Interpretation of Fortress 88 (The Overwhelming)
Surah Al-Ghashiyya (Part One)
I seek refuge in God from the cursed Satan
In the Name of God, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful
1. “Has the account of the Overwhelming (Event) come to you?
2. “Some faces on that Day will be downcast,
3. “Of standing deeds,
4. “Suffering a scorching Fire.
5. “And given to drink from a seething spring.
6. “There shall be no food for them, but food of bitter disgust:
7. “It will neither nourish nor satisfy hunger.
8. “Some faces on that Day will be soft,
9. “Well-pleased with their labours,
10. “In a lofty Garden:
11. “Where they will hear no idle talk.
12. `Therein will be a flowing spring,”
13. “And couches raised high.
14. “And cups placed ready,
15. “And delights ranged in order,
16. “And inclusive bliss richly spread.
17. “Would they not look at the camels, (and consider) how they are created;
18. “And at the sky, how it is raised high;
19. “And at the mountains, how they are set up;
20. “And at the earth, how it is spread out.
21. “Therefore you remind them (Oh Mohammad), for you are one to act only as a reminder.
22. “You have no domination over them,
23. “Save those that turn away and disbelieve.
24. “Allah will then inflict the greatest torment upon them.”
25. “Indeed, to Us is their return;
26. “And then it is for Us to call them to account.”
§§§§§
This noble Fortress aims to remind humanity of the Day of Resurrection, and to show what state people will be in on that Day.
Undoubtedly, we will come back to our Provider. If a person was an evildoer in the worldly life, they will stand humble and servile before the torture which will befall them. On the contrary, if they were charitable, they would stand up, happy and optimistic with the bliss and honor they receive. God says:
Verse no. 1
1. “Has the account of the Overwhelming (Event) come to you?
To ‘overwhelm’ is to completely cover or to overcome.
An “Overwhelming Event” could be any great and weighty occurrence which descends upon people, fully overwhelming the spirit and surrounding it so that it almost becomes impossible for it to think of anything else.
For example, one such overwhelming event would be a storm facing travellers at sea, which would alarm them and put them in fear of shipwreck and drowning.
Other overwhelming events would include flooding or a military attack by enemies. When such occurrences befall people, their spirits become focused on the stress caused, and surrounded by their own anguish. This takes place to the extent that the spirit becomes wholly absorbed in these events.
However, the Overwhelming Event referred to in this Verse is the resurrection on Doomsday.
God described this event as overwhelming because it will descend upon everything in creation, and everything that has come into existence from the beginning of creation till the end of this world, and nothing will be left unaffected.
It will cover people with its unpleasantness to the extent that people will become abstracted from and forget everything else.
This Verse is in the interrogative tense in order to emphasize its meaning, to establish the facts in the spirits of humanity, and to demonstrate the importance of that great Day.
It means: have you not attained knowledge of that Day? Have you not been acquainted with the news of the Overwhelming Event, which is surely coming and which will encompass every being in creation and occupy their spirits, making them forget everything else?!
Should you not think of that unavoidable Day, so that you may begin to make your preparations for it from this moment forth?
The Almighty described people’s states on that Day to us. He first mentioned the state of people who commit bad actions. He says:
Verse no. 2
2. “Some faces on that Day will be downcast,
The word “downcast” indicates humiliation and subjection.
Verse no. 3
3. “Of standing deeds,”
That is, the works which those spirits have done during their lifetime will stand before their eyes on that Day, and will never disappear from their sight.
Why will these faces be downcast and bent?
They will stand in this way because they will view what is about to befall them, and what has been prepared for them.
The Fire will be there awaiting them, with hot and boiling water for them to drink, and food of bitter taste to eat.
I wonder, if a person views these things in front of them, will they not stand with bowed head, cringing, submissive and bent?
They will stand downcast because they are about to suffer a scorching Fire. God says:
Verse no. 4
4. “Suffering a scorching Fire.”
That is, they will be burnt and be engulfed in a scorching Fire.
Verse no. 5
5. “And given to drink from a seething spring.
That is, from a hot springs of boiling water.
Verse no. 6
6. “There shall be no food for them but food of bitter disgust:
The words “bitter disgust” suggests suffering and yielding. This is because the food which the people of Fire will have is painful, detestable and loathsome. However, despite their pain and detestation, their spirits will yield to it, because they will have no choice. This is like the example of a sick man who has to take unpleasant medicine.
Verse no. 7
7. “It will neither nourish nor satisfy hunger.”
”It will neither nourish”: nourishment is not accomplished until a spirit becomes free and cured of disease, and this cannot be achieved except by entering the Presence of God. That is because nothing heals the polluted spirits from defects except God’s Light.
Therefore this food will not sustain them, since it cannot cure anyone. It is only a means of distraction with which the people of Fire distract themselves, so that they can forget their pains.
“…nor satisfy hunger”, because there is no nourishment in this food.
As for the people of Paradise, the Almighty revealed their state in that weighty position, saying:
Verse no. 8
8. “Some faces on that day will be soft,”
The term ‘soft’ expresses the luxurious circumstances of these people,
However, what is the reason for this luxury?
God clarified the reason to us, saying:
Verse no. 9
9. “Well pleased with their labours,”
This means that they will be pleased with the good deeds they have rendered in their life, for these deeds will now allow them to enter high Paradise. God says:
Verse no. 10
10. “In a lofty Garden:”
Regarding this point, it is necessary to shed light upon the state of people in Paradise and how they will enjoy themselves therein. This is important in order to recognize the limitless Favor of Allah, the Almighty, for humanity, as well as His great Graces. We say:
As previously mentioned, each person is composed of a spirit, a soul and a body.
We have explained that the spirit is the main element of a person. It is that which enjoys and suffers, and which tastes flavors and savors their pleasures.
However, in this world the spirit is confined within and surrounded by the body. It perceives only pictures, and enjoys delights by means of the physical senses from behind a veil.
This situation is not like that in the life to come. In the other abode, the spirit will envelop the body and surround it on all sides, as the flame of a candle completely surrounds its wick.
If we suppose that the wick of a candle is a body, then its flame and its light would be the spirit.
In the afterlife, the spirit will not view with the physical eye or hear with the physical ear. The whole spirit will be eyes and ears, and it will taste, smell and speak with its entire self.
That is the state of the spirit on that Day.
Accordingly, it will get more pleasure there than it does here. Its enjoyment now is but partial and indirect and from behind a veil, while on that day it will be complete and direct.
When the spirit wants to look at something in the life to come, it will be in no need of an eye, just as it will not need a mouth or teeth when it has food. Its rays will flow to food, and allow it to taste it and enjoy its flavors. It will have no need to chew it or cut it with the teeth.
Such being the case, its delight there will be greater than its delight in this world, and will be completely different.
In this world, people soon satisfy their appetites, whereas in the life to come nothing will restrict the spirit from enjoying and taking continuous pleasure in anything.
God says: “This is a picture of the Garden which the ones who see by God’s Light have been promised: the rivers (of blessings) run (underneath it): eternal are its fruits, and so is its Shade (the Godly Manifestation)...”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 13, Ar-Ra’d (The Thunder), Verse 35
And He (glory to Him) says: “And abundant fruits, never-ending, and not forbidden.”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 56, Al-Waqi’a (The Inevitable Event), Verse 32-33
Similarly, a person’s enjoyment of their spouse in Paradise will be spiritual. Their spirits will flow to one another and achieve pleasure without cessation or separation.
Accordingly, when in Paradise, a person will not need a bed to sleep in or a pillow to lie on, since their body will not feel tired or require sleep. The residents of Paradise will not desire a glass to drink from since the body will have no need to drink.
All the Verses included in the Qur’an in this respect indicate the qualities and the realities of things, and the bliss which people will enjoy as a result.
Returning to God’s Saying, “In a lofty Garden” we say:
The word “Garden” is an expression of a place where a person feels spiritual happiness, veiled from others.
Every person in Paradise will live in bliss equal to the charity they have carried out in their life.
One’s bliss will be hidden from others, and sensed only by themselves. The “lofty Garden” means the endless, high-ranked Paradise.
Verse no. 11
11. “Where they will hear no idle talk.”
The phrase “idle talk” means untrue speech.
Verse no. 12
12. “Therein will be a flowing spring,”
The word “spring” here refers only to the spirit.
In Arabic, the word “spring” also has the meaning of ‘eye’.
As previously mentioned, in Paradise the spirit will itself become an eye. Therefore it will always flow from one bliss to a higher and more wonderful one, without stopping.
Verse no. 13
13. “And couches raised high”
Here, the word “couches” refers to everything that people lie on in order to get some rest. In Arabic, the word for ‘couch’ also refers to ‘pleasure’. Accordingly, the word “couches” here indicates pleasant things which the spirits rely on in order to attain bliss.
Therefore, the phrase “raised high” means the high-ranked things which raise the spirit from one positive state to another superior one.
Verse no. 14
14. “And cups placed ready”
A ‘cup’ is a vessel which contains delicious liquid prepared for people to drink.
In Arabic the word ‘cup’ is ‘coop’ which is related to the verb ‘encabba’ meaning ‘apply to.’ Accordingly, the word ‘coob’ refers to anything which the spirit applies to.
The word “cups” here refers to the things which the spirit applies to eagerly due to the delight which they contain.
As for the word “placed”, it indicates unceasing desirability.
The phrase “placed ready” therefore indicates that people in Paradise will be fully healthy so that they can continuously enjoy what delightful things will be placed before them.
Verse no. 15
15. “And delights ranged in order.”
This Verse means that good, sweet, and desirable things will be placed before the spirit in succession, one after the other, to allow the spirit to pass and flow through them, so that it moves from one perfect attraction to another which is even more perfect.
Verse no. 16
16. “And zarebas (inclusive bliss) richly spread.”
In Arabic, the word “zareba” is derived from the verb ‘zaraba’, which means ‘to put together’.
For example, we say: ‘sheep zareba’ to mean the place where sheep are put together.
However, in this Verse this word signifies the things where all delights and pleasures are included together.
“ …richly spread”: that is, the pleasures of these things flow throughout the spirit. They will spread within it and never separate from it.
In short, we say:
Humanity’s enjoyment of Paradise is based on realities, not images. For example, the pomegranate that is presented to the people of Paradise is comprised of the delineation mentioned in all the previous Verses and is referred to with the words: “couches”, “cups”, “attractions” and “zareba”.
Pomegranate and couches contains (that is, pleasures), cups (meaning that the spirit applies to it), attractions (meaning that it is sweet and delicious and the spirit passes to it), and “zarebas” (which is to say that it contains many delights which all flow together to the spirit and spread within it).
It is the same when it comes to enjoying women or men or any other kind of bliss. People’s enjoyment will depend on reality, and will be continuous and unceasing.
How happy will be the state of the people of Paradise! Glory to Him! What a Generous Obligor He is!
Guidance and abidance:
We must establish in our heart the fact that death encompasses every human willy-nilly, therefore human must contemplate this unavoidable end and prepare himself for that day through doing good deeds, however, The Almighty God has clarified to us the way to enter paradise and warned us not to disobey His orders. If we do so, we shall lead ourselves to fire. All what God has revealed is the serious fact, so all what you have to do is to decide to follow the way of attaining the true belief in God and rendering good deeds which lead to Paradise.
Questions and Exercises:
1- Why has God called the Day of Resurrection the Overwhelming Event?
2- As we mentioned previously in the above lesson that the spirits who have done bad actions during their lifetime their deeds will stand before their eyes on the Doomsday, and will never disappear from their sight so they become downcast. Why will these spirits be downcast and broken?
3- According to the interpretation of these holy fortresses we know that the food which the people of Fire will have is painful, detestable and loathsome. However, despite their pain and detestation, their spirits will yield to it, explain why?
4- Do the people of paradise need a bed to sleep and glasses to drink from?
5- What are the differences between the spirit enjoyment and pleasure in this worldly life and in the life to come. Which one is more delightful?
6- Illustrate the meaning of Garden (Janah)? Why has God called the spirit “a flowing spring” in the life to come?
7- Explain the meaning of the Verses which are mentioned in this Holy fortress: “And delights ranged in order.” “And zarebas (inclusive bliss) richly spread.”