At-Takwir · Makki · ayah 13 of 29

At-Takwir 81:13

وَإِذَا ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ

“And when Paradise is brought near,”

Saheeh International

Essence

The Fire is stoked, but the Garden is brought near: it comes to meet those who spent their lives walking towards it, step by step.

A reflection

Advance to my spear

The root of uzlifat, z-l-f, is about pushing forward to come near. The lexicons tell of an Arab warrior who, before battle, hurled his spear far ahead of him into the open ground. Then he called to the enemy, 'Advance to my spear'. From that day he was known as al-Muzdalif, the one who draws near. The pilgrims' stopping place, Muzdalifa, is said to take its name from the same drawing near, on the road from ʿArafa towards Minā.

So nearness, in this root, is won by advancing. And often you advance towards something you have already thrown ahead of yourself.

Picture a hiker who comes to a fast stream. She takes off her rucksack, swings it and throws it across to the far bank. Now there is no question of turning back. Everything she needs is on the other side. She has committed herself to getting there.

That is what deeds sent ahead do. Every prayer, every kindness, every honest refusal is a spear thrown towards the Garden. And on that Day, this ayah says, the Garden is 'brought near'. Elsewhere the Quran adds, 'to the mindful, not far away' (50:31). It comes to meet those who spent their lives advancing towards what they had thrown ahead.

Notice who does the bringing near. The verb is passive, and the lexicons note that in this form the doer is always Allah. The same verb appears once more, chillingly. When Pharaoh's army chased Mūsā (as) into the sea, Allah 'brought the others near' (26:64): near to the water that would close over them.

One verb, two destinations. Allah brings each person near to what they spent their life advancing towards. The question this ayah leaves is simple. Where have you been throwing your spear?

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.