Sūrah At-Taghābun The Mutual Disillusion: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahالتغابنMadanī 18 versesDay of mutual disillusion, family trial, divine foreknowledge

Key DisagreementWhat is "taghābun" who is disillusioned by whom?Lexical tafsīrAl-Ṭabarī: the people of Paradise and Hell each realize the "bargain" of the other disbelievers see what they missed, believers see what they escaped

Competing OpinionsAre "your spouses and children" (64:14) enemies or merely potential obstacles?Family relationshipAl-Ṭabarī: some are actual enemies who may cause you to disobey Allah through chains from Ibn ʿAbbās on the specific Medinan occasion

MethodologyConnecting the occasion of revelation to the general principle establishedAsbāb + principle methodAl-Ṭabarī traces the specific Medinan Companions who struggled with family-vs.-religion, then derives the general principle

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The "taghābun" concept (64:9) is analyzed by al-Ṭabarī through chains from Ibn ʿAbbās: the mutual disillusion occurs when each group on the Day of Judgment sees what the other has received. Disbelievers see what they missed the reward of believers and feel the "ghubn" (loss) of a bad bargain. Believers see what disbelievers receive Hell and feel the "ghubn" of the disbelievers' bad bargain. The verse names this Day after its dominant experience of retrospective recognition of the cost of choices.

The family-as-enemies verse (64:14) is analyzed through chains from Ibn ʿAbbās on the specific occasion: some men in Mecca accepted Islam but their wives and children pressured them to delay emigration (hijrah). When they finally reached Medina, they saw that those who had emigrated earlier had more knowledge of Islam. The Prophet counseled: forgive them and overlook, but heed the warning that some family members are enemies they may lead you to disobey Allah.

يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ Yawma yajmaʿukum li-yawmi l-jamʿi dhālika yawmu l-taghābun "The Day He will assemble you for the Day of Assembly that is the Day of Mutual Disillusion." (64:9) Al-Ṭabarī presents the chain from Ibn ʿAbbās on the specific nature of the disillusion: each party sees the other's outcome and recognizes the finality of their own choice.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلَادِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَّكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū inna min azwājikum wa-awlādikum ʿaduwwan lakum fa-ḥdharūhum "O you who have believed, indeed, among your wives and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them." (64:14) Al-Ṭabarī traces the Medinan occasion through chains from Ibn ʿAbbās the specific men whose families delayed their emigration establishing that "enemy" means one who causes you to disobey Allah, not hostility per se.

Taghābun mechanics: Al-Ṭabarī's chain-based explanation of mutual disillusion is one of his more detailed eschatological psychology analyses.
Family warning: The "enemy" designation for some family members is tied to a specific historical occasion delayed emigration making the warning contextually grounded.
Divine foreknowledge: 64:4's "He knows what you conceal and what you declare" is analyzed through chains as an absolute statement nothing escapes divine awareness.
Post-family counsel: The command to "forgive and overlook" after the family-enemy warning is traced al-Ṭabarī notes the balance: warn against family whose pressure causes sin, but maintain familial kindness.
Creation purpose: 64:2's "He is the one who created you, and among you is the disbeliever and among you is the believer" is analyzed through chains as a statement of divine creation of the categories not endorsement of disbelief.

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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