Tafseer of The Smoke · Ad-Dukhaan · 44:42
Except those [believers] on whom Allah has mercy. Indeed, He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
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 words: "except for him on whom Allah has mercy" (44:42). The Arabic-language scholars differed concerning the grammatical case of "man" (whoever) in His words: "except for him on whom Allah has mercy." Some of the grammarians of Baṣra said: "except for him on whom Allah has mercy" — he made it a substitution (badal) for the concealed pronoun in "they will be helped"; and if you wish, you make it a subject (mubtadaʾ) with an omitted predicate, by which he means: except for him on whom Allah has mercy, for it shall avail him. And some of the grammarians of Kūfa said concerning His words: "except for him on whom Allah has mercy" — he said: the believers intercede for one another; so if you wish, you place "man" in the nominative, as though you said: "none shall arise except so-and-so"; and if you wish, you place it in the accusative on the basis of the exception and the cutting off of the beginning of the statement, by which he means: O Allah, except for him on whom Allah has mercy.
And others among them said: its meaning is: no protector shall avail anything for another protector, except for him to whom Allah grants permission to intercede. He said: it cannot be a substitution for what is in "they will be helped," for "illā" (except) is affirmative and the first is negative, and the substitution can only take place with the meaning of the first. He said: and likewise it is not permissible that it should be a fresh beginning (mustaʾnaf), for one does not begin anew with the exception.
And the correct of the statements concerning this is that it stands in the nominative position with the meaning: the Day on which no protector shall avail anything for another protector, except for him on whom Allah has mercy among them, for it shall avail him in that he intercedes for him with his Lord.
And His words: "indeed, He is the Almighty, the Most Merciful" — the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says, describing Himself: indeed, Allah is the Almighty in His retribution against His enemies, the Most Merciful toward His protected ones and the people of His obedience.
