The Mount, The Mountain — Verse 41

Or do they have access to the Unseen that is the knowledge of it so that they can write it down? and are hence able to dispute with the Prophet s regarding the Resurrection and the matters relating to the Hereafter as they claim.

أم عندهم علم الغيب فهم يكتبونه للناس ويخبرونهم به؟ ليس الأمر كذلك؛ فإنه لا يعلم الغيب في السموات والأرض إلا الله.

أي ليس الأمر كذلك فإنه لا يعلم أحد من أهل السموات والأرض الغيب إلا الله.

( أَمْ عِندَهُمُ الغيب فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ ) أى : بل أيزعمون أن عندهم علم الغيب فهم يكتبونه للناس ، ويطلعونهم عليه . . ؟كلا إنهم لا علم لهم بشىء من الغيب ، لأن علم الغيب مرده إلى الله - تعالى - وحده ، كما قال - سبحانه - : ( عَالِمُ الغيب فَلاَ يُظْهِرُ على غَيْبِهِ أَحَداً إِلاَّ مَنِ ارتضى مِن رَّسُولٍ ).

وقوله ( أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: أم عندهم علم الغيب فهم يكتبون ذلك للناس, فينبئونهم بما شاءوا, ويخبرونهم بما أرادوا.

( أم عندهم الغيب ) أي : علم ما غاب عنهم ، حتى علموا أن ما يخبرهم الرسول من أمر القيامة والبعث باطل .وقال قتادة : هذا جواب لقولهم : " نتربص به ريب المنون " ، يقول : أعندهم علم الغيب حتى علموا أن محمدا - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يموت قبلهم ؟ ( فهم يكتبون ) أي : يحكمون ، والكتاب : الحكم ، قال النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - للرجلين اللذين تخاصما إليه : " أقضي بينكما بكتاب الله " أي بحكم الله .وقال ابن عباس : معناه أم عندهم اللوح المحفوظ فهم يكتبون ما فيه ويخبرون الناس به ؟

أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ (41(هذا نظير الإِضراب والاستفهام في قوله : { أن عندهم خزائن ربك } [ الطور : 37 ] ، أي بل أعندهم الغيب فهم يكتبون ما يجدونه فيه ويروونه للناس؟ أي ما عندهم الغيب حتى يكتبوه ، فبعد أن رد عليهم إنكارهم الإِسلام بأنهم كالذين سألهم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أجراً على تبليغها أعقبه برد آخر بأنهم كالذين أطلعوا على أن عند الله ما يخالف ما ادَّعى الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم إبلاغه عن الله فهم يكتبون ما أطلعوا عليه فيجدونه مخالفاً لما جاء به الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلمقال قتادة : لما قالوا : { نتربص به ريب المنون } [ الطور : 30 ] قال الله تعالى : { أم عندهم الغيب } أي حتى علموا متى يموت محمد ، أو إلى ما يؤول إليه أمره فجعله راجعاً إلى قوله : { أم يقولون شاعر نتربص به ريب المنون } [ الطور : 30 ] . والوجه ما سمعتَه آنفاً .والغيب هنا مصدر بمعنى الفاعل ، أي ما غاب عن علم الناس .والتعريف في { الغيب } تعريف الجنس وكلمة ( عند ( تؤذن بمعنى الاختصاص والاستئثار ، أي استأثروا بمعرفة الغيب فعلموا ما لم يعلمه غيرهم .والكتابة في قوله : { فهم يكتبون } يجوز أنها مستعارة للجزم الذي لا يقبل التخلف كقوله : { كتب ربكم على نفسه الرحمة } [ الأنعام : 54 ] لأن شأن الشيء الذي يراد تحقيقه والدوام عليه أن يكتب ويسجل ، كما قال الحارث بن حلزة :وهل ينقض ما في المهارق الأهواء ... فيكون الخبر في قوله : { فهم يكتبون } مستعملاً في معناه من إفادة النسبة الخبرية .ويجوز أن تكون الكتابة على حقيقتها ، أي فهم يسجلون ما أطلعوا عليه من الغيب ليبقى معلوماً لمن يطلع عليه ويكون الخبر من قوله : { فهم يكتبون } مستعملاً في معنى الفرض والتقدير تبعاً لفرض قوله : { عندهم الغيب } ، ويكون من باب قوله تعالى : { أعنده علم الغيب فهو يرى } [ النجم : 35 ] وقوله : { وقال لأوتين مالاً وولداً أطلع الغيب } [ مريم : 77 ، 78 ] .وحاصل المعنى : أنهم لا قبل لهم بإنكار ما جحدوه ولا بإثبات ما أثبتوه .

{ أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ } ما كانوا يعلمونه من الغيوب، فيكونون قد اطلعوا على ما لم يطلع عليه رسول الله، فعارضوه وعاندوه بما عندهم من علم الغيب؟ وقد علم أنهم الأمة الأمية، الجهال الضالون، ورسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هو الذي عنده من العلم أعظم من غيره، وأنبأه الله من علم الغيب على ما لم يطلع عليه أحدا من الخلق، وهذا كله إلزام لهم بالطرق العقلية والنقلية على فساد قولهم، وتصوير بطلانه بأحسن الطرق وأوضحها وأسلمها من الاعتراض.

أم عندهم الغيب فهم يكتبون أي يكتبون للناس ما أرادوه من علم الغيوب . وقيل : أي أم عندهم علم ما غاب عن الناس حتى علموا أن ما أخبرهم به الرسول من أمر القيامة والجنة والنار والبعث باطل . وقال قتادة : لما قالوا نتربص به ريب المنون قال الله تعالى : أم عندهم الغيب حتى علموا متى يموت محمد أو إلى ما يئول إليه أمره . وقال ابن عباس : أم عندهم اللوح المحفوظ فهم يكتبون ما فيه ويخبرون [ ص: 71 ] الناس بما فيه . وقال القتبي : يكتبون يحكمون والكتاب الحكم ; ومنه قوله تعالى : كتب ربكم على نفسه الرحمة أي حكم ، وقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام : والذي نفسي بيده لأحكمن بينكم بكتاب الله أي بحكم الله .

The addressees of a preacher invariably exist on the level of materialism. In view of this, if they have the feeling that the preacher of Truth wants to take some material thing from them, they immediately shy away from him. That is why a preacher of Truth never allows any material demand to crop up between his addressees and himself. To the very end, he maintains an atmosphere of selflessness between his addressees and himself. In so doing he may have to bear some material loss. When a preacher proves his seriousness to this extent with regard to his call for Truth, he then becomes entitled to God’s help, so much so that the unbelievers find all their tricks and devices recoiling on them, rendering them unsuccessful in gaining the upper hand.

{ 1} It means that their arguments against Islam having failed on rational grounds, the only possibility was that they had a direct link with Allah whereby they have ensured that their faith was true, but no one could bring any proof of having such a link with Allah. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani) { 2} This points out to the demand of the pagans of Makkah that they would not believe in the Holy Prophet unless he brings some pieces of the sky falling down from above. (See 17:92 and 26:187 in the Qur an) The answer given is that even if Allah fulfils this absurd demand, they would still not believe and would seek other excuses like claiming that the mass they are seeing is nothing but a cloud. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

(Or possess they the Unseen) and therefore know that they will not be resurrected (so that they can write (it) down?) that is to say, or do they have a book in which they write whatever they will from the Guarded Tablet, such that they write down what they say and do?

Affirming Tawhid and annulling the Plots of the Idolators. This is the position where Tawhid of Allah's Lordship andDivinity are affirmed Allah the Exalted said, أَمْ خُلِقُواْ مِنْ غَيْرِ شَىْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَـلِقُونَ (Or were they created by nothing Or were they themselves the creators) Allah asks them, were they created without a maker or did they create themselves Neither is true. Allah is the One Who created them and brought them into existence after they were nothing. Al-Bukhari recorded that Jubayr bin Mut`im said, "I heard the Prophet recite Surat At-Tur in Al-Maghrib prayer and when he reached this Ayah, أَمْ خُلِقُواْ مِنْ غَيْرِ شَىْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَـلِقُونَ - أَمْ خَلَقُواْ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ بَل لاَّ يُوقِنُونَ - أَمْ عِندَهُمْ خَزَآئِنُ رَبِّكَ أَمْ هُمُ الْمُسَيْطِرُونَ (Or were they created by nothing Or were they themselves the creators Or did they create the heavens and the earth Nay, but they have no firm belief. Or are with them the treasures of your Lord Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like), I felt my heart would fly away." This Hadith is collected in the Two Sahihs using various chains of narration. Jubayr bin Mut`im went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ after the battle of Badr to ransom the captured idolators. At that time, he was still an idolator. Hearing the Prophet recite this Ayah was one of the reasons that he later embraced Islam. Allah the Exalted said, o أَمْ خَلَقُواْ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ بَل لاَّ يُوقِنُونَ (Or did they create the heavens and the earth Nay, but they have no firm belief.) meaning, Allah is censuring the idolators for their idolatry, while asking them if they created the heavens and earth. They knew that Allah Alone is the Creator without partners with Him. However, they fell into idolatry because they had no firm belief, أَمْ عِندَهُمْ خَزَآئِنُ رَبِّكَ أَمْ هُمُ الْمُسَيْطِرُونَ (Or are with them the treasures of your Lord Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like) meanings, do they have the authority to do whatever they will in His kingdom Do they hold the keys to His treasures in their hands أَمْ هُمُ الْمُسَيْطِرُونَ (or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like) meanings, are they the tyrants who would hold the creation to account Never, Allah the Exalted and Most Honored is the Only King and Owner of the existence and He does what He wills. Allah the Exalted said, أَمْ لَهُمْ سُلَّمٌ يَسْتَمِعُونَ فِيهِ (Or have they a stairway, by means of which they listen.) meaning, do they have a stairway to heaven (to the place where the angels are), فَلْيَأْتِ مُسْتَمِعُهُم بِسُلْطَـنٍ مُّبِينٍ (Then let their listener produce some manifest proof.) meaning, let their listener produce evidence to the truth of their actions and statements. They will never be able to do so and therefore, they have nothing and have no evidence for their stance. Allah admonishes them regarding their claim that He has daughters and that the angels are females! The pagans chose for themselves male offspring and preferred them instead of females, and when one of them would be brought the good news of a daughter being born, his face would turn dark on account of his suppressed anger! Yet, they made the angels Allah's daughters and worshipped them besides Allah, أَمْ لَهُ الْبَنَـتُ وَلَكُمُ الْبَنُونَ (Or has He only daughters and you have sons) Allah sends a strong warning and stern admonition to them in this Ayah and a sure promise. Allah said, أَمْ تَسْـَلُهُمْ أَجْراً (Or is it that you ask a wage from them) meaning, `as a remuneration for your preaching Allah's Message to them Nay, you, do not ask them for a wage,' فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ (so that they are burdened with a load of debt), meaning, for in this situation, one will complain of the least bothersome thing and feel it difficult and burdensome for him, أَمْ عِندَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ (Or that the Unseen is with them, and they write it down) means, they do not have knowledge of the Unseen, for none in the heavens or earth knows the Unseen except Allah, أَمْ يُرِيدُونَ كَيْداً فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ هُمُ الْمَكِيدُونَ (Or do they intend a plot But those who disbelieve are themselves plotted against!) Allah the Exalted is asking, `Do these people who utter such statements about the Messenger ﷺ and his religion seek to deceive the people and plot against the Messenger ﷺ and his Companions If they do, then let them know that their plots will only harm them. Therefore, they are being plotted against rather than being the plotters!' أَمْ لَهُمْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَـنَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (Or have they a god other than Allah Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partners (to Him).) This Ayah contains harsh refutation directed at the idolators for worshipping the idols and calling upon rivals along with Allah. Allah next glorifies His Most Honorable Self from what they ascribe to Him, their lies and idolatry, سُبْحَـنَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partners (to Him).)