The Believers — Verse 89

The Idolators believe in Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah, which requires them to believe in Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah Allah states that the fact that He is One and that He is independent in His creation, control, dominion and guides one to realize that there is no God except Him and that none should be worshipped except Him Alone, with no partner or associate. He tells His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ to say to the idolators who worship others besides Him, even though they admit His Lordship, that He has no partner in Lordship. But despite this they still attributed partners in divinity to Him, and worshipped others besides Him even though they recognized the fact that those whom they worshipped could not create anything, did not own anything, nor do they have any control over anything. However, they still believed that these creatures could bring them closer to Allah, مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلاَّ لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى (We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah) 39:3. So Allah says: قُل لِّمَنِ الاٌّرْضُ وَمَن فِيهَآ (Say: "Whose is the earth and whosoever is therein") meaning, "Who is the Owner Who has created it and whatever is in it of animals, plants, fruits and all other kinds of creation" إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَسَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ ("If you know!" They will say: "It is Allah's!") means, they will admit that this belongs to Allah Alone with no partner or associate. If that is the case, قُلْ أَفَلاَ تَذَكَّرُونَ (Say: "Will you not then remember") that none should be worshipped except the Creator and Provider. قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ السَّمَـوَتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ (Say: "Who is Lord of the seven heavens, and Lord of the Great Throne") means, "Who is the Creator of the higher realm with its planets, lights and angels who submit to Him in all regions and in all directions Who is the Lord of the Great Throne, which is the highest of all created things" Allah says here: وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ (and Lord of the Great Throne), meaning the Mighty Throne. At the end of the Surah, Allah says: رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ (the Lord of the Supreme Throne!) 23:116, meaning splendid and magnificent. The Throne combines the features of height and vastness with splendor and magnificence. This is why it was said that it is made of red rubies. Ibn Mas`ud said, "There is no night or day with your Lord, and the light of the Throne is from the Light of His Face." سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ (They will say: "Allah." Say: "Will you not then have Taqwa") meaning, since you admit that He is the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the Mighty Throne, will you not fear His punishment for worshipping others besides Him and associating others with Him قُلْ مَن بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ (Say: "In Whose Hand is the sovereignty of everything") i.e., sovereignty is in His Hands. مَّا مِن دَآبَّةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ ءاخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَآ (There is not a moving creature but He has grasp of its forelock) 11:56. meaning, He has control over it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say, «لَا وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِه» (By the One in Whose hand is my soul.) When he swore an oath, he would say, «لَا وَمُقَلِّبِ الْقُلُوب» (By the One Who turns over (controls) the hearts.) He, may He be glorified, is the Creator, the Sovereign, the Controller, وَهُوَ يُجْيِرُ وَلاَ يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (And He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector, if you know) Among the Arabs, if a leader announced his protection to a person, no one could go against him in that, yet no one could offer protection against that leader. Allah says: وَهُوَ يُجْيِرُ وَلاَ يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ (And He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector, ) meaning, He is the greatest Master, and there is none greater than Him. His is the power to create and to command, and none can overturn or oppose His ruling. What He wills happens, and what He does not, will not happen. Allah says: لاَ يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَلُونَ (He cannot be questioned about what He does, while they will be questioned.) 21:23 He cannot be asked about what He does because of His greatness, Pride, overwhelming power, wisdom and justice, but all of His creation will be asked about what they did, as Allah says: فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْـَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ - عَمَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ (So, by your Lord, We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do.) 15:92-93 سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ (They will say: "(All that belongs) to Allah.") means, they will admit that the Almighty Master Who protects all while against Him there is no protector is Allah Alone, with no partner or associate. قُلْ فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ (Say: "How then are you deceived and turn away from the truth") means, how can your minds accept the idea of worshipping others besides Him when you recognize and acknowledge that Then Allah says: بَلْ أَتَيْنَـهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ (Nay, but We have brought them the truth,) which is the declaration that there is no god worthy of worship besides Allah, and the establishment of clear, definitive and sound proof to that effect, وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ (and verily, they are liars.) means, in their worship of others alongside Allah when they have no evidence for doing so, as Allah says at the end of this Surah: وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهَا ءَاخَرَ لاَ بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الْكَـفِرُونَ (And whoever invokes, besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof; then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, the disbelievers will not be successful.) 23:117 The idolators have no evidence for what they are doing, which has led them into lies and misguidance. Rather they are following their forefathers and predecessors who were confused and ignorant, as Allah describes them: إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ ("We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we will indeed follow their footsteps.") 43:23

They will say ‘God.’ a variant reading for Allāh ‘God’ in both instances verses 87 and 89 has li’Llāh ‘to God’ which is in keeping with the sense of ‘to whom belongs what has been mentioned?’. Say ‘How then are you bewitched?’ how then are you duped and turned away from the truth the worship of God alone in other words ‘How do you envisage all this to be invalid?’.

سيجيبون: بأن ذلك كلَّه لله، قل لهم: كيف تذهب عقولكم وتُخْدَعون وتُصْرفون عن توحيد الله وطاعته، وتصديق أمر البعث والنشور؟

وقوله " سيقولون لله " أي سيعترفون أن السيد العظيم الذي يجير ولا يجار عليه هو الله تعالى وحده لا شريك له " قل فأنى تسحرون " أي فكيف تذهب عقولكم في عبادتكم معه غيره مع اعترافكم وعلمكم بذلك.

( سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ ) أى : سيقولون ملك كل شىء لله ، والقدرة على كل شىء لله .( قُلْ فأنى تُسْحَرُونَ ) أى : قل لهم فى الجواب عليهم ، ما دمتم قد اعترفتم بأن كل شىء تحت قدرة الله وسيطرته ، فكيف تخدعون وتصرفون عن الحق وعن الرشد مع علمكم بهما ، إلى ما أنتم عليه من باطل وغى!! .يقال : سحر فلان غيره ، بمعنى خدعه ، أو أتى عمل السحر . والمسحور هو الشخص المخدوع أو من تأثر بما عمل له من سحر .وبهذه الحجج الدامغة ، أخرس الله - تعالى - ألسنة المنكرين للبعث ، واثبت لهم أنه - سبحانه - لا يعجزه شىء .

فإنهم يقولون: إن ملكوت كلّ شيء والقدرة على الأشياء كلها لله، فقل لهم يا محمد: ( فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ ) يقولون: فمن أيّ وجه تصرفون عن التصديق بآيات الله، والإقرار بأخباره وأخبار رسوله، والإيمان بأن الله القادر على كل ما يشاء، وعلى بعثكم أحياء بعد مماتكم، مع علمكم بما تقولون من عظيم سلطانه وقدرته؟!وكان ابن عباس فيما ذكر عنه يقول في معنى قوله ( تُسْحَرُونَ ) ما حدثني به عليّ، قال: ثنا عبد الله قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله: ( فأنى تُسْحَرُونَ ) يقول: تكذبون.وقد بيَّنت فيما مضى السِّحْر: أنه تخييل الشيء إلى الناظر أنه على خلاف ما هو به من هيئته، فذلك معنى قوله: ( فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ ) إنما معناه: فمن أيّ وجه يخيل إليكم الكذب حقا: والفاسد صحيحا، فتصرفون عن الإقرار بالحقّ الذي يدعوكم إليه رسولنا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.

( سيقولون لله قل فأنى تسحرون ) أي : تخدعون وتصرفون عن توحيده وطاعته ، والمعنى : كيف يخيل لكم الحق باطلا؟

سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ (89)( وأنَّى ) يجوز أن تكون بمعنى ( من أين ) كما تقدم في سورة آل عمران ( 37 ) { قال يا مريم أنى لك هذا } والاستفهام تعجيبي . والسحر مستعار لترويج الباطل بجامع تخيل ما ليس بواقع واقعاً . والمعنى : فمن أين اختل شعوركم فراج عليكم الباطل . فالمراد بالسحر ترويج أيمة الكفر عليهم الباطل حتى جعلوهم كالمسحورين .

{ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ } أي: سيقرون أن الله المالك لكل شيء، المجير، الذي لا يجار عليه. { قُلْ } لهم حين يقرون بذلك، ملزما لهم، { فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ } أي: فأين تذهب عقولكم، حيث عبدتم من علمتم أنهم لا ملك لهم، ولا قسط من الملك، وأنهم عاجزون من جميع الوجوه، وتركتم الإخلاص للمالك العظيم القادر المدبر لجميع الأمور، فالعقول التي دلتكم على هذا، لا تكون إلا مسحورة، وهي - بلا شك- قد سحرها الشيطان، بما زين لهم، وحسن لهم، وقلب الحقائق لهم، فسحر عقولهم، كما سحرت السحرة أعين الناس.

فأنى تسحرون أي فكيف تخدعون وتصرفون عن طاعته وتوحيده . أو كيف يخيل إليكم أن تشركوا به ما لا يضر ولا ينفع ! والسحر هو التخييل . وكل هذا احتجاج على العرب المقرين بالصانع وقرأ أبو عمرو ( سيقولون لله ) في الموضعين الأخيرين ؛ وهي قراءة أهل [ ص: 135 ] العراق . الباقون لله ، ولا خلاف في الأول أنه لله ؛ لأنه جواب ل ( قل لمن الأرض ومن فيها ) فلما تقدمت اللام في لمن رجعت في الجواب . ولا خلاف أنه مكتوب في جميع المصاحف بغير ألف . وأما من قرأ ( سيقولون لله ) فلأن السؤال بغير لام فجاء الجواب على لفظه ، وجاء في الأول لله لما كان السؤال باللام . وأما من قرأ لله باللام في الأخيرين وليس في السؤال لام فلأن معنى قل من رب السماوات السبع ورب العرش العظيم : قل لمن السماوات السبع ورب العرش العظيم . فكان الجواب لله ؛ حين قدرت اللام في السؤال . وعلة الثالثة كعلة الثانية . وقال الشاعر :إذا قيل من رب المزالف والقرى ورب الجياد الجرد قلت لخالدأي لمن المزالف .ودلت هذه الآيات على جواز جدال الكفار وإقامة الحجة عليهم . وقد تقدم في ( البقرة ) . ونبهت على أن من ابتدأ بالخلق والاختراع والإيجاد والإبداع هو المستحق للألوهية والعبادة .

In these verses, a certain contradiction in thinking has been referred to by which the majority of people in every age have been afflicted. Most people admit that the Creator of the earth and the heavens is the one and only God; that He is their Lord and He controls them; that He enjoys all the superior powers. Yet their lives do not in any way reflect this acknowledgement. Such sublime truth demands that it permeates their thinking. The realisation of God should make them truly God-conscious. It should so become a part of their nature that, when they come face to face with the Truth, they admit it immediately. Their whole life should be moulded upon it. But, in actual fact, none of this happens. They accept God as a formal belief, but their real lives are not affected by it. The conception of God does not cast any spell over such individuals. On the contrary, they remain enamoured of trivial things. How strange is man’s behaviour!

Commentary وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ‌ وَلَا يُجَارُ‌ عَلَيْهِ (And who gives protection and no protection can be given against him - 23:88) The meaning of the verse is that Allah alone can deliver a person from pain and suffering as He wills, but there is none who can save a person from divine punishment. This is true of this world because nobody can stop Allah from rewarding virtuous people nor can anyone protect someone whom He chooses to punish. And the same is true of the Hereafter also. (Qurtubi)

They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth)) all that is through Allah's power. (Say) to them, O Muhammad: (How then are ye bewitched) then why do you lie about Allah; it is also said that this means, according to a different reading: see, O Muhammad, how they turn away because of lies?