Al-Qiyamah · Makki · ayah 10 of 40

Al-Qiyamah 75:10

يَقُولُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ ٱلْمَفَرُّ

“Man will say on that Day, "Where is the [place of] escape?"”

Saheeh International

Essence

The man who mocked 'When?' now asks 'Where?' in panic: the best runner alive, on the one day there is nowhere to run.

A reflection

From 'When?' to 'Where?'

Four ayat ago, a man asked a question. Ayyāna yawmu al-qiyāmah? When is this Day of Resurrection? He asked it leaning back, the commentators say, in mockery or to put things off.

Now listen to his next question. Ayna al-mafarr? Where is the escape?

The two question words are almost the same sound. Ayyāna, when. Ayna, where. One extra syllable separates the sneer from the scream. In 75:6 he asked about time, because time felt like his: he could postpone, plan, wait. In 75:10 he asks about place, because time has run out and all he wants now is somewhere to go.

Between the two questions stand three short ayat: the stunned eyes, the moon gone dark, the sun and moon brought together (75:7–9). That is all it took. The man who wanted a date got an experience, and the experience turned his question inside out.

Notice a small word, too: yawmaʾidhin, on that Day. This is its first appearance in the surah. From here it keeps returning: on that Day the resting place is with your Lord (75:12). On that Day man is told what he sent ahead (75:13). On that Day some faces are radiant (75:22). The surah has stopped arguing about whether the Day will come. It is standing inside it.

And notice who speaks: al-insān, man, the human being. The same word as 'Does man reckon We will not gather his bones?' (75:3) and 'man wants to break loose' (75:5). It is the same person throughout. The sceptic, the deferrer and the man looking for a way out are one character at three moments.

There is a mercy hidden in the structure. You are reading this ayah at the 'when' stage, not the 'where' stage. The question is still open, and you are still the one asking it.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.