Verses 41–55
These verses contain an addendum to the story of those past nations who perished. This is in the form of a parable God strikes for these nations having taken up guardians besides Him, in which it becomes clear that what they have built is the frailest of edifices; the creation of the heavens and the earth proclaims its hollowness and falsity, and that they have no guardian besides Him, as this scripture shall declare.
Then, the topic shifts to command the Prophet to recite this scripture that has been revealed to him, to establish the prayer, to invite the People of the Book to Islam with soft words and goodly disputation. And also to respond to the idolaters’ impudent demands that the Prophet bring them signs other than the Qur’an or to give them the punishment of which he has forewarned them.
Commentary
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ٤١
(29:41) The parable of those who take guardians instead of Allah is that of the spider (ʿankabūt) that takes a home, and indeed the frailest of homes is the home of a spider, had they known!
A “spider” is a well-known creature, and the word ʿankabūt can be used for one or many, and male or female.
The concern in the verse, The parable of those who take…, is taking guardians beside God, which is why the relative pronoun (mawṣūl) has been used, and the concern in …is that of the spider that takes a home… is taking a home. The underlying meaning here is that the quality (ṣifa) of the idolaters when they take-up guardians besides God is the same as the quality of a spider when it takes a home, and this is a description signified by the fact that a home (baytan) is left indefinite.
In which case, the words …and indeed the frailest of homes is the home of a spider… elucidate the quality of this house which the spider has taken. Notice that God does not say, “and indeed it has the frailest of homes” as we might expect. This is because the sentence is being used as a current proverb, which therefore does not alter depending on its grammatical context.
The meaning then, is that their taking-up guardians besides God, namely their gods to whom they entrust their affairs, is like a spider taking a home which is the frailest of homes, as it bears no semblance to a home save in its name; it neither repels heat nor cold, nor does it endure or protect its occupant from harm. In the same manner, whatever guardianship (wilāya) their guardians might have is in name alone, for they bring neither benefit nor harm, nor do they hold power over life, death or resurrection!
The subject of this parable is, of course, that the idolaters have taken up gods other than God. But the reason God refers to them as “guardians” (awliyāʾ) and not “gods” (āliha) is because this intimates the reason that led them to take up these gods in the first place; namely, the claim that they exercise some kind of authority over their affairs and look after them by bringing them good, protecting them from evil and interceding on their behalf.
In addition to furnishing us with this point, the meaning of the verse—taken in its most absolute sense—applies to anyone who takes, in any matter or affair, whatever it may be, a guardian besides God to whom he entrusts his affairs and whom he sees as having some effect which he hopes to obtain, even if he does not consider this guardian an idol. This is unless he sees this guardianship as ultimately falling beneath the umbrella of God’s guardianship, as is the case with the wilāya of God’s Messenger, the Imams and the faithful in general, as God says: And most of them do not believe in Allah without ascribing partners to Him ().
…had they known!—meaning, had they known that their parable was like that of a spider, they would not have taken guardians besides God. This is what some have said.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ٤٢
(29:42) Allah indeed knows whatever thing they invoke besides Him (mā yadʿūna min dunihi min shayʾin), and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.
It is possible that the mā in mā yadʿūna could either be (i) a relative pronoun (mawṣūl, that is, “what”), (ii) a particle of negation (nāfiya, that is, “not”), (iii) an interrogative particle (istifhām) or (iv) infinitive (maṣdariyya). In which case, min from min shayʾin is superfluous for emphasis (zāʾid li al-taʾkīd) in the second instance, and for elucidation (tabyīn) in all others. The two most likely readings are the first two (i and ii) and of these, it is the first that is preponderant.
According to the second reading, the verse means that God knows they are not invoking anything real besides Him; in other words, the gods they worship are completely unreal. In which case, as the author of al-Kashshāf has said, this verse underscores the above parable, in that it declares what they call upon besides him to be nothing.
According to the first reading, the verse means that God knows what they invoke besides Him, in which case this intimates that the parable He strikes for it above is apt and that therefore these guardians have guardianship in name alone.
This meaning is emphasized by the use of the two divine names, All-mighty (al-ʿazīz) and All-wise (al-ḥakīm), at the end of the verse. This is because God is the All-mighty whom none can overcome and therefore in whose dominion none has a share, just as none has any share in His creation and origination. And He is the All-Wise whose actions and governance are always proficient and, therefore, He does not delegate the governance of His creation to anyone else. This is like a preliminary to what will be expounded in the verse: Allah created the heavens and the earth with reason ().
وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ ٤٣
(29:43) And We draw these parables for mankind; but no one grasps them except those who have knowledge.
This refers to all of the parables struck in the Qur’an, insofar as they are universal and reach the ears of all people. However, it is only those with knowledge who grasp the realities of things and do not become ensnared in appearances who attain their deepest meanings and loftiest lessons. This is shown by the fact God says but no one grasps them instead of “but no one believes in them” or something similar.
People receive the parables struck in the Qur’an according to their different levels of understanding; some hear them but gain nothing except the sound of the words and their most basic meanings, without penetrating to their depths; others give ear and then delve into them to uncover their deepest goals and grasp their most profound realities.
This admonishes the listener that the similitude drawn by God between the idolaters taking up guardians besides Him and that of a spider taking a home which is the most fragile of homes is not merely a poetic image or a claim empty of substance. Rather, it rests upon a logical argument and verified reality, to which the next verse refers.
خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٤٤
(29:44) Allah created the heavens and the earth with reason. There is indeed a sign in that for the faithful.
When God says that He created the heavens and the earth “with reason” (bi al-ḥaqq), this negates any triviality from their creation, as God says: We did not create the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them for play. We did not create them except with reason; but most of them do not know ().
Therefore the creation of the heavens and the earth is upon a fixed and unalterable order, and following a continuous, unchanging and irrevocable divine habit. In reality, creation and governance do not differ, nor can one be divorced from the other, insofar as the creation and fashioning of everything is necessarily and inarguably His sole purview. There is nothing besides Him save that it is created by Him, subsisting through Him and His possession, possessing no benefit or harm for itself. Therefore it is impossible that such a thing should ever look after its own affairs or the affairs of any other being in a way that is independent of Him and not in need of Him with regard to its affair. This is the “reason” (ḥaqq) in which there is no play and the earnestness in which there is no joke.
So if one part of His creation looked after the affairs of another part, that is not genuine guardianship because this part does not truly have any share in the meaning of “dominion” (mulk), rather this would be a kind of play on His part; if He delegated the matter of governance to a part of his creation, that would also be a kind of play on His part. And insofar as this is nothing more than a false supposition and an unreal fancy, this is the very essence of play (laʿb).
Therefore it is clear the guardianship of those whose guardianship they call upon is no more worthy of the name “guardianship” than a spider’s web is worthy of the name “house.”
There is indeed a sign in that for the faithful—specifically for the faithful, even though the verse is equally applicable to everyone, because the only ones who benefit from this sign are the faithful.
اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ ۖ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ ٤٥
(29:45) Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book, and maintain the prayer. Indeed the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs, and the remembrance of Allah is surely greater. And Allah knows whatever you do.
Having made general mention of the stories of past nations and the eternal wretchedness and loss that befell of them as a result of their idolatry, indecency and wickedness, the discourse now turns to a new topic, namely enjoining the Prophet to recite what has been revealed to him of the book because this is the best deterrent against idolatry, indecency and evil. This is because of its clear verses which offer proofs to illuminate the truth, and contain stories, lessons, admonitions, glad-tidings and warnings, promises of reward and punishment, which will act as a deterrent to the reciter and those who hear him.
This is accompanied by a command to maintain the prayer, which is the best of deeds. The reason for this command is given in the verse, Indeed the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs. The tenor of the verses suggests that “prevent” (nahī) here means that the very nature of prayer restrains the one who offers it from indecency and wrongdoing, in the sense of hindering someone from performing them without preventing him completely.
It is the nature of such reverent concentration (tawajjuh ʿibādī) that, when God’s servant engages in it and repeats it five times a day, one day after another (and especially if he does this under the influence of a righteous society), this will restrain him from committing every kind of major sin that offends one’s religious sensibility (dhawq dīnī), such as murder, embezzling the wealth of orphans, fornication, sodomy, and everything that a healthy conscience and upright human nature would reject. And this works on the level of both contemplation and action.
This is because, first of all, because prayer calls to mind belief in God’s absolute oneness, in prophethood and the Hereafter; it instills in the person a sense that he is speaking directly to his Lord through the sincerity of worship, seeking His assistance and asking Him to guide him upon his straight path, while seeking refuge from His wrath and from misguidance.
Secondly, prayer urges him to direct his body and soul towards the awesome realm of divinity, to remember his Lord’s praise and glory, to magnify and exalt Him, and finally to invoke God’s peace upon himself, his companions and all righteous servants of God. This is in addition to its motivating him to cleanse himself of all filth and impurity in his person and clothing, and to ensure that neither his clothes nor the place in which he prays has been unjustly taken from another, before he turns towards the House of his Lord.
Therefore, when the human being persists for a while in offering prayers with sincerity, this creates a fixed habit (malaka) in his soul in the form of an aversion to all kinds of indecency and wrongdoing. And had you been left to you own devices, who could have nurtured your soul to be so righteous or to be adorned with the etiquettes of servant hood, without expecting or asking more of you than what mere prayer requires?
Regarding this verse, one could object that many of those who pray frequently pay no mind to committing major sins, nor do they seem averse to wrongdoing, so it appears as though their prayer has not prevented them from indecency or wrongdoing!
This is why some have suggested that “prayer” (ṣalāt) in this verse actually means supplication (duʿāʾ), which means calling (daʿwa) people to God’s command. In other words: “Keep calling people to God’s command, for that will prevent people from indecency and wrongdoing.” However, the problem with this reading is that it completely disregards the apparent meaning of the verse.
Others still have said that “prayer” here is actually meant in an indefinite sense, that is—that some kinds of prayer or some instances of prayer prevent people from indecency and wrongdoing, which is the case. But the meaning never meant to imply every kind of prayer in the first place in order for this objection to be valid.
Still others have said that “preventing” indecency and wrongdoing means so long as a person is engaged in his prayers, as if to say: “A person, so long as he is praying, is too busy to be engaged with disobeying God through acts of indecency and wrongdoing.”
Some have said the verse does not need to be interpreted in a manner contrary to its apparent meaning, but “prayer” here functions like a person who forbids something by saying: “Do not do that.” However, just because someone forbids something, this does not guarantee that no one will do it, and prayer forbidding something is no greater than God Himself forbidding it, as God says: Indeed Allah enjoins justice and kindness and generosity towards relatives, and He forbids indecency, wrong, and aggression () and, even when God forbids something, this does not guarantee that people will desist from it. Therefore this objection is based on the assumption that prohibition guarantees avoidance, which is utterly false.
Others have responded to this objection by saying that prayer functions as way of remembering God, as He says in the verse: …and maintain the prayer for My remembrance (). Now, someone who is mindful of God will restrain himself from doing things which God dislikes. Therefore, if someone prays but is also engaged indecency and wrongdoing, this means he would have been even worse off if he had not prayed at all, as the effect of his prayer has been to reduce his indecency and wrongdoing.
However, it is plain to see that these answers are not fully compatible with the context of this ruling or the reason given for it in the verse. What the context suggests is that the reason given for maintaining the prayer—the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs—is only given to show that prayer is an act of worship whose performance nurtures a person’s spirituality which in turn discourages him from indecency and wrongdoing. Therefore, by praying a person cleanses his soul of such impurities and frees it from sins and misdeeds.
Therefore this verse is referring to the formation of the habit (malaka) of restraint, which is an essential effect of prayer’s nature, as opposed to an effect that only some kinds of prayer will have (as per the second answer, above); or an effect that lasts only so long as the prayer does (as per the third); or merely a means for someone to “hear” prayer’s prohibition without considering whether or not this is effective, as if to say, “maintain prayer to hear its prohibition” (as per the fourth); or that the meaning of the command is “maintain the prayer so that the remembrance it involves will forbid you from indecency and wrongdoing” (as per the fifth).
So the proper response to this objection is that deterrence is a natural effect of prayer, which is a specific ritual that directs a person towards God; this effect is consequential (iqtiḍāʾī) but not determined in the manner that a sufficient cause determines its effect. Therefore it is possible that it will not have its effect due to the presence of some impediments that weaken the effects of remembrance and distract the worshiper from it. Therefore, the stronger the act of remembrance, and the more complete a person’s presence of mind and fear in his prayers, and the purer his dedication to God, the more potent the deterrent against indecency and wrongdoing, and the weaker these are, the weaker the deterrent.
If you take a moment to reflect on the condition of some of those who associate themselves with Islam while simultaneously abandoning their prayers you see that, because they forsake their prayers, they also forsake the duties of fasting, pilgrimage, almsgiving, khums and all other religious obligations; they do not distinguish between ritually pure and impure substances, nor permissible and forbidden things. Instead, they live their lives however they please. If you compare such a person with someone who observes even the minimum level of prayer necessary to fulfil his moral obligation, you will see he avoids many of the sins committed by one who abandons their prayers altogether and has more self-control. This is even if he does not pray a lot. Now, if you compare this with someone who takes his prayers more seriously, you will see that he—by the same token—is even more averse to sinning and in even greater control of himself.
…and the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah is surely greater: Al-Rāghib says in his Mufradāt that dhikr sometimes is used to mean the function of the soul that allows the human being to preserve whatever knowledge he acquires. In this sense it is similar to the word ḥifẓ (memory) save for the fact that ḥifẓ refers to the aspect of storing the information while dhikr refers to the aspect of recalling it. At other times, dhikr denotes the presence of something in the heart or in speech. This is why some say there are two kinds of dhikr, one from forgetfulness (nisyān) and the other from memory (ḥifẓ), and all kinds of speech are called dhikr.
It appears that the original sense of dhikr is the first one, and verbal expressions are only called dhikr because they incorporate the presence of that meaning in the heart, and the remembrance of the heart (al-dhikr al-qalbī) in relation to spoken remembrance (al-dhikr al-lafẓī) is like an effect that results from its cause or the goal for which an action was performed.
Prayer is called a dhikr because it incorporates spoken remembrance in the form of glorifying, extolling and praising God. From one angle, it is an instance of remembrance because it exemplifies a servant’s servitude towards God as in the verse: O you who have faith! When the call is made for prayer on Friday, hurry toward the remembrance of Allah… (). From another angle, this spoken worship brings about a state of remembrance and this remembrance is its goal, a fact God alludes to in the verse: …and maintain the prayer for My remembrance ().
The remembrance which is the desired outcome of prayer (meaning remembrance of the heart in the sense of summoning the object of remembrance in the receptacle of thought, whether it was previously absent due to forgetfulness or continuously present) is the best act that can conceivably emanate from the human being; it is the highest in honor, the most magnificent in value and the most profound in its effect, for it is the eternal felicity that has been prepared for the human being and the key to all goodness.
Therefore, the apparent meaning we derive from the tone of the verse Indeed the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs is that the phrase and the remembrance of Allah is surely greater is connected to it and expounds still another effect of prayer that is actually even greater than the one that came before it. For this reason, and the remembrance of Allah is surely greater represents a semantic turn and ascent and signifies the remembrance of the heart which is the ultimate outcome desired of prayer. It is as if to say: “Maintain the prayer to restrain yourself from indecency and wrongdoing. No! Rather the awareness of God you will gain from prayer is greater than any dissuasion against indecency and wrongdoing because it is the greatest good attainable for the human being and the key to every good thing, whereas preventing indecency and wrongdoing is merely one good thing.”
It is possible that “remembrance” here refers to the remembrance incorporated in the prayer or maybe the prayer itself. In this case, the semantic turn remains intact but its meaning becomes: “No! Rather the remembrance of God contained in the prayer (or the prayer itself, which is also the remembrance of God) is even greater than this effect, namely preventing indecency and wrongdoing, because this prevention is only one beneficial effect of prayer.”
In both cases, and the remembrance of Allah is the case of a verbal noun in a possessive construct with a noun signifying the object of its verb. And the object of the comparative noun greater is “than preventing indecency and wrongdoing.”
Scholars hotly debate the exact meaning of remembrance in this verse, whether it is in a possessive construct with the subject or object of its verb, and whether the object of the comparative noun is general or specific.
For example, some of the meanings given for the verse are as follows:
- God’s remembrance of His servant is greater than the servant’s remembrance of God, and that is because God remembers those who remember Him, per the verse: Remember Me, and I will remember you ().
- God’s remembrance of His servant is greater than prayer.
- God’s remembrance of His servant is greater than anything else.
- The servant’s remembrance of God in his prayer is greater than all the other components of prayer.
- The servant’s remembrance of God in prayer is greater than his remembrance of Him at other times.
- The servant’s remembrance of God is greater than all of his other deeds.
- Prayer is greater than any other act of obedience.
- The servant’s remembrance of God when he is about to commit an indecency or wrong and his remembrance of God’s prohibition of such acts is a greater deterrent than prayer.
- The word akbar (greater) does not connote comparison, therefore it does not need an object. This is like the verse What is with Allah is better than diversion ().
We have not dealt with the various opinions expressed by scholars on this verse out of concern for brevity. In most instances merely pondering on the verse is more than sufficient to dismiss these interpretations, especially since some of them are quite obviously arbitrary.
And Allah knows whatever you do—meaning He knows whatever good or evil you commit, therefore you should be vigilant of your behavior, not negligent. Therefore, this sentence encourages the audience to be vigilant of themselves (murāqaba); this is especially relevant with respect to the first interpretation.
وَلَا تُجَادِلُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَقُولُوا آمَنَّا بِالَّذِي أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَأُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَإِلَٰهُنَا وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ ٤٦
(29:46) Do not dispute with the People of the Book except in a manner which is best, barring such of them as are wrongdoers, and say: We believe in that which has been sent down to us and has been sent down to you; our Allah and your Allah is one [and the same], and to Him do we submit.
Insofar as God commands His servants to spread His message and preach to people by reciting the Qur’an to them in the previous verse Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book…, He follows this with an explanation of how to preach. First, He forbids disputation (mujādala) with the People of the Book, namely the Jews and the Christians, but also the Zoroastrians and Sabeans, except in the best manner of disputation.
Disputation is only good if it does not include coarse language, insults and ridicule. Good disputation means to speak politely and kindly, in a way that does not upset the other side, and to approach them in such a way that both sides are agreed that are only looking to determine the truth without prejudice or obstinacy. And a disputation combines polite speech and cooperation then it is doubly good—in other words, it is the best manner of disputation!
For this reason, when God forbids disputing with the People of the Book except in what ways are best, he excludes those who are wrongdoers. Based on the context, the meaning of wrongdoing (ẓulm) here means that the other side are such that there is no benefit to being friendly, polite or seeking to cooperate with them, rather they see his manners and friendliness as a sign of his lowliness and think it is a merely subterfuge to dupe them out of their own beliefs. In the case of these wrongdoers, there is no benefit to disputing with them in what ways are best.
It is also for this reason that He follows on by explaining how to approach such people and sets the discussion on a foundation both sides agree upon, on whose basis they can cooperate in trying to uncover the truth. He says, …and say: We believe in that which has been sent down to us and has been sent down to you; our Allah and your Allah is one [and the same], and to Him do we submit. The meaning of this is self-evident.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ ۚ فَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ ۖ وَمِنْ هَٰؤُلَاءِ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَّا الْكَافِرُونَ ٤٧
(29:47) Thus have We sent down the Book to you; and those to whom We have given the Book believe in it, and of these there are some who believe in it, and none contests Our signs except the faithless.
Meaning: “We have sent down the Qur’an to you with this description, which is submission (islām) to God and believing in His scriptures and messengers.”
Some say it means: “Just as we sent down scriptures to Moses and Jesus, we have also sent down a scripture to you, and it is the Qur’an.”
When God says and those to whom We have given the Book…, the fact of this derives from the way in which the Book was revealed. In other words, the Qur’an was sent down regarding submission to God and believing in His scriptures and messengers. And, insofar as the People of the Book already believe in God, His scriptures and His messengers, they naturally believe in it too. And of these—meaning the polytheists who worship idols—are some who believe in it. And none contests—meaning none of the People of the Book or these polytheists deny it except the faithless, who are those that cover truth with falsehood.
It is also possible that those to whom We have given the Book refers to the Muslims and these refers to the People of the Book. However, this is unlikely. Equally unlikely is that the pronoun “it” in who believe in it actually refers to the Prophet.
Note also that the phrase And of these are some who believe in it gives a level of independence to the polytheists who believe in it.
وَمَا كُنْتَ تَتْلُو مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ ۖ إِذًا لَارْتَابَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ ٤٨
(29:48) You did not use to recite any scripture before it, nor did you write it with your right hand, for then the impugners [mubṭilūn] would have been skeptical.
“Recitation” (tilāwah) means to read aloud, whether from memory or from a written book. Based on the context, it appears that the latter is intended by the verse. Mubṭilūn is the plural of mubṭil which means someone who brings falsehood (bāṭil) in speech. It is also used for someone who calls the truth false (i.e. he claims it is not true). The second meaning is most appropriate of the two for the present verse, although the first one is also plausible.
It appears that the expression You did not used to recite… means to deny the habit, that is, “It was not your habit to read and write…” as is indicated elsewhere in the Qur’an: …or I have dwelled among you for a lifetime before it ().
Alternatively, some have suggested that this phrase means to deny the capacity, that is, “You were not able to read and write before…” but the first reading is more appropriate to the context of the argument, as it is presented to affirm that the truthfulness of the Qur’an and its being sent down by God.
God specifies your right hand when He mentions writing for dramatic effect, as when someone says “I saw it with my own eyes!” or “I heard it with my own ears!”
Therefore, the verse means: “It was not your habit before the Qur’an was revealed to read other books nor was it your habit to write them.” In other words: “You were not proficient in reading and writing because you were unschooled (ummī). Were this not the case then those impugners who denied the truth and called it false would have been sceptical. However, you neither read nor wrote all your life and they knew this of you because they lived alongside you all this time. Therefore there is no room for them to doubt that the Qur’an which has been revealed to you is indeed the word of God; it is not something you have pieced together from previous scriptures by borrowing from their stories and other parts, which would have meant that they could have justified their disbelief.”
بَلْ هُوَ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ فِي صُدُورِ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَّا الظَّالِمُونَ٤٩
(29:49) Rather it is manifest signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge, and none contests Our signs except wrongdoers.
This verse aims to preclude a possible implication of the previous verse. It is as though when God said that the Prophet neither read nor wrote this shows that the Qur’an is not a book that has been written and bound. God precludes this possibility by saying: Rather it—the Qur’an—is manifest signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge…
…and none contests Our signs except the wrongdoers: Based on the context, the kind of wrongdoing referenced in this verse means wronging God’s signs by denying them and arrogantly rejecting them out of obstinacy and stubbornness.
وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْآيَاتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ ٥٠
(29:50) They say: If only some signs were sent down to him from his Lord? Say: The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a manifest warner.
Above, God mentioned the Book and commanded the Prophet to recite it and invite people to Him using it. Then He mentioned that there are people who believe and others who do not, and that the latter are the wrongdoers and the faithless. In this verse and the two that follow it, God highlights their lack of interest in the Qur’an, which is the sign of prophethood, and portrays them instead impertinently demanding that the Prophet bring them other signs instead. These verses also contain God’s response to them.
They say: If only some signs were sent down to him from his Lord? In this verse, they demand that he bring them signs other than the Qur’an, showing that they do not believe the Qur’an is a sign. Here, they are also claiming that the Prophet must have superhuman powers which allow him to do whatever he wants. The fact that they say If only some sign were sent down to him… rather than “If only he brought us some sign…” displays a kind of mocking attitude. This is like when they say: They said: O you, to whom the Reminder has been sent down, you are indeed crazy. Why do you not bring us the angels, should you be truthful?! ()
Say: The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a manifest warner: This is in response to their assertion that anyone who claims to be a divine messenger is claiming to have some kind of occult powers which allow him to do whatever he wishes. Instead, the Prophet is instructed to say that the signs belong only to God and that He sends them down whenever and however He pleases; no one has any share in His power over them. Therefore, it is not for the Prophet to bring anything except that God wills it. This is made even clearer by the fact that the Prophet is described as only a manifest warner.
أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ٥١
(29:51) Does it not suffice them that We have sent down to you the Book which is recited to them? There is indeed a mercy and admonition in that for a people who have faith.
This verse in its entirety paves the way for the response to their second assertion, namely that the Qur’an is not itself a sign. It is addressed to the Prophet and the rhetorical question is meant to suggest: “This scripture which we sent down to you should suffice them as a sign, for when they hear it recited to them they are well aware of its miraculous nature, full as it is of mercy and admonition for the believers.”
قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيدًا ۖ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ وَكَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ ٥٢
(29:52) Say: Allah suffices as a witness between me and you. He knows whatever there is in the heavens and the earth. Those who put faith in falsehood and defy Allah—it is they who are the losers.
This is the answer God gives His Prophet to their second assertion, namely that God is a witness to our disagreement—the question of prophethood—and He testifies to my prophethood with His word which He has sent down to me; He knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth without anything escaping his knowledge. So if He bears witness in my favor, this suffices as proof of my claims!
They cannot respond by saying it is not the word of God because they have been repeatedly challenged throughout the Qur’an to produce something like it. From this, we can be sure that Say: Allah suffices as a witness between me and you is not an empty claim or rhetorical device but a clear and logical argument.
Those who put faith in falsehood and defy Allah—it is they who are the losers: It is only they who are the losers because they deny God by denying His scripture in which he testifies to Muḥammad’s prophethood. And, because they deny God (who is the Truth), they have necessarily put their faith in falsehood. Therefore they are in a state of loss because of their faith.
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا أَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى لَجَاءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ٥٣
(29:53) They ask you to hasten the punishment. Yet were it not for a specified time, the punishment would have surely overtaken them. Surely it will overtake them suddenly while they are unaware.
This alludes to what they had said (like those who had said it before them): “Bring us God’s punishment, should you be truthful!” And God has already referenced their impertinence in the verse: And if We defer their punishment until a certain time, they will surely say: What holds it back? ()
A specified time (ajal musammā) refers to that time which God decreed for Adam when he sent Adam down to the earth, saying: on the earth shall be your abode and sustenance for a time () and There is a time for every nation: when their time comes, they shall not defer it by a single hour nor shall they advance it ().
As for the punishment which is being held back by this specified time, it is that punishment which they deserve for all of their evil deeds, as God says: Your Lord is the All-forgiving dispenser of mercy. Were He to take them to task because of what they have committed, He would have surely hastened their punishment. But they have a tryst. They will not find a refuge besides Him (). This does not contradict God hastening His punishment by sending down the signs demanded from the Messenger and thereby removing any cause for reprise or delay, as God says: Nothing keeps Us from sending signs except that the ancients denied them ().
يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ ٥٤ يَوْمَ يَغْشَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ وَيَقُولُ ذُوقُوا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ٥٥
(29:54-55) They ask you to hasten the punishment, and indeed hell will besiege the faithless, on the day when the punishment envelops them, from above them and from under their feet, and He will say: Taste what you used to do!
God repeats They ask you to hasten the punishment (yastaʿjilūnaka bi al-ʿadhāb) to show their utter ignorance and lack of understanding; firstly, because they are trying to hasten something which is ordained and cannot be rushed; secondly, because they are trying to hasten a punishment that cannot be averted from them, as they are only going to be punished because of their deeds which are inseparable from them.
When the verse says that the punishment envelops them, this means it surrounds them from all sides, and the phrase, on the day when the punishment envelops them is an adverbial construct signifying the time when hell will besiege the faithless.
Examining Narrations
- The Prophet recited the verse, but no one grasps them except those who have knowledge (), and said: “One who has knowledge is he who reflects upon God and so acts to obey Him while avoiding His displeasure.”
- Concerning the verse, Indeed the prayer prevents indecencies and wrongs… the Prophet said: A prayer that does not prevent a person from indecency and wrongdoing only increases his distance from God.
- The Prophet said: There is no prayer for him that does not obey his prayers, and obedience to one’s prayers means to desist from indecency and wrongdoing.
- Anas said: A young man of the Helpers would offer his prayers with God’s Messenger and commit indecencies. This was described to the Prophet, who said: “Indeed his prayer will one day prevent him.”
- Imam al-Ṣādiq said: Whoever wishes to know whether or not his prayers have been accepted, let him see whether his prayers prevent him from committing indecencies and doing wrong. However much his prayers restrain him from such behaviors, this is the extent to which God has accepted them.
- Concerning the verse, and the remembrance of Allah is surely greater… () Imam al-Bāqir said: God’s remembrance of those people who pray is greater than their remembrance of Him. Do you not see that God says: remember Me and I will remember you ()?
Author’s comment: This is one of the meanings which we have outlined above.
- Imam al-Ṣādiq said: Remember God in the presence of what He has permitted and what He has forbidden.
- Muʿādh b. Jabal says: I asked God’s Messenger, “Which deed is most beloved to God?” He told me: “That you die while your tongue is moist with God’s remembrance.”
- The Prophet also said: O Muʿādh! Verily the foremost (sābiqūn) are those who awake early for the remembrance of God. So let whoever wishes to revel in the gardens of paradise remember God abundantly!
- Concerning the verse, Rather it is manifest signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge () Imam al-Ṣādiq said: They are the Imams.
Author’s comment: This is an example of jary (application), which means matching the verse with a clear application of it. The next narration shows this [that the verse’s meaning is not limited to the Imams].
- Burayd b. Muʿāwiya says: Once I asked Imam al-Bāqir about the verse: Rather it is manifest signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge. He said: They are you [our followers]. Who else could they be!?
- Some of the Companions of God’s Messenger were writing parts of the Torah. When the Prophet was informed of this, he said: “Indeed the most foolish and misguided of people are those who prefer the revelation of another prophet to that of their own, who was sent to a nation other than them!” Then God sent down the verse: Does it not suffice them that We have sent down to you the Book which is recited to them? ().
- Once ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAmir b. Kurayz sent a gift to ʿĀʾishah, but she thought he was ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar so she refused it. She said: “He studies the scriptures [of others] even though God has said: Does it not suffice them that We have sent down to you the Book which is recited to them?” Then someone told her: “It is ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿĀmir.” So she accepted the gift.
Author’s comment: The apparent meaning of the last two narrations, especially the first, is that the verse was revealed about some of the Companions. However, the context and tone of the verses do not allow for this.
This is because the locus of governance is the phenomena that permeate the cosmos and governance means for one phenomenon to follow from another in accordance with an orderly system that will fulfil their ultimate purpose. In reality governance means to create one phenomenon after another. Therefore it is the same as creation and origination insofar as bringing one thing into alignment with another like it and combining the two is nothing more than creation and origination. (Auth.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-Bayān, on the authority of al-Wāḥidī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Jābir. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-Bayān, on the authority of Anas b. Mālik. This tradition is also narrated in al-Durr al-Manthūr from the Prophet, on the authority of ʿImrān b. al-Ḥuṣayn, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Ibn ʿUmar. Al-Qummī has also reported it in his Tafsīr without naming the Imam and without a chain of narration. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-Bayān. This has also been narrated in al-Durr al-Manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd and others. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-Bayān. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-Bayān, on the authority of “some of our companions.” ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of Abū Jārūd. ↩︎
Nūr al-Thaqalayn, on the authority of Majmaʿ al-Bayān, on the authority of “some of our companions.” ↩︎
Nūr al-Thaqalayn. ↩︎
Nūr al-Thaqalayn. ↩︎
Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of al-ʿAbdī. The same meaning is reported in al-Kāfī and Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt via various chains of narration. ↩︎
Nūr al-Thaqalayn, on the authority of Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt, via its chain of narration. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-Manthūr, on the authority of al-Ismāʿīlī’s al-Muʿjam and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Yaḥyā b. Jaʿdah, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-Manthūr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAsākir relates from Ibn Abī Mulaykah. ↩︎