Al-Insan · Madani · ayah 10 of 31

Al-Insan 76:10

إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْمًا عَبُوسًا قَمْطَرِيرًا

“Indeed, We fear from our Lord a Day austere and distressful."”

Saheeh International

Essence

They feared, from their own Lord, a Day with a frowning face, so they made sure no face near them went hungry.

A reflection

Fear that turns outwards

A suspicious reading of this ayah is common, even among believers. The righteous fed the poor because they were afraid. So their kindness was a transaction after all: give now, avoid punishment later. Fear, on this reading, spoils the gift.

One classical commentary reads the ayah the opposite way. It offers two explanations, and both free the gift rather than spoil it. First: our kindness to you comes from fear of that Day, not from any wish for you to repay us. Second: we do not want repayment from you, because we fear Allah's displeasure at seeking a reward for charity. Either way, the fear points away from the poor. It releases them from owing anything.

The same commentary notices that feeding is given two motives in this passage. One is seeking Allah's Face (76:9). The other is fear of this Day (76:10). Hope and fear travel together, like two wings. Neither alone is the whole of their faith.

And notice what kind of fear produces this behaviour. It does not curl inwards. It does not make them hoard or hide. It makes them look at the hungry face in front of them and feed it.

A father nearly lost his small son to a river one summer. The boy was pulled out by a stranger. Afterwards, the father trained as a volunteer instructor. Now he teaches every child on his estate to swim, one Saturday morning at a time. His fear did not shrink his world. It widened it to include other people's children.

That is the fear of the abrār. It is not a premium paid for their own safety. It is the sobering knowledge of a hard Day, turned into tenderness towards anyone who might have a hard day now. A fear that only protects yourself is anxiety. A fear that feeds others is faith.

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.