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.
You — an address to the Prophet s — will indeed die and they too will indeed die and so there is no satisfaction to be gained from another’s death this was revealed because they kept waiting for the Prophet s to die.
إنك -أيها الرسول- ميت وإنهم ميتون، ثم إنكم جميعًا- أيها الناس- يوم القيامة عند ربكم تتنازعون، فيحكم بينكم بالعدل والإنصاف.
هذه الآية من الآيات التي استشهد بها الصديق رضي الله عنه عند موت الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى تحقق الناس موته مع قوله عز وجل "وما محمد إلا رسول قد خلت من قبله الرسل أفإن مات أو قتل انقلبتم على أعقابكم ومن ينقلب على عقبيه فلن يضر الله شيئا وسيجزي الله الشاكرين" ومعنى هذه الآية أنكم ستنقلون من هذه الدار لا محالة وستجتمعون عند الله تعالى في الدار الآخرة وتختصمون فيما أنتم فيه في الدنيا من التوحيد والشرك بين يدي الله عز وجل فيفصل بينكم ويفتح بالحق وهو الفتاح العليم فينجي المؤمنين المخلصين الموحدين ويعذب الكافرين الجاحدين المشركين المكذبين ثم إن هذه الآية وإن كان سياقها في المؤمنين والكافرين وذكر الخصومة بينهم في الدار الآخرة فإنها شاملة لكل متنازعين في الدنيا فإنه تعاد عليهم الخصومة في الدار الآخرة.
ثم أخبر - سبحانه - رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم بأن الموت سينزل به كما سينزل بأعدائه الذين يتربصون به ريب المنون ، ولكن فى الوقت الذى يشاؤه الله - تعالى - فقال - : ( إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَّيِّتُونَ ) .أى : إنك - أيها الرسول الكريم - سيلحقك الموت ، كما أنه سيلحق هؤلاء المشركين لا محالة ، وما دام الأمر كذلك فأى موجب لتعجل الموت الذى يعم الخلق جميعا .وجاء الحديثي عن حلول الموت به صلى الله عليه وسلم وبأعدائه ، بأسلوب التأكيد ، للإِيذان بأنه لا معنى لاستبطائهم لموته صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا للشماتة به صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا ما نزل به الموت ، إذ لا يشمت الفانى فى الفانى مثله .
القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ (30)يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: إنك يا محمد ميت عن قليل, وإن هؤلاء المكذّبيك من قومك والمؤمنين منهم ميتون .
( إنك ميت ) أي : ستموت ، ( وإنهم ميتون ) أي : سيموتون . قال الفراء والكسائي : الميت - بالتشديد - من لم يمت وسيموت ، الميت - بالتخفيف - من فارقه الروح ، ولذلك لم يخفف هاهنا .
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ (30) لمّا جرى الكلام من أول السورة في مهيع إبطال الشرك وإثبات الوحدانية للإله ، وتوضيح الاختلاف بين حال المشركين وحال الموحّدين المؤمنين بما ينبىء بتفضيل حال المؤمنين ، وفي مهيع إقامة الحجة على بطلان الشرك وعلى أحقيّة الإِيمان ، وإرشاد المشركين إلى التبصر في هذا القرآن ، وتخلل في ذلك ما يقتضي أنهم غير مقلعين عن باطلهم ، وختم بتسجيل جهلهم وعدم علمهم ، خُتم هذا الغرض بإحالتهم على حكم الله بينهم وبين المؤمنين يوم القيامة حين لا يستطيعون إنكاراً ، وحين يلتفتون فلا يَرون إلا ناراً .وقدم لذلك تذكيرهم بأن الناس كلهم صائرون إلى الموت فإن الموت آخر ما يذكر به السادر في غلوائه إذا كان قد اغتر بعظمة الحياة ولم يتفكر في اختيار طريق السلامة والنجاة ، وهذا من انتهاز القرآن فرص الإِرشاد والموعظة .
قرأ ابن محيصن وابن أبي عبلة وعيسى بن عمر وابن أبي إسحاق " إنك مائت وإنهم مائتون " وهي قراءة حسنة وبها قرأ عبد الله بن الزبير .النحاس : ومثل هذه الألف تحذف في الشواذ و " مائت " في المستقبل كثير في كلام العرب ; ومثله ما كان مريضا وإنه لمارض من هذا الطعام .وقال الحسن والفراء والكسائي : الميت بالتشديد من لم يمت وسيموت , والميت بالتخفيف من فارقته الروح ; فلذلك لم تخفف هنا .قال قتادة : نعيت إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم نفسه , ونعيت إليكم أنفسكم .وقال ثابت البناني : نعى رجل إلى صلة بن أشيم أخا له فوافقه يأكل , فقال : ادن فكل فقد نعي إلي أخي منذ حين ; قال : وكيف وأنا أول من أتاك بالخبر .قال إن الله تعالى نعاه إلي فقال : " إنك ميت وإنهم ميتون " .وهو خطاب للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أخبره بموته وموتهم ; فاحتمل خمسة أوجه : [ أحدها ] أن يكون ذلك تحذيرا من الآخرة .[ الثاني ] أن يذكره حثا على العمل .[ الثالث ] أن يذكره توطئة للموت .[ الرابع ] لئلا يختلفوا في موته كما اختلفت الأمم في غيره , حتى إن عمر رضي الله عنه لما أنكر موته احتج أبو بكر رضي الله عنه بهذه الآية فأمسك .[ الخامس ] ليعلمه أن الله تعالى قد سوى فيه بين خلقه مع تفاضلهم في غيره ; لتكثر فيه السلوة وتقل فيه الحسرة .
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
In verse 30, it was said: إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ (Verily, you are to die and they are to die). The word: مَيِّتٌ (mayyit) with a doubling sound on the letter: اَلیاء (al-ya) denotes someone who will die in the future and مَیت (mait) with the letter al-ya' remaining quiescent, someone who has died. In this verse, the address is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and it is being said to him that he too is to die and so are his friends and foes, who will also die. The objective behind the statement is to alert and persuade everyone to be concerned about the Hereafter and be ready to do everything necessary to achieve this goal. Then, as an inter-related side of the subject, the purpose is also to make it very clear that the Holy Prophet ﷺ too, despite being the most sublime among the creation and the foremost among prophets, is not exempted from death, so that people would not differ about this matter after his passing away from this mortal world (from al-Qurtubi).
(Lo! thou) O Muhammad (wilt die, and lo! They) i.e. the disbelievers of Mecca (will die;