Sūrah Al-Qiyāmah The Resurrection
القيامة
40 verses, Makkī. By the Day of Resurrection and the self-accusing soul yes, We will certainly resurrect the bones. The human will testify against himself on that Day. Do not move your tongue with the Qurʾān before Jibrīl completes it its gathering upon your heart is Our responsibility. The face that Day will be radiant; the face that Day will be grim.
Surah Overview
Key Themes from Ibn Kathīr
The divine guarantee of memorisation (75:16–19): "Do not move your tongue with it to hasten it indeed upon Us is its collection and its recitation. So when We have recited it, follow its recitation. Then upon Us is its clarification." Ibn Kathīr: the Prophet ﷺ used to move his lips anxiously to memorise as Jibrīl recited, fearing he might forget. Allah commanded him to wait the divine guarantee of perfect memorisation is confirmed here. This same divine custody applies to the preservation of the Qurʾān through the generations.
Radiant and grim faces (75:22–25): "Faces that Day will be radiant looking at their Lord. And faces that Day will be gloomy thinking that there will be done to them a bone-breaking disaster." Ibn Kathīr: the two conditions the believer's face glows from the divine vision; the disbeliever's face darkens knowing the punishment approaches. The most debated question in Islamic theology is the vision of Allah (ruʾyat Allah) this verse is one of the clearest proofs that it will occur for the believers.
- The self-accusing soul (75:2): Ibn Kathīr: the nafs lawwāmah is the conscience of the believer it reproaches even for small sins. Some scholars say it refers to the disbeliever who regrets on the Day of Judgement, but the predominant view is it refers to the believing conscience that is never content with its level of worship.
- Man will testify against himself (75:14–15): "Rather the human being will be a witness against himself even if he presents his excuses." Ibn Kathīr: the self-testimony on the Day of Judgement, the person will be his own witness. All excuses will be exposed as false by his own actions recorded in his record.
- The agony of death (75:26–29): "No! When it reaches the collar-bones, and it is said: Who will cure him? And he thinks it is the parting and the leg is wound about the other leg to your Lord that Day will be the procession." Ibn Kathīr: the moment of death described the soul rising through the body, the limbs failing, the family helpless, the inevitable meeting with Allah.
- Did you think We would not reassemble your bones? (75:3–4): "Does the human think that We will not assemble his bones? Yes We are able to reconstruct his very fingertips." Ibn Kathīr: the fingerprint unique to every individual mentioned as the specific evidence of divine power to recreate with precision. A detail noted 14 centuries before fingerprint science.
- The pleasure of tomorrow (75:5): "Rather the human desires to continue in sin in what lies ahead of him." Ibn Kathīr: the delay of tawbah always planning to repent tomorrow while continuing to sin today. This surah opens by swearing against it the Day of Resurrection refutes every plan to postpone righteousness.