As-Saffat · Makki · ayah 154 of 182

As-Saffat 37:154

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

“What is [wrong] with you? How do you make judgement?”

Saheeh International

Essence

They were asked for their verdict, and here it is, condemning itself: what is wrong with you, how do you judge?

A reflection

The verdict they were asked for

These exact words also appear in Surah Al-Qalam (68:36). The entry there explores them at length: the state of mind on trial, the turn to face the listener, reasoning backwards. Here it is worth noticing what is different about this setting.

In As-Saffat, the sequence began with fa-staftihim: ask them for a verdict (37:149). Istiftāʾ is asking someone to give a ruling. Then come the questions about daughters, about witnessing the creation of angels, about whether He chose daughters over sons. Now the verdict is in, and it is their own. Kayfa taḥkumūn: how do you judge?

The structure is like a hearing where the accused is invited to state his own judgement, and then the judge simply reads it back. No further sentence is needed. The ruling they gave is the evidence against them.

In Al-Qalam, the same words answer a claim that the righteous and the wrongdoers would be treated alike. Here, they answer a claim about Allah's offspring. The same question fits both, because both are verdicts reached by preference rather than truth.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.