It was revealed to induce fear of punishment an atom of which crushes like a huge boulder and to show how anxious and querulous is man. In accordance with the rhetorical rule of 'causing a thing to be reflected through its opposite,' it wants to illustrate the severity of a small amount of punishment in order to scare, so every part of the verse reaches out and reinforces the basic aim, which is littleness or fewness. As follows:

The words, "But if' signify doubt, and doubt looks to littleness or fewness. The word "touches" means to touch lightly and expresses a small amount. And just as the word "a breath" is merely a whiff, so is it in the singular form. Grammatically it is a maṣdar marra and signifies once. Also the tanwīn indicating indefiniteness in "a breath" expresses littleness or fewness and means it is so insignificant it can scarcely be known. The word " of' signifies division or a part; it means a bit and indicates paucity. The word "punishment" points to a light sort of punishment in relation to chastisement (nakāl) and suggests a small amount. And by alluding to mercy the word "Sustainer" indicates littleness or fewness. If the small amount of punishment suggested in all this paucity is such, God protect us from what is greater.

Warning

This is a pattern or model for you; if you know calligraphy, you can copy it out, for all the Qur'anic verses display the same order, proportion, and beauty. However, the aims are sometimes overlapping and in unbroken succession; the one that follows the previous is connected with the next, but they are not mixed up. You have to study them carefully, for a superficial reading may lead to much confusion.

The Fifth Matter

The Fifth Matter

Just as the manner in which a speech is composed (suret-i terkib) indicates the speech's main aim; so too the allusions of its secondary meanings and of its styles indicate the speech's subsidiary aims and purport, and enliven it; it is in these that the speech's rich-