Tafseer of The letter Saad · Saad · 38:85
[That] I will surely fill Hell with you and those of them that follow you all together."
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 the second [grammatical aspect] is that it stands in the nominative (marfūʿ) on the basis of the explanation of His statement لأمْلأنَّ (I shall surely fill). The meaning of the statement is then: "It is the truth that I shall fill Hell (jahannam) with you," just as one says: "a sincere resolve ('azma) that I shall surely come to you," whereby "'azma" is put in the nominative on the basis of the explanation "I shall surely come to you," because its meaning is: "that I come to you." Thus He also says: ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا رَأَوُا الآيَاتِ لَيَسْجُنُنَّهُ (Then it appeared to them, after they had seen the signs, that they would surely imprison him), whereby His statement بَدَا لَهُمْ (it appeared to them) necessarily requires a word in the nominative, which is implicitly present in the meaning.
The majority of the readers of Medina and Basra, and some of those of Mecca and Kufa, read this with the accusative (naṣb) of both the first and the second "al-ḥaqq," with the meaning: "Truly (ḥaqqan) I shall fill Hell (jahannam), and the truth I speak." Then the definite article (alif and lām) was added to it while it stands in the accusative, because adding it in this case — as regards the meaning of the statement — is equal to omitting it, just as their statement "ḥamdan li-llāh" (praise be to Allah, accusative) and "al-ḥamdu li-llāh" (the praise be to Allah) are equal according to them when it stands in the accusative. It is also possible that the accusative rests on the mode of exhortation (ighrāʾ), with the meaning: "Hold fast to the truth, and follow the truth." But the first is more probable, because it is an address of Allah to Iblīs concerning that which He will do with him and his followers.
And the most fitting of the statements concerning this, in my view, is that one says: they are two readings that are widespread among the readers of the cities; with whichever of the two the reader reads, he is correct, on account of the soundness of both meanings.
As for the second "al-ḥaqq," concerning that there is no disagreement among all the readers of the cities that it stands in the accusative, with the meaning: "and I speak the truth."
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His statement فَالْحَقُّ وَالْحَقَّ أَقُولُ (It is the truth, and the truth I speak): Allah says: "I am the Truth, and the truth I speak."
And it was related to me on the authority of Ibn Abī Zāʾida, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَالْحَقُّ وَالْحَقَّ أَقُولُ (It is the truth, and the truth I speak): Allah says: "The truth comes from Me, and I speak the truth."
Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf related to us, saying: al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to us, on the authority of Hārūn, saying: Abān ibn Taghlib related to us, on the authority of Ṭalḥa al-Yāmī, on the authority of Mujāhid, that he read it as فَالحَقُّ (It is the truth) in the nominative, and وَالْحَقَّ أَقُولُ (and the truth I speak) in the accusative, and he said: Allah says: "I am the Truth, and the truth I speak."
Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His statement قَالَ فَالْحَقُّ وَالْحَقَّ أَقُولُ (He said: "It is the truth, and the truth I speak"): he said: it is an oath that Allah swore.
And His statement لأمْلأنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنْكَ (I shall surely fill Hell with you) says to Iblīs: I shall surely fill Hell (jahannam) with you and with whoever follows you of the children of Ādam, all together.
