قَيِّمًا لِيُنذِرَ بَأسًا شَديدًا مِن لَدُنهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ المُؤمِنينَ الَّذينَ يَعمَلونَ الصّالِحاتِ أَنَّ لَهُم أَجرًا حَسَنًا

[A book] upright, to warn of a severe punishment from Him, and to give good news to the faithful who do righteous deeds, that there shall be for them a good reward.

EXEGESIS

Qayyiman (upright) comes from the root of qiyām meaning to stand up, or to look after something, and related to this, to continue with something determinedly (to stand by it).^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 690.} Here the word is describing the book mentioned in the previous verse. In essence it is saying: God has revealed to His servant the book, in the state of being qayyim.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 7/5; Muhit, 7/136.} As for what is meant by that, the scholars have suggested different meanings:

1. It is upright because it is moderate and righteous.^{‎[3]Tibyan, 7/4; Tabrisi, 6/693; Tabari, 15/127.} It does not impose on people duties that entail hardship or espouse extreme views, or leave them in need of other books; We have not omitted anything from the book (6:38).^{‎[4]Alusi, 8/192.}
2. It is the overseer of other books, safeguarding them and confirming them.^{‎[5]Tibyan, 7/4; Tabrisi, 6/693; Tabari, 15/127.}
3. It is the overseer in the sense that one should always keep going back to it and refer to it.^{‎[6]Tabrisi, 6/693.}
4. It is an overseer over people, nurturing them, guiding them, and looking after their interests.^{‎[7]Razi, 21/423; Mizan, 13/236} The rulings it outlines and the lifestyle it teaches, always takes into account the real needs of people.^{‎[8]Mudarrisi, 6/354-355.}
5. It is eternal, lasting until the Day of Judgement, meaning it will never become obsolete or abrogated or outdated.^{‎[9]Tabrisi, 6/693; Qaraati, 5/139.}

Considering these various meanings, we can realise that they are all valid and included in the wide scope of the Quran being qayyim.

Li-yundhira (to warn) has omitted both the subject and the object.^{‎[10]Muhit, 7/136.} It is obviously God who is doing the warning, through the Quran and His Messenger. As for who is the object, it should be either the plural ‘you’ (li-yundhirakum) or perhaps in a general sense ‘of’ (li-yundhira ʿan).

Baʾs (punishment) means toughness, severity, and that which is detested. It can mean hardship as in, then We seized them with stress (baʾsāʾ) and distress (6:42). It can also mean power and martial prowess as in, for Allah is greatest in might (baʾs) and severest in punishment (4:84).^{‎[11]Raghib, p. 153.}

Here it refers to the punishment of God, a terrible (baʾīs) punishment (7:165), that is hastened to this world.^{‎[12]Tibyan, 7/6; Razi, 21/423.} There is a difference between baʾs and harm (ḍarar); the latter is more general and includes all harm, whist the former can only be caused by a rational actor. When that rational actor is the All-Powerful, one should be fully aware that there is no escaping or turning away that punishment if it is decreed.^{‎[13]Mudarrisi, 6/356.}

EXPOSITION

The Quran is upright because it guides to the upright faith, So set your heart on the upright (qayyim) religion (30:43).^{‎[14]Mizan, 13/238.}

As mentioned, the main theme of the surah is the ‘true account’ given by the Quran. One of the primary functions of the Quran is to tell the truth and make it known. Thus, two important qualities are mentioned for the book of God. It is free from crookedness (verse 1), not twisting the truth or adding to it, and it is qayyim, a witness over all things, informing of their true nature; We have not omitted anything from the book (6:38).

Furthermore, the Quran is the criterion by which all other things must be judged. While the People of the Book may argue for example about how many were the People of the Cave (verse 22), the ‘true account’ of this is given by the Quran: We have sent down to you the book with the truth, confirming what was before it of the book and as a guardian over it. So judge between them by what Allah has sent down (5:48). If there is ever any a conflict in information, the basis of truth should always be the Quranic account.

This is the opposite of what some Orientalist approaches have been, whereby they have claimed that when the Quranic account differs from the Biblical one, it is because Prophet Muhammad (s) was mistaken or had misunderstood something in the Bible or misquoted it. While the truth is that the account given by the Quran is the ‘true account’, and contradicting accounts are due to additions, omissions, faulty transmission, or other reasons.

Similarly, the role of the Quran as the qayyim in matters of religion means that the correct approach to understanding the faith is to view it through a Quranic lens, and to place the Quran as the focal point and central pillar, around which all else is built. So when we speak of, for example, ‘Quran and Sunna’, it is the Quran which should take the lead and play a central role, it is the foundation upon which the narrations and hadiths build, not vice versa. This does not mean rejecting the importance of the narrations from Prophet Muhammad (s) or the Ahl al-Bayt, but to accept that the Quran is the criterion by which they must be judged. As is in the famous prophetic hadith narrated by Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘Whatever complies with the book of God, take it, and whatever contradicts the book of God, leave it.’^{‎[15]Kafi, 1/69.}

It has been asked why God mentions warning before reward. Some have said that this is because of the rational principle that keeping away harm is more important than gaining benefit.^{‎[16]Razi, 21/423.} However, that is not a completely satisfactory answer as other verses mention reward before punishment. Rather, it seems to be linked to the fact that the statement also does not mention who is being warned. It does not say ‘to warn the faithless’ or ‘to warn the evildoers’, but rather it is general in its address.

Hence, omitting the addressee makes it more general in its scope.^{‎[17]Shawkani, 3/319.} It warns also those who do not believe and do good deeds, like it does those who do not believe at all, or those who believe but commit sins.^{‎[18]Mizan, 13/238,} By specifying those who are rewarded and not specifying those who are punished, it conveys that everyone except the group being rewarded is being warned, like in the verse, warn mankind, and give good news to the faithful (10:2).^{‎[19]Alusi, 8/194-195.}

The lesson is that everyone should be afraid of God’s punishment and careful not to earn it for themselves. Even the believer should be afraid of God’s punishment. Indeed, it is in fact the believer that is actually afraid of it (and that is why he is saved from it), whereas the faithless are heedless of it. All this is also supported by the fact that in verse 4 when another warning is issued, God specifies who is being warned.

It is also possible that baʾs could be referring to martial prowess and strength, as outlined earlier. In this sense it could mean that God is warning the enemies of God’s religion that they will be overcome by the believers eventually. This is fitting considering the theme of the surah that relates to the final outcome of things.^{‎[20]This view is also the apparent understanding adopted in a report that describes Imam Ali (a) as the baʾs, who will fight and destroy the opponents of the Messenger of God (Ayyashi, 2/321). Note that such an understanding can be considered an instance of applying the verse (taṭbīq) and not its interpretation (tafsīr) (Mizan, 13/241).} Obviously, none of this should be understood in contradiction to what was said before, but rather as different layers of meaning.

From Him indicates that when such a punishment comes, no one can turn it away or escape from it, as it is from God.^{‎[21]Tantawi, 8/467.}

To give good news to the faithful who do righteous deeds is of course the primary objective of the Quran, to nurture faith in mankind and to teach them right from wrong, so that they may reach the pinnacle of decency and fulfil the purpose of their existence by reaching paradise. This is also why the book should be free from all crookedness and should be qayyim. It must be free from all faults so that it can then be the qayyim over others and act as a warner and a giver of good news.^{‎[22]Mizan, 13/330.}

That there shall be for them a good reward is paradise, as evidenced by the next verse where we are told that the reward given to them is a permanent one. The promise of God’s reward is not about material worldly reward and wealth, for believers may or may not be given from that. Yes, God promises that they will have good in this life, For those who do good in this world there will be a good [reward], and the abode of the hereafter is better (16:30). The good of this world does not necessarily mean riches or wealth, or even necessarily comfort or ease, but rather means that they will be guided and their faith bolstered (as was the case of the People of the Cave: They were indeed youths who had faith in their Lord, and We had enhanced them in guidance (verse 13)) so that they may meet a good end, or that if they obey God as a society then they will attain a good and orderly society filled with justice.^{‎[23]See also Mizan, 12/235.}

However, the reward of ease and plenty that God guarantees the believers is the reward of the hereafter, as we read later in the surah, For such there will be the gardens of Eden (verse 30). This also ties into the story of the People of the Cave, who gave up earthly pleasures for the eternal reward of paradise. They did not attain any worldly reward for doing so, but rather they exchanged it for something far more permanent, lasting, and better.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

It has also been mentioned that upright has the meaning of being straight (mustaqīm), but this is not a very appealing understanding as that is entailed in not having any crookedness that was already mentioned in verse 1.^{‎[24]Razi, 21/423.} Others have said that there is no problem with such repetition as it is for emphasis.^{‎[25]Tantawi, 8/468.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Before Him will be gathered all nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left … And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.^{‎[26]Matthew 25:31-46.}

[1] Raghib, p. 690.
[2] Tibyan, 7/5; Muhit, 7/136.
[3] Tibyan, 7/4; Tabrisi, 6/693; Tabari, 15/127.
[4] Alusi, 8/192.
[5] Tibyan, 7/4; Tabrisi, 6/693; Tabari, 15/127.
[6] Tabrisi, 6/693.
[7] Razi, 21/423; Mizan, 13/236
[8] Mudarrisi, 6/354-355.
[9] Tabrisi, 6/693; Qaraati, 5/139.
[10] Muhit, 7/136.
[11] Raghib, p. 153.
[12] Tibyan, 7/6; Razi, 21/423.
[13] Mudarrisi, 6/356.
[14] Mizan, 13/238.
[15] Kafi, 1/69.
[16] Razi, 21/423.
[17] Shawkani, 3/319.
[18] Mizan, 13/238,
[19] Alusi, 8/194-195.
[20] This view is also the apparent understanding adopted in a report that describes Imam Ali (a) as the baʾs, who will fight and destroy the opponents of the Messenger of God (Ayyashi, 2/321). Note that such an understanding can be considered an instance of applying the verse (taṭbīq) and not its interpretation (tafsīr) (Mizan, 13/241).
[21] Tantawi, 8/467.
[22] Mizan, 13/330.
[23] See also Mizan, 12/235.
[24] Razi, 21/423.
[25] Tantawi, 8/468.
[26] Matthew 25:31-46.