one line: you disbelieved and did what we did, so you do not deserve any lightening of the punishment. He does not name Mujahid, but this is close to Mujahid’s reading, the one al-Tabari rejects. The two commentators differ here; both readings are given so the room can see it.

Reflection: In ayah 38 the followers blame their leaders, and in ayah 39 the leaders blame them back. Neither answer helps either of them. Each person answers for what he chose to follow, and the one who leads answers for leading.

Ayat 40 to 41 — Gates unopened, the camel and the needle.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 40: Indeed, those who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into the eye of a needle. And thus do We recompense the criminals.

Ayah 41: They will have from Hell a bed and over them coverings [of fire]. And thus do We recompense the wrongdoers.

For those who deny Allah’s ayat and are too proud to accept them, the gates of heaven are not opened, and they enter Paradise only when a camel passes through the eye of a needle — which al-Jalalayn calls impossible.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir gives two readings of the gates that are not opened: their good deeds and supplication do not rise through them (Mujahid, Said ibn Jubayr, Ibn Abbas), or the gates are not opened for their souls (Ibn Abbas through al-Dahhak, al-Suddi and others). For the second he cites the narration of al-Bara ibn Azib about the soul at death, in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam recited this ayah. Ibn Jurayj joined the two, and Ibn Kathir says this combines both meanings. The camel, al-jamal, is the male camel.

Source summary: On ayah 41, Ibn Kathir reports Muhammad ibn Kab al-Qurazi that mihad means beds and ghawash means coverings.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn says the gates are not opened for their spirits after death, in contrast to the believer, whose spirit is carried up to the seventh heaven, as is stated in a hadith. They will not enter Paradise until the camel passes through the eye of the needle, “which is impossible and so is their entry into Paradise.”

Optional source note — al-Tabari on the gates, and on the camel and the rope.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari says those who deny do not affirm Allah’s proofs or follow His messengers, and they are too proud to do so. He gives three views of the gates: closed to their souls when they leave their bodies (Ibn Abbas through al-Dahhak, and al-Suddi); closed to their deeds and their supplication (Ibn Abbas through other chains, Mujahid, Ibrahim al-Nakhai, Said ibn Jubayr); and closed to both (Ibn Jurayj). He chooses both, because Allah’s statement is general and makes no exception. In his own explanation, nothing they say or do in their lives rises to Allah, because only the good word and the righteous deed rise (Surah Fatir, ayah 10). He supports this with the narrations of al-Bara ibn Azib and Abu Hurayrah about the soul at death; the second is an optional narration on the hadith page. He notes two well-known readings, la yuftahu and la tufattahu: the gates are not opened all at once, and not one after another.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: “Until a camel enters the eye of a needle” means they will never enter, as a camel never passes through the eye of a needle. Samm is any narrow opening, and khiyat is the needle. Most of the early commentators he reports took al-jamal as the camel: Ibn Masud, al-Hasan, Abu al-aynAliyah, al-Dahhak, and Ibn Abbas in some reports, who called it “the great camel,” too large for the needle’s hole. Other reports from Ibn Abbas, and from Said ibn Jubayr, Ikrimah and Mujahid, read al-jummal, a thick rope such as a ship’s cable. Lane’s lexicon adds that Ali and many others read it that way too. Al-Tabari’s ruling is that the correct reading is the one all the regional readers agree on, al-jamal, the camel, and that it is not permitted to depart from it. So the recited text says camel; the rope is a reported reading.

Optional source note — al-Qurtubi on the gates and the readings.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi gives three readings of the gates: not opened for their souls, which he supports with reports he collected, including al-Bara ibn Azib’s; not opened for their supplication (Mujahid, al-Nakhai); or the gates of Paradise, because Paradise is in heaven. He records which readers read yuftahu and which tufattahu, and prefers the doubled form because it points to many gates. On the camel he gives Ibn Masud’s answer when he was asked, “the she-camel’s mate,” given as if the question were about something everyone knows; and the reading al-jummal from Ibn Abbas, explained as a ship’s cable, which Thalab describes as ropes gathered together. Samm al-khiyat is the eye of the needle.

Reflection: Ayah 40 names two things: denying the ayat, and being too proud to accept them. Pride is the part each of us can check. When the truth comes to us through someone else, do we let it in?

Ayat 42 to 43 — Within capacity, resentment removed, an inheritance.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 42: But those who believed and did righteous deeds - We charge no soul except [within] its capacity. Those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.

Ayah 43: And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allah, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."

Paradise is promised to those who believe and do good, and Allah asks no soul for more than it can carry. He takes the resentment out of their hearts, and they praise Him there for His guidance.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir reads “We charge no soul except [within] its capacity” as Allah saying that faith and acting on it are easy. On ayah 43 he says ghill is envy and hatred, and cites al-Bukhari’s narration of the believers held on a bridge until the wrongs between them are settled; it is the first core narration on the hadith page. On “you have been made to inherit it,” he says: by your deeds you reached Allah’s mercy, by His mercy you entered, and you took your places there according to your deeds.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn reads “We charge no soul except [within] its capacity” as a parenthesis inside the promise, and wus as a soul’s capacity for action. The resentment removed is the spite that was between them in this world. They praise Allah, who guided them to the deeds whose reward is this.

Optional source note — al-Tabari on capacity, guidance and inheritance.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari says Allah does not charge a soul with deeds beyond what it can bear, so that it is not put in hardship. His word for hardship comes from the same root as haraj, the word of ayah 2 that session 01 looked at. The resentment removed is the rancour, grudges and enmity some of them had for others in this world, so that in Paradise none of them envies what Allah gave another. “Who guided us to this” means He gave us success in the deeds that earned this honour, and “we would never have been guided” means we would not have found the way without His favour. “The messengers of our Lord came with the truth” means the truth of His promise to the obedient and His threat to the disobedient.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: On “you have been made to inherit it,” al-Tabari says Allah gave them, as an inheritance, the places that would have belonged to those who denied His messengers, because they believed the messengers and obeyed their Lord. That, he says, is “for what you used to do.” He reports from al-Suddi that every person has a home in Paradise and a home in the Fire.

Optional source note — al-Qurtubi on the resentment and on “guided us”.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi also calls the clause about capacity a parenthesis between the subject and what is said about it. Naz is drawing something out, and ghill is the rancour hidden in the breast. He gives other readings too: that it means no envy over the different ranks in Paradise, or that it is removed by the pure drink of Paradise (Surah Al-Insan, ayah 21). “Who guided us to this” means to this reward, by guiding us and creating guidance for us.

Optional note — the same words elsewhere in the Qur'an.

Reading note: This one is our observation, not the commentators’. The clause in ayah 42 comes back in the Qur'an almost word for word: the same five Arabic words are in Surah Al-An'am, ayah 152, and Surah Al-Mu'minun, ayah 62 and Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 286 say it too. The noun wus, capacity, occurs five times in the Qur'an, and every time it is in this promise. And ayah 43 opens with the same six words as Surah Al-Hijr, ayah 47, “And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of resentment.”

Reflection: Before anything is given in ayah 43, something is taken away: the resentment in their hearts. And what the people of Paradise say is not about what they did: “Praise to Allah, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us.”

Part 4 of 7. Hadith connected to the passage.

Narrations that sit alongside this passage.

Reading guide: the English passages below are plain-language summaries of narrations reported from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, written for this session. They are not direct quotations and not translations. The Arabic is quoted from the Sunnah.com page named beneath each one, and the full source entry with its chain is one click away. Connections to the verses are editorial.

Core reading: Held at a bridge until the wrongs are settled.

Summary: After the believers are saved from the Fire, they are stopped at a bridge between Paradise and the Fire. There the wrongs they did to each other in this world are settled between them. When they have been cleaned and purified, they are let into Paradise. And each of them will know his home in Paradise better than he knew his home in this world.

Narrated by Abu Said al-Khudri.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6535, Book 81, Hadith 124, also Sahih al-Bukhari 2440.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: This is the narration Ibn Kathir brings at ayah 43. It shows how the resentment, ghill, is taken out: the wrongs between believers are settled before anyone goes in. In al-Bukhari’s chain, one of the narrators first quotes the words that open ayah 43 and Surah Al-Hijr, ayah 47: “And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment.”

Core reading: The call to the people of Paradise.

Summary: A caller will call out to the people of Paradise: you will be healthy and never fall ill. You will live and never die. You will be young and never grow old. You will live in comfort and never be distressed. That is what Allah says: “And they will be called, ‘This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do.’”

Narrated by Abu Said al-Khudri and Abu Hurayrah.

Sahih Muslim 2837, Book 53, Hadith 26.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: In Sahih Muslim this narration sits under a chapter heading that is ayah 43 itself, and it ends by reciting the ayah’s last sentence. It tells us what the call in that sentence holds.

Optional reading: Whoever calls others to misguidance.

Summary: Whoever calls people to guidance has a reward like the rewards of everyone who follows him, and their reward is not reduced at all. Whoever calls people to misguidance carries a sin like the sins of everyone who follows him, and their sins are not reduced at all.

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah.

Sahih Muslim 2674, Book 47, Hadith 30.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: “For each is double,” seen from the side of the one who leads. He carries his own sin and a share like that of each person who followed him, and their share is not made smaller. That is close to Ibn Kathir’s reading of ayah 38. The narration also carries the good half: whoever calls others to guidance is rewarded the same way.

Optional reading: The gates of heaven will not be opened for you.

Summary: Angels come to a person who is dying. If he was righteous, they say: come out, good soul, with good news of mercy and of a Lord who is not angry. It is taken up, the gate of heaven is opened for it, and it is welcomed until it reaches the heaven above which is Allah. If he was evil, they say: come out, evil soul. It is taken up, but the gate is not opened for it. It is told: go back, for the gates of heaven will not be opened for you. And it is sent back down. The narration also says what awaits the evil soul; this summary leaves that part out.

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah.

Sunan Ibn Majah 4262, Book 37, Hadith 163, Grade: Sahih (Darussalam, as listed on Sunnah.com).

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: The words of ayah 40, “the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them,” in the Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam description of death. Al-Tabari uses this narration for his view that the gates are closed to their souls as well as their deeds. Ayah 37 has the same scene: the angels who come at death. See the tafsir units on ayat 40 to 41 and ayah 37.

Optional reading: Not by deeds alone.

Summary: Do good deeds properly and with balance, and be glad: no one’s good deeds will bring him into Paradise. They asked: not even you, Messenger of Allah? He said: not even me, unless Allah covers me with His forgiveness and mercy.

Narrated by Aishah.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6467, Book 81, Hadith 56.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: The other side of “you have been made to inherit it for what you used to do” in ayah 43. Ibn Kathir and al-Qurtubi both bring a version of this hadith at the ayah, and each explains how the two fit together; the tafsir page gives their explanations.

Part 5 of 7. Arabic words in the passage.

Four words carry this passage: the portion written for each person, the camel at the eye of the needle, what a soul can carry, and the guidance the people of Paradise give thanks for. Two of them you already know in Indonesian: nasib and hidayah.

Nasibuhum, ayah 37.

Saheeh International: “their portion” — Those will attain their portion of the decree.

Meaning in context: Their portion: what was written for them. Al-Tabari records six views of what it is, and prefers this one: what was written for them in this life, good and bad, their provision, their deeds and their lifespan. His reason is in the ayah. The portion lasts “until when Our messengers come to them to take them in death”. So even the one who lies about Allah still receives his portion, until then. Indonesian has the word as nasib, fate or lot, and kept the sense al-Tabari chose. What the ayah adds is the limit: the portion ends at death.

Root: n-s-b. Lane gives the verb first as “He set up, put up, set upright, erected, a thing”. A nasib is “A share, or portion, or lot”, “a set portion”, and he adds that it seems to mean mansub, “what is set”.

For reflection: What was written for you will reach you. Think of one thing you are worried about this week. Does holding on to that change how you work, or how you worry?

In this surah: Only here, ayah 37.

Grammar: Noun — nominative masculine, with the possessive pronoun “their” (3rd person masculine plural). The thirteenth word of ayah 37.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 32 times in six derived forms; the noun nasib 21 times. Two of them:

Surah An-Nisa, ayah 7 — “For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave.”

Surah Al-Qasas, ayah 77 — “do not forget your share of the world.”

From the tafsir: Al-Tabari's six views and his reason are in the optional note under ayah 37. Al-Jalalayn says the portion is what is written for them in the Preserved Tablet.

Al-jamalu, ayah 40.

Saheeh International: “a camel” — until a camel enters into the eye of a needle.

Meaning in context: A camel, and a big one. Al-Tabari reports Ibn Abbas: the great camel, too big for the hole of the needle. Right after it comes sammi l-khiyati, the eye of the needle. Al-Jalalayn says it plainly: “which is impossible and so is their entry into Paradise.” The ayah does not just say “never”. It shows a camel and a needle. There is no natural Indonesian cousin here; unta and jarum are other words.

Root: j-m-l. Lane: jamal is the male camel, “among camels, corresponding to” rajul, a man, “among us”. On this ayah he records that Ibn Abbas reads al-jummal, “and so do 'Alee and many others”: a cable, “the rope of a ship”. The same root gives jamal, beauty (Surah An-Nahl, ayah 6), and sabrun jamil, beautiful patience (Surah Yusuf, ayah 18, Surah Yusuf, ayah 83).

For reflection: Think of a picture from the Qur'an that has stayed with you longer than any rule. What made it stay?

In this surah: Only here. Jamal occurs once in the whole Qur'an, and so do samm and khiyat.

Grammar: Noun — nominative masculine. The seventeenth word of ayah 40. Sammi and l-khiyati are both genitive masculine nouns: “the eye of the needle”.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 11 times in five derived forms. Two of its cousins:And the needle: the root of khiyat occurs three times. The other two are khayt, thread, in the fasting ayah: Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 187 — “until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night].” Lane gives khiyat as “a needle”.

Surah Al-Mursalat, ayah 33 — “As if they were yellowish [black] camels.” The plural, jimalat, occurs only there.

Surah An-Nahl, ayah 6 — “And for you in them is [the enjoyment of] beauty”, said of livestock.

From the tafsir: The recited text says al-jamal, the camel. Al-Tabari records al-jummal, a thick rope like a ship's cable, as a reading reported from Ibn Abbas and others, and rules that the reading all the regional readers agree on is the one to keep.

Wusaha, ayah 42.

Saheeh International: “its capacity” — We charge no soul except [within] its capacity.

Meaning in context: What a soul can hold. The sentence sits in the middle of the promise of Paradise, between “those who believed and did righteous deeds” and “Those are the companions of Paradise”. Al-Jalalayn and al-Qurtubi both call it a parenthesis. Al-Tabari: Allah does not charge a soul with deeds beyond what it can bear, so that it is not put in hardship. Ibn Kathir: faith and acting on it are made easy. There is no everyday Indonesian cousin.

Root: w-s-ayn. Lane's first example of the verb is a vessel: “The vessel was sufficient in its capacity or dimensions”, large enough for the goods put in it. The noun saa, from the same root, is “capacity, or power, or ability”.

For reflection: Is there someone whose load you judge without knowing what they can carry? What would it mean to give them the measure Allah gives?

In this surah: The noun only here. The verb of the same root comes twice: ayah 89, “Our Lord has encompassed all things in knowledge”, and ayah 156, “My mercy encompasses all things.” What is asked of us is measured to our wus, and His mercy wasiat, encompasses, all things. That pairing is our observation, not a commentator's.

Grammar: Noun — accusative masculine, with the possessive pronoun “its” (3rd person feminine singular, for nafs, soul). The verb before it, nukallifu, “We charge”: 1st person plural, form II, imperfect.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 32 times in six derived forms. The noun wus occurs five times, and all five are this one promise: Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 233, Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 286, Surah Al-An'am, ayah 152, ayah 42 and Surah Al-Mu'minun, ayah 62. Two of them:The verb kallafa occurs seven times, and six of them say that a soul is not charged beyond what it has (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 233, Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 286, Surah Al-An'am, ayah 152, ayah 42, Surah Al-Mu'minun, ayah 62, Surah At-Talaq, ayah 7). The same root as wus gives the Name al-Wasi: Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 115 — “Indeed, Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.”

Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 286 — “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.”

Surah Al-An'am, ayah 152 — “We do not charge any soul except [with that within] its capacity.”

From the tafsir: Al-Tabari's word for hardship comes from the same root as haraj, the word of ayah 2 that session 01 looked at.

Hadana, ayah 43.

Saheeh International: “has guided us” — Praise to Allah, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us.

Meaning in context: What the people of Paradise say is about guidance, and the root comes three times in one breath: hadana, linahtadiya, hadana. Al-Tabari: “guided us” means He gave us success in the deeds that earned this. Al-Qurtubi: He guided us and created the guidance for us. Indonesian hidayah comes from this root, and so does hadiah, a gift. The Qur'an has the gift word too, at Surah An-Naml, ayah 35.

Root: h-d-y. Lane: “He directed him, or guided him, to the way”. And hadiyya: “A present; i. e. a thing sent to another in token of courtesy or honour”.

For reflection: Think of how you came to the practice you have now. Who and what did Allah send along the way?

In this surah: Nineteen times in this surah, by the corpus count. At ayah 30, which session 04 read: “A group [of you] He guided”. Here three times in one ayah. And at ayah 178: “Whoever Allah guides - he is the [rightly] guided”.

Grammar: hadana: verb — 3rd person masculine singular, perfect, with the object pronoun “us”. linahtadiya: the particle li, “to”, then a form VIII verb — 1st person plural, imperfect, subjunctive: “to be guided”.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 316 times in 12 derived forms: the verb hada, to guide, 144 times, and the form VIII verb ihtada, to be guided, 40 times. Two of the root's other words:

Surah An-Naml, ayah 35 — “But indeed, I will send to them a gift”, the queen's words. The gift word, hadiyya, occurs twice.

Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 196 — “what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals”: hady, the animal brought for sacrifice on hajj.

From the tafsir: Al-Tabari and al-Qurtubi on “guided us” are in the optional notes under ayat 42 to 43. That hidayah and hadiah share a root is a fact of the language; any lesson drawn from it is a reflection, not the commentators' reading.

More words to notice.

Azlamu, iftara, ayah 37: “More unjust” and “invents”. The Qur'an says azlam, more unjust, 16 times, and 9 of them pair it with iftara, to invent a lie: Surah Al-An'am, ayah 21, Surah Al-An'am, ayah 93, Surah Al-An'am, ayah 144, ayah 37, Surah Yunus, ayah 17, Surah Hud, ayah 18, Surah Al-Kahf, ayah 15, Surah Al-'Ankabut, ayah 68 and Surah As-Saff, ayah 7 (our count from the corpus). The root z-l-m occurs 315 times. Indonesian zalim. The same root ends ayah 41: al-zalimin, the wrongdoers.

Yatawaffawnahum, ayah 37: “To take them in death.” Al-Tabari: the angels take them in full, from this world to the next. The root w-f-y occurs 66 times; this form of the verb 24 times. Indonesian wafat. In this surah again at ayah 126, where the magicians pray: “let us die as Muslims”.

Laanat, ayah 38: “It cursed.” The root l-ayn-n occurs 41 times; this verb 23 times. Indonesian laknat. The next ayah, ayah 44, has the noun lanat.

Ukhtaha, ayah 38: “Its sister.” Al-Tabari: its sister in religion and creed, the nation that went the same way. Ukht occurs 14 times. Only here and at Surah Az-Zukhruf, ayah 48, of signs, “greater than its sister”, is it said of something other than a person. Many of us know it as ukhti.

Iddaraku, ayah 38: “They had overtaken one another”, until all of them are inside. Al-Jalalayn: they followed and caught up with one another. The root d-r-k occurs 12 times; this form of the verb 3 times.

Difan, difun, ayah 38: “Double.” Twice in this ayah: the followers ask for a double punishment for their leaders, and are told “For each is double”. Lane: in the language of the Arabs the word “means the like: this is the original signification”, the like of a thing, that doubles it. Al-Tabari gives the same sense. The root d-ayn-f occurs 52 times; this nominal 11 times. At Surah Al-Ahzab, ayah 68 the followers ask with the same word: “Our Lord, give them double the punishment”.

Fadlin, ayah 39: “Favor” — the leaders' answer, “you had not any favor over us”. The root f-d-l occurs 104 times; this noun 84 times. Indonesian fadilah and afdal come from the same root.

Abwabu, ayah 40: “The gates.” Bab occurs 27 times. At Surah Sad, ayah 50 the gates open the other way: “Gardens of perpetual residence, whose doors will be opened to them.”

Yalija, ayah 40: “Enters.” Al-Tabari: walaja is to enter. The corpus glosses it “to penetrate, to pass”; this form of the verb occurs 3 times.

Mihadun, ayah 41: “A bed.” Al-Tabari: what is spread out to sit and lie on, like a bed or a rug. Mihad occurs 7 times. The same root gives mahd, the cradle, at Surah Maryam, ayah 29.

Ghawashin, ayah 41: “Coverings.” Al-Tabari: the plural of ghashiya, what covers from above. The same word gives al-Ghashiyah, the name of Surah 88, which many of us know from salah: “Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming [event]?”

Ghillin, ayah 43: “Resentment.” Lane: “Rancour, malevolence, malice, or spite”, and also “envy”, and he names this ayah and Surah Al-Hijr, ayah 47. Lane numbers the ayah vii. 41, after an older edition. Ibn Kathir: envy and hatred. Al-Jalalayn: the spite that was between them in this world. The corpus puts it under the root gh-l-l, which also gives the shackles of ayah 157; the noun occurs 9 times. The first core narration on the hadith page shows how it is removed.

Urithtumuha, ayah 43: “You have been made to inherit it.” Lane: waritha, “He inherited”. The root w-r-th occurs 35 times; this form of the verb 12 times. Indonesian waris, warisan, ahli waris. The same word ends Surah Az-Zukhruf, ayah 72: “And that is Paradise which you are made to inherit for what you used to do.”

Part 6 of 7. Questions for discussion, and personal reflection.

These are the questions the halaqa discusses. The first three are the core questions; the rest are optional. Pause after each one and think it through, or talk it over with someone.

Question 1, core, on ayah 37.

At death the angels ask: “Where are those you used to invoke besides Allah?” And the answer is: “They have departed from us.” Leave the people in the ayah aside for a moment. What do we lean on in an ordinary week that will not be there at the end? What does leaning on Allah look like on a busy day?

Then, if the conversation goes there: who showed you, by how they lived, what it means to lean on Allah when things were hard?

Question 2, core, on ayah 38.

In ayah 38 the followers say about their leaders: “these had misled us”, and Allah answers: “For each is double.” In ayah 39 the leaders tell the followers: “you had not any favor over us”. In ordinary life, when is “someone else led me into it” true, and when is it a way of not owning our own choice? What makes owning our part hard, and what helps?

Then: when we lead others, at home, at work or in the community, what are we carrying for them?

Question 3, core, on ayah 42.

In the middle of the promise of Paradise, ayah 42 stops to say: “We charge no soul except [within] its capacity.” The word is wus, what a soul can carry; it is on the Arabic words page. Where in your practice do you feel you can never do enough? What changes if the measure is your own capacity, and not someone else's?

Question 4, optional, on ayah 40.

Ayah 40 does not only say “never”. It shows a camel and the eye of a needle. The word jamal, camel, occurs only here in the whole Qur'an. Why might a picture stay with us longer than a rule?

Question 5, optional, on ayah 43.

Before the rivers and before the praise, the first thing ayah 43 says Allah does is take the ghill, the resentment, out of their hearts. The first core narration on the hadith page shows the wrongs between believers settled before they go in. Is there a grudge you would rather Allah took out of your heart now than later? What would help you start?

Question 6, optional, on ayah 43.

“We would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us.” How do we talk about our own guidance, to our children or to someone new to Islam, without making it our own achievement?

Question 7, optional, on ayah 43.

Ayah 43 ends: “This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do.” The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that no one's good deeds will bring him into Paradise, and that this was true even of him, unless Allah covered him with His forgiveness and mercy. A summary of that narration is the last one on the hadith page. How do the two sit together for you?

Tadabbur — personal reflection.

These are personal applications, written for this session. They are separate from the verse translation and from the tafsir.

Reflection 1. Ayah 37 says a person's portion reaches him until the angels come. Think of one thing you are worried about this week. Hand it to Allah in a short du'a, in your own words.

Reflection 2. Read ayah 42 slowly, and stop on the middle part: no soul is charged beyond its capacity. Where do you most need to hear that this week?

Reflection 3. Ayah 43 begins with resentment taken out of hearts. Make a du'a for someone you have had a hard time with, and for yourself.

Reflection 4. Finish this silently: One thing I lean on more than I should is blank. One grudge I would like to put down is blank.

Part 7 of 7. Lectures to watch later.

These are talks by other scholars, to watch later if you want to go further. The links are at the foot of the Tafsir page. The descriptions are editorial.

Omar Suleiman: The Unclaimed Property in Jannah, Episode 25, JannahSeries with Dr. Omar Suleiman.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: From the transcript, a talk on a place kept for every person in Paradise and in the Fire, and believers inheriting the places others never claimed. He builds it on Surah Al-Mu'minun, ayat 10 to 11 and Surah Az-Zukhruf, ayah 72, which use the same word as ayah 43. Ibn Kathir and al-Tabari both read the inheritance in ayah 43 this way, al-Tabari with al-Suddi’s report. He also notes that no one enters except by Allah’s mercy, yet people there are told it is for what they did.

Omar Suleiman: Does God Ever Give Us Tests We Can't Handle, Daily Reminders.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: On carrying more than we think we can bear, built on the ayah that Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity, the promise ayah 42 makes too. Recorded in April 2020.

Omar Suleiman optional: Your Jannah Welcoming, Episode 4, JannahSeries with Dr. Omar Suleiman.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: From the transcript, on the believers’ welcome at the gates of Paradise, and on knowing your home there better than your home in this world, as in the first core narration on the hadith page. Some reports he quotes are early scholars’ sayings, not hadith.

Yasir Qadhi optional background: Reflections on Death: The Journey of a Righteous Soul, Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: From the transcript, on the soul’s journey at death from the side of the righteous soul: the angels, the soul leaving easily, the doors of the heavens opening, from Surah Ibrahim, ayah 43. At Surah An-Nahl, ayah 33 he says in one sentence that for the wicked soul the door stays shut, the picture of ayah 40, and goes no further. He does not recite ayat 37 or 40, so this is background only.