Joseph — Verse 105

People neglect to ponder the Signs before Them Allah states that most people do not think about His signs and proofs of His Oneness that He created in the heavens and earth. Allah created brilliant stars and rotating heavenly objects and planets, all made subservient. There are many plots of fertile land next to each other on earth, and gardens, solid mountains, lively oceans, with their waves smashing against each other, and spacious deserts. There are many live creatures and others that have died; and animals, plants and fruits that are similar in shape, but different in taste, scent, color and attributes. All praise is due to Allah the One and Only, Who created all types of creations, Who Alone will remain and last forever. It is He Who is unique in His Names and Attributes. Allah said next, وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ مُّشْرِكُونَ (And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him.) Ibn `Abbas commented, "They have a part of faith, for when they are asked, `Who created the heavens Who created the earth Who created the mountains' They say, `Allah did.' Yet, they associate others with Him in worship." Similar is said by Mujahid, `Ata, `Ikrimah, Ash-Sha`bi, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam. In the Sahih, it is recorded that during the Hajj season, the idolators used to say in their Talbiyah: "Here we rush to Your service. You have no partners with You, except a partner with You whom You own but he owns not!" Allah said in another Ayah, إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ (Verily, joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed.) 31:13 This indeed is the greatest type of Shirk, associating others with Allah in worship. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "I said, `O Allah's Messenger! What is the greatest sin' He said, «أَنْ تَجْعَلَ للهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَك» (That you call a rival to Allah while He alone created you.)" Al-Hasan Al-Basri commented on Allah's statement, وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ مُّشْرِكُونَ (And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him.) "This is the hypocrite; if he performs good deeds, he does so to show off with the people, and he is an idolator while doing this." Al-Hasan was referring to Allah's statement, إِنَّ الْمُنَـفِقِينَ يُخَـدِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُواْ إِلَى الصَّلَوةِ قَامُواْ كُسَالَى يُرَآءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلاَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً (Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for As-Salah, they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little.) 4:142 There is another type of hidden Shirk that most people are unaware of. Hammad bin Salamah narrated that `Asim bin Abi An-Najud said that `Urwah said, "Hudhayfah visited an ill man and saw a rope tied around his arm, so he ripped it off while reciting, وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ مُّشْرِكُونَ (And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him.) In a Hadith, from Ibn `Umar collected by At-Tirmidhi who said it was Hasan, the Prophet said, «مَنْ حَلَفَ بِغَيْرِ اللهِ فَقَدْ أَشْرَك» (He who swears by other than Allah, commits Shirk.) Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud and other scholars of Hadith narrated that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْك» (Verily, Ar-Ruqa, At-Tama'im and At-Tiwalah are all acts of Shirk.) In another narration collected by Ahmad and Abu Dawud, the Prophet said, «الطِّيَرَةُ شِرْكٌ وَمَا مِنَّا إِلَّا، وَلَكِنَّ اللهَ يُذْهِبُهُ بِالتَّوَكُّل» (Verily, At-Tiyarah omen is Shirk; everyone might feel a glimpse of it, but Allah dissipates it with Tawakkul.)" Allah said next, أَفَأَمِنُواْ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَاشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ (Do they then feel secure from the coming against them of the covering veil of the torment of Allah) Allah asks, `Do these idolators who associate others with Allah in the worship, feel secure from the coming of an encompassing torment from where they perceive not' Allah said in other `Ayat, أَفَأَمِنَ الَّذِينَ مَكَرُواْ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَخْسِفَ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الاٌّرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ - أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ فِى تَقَلُّبِهِمْ فَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ - أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَى تَخَوُّفٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ (Do then those who devise evil plots feel secure that Allah will not sink them into the earth, or that the torment will not seize them from directions they perceive not Or that He may catch them in the midst of their going to and from, so that there be no escape for them (from Allah's punishment) Or that He may catch them with gradual wasting (of their wealth and health) Truly, Your Lord is indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.) 16:45-47 and, أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَى أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا بَيَـتاً وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ - أَوَ أَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَى أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا ضُحًى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ أَفَأَمِنُواْ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ فَلاَ يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْخَـسِرُونَ (Did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment by night while they were asleep Or, did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon while they were playing Did they then feel secure against the plan of Allah None feels secure from the plan of Allah except the people who are the losers.) 7:97-99)

And how many a sign indicating the Oneness of God is there in the heavens and the earth which they pass by which they witness but disregard! not reflecting upon it.

وكثير من الدلائل الدالة على وحدانية الله وقدرته منتشرة في السموات والأرض، كالشمس والقمر والجبال والأشجار، يشاهدونها وهم عنها معرضون، لا يفكرون فيها ولا يعتبرون.

يخبر تعالى عن غفلة أكثر الناس عن التفكر في آيات الله ودلائل توحيده بما خلقه الله في السموات والأرض من كواكب زاهرات ثوابت وسيارات وأفلاك دائرات والجميع مسخرات; وكم في الأرض من قطع متجاورات وحدائق وجنات وجبال راسيات وبحار زاخرات وأمواج متلاطمات وقفار شاسعات وكم من أحياء وأموات وحيوان ونبات وثمرات متشابهة ومختلفات في الطعوم والروائح والألوان والصفات فسبحان الواحد الأحد خالق أنواع المخلوقات المتفرد بالدوام والبقاء والصمدية للأسماء والصفات وغير ذلك.

ثم بين - سبحانه - أن هؤلاء المشركين تطالعهم الدلائل والبراهين الدالة على وحدانية الله - تعالى - وقدرته ، ولكنهم فى عمى عنها فقال : ( وَكَأَيِّن مِّن آيَةٍ فِي السماوات والأرض يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ ) .و ( كأين ) كلمة مركبة من كاف التشبيه وأى الاستفهامية المنونة ، ثم تنوسى معنى جزيئيتها وصارت كلمة واحدة بمعننى كم الخبرية المفيدة للتكثير .والمراد بالآية هنا : العبرة والعظمة الدالة على وحدانية الله وقدرته يمر بها هؤلاء المشركون فلا يلتفتون إليها ، ولا يتفكرون فيها ، ولا يعتبرون بها ، لأن بصائرهم قد انطمست بسبب استحواذ الأهواء والشهوات والعناد عليها .قال ابن كثير ما ملخصه : يخبر - تعالى - فى هذه الآية عن غفلة أكثر الناس عن التفكير فى آيات الله ودلائل توحيده ، بما خلقه - سبحانه - فى السموات من كواكب زاهرات ، وسيارات وأفلاك . . . . وفى الأرض من حدائق وجنات ، وجبال راسيات ، وبحار زاخرات ، وحيوانات ونبات . . . فسبحان الواحد الأحد ، خالق أنواع المخلوقات ، المنفرد بالدوام والبقاء والصمدية .. .

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ (105)قال أبو جعفر: يقول جل وعز: وكم من آية في السموات والأرض لله , وعبرةٍ وحجةٍ، (3) وذلك كالشمس والقمر والنجوم ونحو ذلك من آيات السموات، وكالجبال والبحار والنبات والأشجار وغير ذلك من آيات الأرض ، ( يمرُّون عليها ) ، يقول: يعاينونها فيمرُّون بها معرضين عنها، لا يعتبرون بها، ولا يفكرون فيها وفيما دلت عليه من توحيد ربِّها , وأن الألوهةَ لا تنبغي إلا للواحد القهَّار الذي خلقها وخلق كلَّ شيء، فدبَّرها.* * *وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل .* ذكر من قال ذلك:19953 - حدثنا بشر , قال: حدثنا يزيد , قال: حدثنا سعيد , عن قتادة: ( وكأين من آية في السماوات والأرض يمرون عليها ) ، وهي في مصحف عبد الله:: " يَمْشُونَ عَلَيْهَا "، السماء والأرض آيتان عظيمتان.----------------------الهوامش:(3) ‌انظر تفسير" كأين" فيما سلف 7 : 263 .

( وكأين ) وكم ( من آية ) عبرة ودلالة ( في السماوات والأرض يمرون عليها وهم عنها معرضون ) لا يتفكرون فيها ولا يعتبرون بها .

عطف على جملة { وما أكثر الناس ولو حرصت بمؤمنين } [ يوسف : 103 ] ، أي ليس إعراضهم عن آية حصول العلم للأمّي بما في الكتب السالفة فحسب بل هم معرضون عن آيات كثيرة في السماوات والأرض .و { كأين } اسم يدل على كثرة العدد المبهم يبينه تمييز مجرور ب { من }. وقد تقدم عند قوله تعالى : { وكأين من نبيء قاتل معه ربيون كثير } في سورة آل عمران ( 146 ).والآية : العلامة ، والمراد هنا الدالةُ على وحدانية الله تعالى بقرينة ذكر الإشراك بعدها .ومعنى يمرون عليها } يرونها ، والمرور مجاز مكنّى به عن التحقق والمشاهدة إذ لا يصح حمل المرور على المعنى الحقيقي بالنسبة لآيات السماوات ، فالمرور هنا كالذي في قوله تعالى : { وإذا مروا باللغو مروُّا كراماً } [ الفرقان : 72 ].وضمير { يمرون } عائد إلى الناس من قوله تعالى : { وما أكثر الناس ولو حرصت بمؤمنين }.

{ وَكَأَيِّنْ } أي: وكم { مِنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا } دالة لهم على توحيد الله { وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ }

قوله تعالى : وكأين من آية في السماوات والأرض قال الخليل وسيبويه : هي " أي " دخل عليها كاف التشبيه وبنيت معها ، فصار في الكلام معنى كم ، وقد مضى في " آل عمران " القول فيها مستوفى . ومضى القول في آية السماوات والأرض في " البقرة " . وقيل : الآيات آثار عقوبات الأمم السالفة ; أي هم غافلون معرضون عن تأملها . وقرأ عكرمة [ ص: 238 ] وعمرو بن فائد " والأرض " رفعا ، ابتداء وخبره " يمرون عليها " . وقرأ السدي " والأرض " نصبا بإضمار فعل ، والوقف على هاتين القراءتين على السماوات . وقرأ ابن مسعود : " يمشون عليها " .

After the Truth, has been made plain, those who do not accept it, say that the requisite sound arguments in its favour were not forthcoming and had such reasoning been put forward, they would have accepted it. In other words, according to them, the reason for their denial lay outside them and not within them. That is to say, that they had failed to accept the truth, not because of any lack of receptivity on their part, but because of a lack of arguments in support of the truth. But just the opposite is true. The Truth is so clear that when it appears, all the signs of the earth and the heavens corroborate it. It becomes the most established and proven fact in the universe. But, in order to find the Truth, an observant eye and a receptive mind are vital and these are the very virtues which are non-existent in those who deny the truth. When a man shows arrogance with regard to the Truth, the reason for it is mostly polytheism (shirk). The position taken by most people is that while accepting God, they also love some living or dead beings in whom they have placed their trust and to whom they give a position of greatness. In this way, everyone has appointed for himself some ‘great ones’ other than God. They lead their lives relying on these ‘great ones’, though before God all of them are small. Ultimately, the only things which will save one, will be one’s personal deeds and not the exaltedness of the ‘great ones’. A prophet’s mission is to exhort his hearers to turn to the one and only God. He sets out on this mission because of his realization of the truth. In other words, the prophetic call is that which links a man with the one and only God. The veracity of this call is so abundantly evident to him that it bespeaks a deep realization of godhood and acts as an inspiration to him. Man takes his temporary satisfaction to be permanent in nature, though nobody has any guarantee of how long he will live. Nobody knows when death will come and prove all his claims false; and when the upheaval of Doomsday will upset his well-made world. Man thinks that a sure and certain fate is in store for him, though in fact at every moment of his life, he is standing on the shore of an uncertain future.

Then, in verse 105, the attitude of the disbelievers is portrayed by saying: وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ يَمُرُّ‌ونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِ‌ضُونَ How many a sign there is in the heavens and the Earth which they pass by and they are heedless to it. The sense is that these people are not of the kind who would simply not listen to a well-wisher out of their obstinacy. They are worse. They would not even learn from the very open signs of the perfect power of Allah Ta` ala visible to them all the time, yet keep passing by them with-out paying any attention and without wondering whose signs they were. These signs of Divine wisdom and power are widely spread out and many in number. Out of these are many signs which remind people of punishments which descended upon past peoples, and they themselves see their overturned habitations, but they would still refuse to learn their lesson. This was a description of people who simply did not believe in the existence of Allah Ta` ala, the great Creator, and in His wisdom and power. Mentioned next are those who do believe in Allah as the Creator,

(How many a portent) a sign (is there in the heavens) such as the sun, the moon, the stars, etc., (and the earth) and that which is in the earth such as mountains, oceans, trees, beasts, etc., (which they) i.e. the people of Mecca (pass by with face averted!) they denied them and never reflected upon them.