The Spider — Verse 50

The Idolators' demand for Signs, and the Response Allah tells us how the idolators stubbornly demanded signs, meaning that they wanted signs to show them that Muhammad was indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, just as Salih was given the sign of the she-camel. Allah says: قُلْ (Say) -- `O Muhammad' -- إِنَّمَا الاٌّيَـتُ عِندَ اللَّهِ (The signs are only with Allah) meaning, `the matter rests with Allah, and if He knew that you would be guided, He would respond to your request, because it is very easy for Him to do that. Yet He knows that you are merely being stubborn and putting me to the test, so He will not respond to you.' This is like the Ayah, وَمَا مَنَعَنَآ أَن نُّرْسِلَ بِالاٌّيَـتِ إِلاَّ أَن كَذَّبَ بِهَا الاٌّوَّلُونَ وَءَاتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ النَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً فَظَلَمُواْ بِهَا (And nothing stops Us from sending the Ayat but that the people of old denied them. And We sent the she-camel to Thamud as a clear sign, but they did her wrong) (17:59). وَإِنَّمَآ أَنَاْ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ (and I am only a plain warner) means, `I have been sent to you only as a warner to bring a clear warning; all I have to do is convey the Message of Allah to you. ' مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا (He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no guide to lead him.) (18:17) لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ (Not upon you is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills) (2:272). Then Allah shows us how ignorant and foolish they were when they demanded a sign to prove to them that what Muhammad ﷺ had brought to them was true. He brought them a great Book which falsehood cannot reach, neither from before it or behind it, it was greater than all other miracles, for the most eloquent of men could not match it or produce ten Surahs, or even one Surah like it. أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَـبَ يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ (Is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book which is recited to them) means, `is it not sufficient as a sign for them that We have sent down to you this great Book which tells them about what happened before their time, what will happen after they are gone, and passes judgement between them. Even though you are an unlettered man who can neither read nor write, and you have not mixed with any of the People of the Book. Yet you brought them news of what was said in the first Scriptures showing what is right in the matters that they dispute over, and bringing clear and obvious truth. ' As Allah says: أَوَلَمْيَكُن لَّهُمْ ءَايَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاءُ بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ (Is it not a sign to them that the learned scholars of the Children of Israel knew it (to be true)) (26:197) وَقَالُواْ لَوْلاَ يَأْتِينَا بِـَايَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ أَوَلَمْ تَأْتِهِمْ بَيِّنَةُ مَا فِى الصُّحُفِ الاٍّولَى (They say: "Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord" Has there not come to them the proof of that which is in the former Scriptures) (20:133) Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «مَا مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ نَبِيَ إِلَّا قَدْ أُعْطِيَ مِنَ الْآيَاتِ مَا مِثْلُهُ آمَنَ عَلَيْهِ الْبَشَرُ، وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُهُ وَحْيًا أَوْحَاهُ اللهُ إِلَيَّ، فَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ أَكْثَرَهُمْ تَابِعًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة» (There is no Prophet who was not given some miracles that would make the people believe in him. What I have been given is revelation which Allah reveals to me, and I hope that I will have the greatest number of followers on the Day of Resurrection.)" It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Indeed Allah has said: إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَى لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (Verily, herein is mercy and a reminder for a people who believe.) In this Qur'an there is mercy, that is, explanation of the truth and removal of falsehood, and a reminder to the believers of the punishment that is to come to the disbelievers and sinners. Then Allah says: قُلْ كَفَى بِاللَّهِ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيداً (Say: "Sufficient is Allah for a witness between me and you...") `He knows best the words of denial that you utter, and he knows what I am telling you about Him and that He has sent me. If I were telling lies about Him, He would have executed His vengeance upon me,' as Allah says elsewhere: وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الاٌّقَاوِيلِ - لأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ - ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ - فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَـجِزِينَ g(And if he had forged a false saying concerning Us, We surely would have seized him by his right hand, and then We certainly would have cut off his aorta, and none of you could have withheld Us from (punishing) him.) (69:44-47). `But I am telling the truth in what I say to you about Him, so He has supported me with clear miracles and definitive evidence.' يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ (He knows what is in the heavens and the earth.) means, nothing is hidden from Him at all. وَالَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ بِالْبَـطِلِ وَكَفَرُواْ بِاللَّهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْخَـسِرُونَ (And those who believe in falsehood, and disbelieve in Allah, it is they who are the losers.) means, on the Day of Resurrection, they will be punished for what they did, and will get what they justly deserve for rejecting the truth and following falsehood, for disbelieving in the Messengers of Allah ﷺ even when there was proof that they were telling the truth, and for worshipping false gods with no evidence. Allah will punish them for all that, for He is All-Wise and All-Knowing.

And they namely the disbelievers of Mecca say ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him to Muhammad (s) from his Lord?’ āyatun ‘sign’ a variant reading has āyātun ‘signs’ such as the she-camel of Sālih or the staff of Moses or the Table of Jesus. Say to them ‘Signs are only with God and He sends them down as He will and I am only a plain warner’ making manifest my warning of the punishment of the Fire for disobedient people.

وقال المشركون: هلا أُنزل على محمد دلائل وحجج من ربه نشاهدها كناقة صالح، وعصا موسى! قل لهم: إن أمر هذه الآيات لله، إن شاء أنزلها، وإن شاء منعها، وإنما أنا لكم نذير أحذركم شدة بأسه وعقابه، مبيِّن طريق الحق من الباطل.

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن المشركين في تعنتهم وطلبهم آيات يعنون ترشدهم إلى أن محمدا رسول الله كما أتى صالح بناقته قال الله تعالى قل يا محمد "إنما الآيات عند الله" أي إنما أمر ذلك إلى الله فإنه لو علم أنكم تهتدون لأجابكم إلى سؤالكم لأن هذا سهل عليه يسر لديه ولكنه يعلم منكم أنكم إنما قصدتم التعنت والامتحان فلا يجيبكم إلى ذلك كما قال تعالى "وما منعنا أن نرسل بالآيات إلا أن كذب بها الأولون وآتينا ثمود الناقة مبصرة فظلموا بها" وقوله: "وإنما أنا نذير مبين" أي إنما بعثت نذيرا لكم بين النذارة فعلي أن أبلغكم رسالة الله تعالى "ومن يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا" وقال تعالى: "ليس عليك هداهم ولكن الله يهدي من يشاء".

ثم قصت علينا السورة الكريمة بعد ذلك طرفاً من أقوال المشركين الفاسدة وأمرت الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يرد عليهم بما يزهق باطلهم ، كما قصت علينا لونا من ألوان جهالاتهم ، حيث استعجلوا الذى لا يستعجله عاقل . فقال - تعالى - : ( وَقَالُواْ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ . . . مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ) .ومرادهم بالآيات فى قوله - تعالى - : ( وَقَالُواْ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ ) الآيات الكونية ، كعصا موسى ، وناقة صالح . ولولا حرف تحضيض بمعنى هلا .أى : وقال المبطلون للنبى صلى الله عليه وسلم على سبيل التعنت والعناد ، هلا جئتنا يا محمد بمعجزات حسية كالتى جاء بها بعض الأنبياء من قبلك ، لكى نؤمن بك ونتبعك؟وقوله : ( قُلْ إِنَّمَا الآيات عِندَ الله وَإِنَّمَآ أَنَاْ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ ) إرشاد من الله - تعالى - لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى ما يرد به عليهم .أى : قل - أيها الرسول - الكريم - فى ردك على هؤلاء الجاهلين ، إنما الآيات التى تريدونها عند الله - تعالى - وحده ، ينزلها حسب إرادته وحكمته ، أما أنا فإن وظيفتى الإِنذار الواضح بسوء مصير من أعرض عن دعوتى ، وليس من وظيفتى أن أقترح على الله - تعالى شيئاً .

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَقَالُوا لَوْلا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّمَا الآيَاتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ (50)يقول تعالى ذكره: وقالت المشركون من قريش: هلا أنـزل على محمد آية من ربه، تكون حجة لله علينا، كما جعلت الناقة لصالح، والمائدة آية لعيسى، قل يا محمد: إنما الآيات عند الله، لا يقدر على الإتيان بها غيره (وَإنَّمَا أَنَا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ) وإنما أنا نذير لكم، أنذركم بأس الله وعقابه على كفركم برسوله. وما جاءكم به من عند ربكم (مُبِينٌ) يقول: قد أبان لكم إنذاره.

( وقالوا لولا أنزل عليه آيات من ربه ) كما أنزل على الأنبياء من قبل ، قرأ ابن كثير ، وحمزة ، والكسائي ، وأبو بكر : " آية " على التوحيد ، وقرأ الآخرون : " آيات من ربه " لقوله - عز وجل - : ( قل إنما الآيات عند الله ) القادر على إرسالها إذا شاء أرسلها ( وإنما أنا نذير مبين ) أنذر أهل المعصية بالنار ، وليس إنزال الآيات بيدي .

وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آَيَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْآَيَاتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ (50)لما ذكر الجاحدين لآية القرآن ثلاث مرات ووصفهم بالكافرين والمبطلين والظالمين انتقل الكلام إلى مقالتهم الناشئة عن جحودهم ، وذلك طلبهم أن يأتي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بآيات مرئية خارقة للعادة تدل على أن الله خلقها تصديقاً للرسول كما خلق ناقة صالح وعصا موسى ، وهذا من جلافتهم أن لا يتأثروا إلا للأمور المشاهدة وهم يحسبون أن الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام ينتصب للمعاندة معهم فهم يقترحون عليه ما يرغبونه ليجعلوا ما يسألونه من الخوارق حديث النوادي حتى يكون محضر الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام فيهم كمحضر المشعوذين وأصحاب الخنقطرات . وقد قدمتُ بيان هذا الوهم عند قوله تعالى : { وقالوا لولا نزل عليه آيات من ربّه } في سورة [ الأنعام : 37 ] .ومعنى عند الله } أنها من عمل القدرة الذي يجري على وفق إرادته تعالى فلكونها منوطة بإرادته شبهت بالشيء المحفوظ عند مالكه .وأفادت { إنما } قصر النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام على صفة النذارة ، أي الرسالة لا يتجاوزها إلى خلق الآيات أو اقتراحها على ربّه ، فهو قصر إفراد ردّاً على زعمهم أن من حق الموصوف بالرسالة أن يأتي بالخوارق المشاهدة .والمعنى : أنه لا يُسَلَّم أن التبليغ يحتاج إلى الإتيان بالخوارق على حسب رغبة الناس واقتراحهم حتى يكونوا معذورين في عدم تصديق الرسول إذا لم يأتهم بآية حسب اقتراحهم . وخُصّ بالذكر من أحوال الرسالة وصف النذير تعريضاً بالمشركين بأن حالهم يقتضي الإنذار وهو توقع الشر .والمبين : الموضح للإنذار بالدلائل العقلية الدالة على صدق ما يخبر به .وقرأ نافع وأبو عمرو وابن عامر وحفص عن عاصم وأبو جعفر ويعقوب : { ءايات } . وقرأ ابن كثير وحمزة والكسائي وأبو بكر عن عاصم وخلف : { ءاية } . والجمع والإفراد في هذا سواء لأن القصد إلى الجنس ، فالآية الواحدة كافية في التصديق .

أي: واعترض هؤلاء الظالمون المكذبون للرسول ولما جاء به، واقترحوا عليه نزول آيات عينوها، كقولهم: { وَقَالُوا لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ يَنْبُوعًا } الآيات. فتعيين الآيات ليس عندهم، ولا عند الرسول صلى اللّه عليه وسلم، فإن في ذلك تدبيرا مع اللّه، وأنه لو كان كذلك، وينبغي أن يكون كذلك، وليس لأحد من الأمر شيء.ولهذا قال: { قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْآيَاتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ } إن شاء أنزلها أو منعها { وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ } وليس لي مرتبة فوق هذه المرتبة.وإذا كان القصد بيان الحق من الباطل، فإذا حصل المقصود -بأي: طريق- كان اقتراح الآيات المعينات على ذلك ظلما وجورا، وتكبرا على اللّه وعلى الحق.بل لو قدر أن تنزل تلك الآيات، ويكون في قلوبهم أنهم لا يؤمنون بالحق إلا بها، كان ذلك ليس بإيمان، وإنما ذلك شيء وافق أهواءهم، فآمنوا، لا لأنه حق، بل لتلك الآيات. فأي فائدة حصلت في إنزالها على التقدير الفرضي؟

قوله تعالى : وقالوا لولا أنزل عليه آيات من ربه هذا قول المشركين لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، ومعناه هلا أنزل عليه آية كآيات الأنبياء . قيل : كما جاء صالح بالناقة وموسى بالعصا وعيسى بإحياء الموتى ; أي قل لهم يا محمد : إنما الآيات عند الله فهو يأتي بها كما يريد إذا شاء أرسلها وليست عندي وإنما أنا نذير مبين . وقرأ ابن كثير وأبو بكر وحمزة والكسائي : ( آية ) بالتوحيد وجمع الباقون وهو اختيار أبي عبيد ; لقوله تعالى : قل إنما الآيات عند الله .

People used to raise the objection that the Prophet Muhammad had not been given signs of God such as had been given to others, such as Moses, God’s answer to them was that signs or miracles were matters pertaining to Him and not to the prophets. The real support of the Prophet’s call of Truth are the sound arguments. Owing to certain considerations, God sometimes does give His signs or miracles to a prophet, but sometimes He does not. Faith is a conscious experience. Faith finds its place in a man’s heart once he is convinced by arguments in its favour. One who accepts something after testing it in the light of arguments is a protagonist of Truth, and one who indulges in irrelevant discussions is a worshipper of falsehood.

The status of the narrations of the People of the Book quoted by the commentators in their commentaries is also the same. The object of their reproduction in the commentaries is meant to highlight their historical position. They cannot be used for determining what is permitted (halal) and what is not permitted حَرَام (haram). مَا كُنتَ تَتْلُو مِن قَبْلِهِ مِن كِتَابٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ إِذًا لَّارْ‌تَابَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ (And you have never been reciting any book before this, nor have you been writing it with your right hand, had it been so, the people of falsehood would have raised doubts. - 29:48). That is Before the revelation of the Qur'an you could neither read nor write, rather you were unlettered (اُمِّی). If it was not so, and you were literate, then there could have been a possibility of doubt for the infidels to put the blame that you were repeating what you had read in, the earlier books, Torah and Injil, and it was not a new revelation sent down on you by way of prophethood.' It was a great honour and miracle for the Holy Prophet ﷺ to be unlettered Allah Ta’ ala had demonstrated so many evident and clear miracles to prove the prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and it was one of those miracles that He made him unlettered. Neither he could read anything nor could he write at all. Forty years of his life were spent in this fashion before the eyes of the people of Makkah. He did not have any acquaintance with the People of the Book wherefrom he could have learnt anything. In fact, there were no People of the Book living in Makkah. Suddenly, at the age of forty years, such a speech started flowing from his mouth that was a miracle not only in its theme and meaning, but also in the pinnacle of its eloquence. Some scholars have tried to prove that he was unlettered in the beginning, but later Allah Ta’ ala taught him how to read and write. In support of their contention they quote a hadith regarding the incident of Hudaibiyah, which says that when the agreement between the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the infidels of Makkah was being written, it was started by the Muslims with the words, مِن مُحَمَّدِ عبد اللہ وَ رسَوُلِہٖ - (From Muhammad, the slave of Allah and His messenger). On this the disbelievers of Makkah objected that his being the messenger of Allah was the real bone of contention, and if they had accepted him as a messenger of Allah, there would not have been any dispute among them. Therefore, they would not accept the words ` and His messenger' along with his name. Sayyidna Ali ؓ had written this agreement, so, the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked him to erase it, to which he declined out of respect and reverence for him. Then the Holy Prophet ﷺ took the paper in his own hand, and after erasing the words ` His messenger' wrote مِن مُحَمَّدِ بن عَبدَاللہِ (From Muhammad, the son of ` Abdullah). In this narration, the act of writing has been attributed to the Holy Prophet ﷺ which led some people to think that he knew how to write. But the correct position is that the act of writing was attributed to him in the narration as a colloquial expression. It is a fairly common idiom spoken quite widely that if someone gets something written by an ascribe, the writing is attributed to the former, even though he has not written it himself. The other possibility is that Allah Ta’ ala made him write this bit miraculously on this occasion. Also, by writing just a few words, one cannot be called a literate, but would still remain an unlettered. Furthermore, it would not be an honour for him to be labeled as literate, rather the honour is in him being an unlettered.

(And they say) the Jews, Christians and idolaters say: (Why are not portents) signs (sent down upon him) upon Muhammad (from his Lord) as were sent down to Moses and Jesus? (Say) to them, O Muhammad: (Portents are with Allah only) signs are from Allah only, (and I am but a plain warner) a warning messenger addressing you in a language you understand.