يَومَ يَفِرُّ المَرءُ مِن أَخيهِ
وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبيهِ
وَصاحِبَتِهِ وَبَنيهِ
The day when a man will evade his brother,
his mother and his father,
his spouse and his sons.
EXEGESIS
Yafirru (flees) derives from farra, which originally means running away or fleeing from danger.
EXPOSITION
Another one of the names of the Day of Judgement is Yawm al-Faṣl, the Day of Separation.
It is called that because on that day the reality of each person will be revealed. In this world, good and evil, believer and disbeliever, pious and hypocrite, are all mixed together. They may even be family members. However, on the Day of Judgement that will not be the case, and the true inner reality of each person will be revealed on that day. This will evoke a natural instinct to separate, whereby the righteous will seek to disassociate themselves from the wicked, who will try to hopelessly garner favour from them. This may even result in them being physically separated from each other, as described in 57:12-15.
The believer may also avoid his own family members who turned out to be wicked, because he cannot bear to see the terrible state they are in and the punishment that is about to befall them.
The wicked too might flee in shame from those who were closest to him. Perhaps he had wronged them, or is ashamed that they should see the humiliation he is about to suffer.
Perhaps he had provided for his spouse with illicitly obtained wealth, or had not taught his children right from wrong, or had not exhorted his brother to good, or attended to his parents as he should.
Avoiding each other may even be unwitting. The fear and anxiety caused by that day will result in every person being preoccupied with themselves,
as alluded to in verse 37.
Evading should not be understood simply physically though, as there is also an element of separation and distinction, like in the verse, When those who were followed will disown the followers (2:166). It also signifies an inability to help and provide aid, The day when a friend will not avail a friend in any way, nor will they be helped (44:41), as well as the realisation that no such help is forthcoming or possible, And no friend will inquire about [the welfare of his] friend (70:10).
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
It is said that the verses proceed in an escalatory manner through the family members, going from beloved to the most beloved. Generally, the love one has for their parents is stronger than for the sibling, and then comes the love for one’s spouse, and finally children, which is the strongest of them all.
Of course this is not always the case, and it may be that someone may love their sibling more than their parent, and so on.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- ‘… The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendour of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendour of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.’
- ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.’
Note: Even though in this passage Jesus (a) is said to describe the events leading up to the end of the world, there is nevertheless a striking similarity that makes it worth noting.
[1] See 37:21, 44:40, 77:13-14, and 78:17.
[2] Related in Nemuneh, 26/158.
[3] See Tibyan, 10/277.
[4] Razi, 31/61.
[5] Mizan, 20/210; Nemuneh, 26/157-158; Tantawi, 15/293.
[6] Razi, 31/61.
[7] Zamakhshari, 4/705; Munyah, 30/57.
[8] Nemuneh, 26/159.
[9] Isaiah 2:17-21.
[10] Mark 13:12.