فَلَولا إِذا بَلَغَتِ الحُلقومَ

So when it reaches the throat [of the dying person].

EXPOSITION

Disregarding the Quran and taking it lightly can only be a result of failure to realise its magnificence. This in turn is a result of arrogance and feeling self-sufficient, which are spiritual maladies. Hence, these next few verses provide the best spiritual remedies for these patients: the remembrance of death and reflection upon one’s helplessness against it. The deliberate and defiant rejection of the Quran is not due to lack of mental proof or evidence, for the truth is more manifest than that. Rather, it stems from an inner problem of pride and conceit.

This group of verses also relate to the previous verses and the whole chapter because death can be thought of as a small wāqiʿah or resurrection.^{‎[1]Thalabi, 9/224-225; Murtaza Alidina, series of lectures on the exegesis of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah, available at <http://www.dartabligh.org >. Most of these interpretations are by the early exegetes and companions. See Suyuti, 6/166-167.} Another link between these verses and the previous ones is that these verses show that mankind is already subjugated and overcome by death, and has no escape from God’s decrees in the world of creation. When one admits this undeniable reality, it becomes easier for him to also submit to God’s commands in the world of legislation, which means submission to the Quran.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

As mentioned in Exposition, Imam Ali (a) has described the stages of death in further detail in several places in Nahj al-Balāghah. The following two passages should suffice as an elaboration of this group of verses and an awakening whip on heedless hearts:

1. ‘What befalls them is beyond description. Pangs of death and regret over loss [of their chance, their life, and their possessions] surround them. Thus, their limbs become languid and their complexion changes. Then death increases its hold over the person, blocking between him and his speech. This is while he is amongst his family, looking with his eyes and hearing with his ears, with a functioning brain and a working intelligence. He thinks about how he used his life and passed his days. He remembers the wealth that he collected with a closed eye on its means, acquiring it from known and unknown sources. He is about to let go of the wealth while the consequences of its gathering stay with him. He must leave his wealth for those who remain after him to enjoy and benefit from, while he shall carry its burden on his back … Thus death keeps advancing on his body until it takes over his ears just as it had taken over his tongue. Hence, he remains lying among his family, casting his look at their faces, while he can neither speak with his tongue nor hear with his ears. He sees the movement of their tongues but cannot hear their speech. Then death increases its sway over him, overtaking his sight as it overtook his hearing. Thus his spirit departs from his body, and he becomes a corpse among his family. They turn away from his side [in fear] and avoid approaching him. He cannot help those who mourn for him, nor can he respond to those who call him.’^{‎[2]Nahj, sermon 109.}
2. ‘Pangs of death overtook him in his remaining days of rebellion and heedless merriment. Thus the man [now] passes day and night in overwhelming anguish and a variety of pains and ailments. He is laid down before his kind brother, his loving father, his mother who cries impatiently, and his sister who beats herself restlessly. This is while the man is under a stifling agony, an overwhelming sorrow, an excruciating cry, a suffocating seizure, and a dreadful transition.’^{‎[3]Nahj, sermon 82.}

Note: The verse and Imam Ali’s (a) descriptions suggest that the process of dying starts from the toes and ends up at the head. What this really means and how exactly it occurs is not clear to us, just as any description of the process of birth cannot be comprehended by the foetus with its limited knowledge and capacity. This could itself show God’s mercy, whereby one is given the chance to do good deeds, repent, invoke God, and ask for forgiveness until the very last moment of his life, even if that is by one’s eyes, heart, or brain.^{‎[4]Faqih, 1/133, h. 351; Qummi, 1/42; Kanz, 4/222-224; Bihar, 6/16-17; Wasail, 16/88, h. 5; Safi, 1/431-432.}

3. Upon being asked about verses 83-87, Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘When the soul of a believer reaches the throat, he sees paradise and says: “Return me to the world so that I may inform my family of what I see.” But he is told: “This is not possible.”’^{‎[5]Zuhd, p. 84, h. 223; Kafi, 3/135, h. 15, with slight variations.}

Note: This narration is confirmed by verses 36:26-27.

[1] Thalabi, 9/224-225; Murtaza Alidina, series of lectures on the exegesis of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah, available at <http://www.dartabligh.org >. Most of these interpretations are by the early exegetes and companions. See Suyuti, 6/166-167.
[2] Nahj, sermon 109.
[3] Nahj, sermon 82.
[4] Faqih, 1/133, h. 351; Qummi, 1/42; Kanz, 4/222-224; Bihar, 6/16-17; Wasail, 16/88, h. 5; Safi, 1/431-432.
[5] Zuhd, p. 84, h. 223; Kafi, 3/135, h. 15, with slight variations.