يَقِينِ

13:20; 22:55; 35:32.

Commentary:

There are three degrees of certainty. viz. علم الیقین and عین الیقین and حق الیقین. Of these the first degree of certainty is knowledge of a thing acquired inferentially as we conclude the existence of fire from the presence of smoke in a place without witnessing the fire itself (علم الیقین). But if we see the fire itself, our knowledge of the existence of fire becomes certainty of the second degree (عین الیقین). Knowledge of a thing we witness with the eye may, however, be further improved through actual experience; for instance by thrusting our hand into the fire. This is the highest stage of certainty which in the language of the Quran is called حق الیقین. The verse means that life after death is certainty of the highest degree. The Surah had opened with the subject of the Resurrection and life after death and has closed on the same subject. This is a special peculiarity of the Quranic style that when a certain Surah begins with the discussion of a particular subject, after dealing exhaustively with it, it ends by briefly referring to the same subject.

Commentary:

The verse administers a severe rebuke to disbelievers. It seems to say to them: "Why can’t you understand the simple thing, that the wages of sin is death and that no spiritual life is left in you. Had you used common sense and what little amount of knowledge you possess, you would have seen a veritable Hell yawning before your eyes in this very life, i.e. you would have realized that your engrossment in the pursuit of pomp, circumstance and the material advantages of this temporary existence will cause your total ruin. But you give no thought to these stark realities of life. You do not believe that such a thing will ever happen, but the time is fast approaching when you will see Divine punishment overtaking you in the form of diverse calamities."

It may be stated here that there are three stages of certainty, viz. علم الیقین i.e." certainty by inference, عین الیقین i.e. "certainty by sight" and حق الیقین i.e. "certainty by realization." In the first stage a thing itself is not visible but from its visible effects a man can conclude that it exists. In the second stage not only the effects of a thing but the thing itself is visible, though its nature is not completely comprehended. In the third stage which is the stage of perfect realization or personal experience a man both through observation of the effects of a thing on others and through realization of its effect on himself, can have as complete an understanding of the nature of a thing as it is possible for him to have. These are also the stages of human knowledge with regard to Hell. A man can, by inference, attain certainty about the existence of Hell in this very life but it is after death that he will see it with his own eyes, though it is on the Day of Resurrection that a sinful man will have full realization of it by personally experiencing it.