Tafseer of The Reality · Al-Haaqqa · 69:45
We would have seized him by the right hand;
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.
It has been said: the meaning of His word: لأخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ("Then We would have seized him by the right hand") is: We would have seized him with the right hand of his hands. They said: this is only a figure of speech, and its meaning is: We would humiliate him and belittle him, and then We would cut off from him the life-vein (al-watīn). They said: this is like the word of the possessor of power, when he wishes to belittle someone standing before him, saying to one of his helpers: "Seize him by his hand and stand him upright, and do with him such and such." They said: and likewise is the meaning of His word: لأخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ("Then We would have seized him by the right hand"), that is to say: We would humiliate him, as is done with the one whose condition we have described.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning the meaning of His word: الْوَتِينَ ("the life-vein"), the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
