“Do Not Cry Out Only Once for Destruction, but Plead Many Times Over!”

July 11, 2020 § Leave a comment

The Most High said:

“Nay, they deny the Hour, and We have prepared a Blaze for those who deny the Hour. When it sights them from a distant place, they will hear it raging and roaring. And when they are cast into a narrow place in it, bound together in chains, they will pray for [their own] annihilation. They will be told, “Do not cry out only once for destruction, but cry many times over!” 25:11-14.

The scholars said, explaining, “Do not cry out only once for destruction, but cry many times over!”:

“Your destruction is much more than for you to call out one time—call out many, many times.” Baghawī.

“Namely, they will call out hoping for death in order to escape what is even worse.” Maḥāsinat-Taʾwīl, al-Qāsimī.

“They will hope for destruction and call out for it due to the calamity that they are in. But they will receive the answer, “Do not cry out only once for destruction, but call many times over!” and the ones saying it to them will be the Angels, saying: “Leave off asking for destruction only once—because the destruction that you are in is bigger and greater than that.” So the meaning is: don’t ask for destruction for yourselves just one time—ask for it many, many times, because the punishment you are in is worse than what you called out for due to how long it is and due to it never ending.” Fatḥul-Qadīr, ash-Shawkānī.

“This is to rebuke them because normally when a person cries out for destruction in this world he is shown mercy, but there they will not be shown mercy and will be told: your calling out for destruction will not help you at all so call out repeatedly. The punishment will continue.” ʿUthaimīn.

“The point of this answer is to show them that their punishment is eternal and to make them despair of any hope of receiving death which would save them from what they are in.” Fatḥul-Bayān, Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān.

“Said to rebuke them and to inform them that it is eternal: don’t limit yourself to mourning only once, grieve over and over again, for you deserve it.” Al-Muḥarrar al-Wajīz, Ibn ʿAtiyyah.

“‘Call many times over,’ because it is uncountable, there is no end to it.” Naẓmud-Durar.

Gifts of Knowledge