Saba, Sheba — Verse 32

How the Disbelievers have agreed in this World to deny the Truth,and how They will dispute with One Another on the Day ofResurrection Allah tells us about the excessive wrongdoing and stubbornness of the disbelievers, and their insistence on not believing in the Holy Qur'an and what it tells them about the Resurrection. Allah says: وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ بِهَـذَا الْقُرْءَانِ وَلاَ بِالَّذِى بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ (And those who disbelieve say: "We believe not in this Qur'an nor in that which was before it.") Allah threatens them and warns them of the humiliating position they will be in before Him, arguing and disputing with one another: يَرْجِعُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ الْقَوْلَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ (how they will cast the (blaming) word one to another! Those who were deemed weak) this refers to the followers -- لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ to those who were arrogant -- this refers to the leaders and masters -- لَوْلاَ أَنتُمْ لَكُنَّا مُؤْمِنِينَ (Had it not been for you, we should certainly have been believers!) meaning, `if you had not stopped us, we would have followed the Messengers and believed in what they brought.' Their leaders and masters, those who were arrogant, will say to them: أَنَحْنُ صَدَدنَـكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَكُمْ (Did we keep you back from guidance after it had come to you) meaning, `we did nothing more to you than to call you, and you followed us without any evidence or proof, and you went against the evidence and proof which the Messengers brought because of your own desires; it was your own choice.' They will say: بَلْ كُنتُمْ مُّجْرِمِينَوَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ بَلْ مَكْرُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ("...Nay, but you were criminals." Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day...") meaning, `you used to plot against us night and day, tempting us with promises and false hopes, and telling us that we were truly guided and that we were following something, but all of that was falsehood and manifest lies.' Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said: بَلْ مَكْرُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ (Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day,) means, "You plotted by night and day." Malik narrated something similar from Zayd bin Aslam. إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَآ أَن نَّكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَاداً (when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals to Him!) means, `to set up gods as equal to Him, and you created doubts and confusion in our minds, and you fabricated far-fetched ideas with which to lead us astray.' وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ (And each of them (parties) will conceal their own regrets, when they behold the torment.) means, both the leaders and the followers will feel regret for what they did previously. وَجَعَلْنَا الاٌّغْلَـلَ فِى أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ (And We shall put iron collars round the necks of those who disbelieved.) This is a chain which will tie their hands to their necks. هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ (Are they requited aught except what they used to do) means, they will be punished according to their deeds: the leaders will be punished according to what they did, and the followers will be punished according to what they did. قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَعْلَمُونَ (He will say: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.") (7:38). Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «إِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَّا سِيقَ إِلَيْهَا أَهْلُهَا تَلَقَّاهُمْ لَهَبُهَا، ثُمَّ لَفَحَتْهُمْ لَفْحَةً فَلَمْ يَبْقَ لَحْمٌ إِلَّا سَقَطَ عَلَى الْعُرْقُوب» (When the people of Hell are driven towards it, it will meet them with its flames, then the Fire will burn their faces and the flesh will all fall to their hamstrings.)" وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلاَّ قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُمْ بِهِ كَـفِرُونَ - وَقَالُواْ نَحْنُ أَكْثَـرُ أَمْوَلاً وَأَوْلَـداً وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ - قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّى يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ - وَمَآ أَمْوَلُكُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلَـدُكُمْ بِالَّتِى تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِندَنَا زُلْفَى إِلاَّ مَنْ ءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـلِحاً فَأُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمْ جَزَآءُ الضِّعْفِ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَهُمْ فِى الْغُرُفَـتِ ءَامِنُونَ - وَالَّذِينَ يَسْعَوْنَ فِى ءَايَـتِنَا مُعَـجِزِينَ أُوْلَـئِكَ فِى الْعَذَابِ مُحْضَرُونَ

Those who were arrogant will say to those who were oppressed ‘Was it us who barred you from guidance after it had come to you? Nay! Rather you were guilty’ of your own accord.

قال الرؤساء للذين استُضعِفوا: أنحن منعناكم من الهدى بعد إذ جاءكم؟ بل كنتم مجرمين إذ دخلتم في الكفر بإرادتكم مختارين.

يخبر تعالى عن تمادي الكفار في طغيانهم وعنادهم وإصرارهم على عدم الإيمان بالقرآن وبما أخبر به من أمر المعاد ولهذا قال تعالى " وقال الذين كفروا لن نؤمن بهذا القرآن ولا بالذي بين يديه " قال الله عز وجل متهددا لهم ومتوعدا ومخبرا عن مواقفهم الذليلة بين يديه في حال تخاصمهم وتحاجهم " يرجع بعضهم إلى بعض القول يقول الذين استضعفوا " وهم الأتباع " للذين استكبروا " منهم وهم قادتهم وسادتهم " لولا أنتم لكنا مؤمنين " أي لولا أنتم تصدونا لكنا اتبعنا الرسل وآمنا بما جاءونا به فقال لهم القادة والسادة وهم الذين استكبروا " أنحن صددناكم عن الهدى بعد إذ جاءكم " ؟ أي نحن ما فعلنا بكم أكثر من أنا دعوناكم فاتبعتمونا من غير دليل ولا برهان وخالفتم الأدلة والبراهين والحجج التي جاءت بهم الرسل لشهوتكم واختياركم لذلك ولهذا قالوا.

وهنا يرد الزعماء باستنكار وضيق ، ويحكى ذلك القرآن فيقول : ( قَالَ الذين استكبروا لِلَّذِينَ استضعفوا ) على سبيل التوبيخ والتقريع ( أَنَحْنُ صَدَدنَاكُمْ عَنِ الهدى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَكُمْ ) كلا ، إننا ما فعلنا ذلك ، ولسنا نحن الذين حلنا بينكم وبين اتباع الحق .( بَلْ ) أنتم الذين ( كُنتُمْ مُّجْرِمِينَ ) فى حق أنفسكم ، حيث ابتعتمونا باختياركم ، ورضيتم عن طواعية منكم أن تتبعوا غيركم بدون تفكر أو تدبر للأمور .

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُمْ بَلْ كُنْتُمْ مُجْرِمِينَ (32)يقول تعالى ذكره: (قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا) في الدنيا، فرأسوا في الضلالة والكفر بالله (لِلَّذِينّ اسْتُضْعِفُوا) فيها فكانوا أتباعًا لأهل الضلالة منهم إذ قالوا لهم لَوْلا أَنْتُمْ لَكُنَّا مُؤْمِنِينَ : (أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى) ومنعناكم من اتباع الحق (بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُمْ) من عند الله يبين لكم (بَلْ كُنْتُمْ مُجْرِمِينَ) فمنعكم إيثاركم الكفر بالله على الإيمان من اتباع الهدى، والإيمان بالله ورسوله.

( قال الذين استكبروا ) أجابهم المتبوعون في الكفر ( للذين استضعفوا أنحن صددناكم عن الهدى بعد إذ جاءكم بل كنتم مجرمين ) بترك الإيمان .

قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُمْ بَلْ كُنْتُمْ مُجْرِمِينَ (32)جُرِّد فعل { قال } عن العاطف لأنه جاء على طريقة المجاوبة والشأنْ فيه حكاية القول بدون عطف كما بيّناه غير مرة .وهمزة الاستفهام مستعملة في الإِنكار على قول المستضعفين تبرّؤا منه . وهذا الإِنكار بهتان وإنكار للواقع بعثه فيهم خوف إلقاء التبعة عليهم وفرط الغضب والحسرة من انتقاض أتباعهم عليهم وزوال حرمتهم بيْنهم فلم يتمالكوا أن لا يكذبوهم ويذيلوا بتوريطهم .وأتى بالمسند إليه قبل المسند الفعلي في سياق الاستفهام الإِنكاري الذي هو في قوة النفي ليفيد تخصيص المسند إليه بالخبر الفعلي على طريقة : ما أنا قلت هذا .والمعنى : ما صددناكم ولكن صدكم شيء آخر وهو المعطوف ب { بل } التي للإِبطال بقوله : { بل كنتم مجرمين } أي ثبت لكم الإِجرام من قبل وإجرامكم هو الذي صدّكم إذ لم تكونوا على مقاربة الإِيمان فنصدكم عنه ولكنكم صددتم وأعرضتم بإجرامكم ولم تقبلوا دعوة الإِيمان .وحاصل المعنى : أن حالنا وحالكم سواء ، كل فريق يتحمل تبعة أعماله فإن كلا الفريقين كان مُعْرِضاً عن الإِيمان . وهذا الاستدلال مكابرة منهم وبهتان وسفسطة فإنهم كانوا يصدون الدهماء عن الدين ويختلقون لهم المعاذير . وإنما نفوا هنا أن يكونوا محوِّلين لهم عن الإِيمان بعد تقلده وليس ذلك هو المدَّعَى . فموقع السفسطة هو قولهم : { بعد إذ جاءكم } لأن المجيء فيه مستعمل في معنى الاقتراب منه والمخالطة له .و { إذ } في قوله : { إذ جاءكم } مجردة عن معنى الظرفية ومحضة لكونها اسم زمان غير ظرف وهو أصل وضعها كما تقدم في قوله تعالى : { وإذ قال ربك للملائكة إني جاعل في الأرض خليفة } في سورة البقرة ( 30 ) ، ولهذا صحت إضافة بعد } إليها لأن الإِضافة قرينة على تجريد { إذ } من معنى الظرفية إلى مطلق الزمان مثل قولهم : حينئذٍ ويومئذٍ . والتقدير : بعد زمن مجيئه إياكم . و { بل } إضراب إبطال عن الأمر الذي دخل عليه الاستفهام الإِنكاري ، أي ما صددناكم بل كنتم مجرمين .والإِجرام : الشرك وهو مؤذن بتعمدهم إياه وتصميمهم عليه على بصيرة من أنفسهم دون تسويل مسوّل .

{ قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا } مستفهمين لهم ومخبرين أن الجميع مشتركون في الجرم: { أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُمْ } أي: بقوتنا وقهرنا لكم. { بَلْ كُنْتُمْ مُجْرِمِينَ } أي: مختارين للإجرام, لستم مقهورين عليه, وإن كنا قد زينا لكم, فما كان لنا عليكم من سلطان.

قال الذين استكبروا للذين استضعفوا أنحن صددناكم عن الهدى بعد إذ جاءكم هو استفهام بمعنى الإنكار ، أي ما رددناكم نحن عن الهدى بعد إذ جاءكم ، ولا أكرهناكم . [ ص: 272 ] بعد إذ جاءكم بل كنتم مجرمين أي مشركين مصرين على الكفر .

Denial of Truth is the greatest crime. The result of this crime does not become apparent to an individual in this world. Therefore, he goes on fearlessly denying the Truth. But, in the Hereafter, when the adverse effect of denying the Truth impinges on the deniers, they will be caught in a state of turmoil. The common people, in this world, were proud of their leaders, but once in the Hereafter, they will curse them. In reply, their leaders will say, ‘Don’t blame us to cover up your ignominy. It was not we who misguided you but your own desires. You were with us simply because our words were in consonance with your own desires. You wanted a religion in which you could get credit for being righteous without taking much trouble and without changing yourself, and we provided you with it. You put our noose around your neck of your own accord; otherwise, we had no power to do so.’

Commentary That Allah is One and that His power is absolute was the subject in previous verses. In the present verse, it is being said that the Holy Prophet ﷺ “ was sent as the Messenger of Allah to all peoples of the world who are there now or will come in the future. The word: كَافَّةً (Kaaffah) in: كَافَّةً لِلنَاس Kaaffatal-lin-naas: for all peoples) is used in the sense of making something universal and inclusive of all without the exclusion of anyone from it. The grammatical arrangement of the text required saying: لِلنَاس (lin-naasi kaaffatan: for the people as a whole) because the word: (kaaffah: all) is grammatically a hal (adverb) relatable to the word نَاس (naas: people). But, in order to put a clear accent on the universality of the mission of the Last Rasul of Allah, the word: كَافَّةً (Kaaffah: all) was set to come earlier. The mission of a messenger or prophet assigned to all prophets sent before the Holy Prophet ﷺ was restricted to some particular people and particular geographical area. It is the peculiarity of the Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ ، that his prophetic mission is common and open to all peoples of the world. In fact, it is not simply for human beings, but is so for the Jinns as well. And then, it is not just for those who were present during his blessed time, but is universally applicable to all human generations to come right up to the last day of Qiyamah. And this very fact of the continuity and survival of his mission as prophet and messenger demands that he has to be the Last and Final of the prophets and that no prophet is to come after his appearance. The reason is that another prophet is sent when the law and teachings of the one before him are distorted or altered. Thus, a second prophet is sent to reform the people and reinstate them according to Allah's pleasure. As for the Shari’ ah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and that of His own Book, the Qur'an, right through the last day of Qiyamah, the responsibility of its protection has already been undertaken by Allah Ta’ ala Himself. Therefore, it will hold on and survive till Qiyamah in its original state and there would be no need for some other prophet to be sent. According to a narration of Sayyidna Jabir ؓ appearing in the Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim and elsewhere, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: 'I have been given five things that have not been given to anyone else before me: (1) That Allah Ta’ ala helped me by placing in my person such an awe as it is felt by the people from the distance of a month of travel. (2) That the whole earth has been declared to be a masjid and a purifier for me (in the religious codes of past prophets, their worship used to be performed only in particular places set up as houses of worship. Worship was not allowed outside their appointed prayer places, either in the open or inside homes. For the Muslim community, Allah Ta’ ala made the whole earth a masjid in the sense that Salah can be made everywhere - and in the absence of water not being available or its use being harmful, the dust of the earth was made tahur or purifier so that it could be used to make tayammum which becomes a valid alternate of wudu). (3) That property from the spoils has been made halal for me. Before me, it was not halal for any other community (among whom the rule was to assemble the war spoils collected from the disbelieving adversary and deposit it at an appointed place in the belief that some fire or lightening would descend from the heavens and burn it, and this act of burning would itself be the sign of the acceptance of their religious war. For the Muslim community, distributing the spoils in accordance with the rule enunciated by the Qur'an and spending it as needed was made permissible). (4) That I was given the station of the Great Intercession اِلشَّفَاعَت اَلکُبرَیٰ : ash-Shafa'ah al-Kubra) (that is, when no prophet would dare intercede on behalf of others on the fateful plains of the Resurrection [ al-hashr ], I shall, then, be given the opportunity to intercede). (5) That before me, every prophet was sent to his particular people - I have been sent as a prophet to all peoples of the world. (Ibn Kathir)

(And those who were proud) too proud to accept faith, i.e. the leader, (say unto those who were despised) those who were oppressed, i.e. the lowly people: (Did we drive you away) did we bar you (from the guidance) from faith (after it had come unto you) after it came to you from Muhammad (pbuh)? (Nay, but ye were guilty) you were idolaters before the coming of Muhammad to you.