يا عِبادِ لا خَوفٌ عَلَيكُمُ اليَومَ وَلا أَنتُم تَحزَنونَ
[They will be told:] ‘O My servants! Today you will have no fear, nor will you grieve.
EXEGESIS
ʿIbādi (my servants) is the clipped form of the original ʿibādī which had the possessive suffix yāʾ. The clipping serves as a means of lightening (takhfīf), making the word easier and smoother to pronounce whilst maintaining the original meaning.
Khawf (fear) is in the indefinite form, indicating negation of all types of fear.
In the phrase wa lā antum taḥzanūn (nor will you grieve), the subject (you) is explicitly stated and the predicate is expressed in a verbal form (taḥzanūn) in order to intensify the negation of grief for them. This intensification conveys the strengthening of the negation itself. The purpose is to reassure them that grief will be entirely absent from them in the future, lest someone might consider that perhaps the safety and security they now enjoy will not endure.
EXPOSITION
This verse describes how God will address the God-wary on the Day of Judgement: O My servants! Several rhetorical devices are used as a means of further soothing the God-wary on a day when everyone shall be terrified. Firstly, it is a direct address of God to His servants without any intermediary. Secondly, referring to them through the attribute of servitude (O My servants!) which also indicates that it is the God-wary who are the chosen and true servants of God. Describing them with the title of servitude is a tremendous honour, for when He wished to honour the Prophet on the Night of Ascension, He said, Immaculate is He who carried His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque (17:1). Thirdly, consoling them by emphasising that they have nothing to fear or grieve, Today you will have no fear, nor will you grieve.
Exegetes have differed regarding the different factors that may give rise to fear and grief. Some say that fear comes from the possibility of something unpleasant happening and grief stems from having certainty that something unpleasant will happen. As such, God is promising them safety from every possible and every certain unpleasantness. Other exegetes mention that fear is with regards to the punishment of the hellfire and grief is with regards to missing out on the bounties of paradise. Some opine that fear is with regards to the ordeals of the Day of Judgement and the punishment of the hellfire whilst grief is due to shortcomings in this world.
Throughout the Quran, this same promise is made with slight variations to those who follow God’s guidance (2:38), those who have faith in Allah and the Last Day and act righteously (2:62), whoever submits his will to Allah and is virtuous (2:112), Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah (2:262), those who have faith, do righteous deeds, maintain the prayer, and give the zakat (2:277), those who are God-wary and righteous (7:35), and the friends of Allah (10:62), all of which are attributes of those who can truly be called God’s servants.
From the fact that fear and grief are negated only for these people, it is understood that others will indeed be overtaken by dread and sorrow.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies. He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor.
[1] Ibn Ashur, 25/287.
[2] Atyab, 12/53.
[3] Ibn Ashur, 25/288.
[4] Alusi, 13/97; Razi, 27/642.
[5] Rahnama, 17/96.
[6] Razi, 27/642.
[7] Amthal, 16/91.
[8] Mizan, 18/121.
[9] Tabrisi, 9/85; Tibyan, 9/214; Atyab, 12/53-54.
[10] Mudarrisi, 12/518.
[11] Nasr, p. 2183.
[12] Rahnama, 17/96.
[13] Psalms 112:5-9.