بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيم
عَمَّ يَتَساءَلونَ
What is it about which they question each other?!
EXEGESIS
ʿAmma is a short form of ʿammā (or ʿan mā), meaning ‘of what’ or ‘about what’.
Yatasāʾalūna is in present tense, indicating persistent and continued questioning. It is in the form of tafāʿul, indicating a two-sided and mutual act of questioning. This could have two meanings: 1. They question each other. 2. They question the Prophet and/or the Muslims, one after another. Either way, it shows that the subjects of discussion (the polytheists of Mecca) were uncertain about some topic (the resurrection), and thus they were frequently asking about it. It could be that the person(s) being asked is not specified because that is not the focus of the verse. Instead, the verse wants to criticise their doubtful and mocking questions, irrespective of whom they used to ask.
This frequent questioning is seen in many verses that report a commonly raised question by the unbelievers: What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we be resurrected? (23:82, and similarly in 17:49, 17:98, 37:16, 50:3, 56:47). Another frequently asked question in this regard was: When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful? (10:48, 21:38, 27:71, 34:29, 36:48, 67:25). Some exegetes and lexicologists have noted that tasāʾul is sometimes used in mere conversation, even if the two sides do not ask any question. This usage is seen in verse 52:25 and subsequent verses. Based on this meaning, the verse would mean: What is it about which they discuss and converse with each other?!
EXPOSITION
This chapter starts with an awakening and warning tone. It raises the interest and attracts the attention of the audience by introducing a tremendous event in the form of questions: What is it about which they question each other?! [Is it] about the great tiding? These verses keep the audience in suspense, and even increase their curiosity by not explicitly identifying what this great news is, but instead emphasising its significance: The one about which they differ? No indeed! They will soon know! Again, no indeed! They will soon know!
The verses that follow and the overall makeup of the surah, suggest that this great tiding is of the hereafter and the resurrection of the dead. This is clearly seen in the last verse of this chapter, which summarises and wraps up the whole surah. The Day of Resurrection is referred to as a great day in many verses in the Quran (6:15, 7:59, 10:15, 19:37, 26:135, 39:13, 83:5).
What is it about which they question each other involves a criticising tone. There are a few possible reasons for rebuking the inquirers for asking about the hereafter: 1. It is more than clear, as the next verses list several evident signs that prove the inevitability of the afterlife. 2. They were asking about this in doubt and disbelief, not in search for the truth and knowledge. This is seen in verse 27. 3. They are heedless of the significance of this event and the need for preparation for it. That is why they are neglecting action and are only engaged in talking and enquiring about it. This is seen in verse 40. The faithless say: ‘Shall we show you a man who will inform you (yunabbiʾukum, from the same root as nabaʾ) [that] when you have been totally rent to pieces you will indeed have a new creation? Has he fabricated a lie against Allah, or is there a madness in him?’ Rather, those who do not believe in the hereafter languish in punishment and extreme error (34:7-8). They inquire of you (yastanbiʾūnaka, from the same root as nabaʾ): ‘Is it true?’ Say: ‘Yes! By my Lord, it is true, and you cannot thwart [Him]’ (10:53).
The chapter starts by using a pronoun (they) without identifying its noun: they question each other. This could be because the questioners were already known and thus there was no need to explicitly mention them. It could also be a means of expressing disapproval. That is, a people that question and doubt such a great tiding are not even worth being named explicitly by God. Therefore, this point would add to the critical tone of these verses.
[1] Mizan, 20/159.
[2] Alusi, 15/202.
[3] Razi, 31/6, narrated from al-Farrāʾ.
[4] Mizan, 20/159.
[5] Alusi, 15/202.