The Troops, Throngs, The Companies — Verse 28

The Parable of Shirk وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِى هَـذَا الْقُرْءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ (And indeed We have put forth for men, in this Qur'an every kind of parable) means, `We have explained things to mankind in it the Qur'an by setting forth examples and parables.' لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ (in order that they may remember.) Because parables bring the meaning closer to people's minds. As Allah says: ضَرَبَ لَكُمْ مَّثَلاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ (He sets forth for you a parable from yourselves) (30:28). meaning, `so that you may learn it from yourselves.' And Allah says: وَتِلْكَ الاٌّمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَآ إِلاَّ الْعَـلِمُونَ (in Order that they may have Taqwa of Him.) (29:43). قُرْءَاناً عَرَبِيّاً غَيْرَ ذِى عِوَجٍ (An Arabic Qur'an, without any crookedness (therein)) means, it is in a plain Arabic tongue, with no crookedness, deviation or confusion. It is plain, clear proof. Allah has made it like this and has revealed it like this, لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ (in order that they may have Taqwa of Him) means, in order that they may heed the warnings contained therein, and strive to attain the promises therein. Then Allah says: ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً رَّجُلاً فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ مُتَشَـكِسُونَ (Allah puts forth a parable: a man belonging to many partners disputing with one another,) meaning, they were disputing concerning that slave in whom they all had a share. وَرَجُلاً سَلَماً لِّرَجُلٍ (and a (slave) man belonging entirely to one master.) means, no one owned him except that one man. هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلاً (Are those two equal in comparison) meaning, they are not the same. By the same token, the idolator who worships other gods besides Allah and the sincere believer who worships none besides Allah, with no partner or associate, are not equal. What comparison can there be between them Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid and others said, "This Ayah is the parable of the idolator and the sincere believer." Because this parable is so clear and obvious, Allah then says: الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ (All the praises and thanks be to Allah!) i.e., for establishing proof against them. بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ (But most of them know not. ) means, and for this reason they associate others in worship with Allah. The fact that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Quraysh will die, and how They will dispute before Allah Allah's saying; إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَّيِّتُونَ (Verily, you will die, and verily, they (too) will die.) This is one of the Ayat which Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, quoted when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died, so that the people would realize that he had really died. Another Ayah which he quoted was: وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفإِيْن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِكُمْ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئاً وَسَيَجْزِى اللَّهُ الشَّـكِرِينَ (Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will do to Allah; and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.)(3:144). The meaning of this Ayah is that you will certainly depart this world and be gathered before Allah in the Hereafter. You will dispute the issues of Tawhid and Shirk before Allah, things over which you disputed in this world, and He will judge between you with truth, and He is the Judge, the All-Knowing. So, He will save the sincere believers who worship Him alone, and He will punish the disbelievers who deny His Oneness and associate others in worship with Him. Although this Ayah speaks about the believers and disbelievers, and how they will dispute in the Hereafter, it also includes all disputants in this world, for their disputes will come back to them in the Hereafter. Ibn Abi Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded that Ibn Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "When the Ayah ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ (Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) was revealed, Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `O Messenger of Allah, will we repeat our disputes' He said, «نَعَم» (Yes.) He (Az-Zubayr) said, `This is a very serious matter."' Ahmad recorded from Az-Zubayr bin Al-`Awwam, may Allah be pleased with him, that when this Surah was revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَّيِّتُونَ - ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ (Verily, you will die, and verily, they (too) will die. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "O Messenger of Allah, will the sins that we committed against others in this world be repeated for us" He said, «نَعَمْ، لَيُكَرَّرَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ حَتْى يُؤَدَّى إِلَى كُلِّ ذِي حَقَ حَقُّه» (Yes, they will be repeated until everyone who is entitled will have his rights restored to him. ) Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "By Allah, it is a very serious matter." It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said "Hasan Sahih." `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ (Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) means, the truthful one will dispute with the liar, the oppressed will dispute with the oppressor, the one who is guided will dispute with the one who is misguided and the weak will dispute with the arrogant. Ibn Mandah recorded in Kitab Ar-Ruh that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The people will dispute on the Day of Resurrection, to the extent that the soul will dispute with the body. The soul will say to the body, `You did such and such,' and the body will say to the soul, `You told me to do it and you tempted me.' Then Allah will send an angel to judge between them, and he will say, `You two are like a man who cannot walk but can see, and a man who cannot see but can walk.' They went into a garden and the one who could not walk said to the one who was blind, `I see fruit there, but I cannot reach it.' The blind man said, `Climb on me and get it.' So he climbed on him and got it. So which of them is the wrongdoer They will say, `Both of them.' The angel will say to them, `You have passed judgement against yourselves.' The body was a means of transportation for the soul." Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "This Ayah was revealed and we did not know what it was revealed about: ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ (Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.)" He said, "We said, what will we dispute about There is no dispute between us and the People of the Book, so what will we dispute about Until the Fitnah occurred." Then Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "This is what our Lord promised us we would dispute about." This was recorded by An-Nasa'i.

an Arabic Qur’ān qur’ānan ‘arabiyyan a circumstantial qualifier for emphasis without any deviation that is without any contradiction or variance that perhaps they may guard themselves against disbelief.

ولقد ضربنا لهؤلاء المشركين بالله في هذا القرآن من كل مثل من أمثال القرون الخالية تخويفًا وتحذيرًا؛ ليتذكروا فينزجروا عما هم عليه مقيمون من الكفر بالله. وجعلنا هذا القرآن عربيًا واضح الألفاظ سهل المعاني، لا لَبْس فيه ولا انحراف؛ لعلهم يتقون الله بامتثال أوامره واجتناب نواهيه.

وقوله جل وعلا "قرآنا عربيا غير ذي عوج" أي هو قرآن بلسان عربي مبين لا اعوجاج فيه ولا انحراف ولا لبس بل هو بيان ووضوح وبرهان وإنما جعله الله تعالى كذلك وأنزله بذلك "لعلهم يتقون" أي يحذرون ما فيه من الوعيد ويعملون بما فيه من الوعد.

وقوله - سبحانه - ( قُرْآناً عَرَبِيّاً غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ . . . ) ثناء آخر منه - تعالى - على كتابه الكريم .والجملة الكريمة حال مؤكدة من قوله قبل ذلك : ( هذا القرآن . . . )أى : هذا القرآن قرآنا عربيا لا لبس فيه ولا اختلاف ولا اضطراب ولا تناقض .قال صاحب الكشاف : قوله ( قُرْآناً عَرَبِيّاً ) حال مؤكدة كقولك : جاءنى زيد رجلا صالحا ، وإنسانا عاقلا . ويجوز أن ينتصب على المدح ( غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ ) أى : مستقيما بريئا من التناقض والاختلاف .فإن قلت : فهلا قيل مستقيما ، أو غير معوج؟ قلت : فيه فائدتان :إحداهما : نفى أن يكون فيه عوج قط ، كما قال : ( وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجَا ) والثانية : أن لفظ العوج مختص بالمعانى دون الأعيان . . . وقيل : المراد بالعوج : الشك واللبس ، وأنشد :وقد أتاك غير ذى عوج ... من الإِله وقول غير مكذوبوقوله : ( لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ) علة أخرى لاشتمال القرآن على الامتثال المتكررة المتنوعة .أى : كررنا الأمثال النافعة فى هذا القرآن للناس ، كى يتقوا الله - تعالى - ويخشوا عقابه .

وقوله: ( قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا ) يقول تعالى ذكره: لقد ضربنا للناس في هذا القرآن من كل مثل قرآنا عربيا( غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ ) يعني: ذي لبس.كما حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثنا عيسى، وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا، عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد ( قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ ) : غير ذي لبس.ونصب قوله: ( قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا ) على الحال من قوله: هذا القرآن, لأن القرآن معرفة, وقوله ( قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا ) نكرة.وقوله: ( لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ) يقول: جعلنا قرآنا عربيا إذ كانوا عربا, ليفهموا ما فيه من المواعظ, حتى يتقوا ما حذرهم الله فيه من بأسه وسطوته, فينيبوا إلى عبادته وإفراد الألوهة له, ويتبرّءوا من الأنداد والآلهة.

( قرآنا عربيا ) نصب على الحال ، ( غير ذي عوج ) قال ابن عباس : غير مختلف . قال مجاهد : غير ذي لبس . قال السدي : غير مخلوق . ويروى ذلك عن مالك بن أنس ، وحكي عن سفيان بن عيينة عن سبعين من التابعين أن القرآن ليس بخالق ولا مخلوق ( لعلهم يتقون ) الكفر والتكذيب به .

قُرْآَنًا عَرَبِيًّا غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ (28)وانتصب { قُرْءَاناً } على الحال من اسم الإِشارة المبيَّن بالقرآن ، فالحال هنا موطئة لأنها توطئة للنعت في قوله تعالى : { قُرْءَاناً عَرَبِيَّاً } وإن كان بظاهر لفظ { قُرْءَاناً } حالاً مؤكدة ولكن العبرة بما بعده ، ولذلك قال الزجاج : إن { عَرَبِيَّاً } منصوب على الحال ، أي لأنه نعت للحال .والمقصود من هذه الحال التورك على المشركين حيث تلقوا القرآن تلقيَ من سمع كلاماً لم يفهمه كأنه بلغة غير لغته لا يُعيره بالاً كقوله تعالى : { فإنما يسرناه بلسانك لعلهم يتذكرون } [ الدخان : 58 ] ، مع التحدّي لهم بأنهم عجزوا عن معارضته وهو من لغتهم ، وهو أيضاً ثناء على القرآن من حيث إنه كلام باستقامة ألفاظه لأن اللغة العربية أفصح لغات البشر .والعِوج بكسر العين أريد به : اختلال المعاني دون الأعيان ، وأما العَوج بفتح العين فيشملها ، وهذا مختار أيمة اللغة مثل ابن دريد والزمخشري والزجاج والفيروزبادي ، وصحح المرزوقي في «شرح الفصيح» أنهما سواء ، وقد تقدم عند قوله تعالى : { ولم يجعل له عوجاً } في سورة [ الكهف : 1 ] ، وقوله : { لا ترى فيها عوجاً ولا أمتاً } في سورة [ طه : 107 ] .وهذا ثناء على القرآن بكمال معانيه بعد أن أثني عليه باستقامة ألفاظه .ووجه العدول عن وصفه بالاستقامة إلى وصفه بانتفاء العوج عنه التوسلُ إلى إيقاع { عِوَجٍ } وهو نكرة في سياق ما هو بمعنى النفي وهو كلمة { غَير } فيفيد انتفاء جنس العِوج على وجه عموم النفي ، أي ليس فيه عوج قط ، ولأن لفظ { عِوَجٍ } مختص باختلال المعاني ، فيكون الكلام نصاً في استقامة معاني القرآن لأن الدلالة على استقامة ألفاظه ونظمه قد استفيدت من وصفه بكونه عربياً كما علمته آنفاً .وقوله : { لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ } مثل قوله : { لعَلَّهُم يتذَكَّرُونَ } ، وذُكر هنا { يَتَّقُونَ } لأنهم إذا تذكروا يسرت عليهم التقوى ، ولأن التذكر أنسب بضرب الأمثال لأن في الأمثال عبرة بأحوال الممثل به فهي مفضية إلى التذكر ، والاتقاء أنسبُ بانتفاء العوج لأنه إذا استقامت معانيه واتضحت كان العمل بما يدعو إليه أيسر وذلك هو التقوى .

" قرآنا عربيا " نصب على الحال . قال الأخفش : لأن قوله - جل وعز - : " في هذا القرآن " معرفة . وقال علي بن سليمان : " عربيا " نصب على الحال و " قرآنا " توطئة للحال ، كما تقول : مررت بزيد رجلا صالحا ، فقولك صالحا هو المنصوب على الحال . وقال الزجاج : " عربيا " منصوب على الحال و " قرآنا " توكيد .غير ذي عوج النحاس : أحسن ما قيل فيه قول الضحاك ، قال : غير مختلف . وهو قول ابن عباس ، ذكره الثعلبي . وعن ابن عباس أيضا : غير مخلوق ، ذكره المهدوي وقاله السدي فيما ذكره الثعلبي . وقال عثمان بن عفان : غير متضاد . وقال مجاهد : غير ذي لبس . وقال بكر بن عبد الله المزني : غير ذي لحن . وقيل : غير ذي شك . قال السدي فيما ذكره الماوردي . قال :وقد أتاك يقين غير ذي عوج من الإله وقول غير مكذوب" لعلهم يتقون " الكفر والكذب .

The Quran’s statements are in a language intelligible to man and within the sphere of his knowledge, so that nobody should have any difficulty in understanding them. Here, in symbolic language, it has been explained that the principle of the Unity of God as compared to polytheism is more rational and consistent with nature. Indeed, the functioning of the external universe is indicative of the fact that a single Will is operative in it. Had there been many intentions operative therein, the system of the universe could not have run so harmoniously. Moreover, man’s nature is also such that it prefers unity in loyalty. It is entirely against man’s nature to subscribe to different kinds of loyalties, as a result of which he is unable to do justice to any of them. All arguments and possibilities indicate that there is only one God, who is the Creator of man and who is worthy of being worshipped by him. In the present world, this fact is proclaimed through men like us. On the Day of Judgement, this will be declared by the Creator of the Universe Himself. At that time, denial of this fact will be impossible.

Commentary Verse أَفَمَن يَتَّقِي بِوَجْهِهِ (Tell Me about the one who tries to save himself from the worst punishment with his face ...) carries a description of the terrifying scenario of Jahannam. If one faces something hurtful in his mortal life, he tries to fight it off by using his hands and feet as defensive shields to protect his face. But, refuge with Allah, the people of Jahannam will not be able to use even their hands and feet to defend themselves. The punishment that comes will fall directly on their faces. Even if he wished to ward off the punishment in defense, he would have no option but to use his very face as the shield, because he would have been thrown in Jahannam with his hands and feet tied. We seek refuge with Allah from such a fate. Out of the authorities of Tafsir, ` Ata and Ibn Zayd said that a person condemned to Jahannam will have his hands and feet tied before being dragged in there. (Qurtubi)

(A Lecture in Arabic) a Qur'an in the Arabic usage, (containing no crookedness) not contradicting the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms or any other divinely inspired Scripture in terms of the affirmation of Allah's divine Oneness, some legal rulings and punishments; it is also said that (containing no crookedness) means: it is uncreated-this is the opinion of al-Suddi-, (that haply they may ward off (evil)) by means of the Qur'an that which Allah has prohibited them.