Surah Qaf Tafseer

And the stupor of death will come in truth:

"This is what you have been avoiding!"

Allah the Exalted and Most Honored says, `O mankind! This is the stupor of death that has come in truth; now, I have brought forth to you the certainty that you were disputing,'

ذَلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ

This is what you have been avoiding!,

means, `this is the end that you were trying to escape; it has come to you! Therefore, you will have neither a shelter nor a refuge nor a sanctuary nor an asylum from it.'

In the Sahih, the Prophet said, while wiping sweat from his face when the stupor of death overcame him,

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ إِنَّ لِلْمَوْتِ لَسَكَرَات

Glory be to Allah! Verily, death has its stupor.

The Ayah,

(This is what you have been avoiding!) has two possible meanings. One of them is this:

- `what you have been trying to avert, escape and flee from has come to you and resided in your home!'

- The second meaning is, `you had no way of escaping or averting this end.

At-Tabarani collected a Hadith in Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabir from Samurah who said that the Messenger of Allah said,

مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَفِرُّ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ مَثَلُ الثَّعْلَبِ تَطْلُبُهُ الاَْرْضُ بِدَيْن فَجَاءَ يَسْعَى حَتْى إِذَا أُعْيِيَ وَأُسْهِرَ دَخَلَ جُحْرَهُ وَقَالَتْ لَهُ الاَْرْضُ يَا ثَعْلَبُ دَيْنِي فَخَرَجَ وَلَهُ حُصَاصٌ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ كَذلِكَ حَتَّى تَقَطَّعَتْ عُنُقُهُ وَمَات

The parable of whoever tries to avoid death is that of a fox that had a debt to pay to the earth. The fox went away and when he became tired and the time to sleep overtook him, he entered his den. The earth said to him, `O fox! Pay my debt!'

The fox went out howling and continued until his neck was cutoff, (i.e.,) he died.

This parable indicates that just as the fox had no way of escaping or avoiding the earth, likewise, man has no way of avoiding death.

Allah the Exalted the Blessed said,

وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ ذَلِكَ يَوْمُ الْوَعِيدِ