ٱقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ
The root ق-ر-ب and the Form VIII (iftiʿāl) pattern were analysed in detail at al-Qamar on 54/1. The note there holds here as well, and its summary is this:
"Qaruba conveys being near, iqtaraba conveys the movement of nearing — it is approaching, the distance is closing."*
The Qurʾān uses this verb of a thing drawing near in three places, and all three are either treated or to be treated in this commentary:
| Place | What draws near | The sentence beside it |
|---|---|---|
| al-Qamar 54/1 | al-sāʿa — the Hour | wa'nshaqqa'l-qamar — together with an event |
| al-Anbiyāʾ 21/1 | ḥisābuhum — their reckoning | wa hum fī ghaflatin muʿriḍūn — together with a state |
| al-Anbiyāʾ 21/97 | al-waʿdu'l-ḥaqq — the true promise | qad kunnā fī ghaflatin min hādhā — with the admission of that same state |
And the difference must be recorded: in al-Qamar what draws near is the Hour — a time. Here what draws near is the reckoning — a proceeding. Time is the same for everyone; the reckoning has been ascribed to its owner: ḥisābuhum — "their reckoning".
I record this as my own reading, and its ground is the pronoun: the sentence does not say "the resurrection has drawn near". It names what draws near as the addressee's own file.
And there is a fronting in the word order: iqtaraba li'n-nāsi ḥisābuhum. The phrase li'n-nās has come in between the verb and its subject (ḥisābuhum).
In Arabic, fronting conveys ihtimām (giving prominence). And what is given prominence is the one addressed — not the reckoning.
I record as my own reading: the sentence first says to whom the thing has drawn near, then what has drawn near. The order leaves the weight of the news on the human being.
The wāw here is the wāw of circumstance ("while…"). And two predicates come one upon the other: fī ghaflatin (a prepositional phrase) and muʿriḍūn (an active participle).
The root غ-ف-ل: not to be aware of a thing, for the mind to be empty of it. Ghufl — that which bears no mark upon it, unbranded; ground in the desert that carries no track. So in the picture of the root there is an absence of any sign.
| Word | What it conveys | The share of the will |
|---|---|---|
| غَفْلَة | Not being aware | None — he does not know |
| مُّعْرِض | Turning away (ع-ر-ض: to turn one's side, one's breadth) | Present — he knows and turns |
I record this as an observation about the structure: the two states do not normally stand together. One who is unaware cannot turn away; one who turns away is not counted unaware. The verse ascribes both at once.
And the word will occur four times in the sūra: muʿriḍūn (1), muʿriḍūn (24), muʿriḍūn (32), muʿriḍūn (42). All four in the same plural form, and all four following a proof. This is a countable fact and will be tabulated at the end.