Tafseer of The letter Saad · Saad · 38:58
And other [punishments] of its type [in various] kinds.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His statement ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ) (and another of its kind, in various pairs). The reciters differed concerning the reading of it. Most of the reciters of Medina and Kufa read it ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ) in the singular, with the meaning: this is scalding hot water (ḥamīm) and putrid wound-fluid (ghassāq), so let them taste it; and there is another punishment, of the kind of the scalding water, in [different] colors and kinds — as one says: "awaiting you is a punishment of such-and-such: in kinds and categories". And it may be that by "the pairs" is meant the report about the scalding water and the putrid wound-fluid, and another of its kind, and these are three; and "pairs" was said with the intent that these three things are described with "pairs". And some of the Meccans and some of the Basrans read it: "wa-ukharu" in the plural, and it appears that the one who read it thus did not deem it correct that "the pairs", which are a plural, should be a description of a singular; so he made "ukhar" plural, so that "the pairs" would be a description of it. But the Arabs do not bar that a noun, when it has a verbal meaning, be described with the many, the few, and the dual, as we have explained; thus one says: "the punishment of so-and-so is of [various] kinds", and "two different kinds".
And the dearer of the two readings to me for reciting with is: ( وآخَرُ ) in the singular, even though the other is correct, because of the widespread prevalence of the reading with it among the reciters of the cities; and we have preferred the singular only because it is more sound in form in Arabic, and because in the interpretation it has the meaning of the singular. And it was said that it is the bitter cold (al-zamharīr).
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of Murra, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ), he said: the bitter cold.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Yaḥyā related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of Murra, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh, with the same import.
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of someone who informed him, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh, with the same import, except that he said: the punishment of the bitter cold.
Muḥammad related to us, he said: Aḥmad related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, on the authority of Murra al-Hamdānī, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, he said: it is the bitter cold.
It was related to me on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn Abī Zāʾida, on the authority of Mubārak ibn Faḍāla, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, he said: Allah mentioned the punishment, and He named the chains and the fetters and what is in this world, and then He said: ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ), he said: and another, which has not been seen in this world.
As for His statement ( مِنْ شَكْلِهِ ): its meaning is: of its nature and its kind, as one man says to another: "what are you of my shakl", with the meaning: "what are you of my nature", with fatḥa on the shīn. And as for "al-shikl": that is, of the woman, that which she adorns herself with by which she makes herself beautiful, and it is also her coquetry.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning that, the exegetes said.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ), he says: of its nature.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ): of its nature.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ), he said: of every nature of that punishment which Allah has named, there are pairs which Allah has not named; he said: and "al-shakl" is the resembling.
And His statement ( أَزْوَاجٌ ) means: colors and kinds.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning that, the exegetes said.
* Mention of who said that:
Yaʿqūb related to me, he said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Abī Rajāʾ, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His statement ( وَآخَرُ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ ), he said: colors of the punishment.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( أَزْوَاجٌ ): pair after pair of the punishment.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement ( أَزْوَاجٌ ), he said: pairs of the punishment in the Fire (al-nār).
