Cattle, Livestock — Verse 21

Allah is the Irresistible, Able to Bring Benefit and Protect from Harm Allah states that He Alone brings benefit or harm, and that He does what He wills with His creatures, none can resist His judgment or prevent what He decrees, وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلاَ كَـشِفَ لَهُ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدُيرٌ (And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is able to do all things.) Similarly, Allah said, مَّا يَفْتَحِ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِن رَّحْمَةٍ فَلاَ مُمْسِكَ لَهَا وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلاَ مُرْسِلَ لَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ (Whatever mercy, Allah may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter) 35:2. It is recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to supplicate, «اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ، وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَد» (O Allah, there is none Who can avert what You grant or give what You deprive, and no fortune ever helps the fortunate against You.) This is why Allah said, وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ (And He is the Irresistible, above His servants,) meaning, to Him the necks are subservient, the tyrants humble before Him and He has complete control over all things. The creatures have all bowed to Allah and are humbled before His grace, honor, pride, greatness, highness and ability over all things. The creatures are insignificant before Him, for they are all under His irresistible decision and power, وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ (and He is the All-Wise,) in all His actions, الْخَبِيرُ (Well-Acquainted with all things.) Who places everything in its rightful place, grants and favors whomever deserves His favor. Allah said next, قُلْ أَىُّ شَىْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهَـدةً (Say: "What thing is the most great in witness") or what is the greatest witness, قُلِ اللَّهِ شَهِيدٌ بِيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ (Say: "Allah (the Most Great!) is Witness between you and I") for He knows what I brought you and what you will answer me with, وَأُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ هَـذَا الْقُرْءَانُ لاٌّنذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَمَن بَلَغَ (this Qur'an has been revealed to me that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach.) Therefore, this Qur'an is a warner for all those who hear of it. In another Ayah, Allah said, وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِهِ مِنَ الاٌّحْزَابِ فَالنَّارُ مَوْعِدُهُ (But those of the sects that reject it, the Fire will be their promised meeting place.) 11:17 Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said, "Those who follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ought to call to what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called to and warn against what he warned against." Allah said next, أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَشْهَدُونَ ("Can you verily bear witness...") O idolators, أَنَّ مَعَ اللَّهِ ءَالِهَةً أُخْرَى قُل لاَّ أَشْهَدُ ("that besides Allah there are other gods" Say, "I bear no (such) witness!") Similarly, in another Ayah, Allah said; فَإِن شَهِدُواْ فَلاَ تَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمْ (Then if they testify, testify not you with them.) 6:150 Allah said next, قُلْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـهٌ وَحِدٌ وَإِنَّنِى بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ (Say: "Only He is God, alone, and truly I am innocent of what you join in worship with Him.") People of the Book Recognize the Prophet Just as They Recognize Their Own Children Allah says, the People of the Book know what you brought them, O Muhammad , as they know their own children. This is because they received good news from the previous Messengers and Prophets about the coming of Muhammad ﷺ, his attributes, homeland, his migration, and the description of his Ummah. Allah said next, الَّذِينَ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُم (Those who have lost (destroyed) themselves) and thus incurred the ultimate loss, فَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ (will not believe.) in this clear matter. A matter about which the previous Prophets gave good news, and a matter extolled about in ancient and modern times. Allah said next, وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِـَايَـتِهِ (And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah or rejects His Ayat) meaning, there is no person more unjust than he who lies about Allah and claims that Allah has sent him, while Allah did not send him. There is no person more unjust than he who denies Allah's proofs, signs and evidences, إِنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الظَّـلِمُونَ (Verily, the wrongdoers shall never be successful.) Surely, both of these people will never acquire success, whoever falsely claims that Allah sent him and whoever refuses Allah's Ayat.

And who that is none does greater evil than he who invents a lie against God by ascribing to Him an associate or denies His signs? the Qur’ān; it is verily the case that they the evildoers shall not prosper on account of this.

And who does greater evil than he who invents a lie against God, by affirming the existence of any other than Him, or denies, His attributes by manifesting the attributes of his own soul and thus commits idolatrous association with Him, when the utmost in evildoing is to associate [others] with God. They the evildoers shall not prosper, because of their being veiled by what they have placed in the place of God's essence and attributes.

And who does greater evil than he who invents a lie against God, by affirming the existence of any other than Him, or denies, His attributes by manifesting the attributes of his own soul and thus commits idolatrous association with Him, when the utmost in evildoing is to associate [others] with God. They the evildoers shall not prosper, because of their being veiled by what they have placed in the place of God's essence and attributes.

لا أحد أشد ظلمًا ممَّن تَقَوَّلَ الكذب على الله تعالى، فزعم أن له شركاء في العبادة، أو ادَّعى أن له ولدًا أو صاحبة، أو كذب ببراهينه وأدلته التي أيَّد بها رسله عليهم السلام. إنه لا يفلح الظالمون الذين افتروا الكذب على الله، ولا يظفرون بمطالبهم في الدنيا ولا في الآخرة.

ثم قال "ومن أظلم ممن افترى على الله كذبا أو كذب بآياته" أي لا أظلم ممن تقول على الله فادعى أن الله أرسله ولم يكن أرسله ثم لا أظلم ممن كذب بآيات الله وحججه وبراهينه ودلالاته "إنه لا يفلح الظالمون" أي لا يفلح هذا ولا هذا لا المفتري ولا المكذب.

ولما كان هذا الخسران أكبر ظلم ظلم به هؤلاء الكفار أنفسهم فقد قال - تعالى - فى شأنهم : { وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افترى عَلَى الله كَذِباً أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الظالمون } .أى : لا أحد أشد ظلماً من أولئك المشركين الذين كذبوا بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر ، وإن هؤلاء الذين سقطوا فى أقصى دركات الكذب لن يفوزوا ولن يفلحوا ، والاستفهام فى الآية الكريمة إنكارى للنفى ، وفيه توبيخ للمشركين .

القول في تأويل قوله : وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ (21)قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره: ومن أشدُّ اعتداءً، وأخطأ فعلا وأخطأ قولا =" ممن افترى على الله كذبًا " , يعني: ممن اختلق على الله قيلَ باطل, (13) واخترق من نفسه عليه كذبًا, (14) فزعم أن له شريكًا من خلقه، وإلهًا يعبد من دونه - كما قاله المشركون من عبدة الأوثان - أو ادعى له ولدًا أو صاحبةً، كما قالته النصارى =" أو كذب بآياته " ، يقول: أو كذب بحججه وأعلامه وأدلته التي أعطاها رسله على حقيقة نبوتهم، كذّبت بها اليهود (15) =" إنه لا يفلح الظالمون " ، يقول: إنه لا يفلح القائلون على الله الباطل, ولا يدركون البقاءَ في الجنان, والمفترون عليه الكذب، والجاحدون بنبوة أنبيائه. (16)----------------------الهوامش :(13) انظر تفسير"الافتراء" فيما سلف ص: 136 ، تعليق: 2 ، والمراجع هناك.(14) "اخترق" و"اختلق" و"افترى": ابتدع الكذب ، وفي التنزيل: "وخرقوا له بنين وبنات بغير علم سبحانه وتعالى عما يصفون" (الأنعام: 100).(15) انظر تفسير"الآية" فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة (أيي).(16) انظر تفسير"الفلاح" فيما سلف ص: 97 ، تعليق: 2 ، والمراجع هناك.

قوله عز وجل : ( ومن أظلم ) ، أكفر ، ( ممن افترى ) ، اختلق ، ( على الله كذبا ) ، فأشرك به غيره ، ( أو كذب بآياته ) ، يعني : القرآن ( إنه لا يفلح الظالمون ) : الكافرون .

عطف على جملة { الذين خسروا أنفسهم } [ الأنعام : 20 ]. فالمراد بهم المشركون مثل قوله : { ومن أظلم ممّن منع مساجد الله أن يذكر فيها اسمه } وقد تقدَّم نظيره في سورة البقرة ( 114 ). والمراد بافترائهم عقيدة الشرك في الجاهلية بما فيها من تكاذيب ، وبتكذيبهم الآيات تكذيبهم القرآن بعد البعثة . وقد جعل الآتي بواحدة من هاتين الخصلتين أظلم الناس فكيف بمن جمعوا بينهما .وجملة : إنّه لا يفلح الظالمون } تذييل ، فلذلك فصلت ، أي إذا تحقّق أنّهم لا أظلم منهم فهم غير مفلحين ، لأنّه لا يفلح الظالمون فكيف بمن بلغ ظلمه النهاية ، فاستغنى بذكر العلّة عن ذكر المعلول .وموقع ( إنّ ) في هذا المقام يفيد معنى التعليل للجملة المحذوفة ، كما تقرّر في كلام عبد القاهر . وموقع ضمير الشأن معها أفاد الاهتمام بهذا الخبر اهتمام تحقيق لتقع الجملة الواقعة تفسيراً له في نفس السامع موقع الرسوخ .والافتراء الكذب المتعمّد . وقوله : { كذباً } مصدر مؤكَّد له ، وهو أعمّ من الافتراء . والتأكيد يحصل بالأعم ، كما قدّمناه في قوله تعالى : { ولكنّ الذين كفروا يفترون على الله الكذب } في سورة المائدة ( 103 ) ، وقد نفى فلاحهم فعمّ كلّ فلاح في الدنيا والآخرة ، فإنّ الفلاح المعتدّ به في نظر الدين في الدنيا هو الإيمان والعمل ، وهو سبب فلاح الآخرة .

أي: لا أعظم ظلما وعنادا، ممن كان فيه أحد الوصفين، فكيف لو اجتمعا، افتراء الكذب على الله، أو التكذيب بآياته، التي جاءت بها المرسلون، فإن هذا أظلم الناس، والظالم لا يفلح أبدا. ويدخل في هذا، كل من كذب على الله، بادعاء الشريك له والعوين، أو [زعم] أنه ينبغي أن يعبد غيره أو اتخذ له صاحبة أو ولدا، وكل من رد الحق الذي جاءت به الرسل أو مَنْ قام مقامهم.

قوله تعالى : ومن أظلم ممن افترى على الله كذبا أو كذب بآياته إنه لا يفلح الظالمونقوله تعالى : ومن أظلم ابتداء وخبر ، أي : لا أحد أظلم ممن افترى أي اختلق على الله كذبا أو كذب بآياته يريد القرآن والمعجزات . إنه لا يفلح الظالمون قيل : معناه في الدنيا .

Reality is a familiar thing for man, because it is part of man’s own nature and it speaks the same silent language throughout the universe. This was truer of the Jews and the Christians, because their Prophets and their scriptures had clearly heralded the advent of the last of the Prophets and the Quran. So, for them to know about this was as good as knowing their own sons. In spite of things being so clear, why do people not accept the Truth? It is because of the fear of some immediate loss. The cost of acceptance of the Truth is that man has to pull himself down from a high status; he has to come out of the sphere of conformism and give up ready-made advantages. When a man is not ready to make these sacrifices, he does not accept the Truth, and for the sake of instant gain, he pushes himself into a position of eternal loss. If he has a false sense of satisfaction with the stand he has taken, it is because in this world of trial he is always successful in finding explanations and justifications in his support; he readily finds the words to reject arguments in favour of the Truth—so much so that he feels free to wilfully misinterpret truth and claim that the ‘real Truth’ is that which he has adopted. Whenever a man makes entities other than God the centre of his attention, a magical halo gradually forms around them. He indulges in such wishful thinking as gives him the illusion that he has a firm hold of a very strong support. But, on the Day of Judgement, when all the veils are torn asunder, and when he sees that all the supports except that of God were absolutely false, he will have no alternative but to contradict his own statements. In other words, such people at that time will become witnesses against their own falsity. In the Hereafter they will become the rejecters of those very things of which they had been proud of being attached to. The edifice of false beliefs and explanations they had constructed will be so totally destroyed that it will seem never to have existed.

In verse 20, there is a refutation of the saying of those who had said that they had checked with the Jews and the Christians and none of them were ready to attest to his truth as a Messenger of Allah. About that it was said: الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِ‌فُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِ‌فُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمُ ; (That is, as for the Jews and Christians, they recognize Muhammad al-Mustafa as they would recognize their sons. The reason is that there is, in the Torah and Injil, a full description of the physical features of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، of his home city and then his post-emigration place of residence, and of his habits and morals and achievements - all this in such details that it leaves no room for doubt in the recognition of his identity. In fact, this is not limited to the mention of the Holy Prophet ﷺ the Torah and the Injil carry even the detailed description of his noble Sahabah as well. Therefore, there was no possibility that anyone who recited the Torah and the Injil and believed in them would be unable to recognize the Holy Prophet ﷺ . At this point, the simile given in the text is that of children - ` as they would recognize their sons.' Not said here is: as children recognize their parents. The reason is that the recognition of children by parents is most detailed and certain. Children remain before parents day and night under all conditions. From infancy to younger years, they are raised in the hands and laps of parents. So, the extent to which parents can recognize their children, their children cannot recognize them. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam ؓ عنہ belonged to the Jewish faith, then he became a Muslim. Sayyidna Faruq al-A'zam ؓ asked him: Allah Ta` ala says in the Qur'an that you recognize our Rasul as you would recognize your sons. What is the reason for it? Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam said: Yes, we know the Holy Prophet ﷺ from his qualities and features revealed by Allah Almighty through the Torah. Therefore, this knowledge of ours is certain and absolute. This is contrary to our offspring about whom one could doubt whether or not they were their children. Sayyidna Zayd ibn Sa'nah who first belonged to the people of the Book had recognized the Holy Prophet ﷺ through the description of his qualities and features stated in the Torah and the Injil. There was only one quality which could not be confirmed from earlier information. So, this he confirmed by testing. That quality was : ` His forbearance will dominate his anger.' Then, he went to see the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، made his test and found him a true bearer of this quality. He instantly became a Muslim. In the last verse (21), it was said that these people of the Book who, despite knowing the true identity of the Holy Prophet ﷺ do not accept Islam were simply ruining themselves at their own hands: الَّذِينَ خَسِرُ‌وا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (Those, who have brought loss on themselves, they are not going to believe).

(Who doth greater wrong) and is more daring (than he who inventeth a lie against Allah) by associating with Him other gods (and denieth His revelations) Muhammad and the Qur'an? (Lo! the wrong-doers) the disbelievers and idolaters (will not be successful) will not escape or be safe from Allah's torment.