وَقالوا رَبَّنا عَجِّل لَنا قِطَّنا قَبلَ يَومِ الحِسابِ
They say: ‘Our Lord! Hasten on for us our share before the Day of Reckoning.’
EXEGESIS
Qiṭṭ (share) comes from qaṭṭ, which has the same meaning as qaṭʿ (to cut). Qaṭṭa is to cut something widthwise, and qidda is to cut it lengthwise. Qaṭṭ is used for someone’s fair share of something, probably as something is cut and divided amongst recipients.
Qiṭṭ can also mean a written book. This is because a qiṭṭ is a qiṭʿah (piece) of a qirṭās (scroll). It can be used for both what is written and what is written on. It can also have the meaning of a document or a voucher with which one can acquire their portion of something.
In this verse it should mean their share of the punishment, although it could also be referring to their book of deeds given to them on the Day of Judgement.
EXPOSITION
The surah has so far related to us all three of the major issues that people have wondered about and doubted with regards to religion. They derided the oneness of God, Has he reduced the gods to one god? This is indeed an odd thing! (verse 5), they derided prophethood, Has the reminder been sent down to him out of [all of] us? (verse 8), and now they deride resurrection, Our Lord! Hasten on for us our share before the Day of Reckoning.
This supplication of theirs should not be understood as anything but the ridicule that it was. Because they were so lost in their self-assured arrogance and conceit, they could not even entertain the possibility that what the Prophet was saying was true. This mockery was meant to convey that to others, as if to say ‘if what he says is true, then why are we not struck down now?’ This derision and laughter is in stark contrast to verse 3 of this surah, when they are faced with the punishment that they once derided, their laughter changes to horror; Do they seek to hasten Our punishment? But when it descends in their courtyard it will be a dismal dawn for those who had been warned (37:176-177).
It is said that Abū Jahl uttered the mocking supplication related in this verse. Other reports say it was Naḍr ibn Ḥārith and that the verses, An asker asked for a punishment bound to befall (70:1), and, O Allah, if this be the truth from You, rain down upon us stones from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment (8:32) were also revealed concerning his foolish utterance.
The question remains: why did God not answer this supplication and send down a punishment to the Meccan faithless? This is because as long as there is still hope for guidance for a people or their descendants God would not destroy them, Allah will not punish them while you are in their midst, nor will Allah punish them while they plead for forgiveness (8:33). It could be noted that most of the mockers and deriders (mustahziʾūn) were killed in various ways in the span of some years, Indeed We will suffice you against the deriders (15:95). In any case, the true punishment would face all of them much sooner than they might think: They ask you to hasten the punishment, though Allah shall never break His promise. Indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning (22:47).
This all ties into the main theme of wonder as well. The Meccan faithless thought it wondrous and inconceivable that there should be one God, and a messenger, and an afterlife with a day of accounting. But the irony is that the truly wondrous statement is their audacity at mocking God so carelessly: If you are to wonder [at anything], then wonderful is their remark, ‘When we have become dust, shall we be [ushered] into a new creation?’ They are the ones who defy their Lord … They would press you for evil sooner than for good, though there have already gone by before them exemplary punishments (13:5-6).
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
There are alternative understandings that have been suggested for qiṭṭ:
- From Ibn Abbas, that it is their share of the punishment.
- From Suddī and others, that it is their share of reward. In other words, they mockingly asked to see what would be their reward in paradise if they believed in the Prophet.
- From Muqātil and others, that it is their book of deeds. It is said they derided the Prophet in this way after the Quran had informed them that some would receive their book of deeds in their left hand. They then wished to see their books of action ahead of time, ridiculing the possibility of such a thing.
Of these opinions the first one seems the most sensible regarding the context of the verses, although linguistically the more common usage for qiṭṭ might be a book, and therefore the third opinion is also worthy of consideration. Whatever the case, such attitudes are reminiscent of similar mockeries that the faithless still level at believers today, ridiculing them for believing in divine punishment, heaven and hell, and accounting for actions.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked.
- Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
- Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
[1] Lisan, 7/380-381. Qiṭṭ should not be confused with the more commonly used qaṭṭ, which means never before (al-abad al-māḍī), as in ‘I never saw something like that before (qaṭṭ)’.
[2] Lisan, 7/382; Tabari, 23/85; Thalabi, 8/182.
[3] Zamakhshari, 4/77.
[4] Raghib, p. 676.
[5] Lisan, 7/382.
[6] Tibyan, 8/548-549; Mizan, 17/186.
[7] Tabari, 23/85; Thalabi, 8/182; Baydawi, 5/26; Nemuneh, 19/234-235.
[8] Razi, 26/372.
[9] Tabari, 23/85.
[10] Thalabi, 8/182; Suyuti, 5/297; Alusi, 12/166. If these verses are indeed related, it strengthens the understanding that qiṭṭ should be referring to worldly punishment.
[11] Tibyan, 8/548-549; Tabari, 23/85; Baghawi, 4/56; Qurtubi, 15/157.
[12] Tibyan, 8/549; Baghawi, 4/56; Qurtubi, 15/157.
[13] Tibyan, 8/549; Tabari, 23/85; Baghawi, 4/56; Razi, 26/373; Qurtubi, 15/157.
[14] Acts 17:32.
[15] Galatians 6:7.
[16] Proverbs 11:21.