Verses 1–9
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
The theme of this chapter is to comfort the Prophet in response to his people’s denial of him and the Scripture that was revealed to him—which is referred to at the beginning of the chapter: These are the verses of the clear Book (). They sometimes accused him of being insane and sometimes of being a poet. This chapter warns them by presenting the stories of a group of prophets: Moses, Abraham, Noah, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lot and Shuʿayb (Jethro). It talks about the consequences of their denial in order to comfort the Prophet so that he would not be grieved by their defiance, and so that the people denying him would learn a lesson.
This is one of the early chapters (al-ʿatāʾiq) that was revealed in Mecca since it includes the verse And warn your nearest relations (). Comparing this verse in this chapter with verse in Sūrah al-Ḥijr—Therefore declare openly what you are bidden and turn aside from the polytheists—it can be deduced that this chapter was revealed prior to Chapter 15. The flow of the verses suggests that this chapter was revealed entirely in Mecca. Some exegetes say the last five verses were revealed in Medina. Some say the verse “Is it not a sign to them that the learned men of the Israelites know it?” () was revealed in Medina. We shall discuss these below.
Commentary
طسم ١ تِلْكَ آياتُ الْكِتابِ الْمُبِينِ ٢
(26:1-2) Ṭā Sīn Mīm. These (tilka) are the verses of the clear Book (al-mubīn).
“These” refers to the verses of the Qur’an, including what will come in this chapter and what has been revealed before. Tilka (lit. “those”) is a demonstrative pronoun used for objects at a distance. Here it indicates the lofty position and high status of the verses [as if they are at a height far away]. Mubīn is derived from the verb abāna which means “to appear, to manifest.”
The implied meaning is: These verses with such a lofty position and high status are the verses of a Book that is clearly and evidently sent from God since it has the characteristics of a miracle—even though these defiant polytheists deny it and sometimes accuse it of being inspirations by jinn-devils, and sometimes call it poetry.
لَعَلَّكَ باخِعٌ نَفْسَكَ أَلاَّ يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ ٣
(26:3) Perhaps you will die of grief (bākhiʿun, from bukhūʿ) because they do not believe.
Bākhiʿ is to die of grief. The reason for this dying is explained next: because they do not believe. The implied meaning is: It seems like you are about to die of grief because they do not believe in the verses of this Book that was revealed to you. The verses imply a sense of disapproval [that is, the Prophet should not do this to himself], and their purpose is to comfort the Prophet.
إِنْ نَشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ السَّماءِ آيَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْناقُهُمْ لَها خاضِعِينَ ٤
(26:4) If We willed, We would send down upon them a sign from the heavens so that their necks would remain humbled before it [fa-ẓallat aʿnāquhum lahā khāḍiʿīn].
The object of “will” [in “If We willed…”] is omitted as it is implied by the main clause of the sentence [that is, “We would send…”]. Ẓalla (lit. “would remain”) is a verb that requires a subject and a predicate (called fiʿl nāqiṣah, lit. “an incomplete verb”). Its subject is aʿnāquhum (their necks), and its predicate is khāḍiʿīn (humbled, stooped). Their necks are described as “humble” even though humbleness is a quality of the soul. This is because the first place where humbleness manifests outwardly is the neck, by lowering the head and keeping it down in humility. This is a case of metonymy.
The implied meaning is: If We willed to send down upon them a sign that would humble them and force them to submit and believe, We would certainly send down such a sign. In that case they would be humbled before it, a humbleness that would be evident in them by the lowering of their necks.
Some have said that aʿnāq here means “groups.” Others have suggested that it means “the heads and leaders of their community.” Others have said that it is the second part of a possessive conjunction where the first part is omitted, and what is meant is: Then the “possessors of necks” among them would stoop to it in humbleness [where the word “possessors” is implied]. This last view is the least plausible one.
وَ ما يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ مِنَ الرَّحْمنِ مُحْدَثٍ إِلاَّ كانُوا عَنْهُ مُعْرِضِينَ ٥
(26:5) And there does not come to them a new reminder from the Beneficent God but they turn aside from it.
This verse talks about their persistence in denying God’s signs. Aversion to God’s remembrance is rooted in their hearts, such that whenever there is a renewed reminder of the Beneficent and they are called to Him, they push it aside and turn away.
What is meant is that they continually turn away from every reminder that comes to them, not that they dismiss the new reminder in favor of older ones. Referring to God as the Beneficent (al-Raḥmān) shows that the reminder that comes to them emanates from His attribute of universal beneficence (al-raḥmat al-ʿāmmah) which is the key to their well-being in this world and the next.
There is a discussion about the meaning of “a new reminder” at the beginning of Chapter 21 [under verse ], which you may refer to if you wish.
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا فَسَيَأْتِيهِمْ أَنْبؤُا ما كانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِؤُنَ ٦
(26:6) So they have indeed rejected (the truth); therefore, the news (anbāʾ) of that which they mock shall soon come to them.
The word “so” indicates that their rejection is a result of their persistent aversion [mentioned in the last verse]. Then, “Therefore the news of…” is in turn a result of their rejection. Anbāʾ is the plural of nabaʾ, meaning “important news.” The implied meaning is: Since they persisted in being averse to every reminder that came to them, they have certainly rejected the truth. And because they have rejected and denied the truth, the “news” of what they have mocked—that is, God’s signs and communications—will soon come to them. This “news” is the punishment which will soon overtake them in this world and the next.
أَ وَ لَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَمْ أَنْبَتْنا فِيها مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ ٧
(26:7) And do they not look at (yaraw ilā, from ruʾyah) the earth, how many of every noble species (zawjin karīm) We have caused to grow in it?
This is a censuring rhetorical question. The verse adds to an omitted part that is implied by the context. What is meant is: They persisted in turning away and rejecting the signs, and they did not look at these noble species of plants that We have grown on the earth.
Hence, ruʾyah (looking, sight) in this verse means naẓar (reflection, observation, view). That is why it has been used with the particle ilā (lit. “to,” “toward”). Karīm means “beautiful, splendid, noble.” Zawjin karīm (noble species) has been interpreted as “species of plants,” for God has created various types of them. Others have suggested that the “noble species” that God has caused to grow also includes animals and human beings, because He says: And Allah has made you grow out of the earth as a growth ().
إِنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لَآيَةً وَ ما كانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ٨
(26:8) Most surely there is a sign in that, but most of them were not believers.
“In that” refers to the growth of every noble zawj (lit. “species,” also meaning “pair”) that was mentioned in the last verse. This growth involves creating a mate for everything and completing the imperfections of each mate by means of the other mate. Thereby all species are guided toward the intended goal of their existence and their ultimate felicity. Now, how could One Who does this neglect to guide humankind? How could He not direct people to their felicity, and not call them to what is good for them in this world and the next? This is how the growth of plants is a sign.
…but most of them were not believers (mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn): That is: It is not expected that most of them will believe given that aversion has become second nature for them, and they no longer have the capacity to believe. This verse is effectively similar to: But they would not believe in what they had rejected before (). In numerous places in the Qur’an, moral vices and deep-rooted iniquity in the heart are identified as the causes of disbelief and evil-doing.
This should clarify the implausibility of what some exegetes have said: “The verse refers to God’s foreknowledge of their disbelief.” First of all, this is not the meaning that primarily comes to mind from this verse. Second, there is no evidence that this is what the text means [as a non-apparent meaning]. On the contrary, there is evidence against it, because the previous verses were about aversion becoming second nature to them and becoming firmly rooted in their souls.
It has been narrated from Sībawayh that kāna is an extra word in the verse that connects the two parts but does not add to the meaning. Then the meaning would be: “Most of them are not believers” (mā aktharuhum muʾminīn). Although this meaning is true in its own right, the meaning that we proposed above is more congruent with the context here.
وَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ ٩
(26:9) And most surely your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.
That is: Since He is Mighty and Invincible, He takes those who turn away from His remembrance, reject His signs and mock His communications, and gives them their deserved punishment in this world and the next. And since He is Merciful, He sends His reminder to them to guide them, forgives the believers and gives respite to the disbelievers.
Discourse
The discussion “Intellectual Discussion about Divine Knowledge: How it Applies to Objects and Events” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.
Examining Narrations
- Concerning verse (If We willed, We would send down upon them a sign from the heavens so that their necks would remain humbled before it) Imam al-Ṣādiq said: Their necks—that is, the Umayyads’—will be humbled, and this will be the cry (al-ṣayḥah) from the sky in the name of the Master of the Command (Ṣāḥib al-Amr) [that is, Imam al-Mahdī].
Author’s comment: The same idea has been narrated by al-Kulaynī in Rawḍat al-kāfī, al-Ṣadūq in Kamāl al-dīn, al-Mufīd in al-Irshād, and al-Shaykh [al-Ṭūsī] in al-Ghībah. Given the context of the verse this is clearly not the interpretation of the verse but it is an application of it (jary).
In other words, what is meant is: “If We wish to send down a sign, then We will certainly do so.” It is similar to when one says, “If you want I can wait,” which means “If you want me to wait, then I can wait.” (Trans.) ↩︎
The meaning is: “Their necks would stoop and continue to stay humbled before the Qur’an.” (Trans.) ↩︎
An English equivalent would be “reflect upon.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Zawj has two main meanings: “species and pair.” Here the author has taken the latter, while in the previous verse he had taken the former. This implies that both meanings can apply to the verse. (Trans.) ↩︎
This is how many translators like Pickthall and Arberry have translated the verse. In other words, they have dropped the kāna. The verb kāna in these cases indicates past or present participle, expressing continuous action. The literal translation would be: “Most of them were not (or have not been) believers.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of his [al-Qummī’s] father, on the authority of Ibn Abī ʿUmayr. ↩︎