Tafsir of Surah Al-Ahqaf - Verse 10

The Qur'an is Allah's True Speech and the Position of the Disbelievers and the Muslims towards it

Allah says,

قُلْ

(Say) meaning, `O Muhammad to these idolators who disbelieve in the Qur'an.'

أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن كَانَ

(Tell me! If it was) meaning, this Qur'an.

مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَكَفَرْتُمْ بِهِ

(from Allah, and you disbelieved in it) meaning, `what do you think that Allah will do to you if this Book that I have come to you with is actually revealed to me from Him in order that I convey it to you, and yet you disbelieve in it and deny it

وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّن بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ

((at the same time), a witness from among the Children of Israel has testified to something similar) meaning, `the previous Scriptures that were revealed to the Prophets before me all testify to its truthfulness and authenticity. They have prophecied, well in advance, about things similar to that which this Qur'an informs of.' Concerning Allah's statement,

فَـَامَنَ

(and believed) `this person who testified to its truthfulness from the Children of Israel, due to his realization that it was the truth.'

وَاسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ

(while you rejected (the truth)!) `whereas you have arrogantly refused to follow it.' Masruq said: "That witness believed in his Prophet and Book, while you disbelieved in your Prophet and Book."

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(Verily, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.) The witness here refers to any witness in general. It includes `Abdullah bin Salam and other from them as well. For indeed, this Ayah was revealed in Makkah before `Abdullah bin Salam had accepted Islam. This is similar to the statement of Allah,

وَإِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّنَآ إنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ

(And when it is recited to them, they say: "We believe in it. Verily, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed, even before it we have been Muslims.") (28:53) It is also similar to Allah's saying,

قُلْ ءَامِنُواْ بِهِ أَوْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُواْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلاٌّذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا - وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَآ إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولاً

(Verily! Those who were given knowledge before it -- when it is recited to them, they fall upon their faces in prostration, and they say: "Exalted is our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled.") (17:107-108) It has been narrated from Sa`d, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, "I have not heard Allah's Messenger say about anyone walking on the surface of the earth that he is of the people of Jannah -- except for `Abdullah bin Salam. Concerning him the following Ayah was revealed,

وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّن بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ

((at the same time), a witness from among the Children of Israel has testified to something similar)" This has been recorded in the Two Sahihs and An-Nasa'i. Similarly, Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, `Ikrimah, Yusuf bin `Abdullah bin Salam, Hilal bin Yasaf, As-Suddi, Ath-Thawri, Malik bin Anas and Ibn Zayd all said that this refers to `Abdullah bin Salam. Allah then says,

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَوْ كَانَ خَيْراً مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ

(And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: "Had it been good, they (the weak and poor) would not have preceded us to it!") which means that those who disbelieve say of those who believe in the Qur'an: "Had it (the Qur'an) been any good, they (the weak and poor) would not have preceded us to it!" By that, they meant Bilal, `Ammar, Suhayb, Khabbab, may Allah be pleased with them, and others like them of the weak, the male servants, and female servants. The pagans said this only because they thought that they held a high status with Allah, and that He took special care of them. By that, they made a great and obvious error, as Allah says:

وَكَذلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لِّيَقُولواْ أَهَـؤُلاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَآ

(Thus have We tried some of them with others, that they might say: "Is it these whom Allah has favored from among us") (6:53) meaning, they wonder how could those weaklings be the ones who were guided from among them. Thus, Allah says,

لَوْ كَانَ خَيْراً مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ

(Had it been good, they (the weak and poor) would not have preceded us to it!) Contrary to this is the position of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah: They say about any act or saying that has not been reported from the Companions: "It is an innovation. If there was any good in it, they would have preceded us in doing it, because they have not left off any of the good characteristics except that they hurried to perform them." Allah continues,

وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُواْ بِهِ

(And when they have not been guided by it,) meaning, the Qur'an.

فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَـذَآ إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ

(they say: "This is an ancient falsehood!") meaning, an old lie. They mean by this that the Qur'an has been quoted and taken from the ancient people, thereby belittling the Qur'an and its followers. This is clear arrogance, as Allah's Messenger said:

«بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاس»

((Arrogance is) rejecting the truth and belittling the people.) Allah then says,

وَمِن قَبْلِهِ كِتَابُ مُوسَى

(And before this was the Scripture of Musa) and it was the Tawrah.

إِمَاماً وَرَحْمَةً وَهَـذَا كِتَـبٌ

(as a guide and mercy. And this is a Book) meaning, the Qur'an.

مُّصَدِّقُ

(confirming) meaning, that which came before it of the previous Books.

لِّسَاناً عَرَبِيّاً

(in the Arabic tongue,) means that it is eloquent and clear.

لِّيُنذِرَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ

(to warn those who do wrong, and as glad tidings for the doers of good.) meaning, it contains a warning to the dis- believers and glad tidings for the belie- vers. Allah then says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ

(Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is (only) Allah," and thereafter stand firm,) The explanation of this has been dis- cussed earlier in Surat As-Sajdah. See 41:30 Allah then says,

فَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ

(on them shall be no fear,) meaning, con- cening their future.

وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

(nor shall they grieve.) meaning, over what they have left behind. Allah continues,

أُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَا جَزَآءً بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

(Such shall be the dwellers of Paradise, abiding therein (forever) -- a reward for what they used to do.) meaning, the deeds are a cause for their attaining the mercy and their being engulfed by it -- and Allah knows best.

وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّن بَنِي إِسْرَ‌ائِيلَ عَلَىٰ مِثْلِهِ فَآمَنَ وَاسْتَكْبَرْ‌تُمْ (and a witness from the children of Isra'il testifies about something similar to it and comes to believe in it while you persist in your arrogance, [ then, how unjust you are!]....- 46:10) The subject of this verse is almost the same as of the verse of the last chapter of Surah As-Shu'ara'

أَوَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ آيَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاءُ بَنِي إِسْرَ‌ائِيلَ

Is it not a proof for them that the knowledgeable of the children of Isra it recognize him (the Prophet)? (26: 197)

The gist is that these ignorant Jews and Christians who deny the messenger-ship of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and disbelieve the Qur'an are ignorant of their own books, because many scholars of Bani Isra'il having found the prophethood of the Holy Prophet t- and its signs mentioned in their books and having witnessed those signs, have come to believe in him. Even the testimony of their own scholars is not enough for these ignorant people.

Verse 10 of this Sarah states that their falsification of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and their claim about the Qur'an that it is a forgery, is baseless firstly because, as mentioned in verse 8, if anyone lays a false claim to prophethood, he has to be eliminated by the divine punishment right in this world, so that the common people may be saved from his fraudulent claims, Secondly, if they do not accept this argument, they should, at least, not overlook the possibility that if his claim is correct, and this book is actually from Allah Ta’ ala, and they continue to persist in their arrogance, denial and disbelief, specially when one of their own learned scholar from Bani Isra'il testifies the Book to be from Allah, and comes to believe in it, then what will be their end and how severe a punishment will they deserve?

This verse does not name any particular scholar of Bani Isra'iil, nor does it specify whether the testimony had already been given before this verse was revealed, or it would come afterwards. It, in effect, sounds a warning that should such a situation have already arisen or if it should arise in future, one should worry about saving one's skin. Therefore, understanding this verse is not dependent upon the determination of a particular testifier; rather all the Jews and Christians who embraced Islam, of which Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Salam ؓ is more prominent, are included herein, although he embraced Islam in Madinah, while this verse was revealed in Makkah. (Ibn Kathir)

The statement by Sayyidna Sa'd ؓ reported in some narrations of Bukhari, Muslim and Nasa'i, that this verse was revealed about Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Salam ؓ and the same statement from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، Mujahid , Dahhak, Qatadah , etc. is not against this verse being Makki, as in this case, it will be a prophecy for the future. (IbnKathir)

The Makkan polytheists regarded the Jews, whom they often met on trading expeditions, as a community of prophets and therefore very learned in religious disciplines. When the Prophet Muhammad had become a controversial personality in Makkah, a number of these polytheists made enquiries of certain Jews about him. In the meantime a Jewish scholar told them that, according to their books, a prophet was due to appear in those parts, and that he (Muhammad) might be that very prophet. Evidently, this Jew had indirectly accepted the prophethood of Muhammad. The events of history had already proved that God’s messengers do appear along with God’s books. It was written in ancient divine scriptures that such a messenger was due to appear among the Ishmaelites. In the life and sayings of the Prophet of God, all those signs were clearly found that signalled prophethood. In the face of such signs and portents, those who denied the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad were not doing so on any rational grounds, but simply because, by accepting one who had hitherto been an ordinary individual in their eyes as the prophet of God, they would be damaging their own high position. Those who are more concerned with their own pride and prestige than with the Truth, will always be led in the wrong direction by their warped mindset.