ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَٰقُوا۟ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ

“Who know that they will have to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are returning.” — M. M. Pickthall

Tafsirs

AI-generated
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified

According to Taberî, the word 'zann' (ظن) mentioned in the verse here is not used in the sense of doubt/uncertainty, but rather in the sense of certainty/definite knowledge. That is, those possessed of khushû' are not those who doubt meeting Allah, but rather those who believe in it with certainty. He points out that in the Arabic language, the word 'zann' can be used for both doubt and certainty (yakîn), and it is one of those words that express opposite meanings with the same term.

إن العرب قد تسمي اليقين ظنا، والشك ظنا، نظير تسميتهم الظلمة سدفة والضياء سدفة، والمغيث صارخا، والمستغيث صارخا، وما أشبه ذلك من الأسماء التي تسمي بها الشيء وضده.
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified

According to Kurtubî, the word 'zann' in this verse, in the view of the majority (cumhur), means 'certainty' (yakîn) and not doubt. This usage is a well-known matter in the Arabic language, and similar examples can be found elsewhere in the Qur'an and in Arabic poetry. Furthermore, Ibn Atiyya found it contrived when some exegetes attempted to explain 'zann' in the sense of doubt by supplying the words 'with their sins'.

والظن هنا في قول الجمهور بمعنى اليقين ومنه قوله تعالى : إني ظننت أني ملاق حسابيه وقوله : فظنوا أنهم مواقعوها
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified

According to Beydâvî, the word 'zann' in the verse here means to await meeting Allah and the reward in His presence, or to firmly believe that they will be gathered before Allah and punished. The reason prayer does not weigh heavily on the believers is that their souls are accustomed to such acts of worship, and what they expect in return makes the difficulties small and pleasant.

أي يتوقعون لقاء الله تعالى ونيل ما عنده، أو يتيقنون أنهم يحشرون إلى الله فيجازيهم، ويؤيده أن في مصحف ابن مسعود «يعلمون»

Comparison

Common ground

All three exegetes agree that the word 'zann' in this verse means certainty/definite knowledge (yakîn) and not doubt/uncertainty. While Taberî and Kurtubî ground this view directly through linguistic/rhetorical analysis and testimony from Arabic poetry, Beydâvî also accepts the same meaning (firmly believing that one will meet Allah or be called to account). Furthermore, all three present this interpretation as the reason why those possessed of khushû' do not find prayer burdensome/bear it with patience, and they commonly employ the method of linguistic substantiation as common ground.

Differences

Taberî addresses the matter primarily as a linguistic issue; he places emphasis on poetry testimonies and exegetical reports (Ibn Jurayj, Mujahid, Suddi) to prove that 'zann' is among words with opposite meanings (ezdad), using transmission (riwayal) and reasoning (dirayal) in a balanced manner. Kurtubî, on the other hand, takes the view of the majority (cumhur) as the basis and brings the matter to a debated ground; he mentions an alternative interpretation (in the sense of doubt, with the supply of words 'with their sins'), and criticizes this through Ibn Atiyya's mouth as 'contrived', thus reflecting a conflict of views within itself. Beydâvî, however, presents a much more concise linguistic-rhetorical approach, and also adds an additional dimension of transmission by including the difference in Ibn Mas'ud's reading and hadith reports, thereby moving to a somewhat different variety of sources than Taberî and Kurtubî. These differences may stem from Taberî's early period exegesis method using more extensive transmission material, Kurtubî's juristic-polemical inclination, and Beydâvî's summarizing/rhetorical exegesis style.

Historical context

Taberî (early period, pioneer of transmission-based exegesis) grounds the matter with extensive transmission material, while Kurtubî who came after him solidified this linguistic finding as 'the view of the majority' and strengthened it by eliminating debated alternative views. Beydâvî, in a later period, arrived at the same conclusion by summarizing the accumulated material from previous exegeses and employing a reasoning-weighted style, but also included an additional element such as the difference in reading (qirâ'a). That is, over three periods, the interpretation 'zann=certainty' remained the fixed main line, but the method of reaching this conclusion and the supporting evidence used (from transmission weight toward concise reasoning) differed over time.

Modern connection

The fact that 'zann' in this verse means certainty/definite knowledge reminds us that what lightens the burden of worship is firm belief and peace of heart; in modern times too, it can be observed that a person who believes wholeheartedly in a work or responsibility can behave with greater patience and steadfastness against the difficulty of that work. In this context, the harmony between knowledge ('ilm) and faith (îman) can be considered as a supporting ground both in preserving the spirit of worship and in strengthening attitudes such as patience and sincerity in daily life.

AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar