The Spider — Verse 52

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.

Say ‘God suffices as a witness between me and you’ of my sincerity. He knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth including my circumstances and yours. And those who believe in falsehood namely all that is worshipped besides God and who disbelieve in God from among you — those they are the losers in their bargain for they have purchased disbelief in return for faith.

قل: كفى بالله بيني وبينكم شاهدًا على صدقي أني رسوله، وعلى تكذيبكم لي وردكم الحق الذي جئتُ به من عند الله، يعلم ما في السموات والأرض، فلا يخفى عليه شيء فيهما. والذين آمنوا بالباطل وكفروا بالله -مع هذه الدلائل الواضحة- أولئك هم الخاسرون في الدنيا والآخرة.

ثم قال تعالى: "قل كفى بالله بيني وبينكم شهيدا" أي هو أعلم بما تفيضون فيه من التكذيب ويعلم ما أقول لكم من إخباري عنه بأنه أرسلني فلو كنت كاذبا عليه لانتقم مني كما قال تعالى: "ولو تقول علينا بعض الأقاويل لأخذنا منه باليمين ثم لقطعنا منه الوتين فما منكم من أحد عنه حاجزين" وإنما أنا صادق عليه فيما أخبرتكم به ولهذا أيدني بالمعجزات الواضحات والدلائل القاطعات "يعلم ما في السموات والأرض" أي لا تخفى عليه خافية "والذين آمنوا بالباطل وكفروا بالله أولئك هم الخاسرون" أي يوم القيامة سيجزيهم على ما فعلوا ويقابلهم على ما صنعوا في تكذيبهم بالحق واتباعهم الباطل كذبوا برسل الله مع قيام الأدلة على صدقهم وآمنوا بالطواغيت والأوثان بلا دليل فسيجزيهم على ذلك إنه حكيم عليم.

ثم أرشده - سبحانه - إلى جواب آخر يرد به عليهم فقال : ( قُلْ كفى بالله بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيداً ) . اى : قل - أيها الرسول الكريم - لهؤلاء الجاهلين : يكفينى كفاية تامة أن يكون الله - تعالى - وحده ، هو الشهيد بينى وبينكم على أنى صادق فيما أبلغه عنه ، وعلى أن هذا القرآن من عنده .وهو - سبحانه - ( يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السماوات والأرض ) علماً لا يعزب عنه شئ ، وسيجازينى بما أستحقه من ثواب ، وسيجازيكم بما يستحقونه من عقاب .( والذين آمَنُواْ بالباطل ) وأعرضوا عن الحق ( وَكَفَرُواْ بالله ) - تعالى - مع وضوح الأدلة على أنه - سبحانه - هو المستحق للعبادة والطاعة .الذين فعلوا ذلك : ( أولئك هُمُ الخاسرون ) خسارة ليس بعدها خسارة ، حيث آثروا الغى على الرشد ، واستحبوا العمى على الهدى ، وسيكون أمرهم فرطاً فى الدنيا والآخرة .

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : قُلْ كَفَى بِاللَّهِ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيدًا يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ وَكَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ (52)يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: قل يا محمد، للقائلين لك: لولا أنـزل عليك آية من ربك، الجاحدين بآياتنا من قومك: كفى الله يا هؤلاء بيني وبينكم، شاهدا لي وعليّ؛ لأنه يعلم المحقّ منا من المبطل، ويعلم ما في السموات وما في الأرض، لا يخفى عليه شيء فيهما، وهو المجازي كل فريق منا بما هو أهله، المحق على ثباته على الحقّ، والمبطل على باطله بما هو أهله، (وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بالْبَاطِلِ) يقول: صدقوا بالشرك، فأقرّوا به وكفروا به، يقول: وجحدوا الله (أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الخاسِرُونَ) يقول: : هم المغبونون في صفقتهم.وبنحو الذي قلنا في قوله: (وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بالْبَاطِلِ) قال أهل التأويل.*ذكر من قال ذلك:حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قَتادة (وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بالْبَاطِلِ) : الشرك.

( قل كفى بالله بيني وبينكم شهيدا ) أني رسوله وهذا القرآن كتابه ( يعلم ما في السماوات والأرض والذين آمنوا بالباطل ) قال ابن عباس : بغير الله . وقال مقاتل : بعبادة الشيطان ( وكفروا بالله أولئك هم الخاسرون )

قُلْ كَفَى بِاللَّهِ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيدًا يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ وَكَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ (52){ قُلْ كفى بالله بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيداً يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى السماوات والارض }بعد أن ألقمهم حَجر الحجّة الدامغة أمر بأن يجعل الله حكَماً بينه وبينهم لما استمر تكذيبهم بعد الدلائل القاطعة . وهذا من الكلام المنصف المقصود منه استدراج المخاطب .و { كفى بالله } بمعنى هو كاف لي في إظهار الحق ، والباء مزيدة للتوكيد وقد تقدم نظيره في قوله : { وكفى بالله شهيداً } في سورة [ النساء : 79 ] .( والشهيد : الشاهد ، ولما ضُمن معنى الحاكم عدّي بظرف بيني وبينكم } . قال الحارث بن حلزة في عمرو بن هند الملك: ... وهو الرّب والشهيد على يوم الحِيَاريْن والبلاء بلاء ... وجملة : { يعلم ما في السماوات والأرض } مقررة لمعنى الاكتفاء به شهيداً فهي تتنزل منها منزلة التوكيد .{ السماوات والارض والذين ءامَنُواْ بالباطل وَكَفَرُواْ بالله أولئك }بعد أن أنصفهم بقوله : { كفى بالله بيني وبينكم شهيداً } استمر في الانتصاف بما لا يستطيعون إنكاره وهو أن الذين اعتقدوا الباطل وكفروا بالله هم الخاسرون في الحكومة والقضية الموكولة إلى الله تعالى؛ فهم إن تأملوا في إيمانهم بالله حقَّ التأمّل وجدوا أنفسهم غير مؤمنين بإلهيته لأنهم أشركوا معه ما ليس حقيقاً بالإلهية فعلموا أنهم كفروا بالله فتعين أنهم آمنوا بالباطل فالكلام موجه كقوله : { وإنا أو إياكم لعلى هُدىً أو في ضلال مبين } [ سبأ : 24 ] ، وقول حسان في أبي سفيان بن حرب أيام جاهليته: ... أتهجوهُ ولست له بكفءفشركما لخيركما الفداء ... وفي الجمع بين { ءامنوا } و { كَفروا } محسّن المضادة وهو الطِّبَاق .والباطل : ضد الحق ، أي ما ليس بحقيق أن يؤمن به ، أي ما ليس بإله حق ولكنهم يدَّعون له الإلهية وذلك إيمانهم بإلهية الأصنام . وأما كفرهم بالله فلأنهم أشركوا معه في الإلهية فكفروا بأعظم صفاته وهي الوحدانية . واسم الإشارة يفيد التنبيه على أن المشار إليهم أحرياء بالحكم الوارد بعد اسم الإشارة لأجل الأوصاف التي ذكرت لهم قبل اسم الإشارة مثل : { أولئك على هدى من ربّهم } [ البقرة : 5 ] .والقصر المستفاد من تعريف جزأي جملة { هم الخاسرون } قصر ادعائيّ للمبالغة في اتصافهم بالخسران العظيم بحيث إن كل خسران في جانب خسرانهم كالعدم؛ فكأنهم انفردوا بالخسران فأطلق عليهم المركب المفيد قصر الخسران عليهم وذلك لأنهم حقت عليهم الشقاوة العظمى الأبدية . واستعير الخسران لانعكاس المأمول من العمل المُكِدّ تشبيهاً بحال من كد في التجارة لينال مالاً فأفنى رأس ماله ، وقد تقدم عند قوله تعالى : { فما ربِحَتْ تِجارتهم } [ البقرة : 16 ] .

{ قُلْ كَفَى بِاللَّهِ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيدًا } فأنا قد استشهدته، فإن كنت كاذبا، أَحَلَّ بي ما به تعتبرون، وإن كان إنما يؤيدني وينصرني وييسر لي الأمور، فلتكفكم هذه الشهادة الجليلة من اللّه، فإن وقع في قلوبكم أن شهادته -وأنتم لم تسمعوه ولم تروه- لا تكفي دليلا، فإنه { يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ } ومن جملة معلوماته حالي وحالكم، ومقالي لكم فلو كنت متقولا عليه، مع علمه بذلك، وقدرته على عقوبتي، لكان [قدحا في علمه وقدرته وحكمته] كما قال تعالى: { وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ } { وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ وَكَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ } حيث هم خسروا الإيمان باللّه وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر، وحيث فاتهم النعيم المقيم، وحيث حصل لهم في مقابلة الحق الصحيح كل باطل قبيح، وفي مقابلة النعيم كل عذاب أليم، فخسروا أنفسهم وأهليهم يوم القيامة.

قوله تعالى : قل كفى بالله بيني وبينكم شهيدا أي قل للمكذبين لك كفى بالله شهيدا يشهد لي بالصدق فيما أدعيه من أني رسوله وأن هذا القرآن كتابه . يعلم ما في السماوات والأرض أي لا يخفى عليه شيء . وهذا احتجاج عليهم في صحة شهادته عليهم ; لأنهم قد أقروا بعلمه فلزمهم أن يقروا بشهادته والذين آمنوا بالباطل قال يحيى بن سلام : بإبليس . وقيل : بعبادة الأوثان والأصنام ; قاله ابن شجرة . وكفروا بالله أي لتكذيبهم برسله وجحدهم لكتابه . وقيل : بما أشركوا به من الأوثان وأضافوا إليه من الأولاد والأضداد أولئك هم الخاسرون أنفسهم وأعمالهم في الآخرة .

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.

(Say) to them, O Muhammad: (Allah sufficeth for witness between me and you) that I am His Messenger. (He knoweth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth) of created beings. (And those who believe in vanity) in the devil (and disbelieve in Allah, they it is who are the losers) who will be tormented, i.e. Abu Jahl and his host.