يَومَ تُبلَى السَّرائِرُ
On the day when the secrets are examined.
EXEGESIS
The day is of course referring to the Day of Judgement when we are brought back before God, and when all our secrets, our hidden deeds, and our beliefs are laid bare and brought under the most intense scrutiny imaginable.
Tublā, which is here translated as examined, comes from balwā, meaning trial and tribulation. Related to this is the word ibtilāʾ, which means ikhtibār, or examination, as we have in: and We shall appraise (nabluwa) your record (akhbārakum) (47:31). Of course, even in English, a trial and an examination have an interconnected meaning, since any examination is always trying, and any trial always testing. The final trial and examination is certainly going to be a difficult one for anyone who faces it, but the true hardship on that day shall be faced by those who have wronged themselves. That will be a day of hardship, not at all easy for the faithless (74:9-10).
Sarāʾir is the plural of sarīrah, meaning ‘the intentions held within the soul’, the inner-self, or the well-guarded secrets that represent the true core of every person. From the same root we have the word sirr (secret), of which sarīrah is simply the more emphatic form. Hence, sarīrah is used to illustrate those well-guarded secrets hidden inside man’s heart that he thought would never be revealed. On that day, these are brought to light and exposed: He knows the treachery of the eyes, and what the breasts hide. Allah judges with justice (40:19-20).
EXPOSITION
God began this surah by swearing an oath by the brilliant star that stands out in the night sky. This oath was made to affirm to man that He most certainly has appointed over each of His subjects a guardian to watch over him and record his deeds. These records are kept and perfectly preserved, without leaving anything out, and He keeps count of all things (72:28). These records will then be brought forth and presented in the court of the Day of Judgement.
Just like the light of the brilliant star pierces the veils of the night and shines for all to see, so will the veil be removed from the actions of man and his heart pierced to reveal its secret intentions, exposing his true nature: That day you will be exposed: none of your secrets will remain hidden (69:18). When the unseen guard from verse 4, who had been there all along, presents his records to the Lord, Then every soul will come accompanied by a driver and a witness: ‘You were certainly oblivious of this. We have removed your veil from you, and so your sight is acute today’ (50:21-22). They will find present whatever they had done (18:49). Then based on this revelation, people will be taken to account for those actions: and whether you disclose what is in your hearts or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it (2:284).
This revelation of secrets will be a difficult experience for some, as their ill-deeds that they used to hide are laid to bare. Yet for some others this will be a joyous occasion, as the good deeds that they used to do in secret are shown to them and they will be promised a reward for those and honoured amongst the believers. The latter will cry out in joy, Here, take and read my book! (69:19), upon being shown the good actions that he had performed.
It should be noted that this examination of secrets will not necessarily happen in a full extent to every single person, as it would be devastating for believers who are to be let into paradise to first have all their mistakes laid bare in front of everyone. As such, some of the believers will find that many of the mistakes and sins they had committed are not in their book of actions. He shall remove from them their misdeeds and set right their affairs (47:2). This is because of the faith they had and the good actions they had performed, because Indeed good deeds efface misdeeds (11:114). This blessing is from God and a mercy to those who had sincerely repented, and is a manifestation of the divine attribute, Concealer of Defects (sattār al-ʿuyūb). It is also the meaning of the easy reckoning spoken of in 84:8.
Furthermore, as Rāzī points out, the value of actions depends not only on their apparent nature, but the intention of that action. In other words, two people may be praying next to each other, but one does so with sincere intention for God, while the other does so out of ostentation, in order to show off. Outwardly, both are carrying out the same action, yet one should be rewarded and the other punished. Similarly, many actions may outwardly appear good yet be harmful and evil, and vice versa. The examination of actions on the Day of Judgement can also refer to this revelation of the inner aspects of the actions and their intentions. In this deceptive world, where the true nature of things is veiled, we rarely perceive things in their full reality; rather, good and evil mix freely here. However, in the next world, when the kingdom of God becomes apparent, the two shall separate and so too shall the secrets of the soul and the true face of each person be revealed.
Finally, we may note the theme of mystery and accountability present in the verse, as the secrets are unveiled when we must confront God to be questioned regarding our actions.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- Muʿādh ibn Jabal reportedly asked the Prophet concerning the meaning of sarāʾir in this verse, and he replied: ‘Your secrets (sarāʾirukum) are your deeds, your prayers, fasts, alms, ritual ablutions, baths, and any obligatory action. This is because all deeds are hidden secrets. If a man were to so wish, he could say “I have prayed” and he would not have prayed, or say “I performed the ablution” and he would not have performed the ablution. This is the meaning of His speech, On the day when the secrets are examined.’
- Abū Dardāʾ reports from the Prophet: ‘God has imposed upon his creation four things: prayer, charity (zakāh), the fast of Ramadan, and the major ablution after intercourse (al-ghusl min al-janābah), and these are the secrets (sarāʾir). God has said: On the day when the secrets are examined.’
Notes: 1. The narrations suggest that many of the acts of worship are done in secret, and that no one necessarily knows if a person has done them or not. The examination of those would then mean the bringing to light of them. 2. These narrations are not necessarily in contradiction to what was related from Rāzī earlier. The sarāʾir can be described as the intentions that are the hidden cause and motivation behind every action. This is the implication of the statement in the hadith ‘all deeds are hidden secrets’, meaning that the intention of an action is imperceptible to everyone except the performer of the action, and is thus the secret in his heart. He may claim to others that he is doing this and that or may not claim so, but in the end he is aware of the secrets in his heart: Rather man is aware of his own soul (75:14).
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Ṭabrisī relates that some have been of the opinion that the sarāʾir in this verse relates to the meaning of happiness (surūr), in the sense that on the Day of Judgement a person will be shown their actions so that they will know for what reason they are being rewarded and what is the reason for their joy and happiness. If, on the other hand, the person was an evildoer, this display and review of their actions will only increase them in grief and the realisation of the joy that they have missed.
Rāzī relates from Qaffāl that the actions of man will be presented to him in his book, and he will also additionally be asked to recount what he has done. Hence, the ‘remembered account’ will be compared to the ‘written account’ to see if they are in compliance. Based on this, he argues that the accounting can be called an ‘examination’, as per the word tublā used in the verse. What is more correct though is what we have already mentioned about actions being presented and their inner intentions being examined.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
- In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men.
- Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
[1] Zubaydi, 19/217; Razi, 31/122.
[2] Tibyan, 10/325.
[3] Qutb, 6/3880.
[4] Mizan, 20/260.
[5] Tibyan, 10/325.
[6] See also verse 8.
[7] Razi, 31/121-122.
[8] As per 1:4: Master of the Day of Retribution. Of course, the kingdom belongs to God always, however, it is in the next world that it becomes apparent; that is why He refers to Himself as the Master of that day.
[9] Tabrisi, 10/715; Nur, 5/552.
[10] Suyuti, 6/336.
[11] Tabrisi, 10/715.
[12] Razi, 31/121, even though, as he mentions, God knows in detail everything that they did.
[13] Luke 8:16.
[14] Romans 2:16.
[15] 1 Corinthians 4:5.