19:83 Maryam (Mary)

وهذا من عقوبة الكافرين أنهم -لما لم يعتصموا بالله، ولم يتمسكوا بحبل الله، بل أشركوا به ووالوا أعداءه، من الشياطين- سلطهم عليهم، وقيضهم لهم، فجعلت الشياطين تؤزهم إلى المعاصي أزا، وتزعجهم إلى الكفر إزعاجا، فيوسوسون لهم، ويوحون إليهم، ويزينون لهم الباطل، ويقبحون لهم الحق، فيدخل حب الباطل في قلوبهم ويتشربها، فيسعى فيه سعي المحق في حقه، فينصره بجهده ويحارب عنه، ويجاهد أهل الحق في سبيل الباطل، وهذا كله، جزاء له على توليه من وليه وتوليه لعدوه، جعل له عليه سلطان، وإلا فلو آمن بالله، وتوكل عليه، لم يكن له عليه سلطان، كما قال تعالى: { إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ* إِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِهِ مُشْرِكُونَ }

وقوله: "ألم تر أنا أرسلنا الشياطين على الكافرين تؤزهم أزا" قال علي بن أبي طلحة عن ابن عباس تغويهم إغواء وقال العوفي عنه تحرضهم على محمد وأصحابه وقال مجاهد تشليهم إشلاء وقال قتادة تزعجهم إزعاجا إلى معاصي الله وقال سفيان الثوري تغريهم إغراء وتستعجلهم استعجالا وقال السدي تطغيهم طغيانا وقال عبدالرحمن بن زيد هذا كقوله تعالى "ومن يعش عن ذكر الرحمن نقيض له شيطانا فهو له قرين".

The Idols of the Polytheists will deny Their Worship

Allah, the Exalted, informs about the disbelievers who associate partners with their Lord, that they have taken gods besides Allah, so that these gods may be a source of honor and might for them. They think that these gods give them power and make them victorious. Then, Allah mentions that the matter is not as they claim, and it will not be as they hope. He says,

كَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمْ

(Nay, but they will deny their worship of them,) on the Day of Judgement.

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries.) This means that they will be foes in a state other than what they think about these gods. This is similar to Allah's statement,

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَن لاَّ يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَهُمْ عَن دُعَآئِهِمْ غَـفِلُونَ - وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُواْ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُواْ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَـفِرِينَ

(And who is more astray than one who calls upon, besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls to them And when mankind are gathered, they will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) 46:5-6 As-Suddi said,

كَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمْ

(Nay, but they will deny their worship of them,) "This means their worshipping of the idols. " Allah said,

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries) contrary to what they hoped for from these gods. As-Suddi said,

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries.) "They will be in severe opposition and argument." Ad-Dahhak said,

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries.) "This means enemies."

The Power of the Devils over the Disbelievers

Concerning Allah's statement,

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَـطِينَ عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزّاً

(See you not that We have sent the Shayatin against the disbelievers to push them to do evil.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said, "They will lead them astray with temptation." Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said, "They will incite them against Muhammad and his Companions." Qatadah said, "They will harass them and disturb them until they disobey Allah." `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd said, "This is similar to Allah's statement,

وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَـنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَاناً فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ

(And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We appoint for him a Shaytan to be a companion for him.)" 43:36 Concerning Allah's statement,

فَلاَ تَعْجَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدّاً

(So make no haste against them; We only count out to them a (limited) number.) This means, "Do not be hasty with the punishment that is going to befall them, O Muhammad."

إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدّاً

(We only count out to them a number. ) This means, "We are only delaying them for a fixed appointment whose time is numbered. They are destined for that and there is no escaping the torment of Allah and His exemplary punishment." Allah says,

وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَـفِلاً عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّـلِمُونَ

(And consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the wrongdoers do.) 14:42 And He says,

فَمَهِّلِ الْكَـفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْداً

(So give a respite to the disbelievers; deal gently with them for a while.) 86:17 And Allah says,

إِنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُواْ إِثْمَاً

(We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness.) 3:178

نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

(We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment.) 31:24

قُلْ تَمَتَّعُواْ فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ

(Say: "Enjoy! But certainly, your destination is the (Hell) Fire.") 14:30 As-Suddi said,

إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدّاً

(We only count out to them a (limited) number. ) means years, months, days and hours."

يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَـنِ وَفْداً

وَنَسُوقُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وِرْداً

Have you not regarded that We unleash the devils against We have set them upon the disbelievers to urge them to incite them to commit acts of disobedience impetuously?

Commentary

تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا

"Inciting them with all their incitements" - 19:83.

In Arabic language the words حَضّ – فَزّ – اَزّ - ھَزّ are synonymous, differing only in shade or degree, and mean to urge, incite, instigate. The word اَزّ means to apply strong pressure, to persuade somebody to do something. The sense of this verse is that the Devils instigate the unbelievers to persist in their evil ways by presenting before their eyes the benefits and hiding from them the wickedness of their evil deeds.