40:78 Ghafir (The Forgiver)

أي: { وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ رُسُلًا } كثيرين إلى قومهم، يدعونهم ويصبرون على أذاهم. { مِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ } خبرهم { وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ } وكل الرسل مدبرون، ليس بيدهم شيء من الأمر.وما كان لأحد منهم { أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِآيَةٍ } من الآيات السمعية والعقلية { إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ } أي: بمشيئته وأمره، فاقتراح المقترحين على الرسل الإتيان بالآيات، ظلم منهم، وتعنت، وتكذيب، بعد أن أيدهم اللّه بالآيات الدالة على صدقهم وصحة ما جاءوا به. { فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ } بالفصل بين الرسل وأعدائهم، والفتح. { قُضِىَ } بينهم { بِالْحَقِّ } الذي يقع الموقع، ويوافق الصواب بإنجاء الرسل وأتباعهم، وإهلاك المكذبين، ولهذا قال: { وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ } أي: وقت القضاء المذكور { الْمُبْطِلُونَ } الذين وصفهم الباطل، وما جاءوا به من العلم والعمل، باطل، وغايتهم المقصودة لهم، باطلة، فَلْيَحْذَر هؤلاء المخاطبون، أن يستمروا على باطلهم، فيخسروا، كما خسر أولئك، فإن هؤلاء لا خير منهم، ولا لهم براءة في الكتب بالنجاة.

قال تعالى مسليا له "ولقد أرسلنا رسلا من قبلك منهم من قصصنا عليك" كما قال جل وعلا في سورة النساء سواء أي منهم من أوحينا إليك خبرهم وقصصهم مع قومهم كيف كذبوهم ثم كانت للرسل العاقبة والنصرة "ومنهم من لم نقصص عليك" وهم أكثر ممن ذكر بأضعاف أضعاف كما تقدم التنبيه على ذلك في سورة النساء ولله الحمد والمنة. وقوله تعالى "وما كان لرسول أن يأتي بأية إلا بإذن الله" أي ولم يكن لواحد من الرسل أن يأتي قومه بخارق للعادات إلا أن يأذن الله له في ذلك فيدل ذلك على صدقه فيما جاءهم به "فإذا جاء أمر الله" وهو عذابه ونكاله المحيط بالمكذبين "قضى بالحق" فينجي المؤمنين ويهلك الكافرين ولهذا قال عز وجل "وخسر هنالك المبطلون".

The Command to be Patient and Good News of Victory

Here Allah commands His Messenger to patiently bear the rejection of those who rejected him: `Allah will fulfill His promise to you that you will be victorious and will prevail over your people, and you and those who follow you, will be the successful ones in this world and the Hereafter.'

فَـإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِى نَعِدُهُمْ

(and whether We show you some part of what We have promised them,) means, in this world, and this is what happened, for Allah gave them the joy of humiliating the leaders and nobles (of the Quraysh), who were killed on the day of Badr, then Allah granted them victory over Makkah and the entire Arabian Peninsula during the lifetime of the Prophet .

أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ

(or We cause you to die, then still it is to Us they all shall be returned.) means, `and We shall inflict a severe punishment upon them in the Hereafter.' Then Allah says, consoling His Prophet :

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلاً مِّن قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ

(And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you, of some of them We have related to you their story.) as Allah also says in Surat An-Nisa', meaning, `We have revealed the stories of some of them and how their people disbelieved in them, but the Messengers ultimately prevailed.'

وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ

(And of some We have not related to you their story, ) and they are many, many more than those whose stories have been told, as has been stated in Surat An-Nisa'. Praise and blessings be to Allah.

وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِىَ بِـَايَةٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ

(and it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign except by the leave of Allah.) means, none of the Prophets was able to bring miracles to his people except when Allah granted him permission to do that as a sign of the truth of the message he brought to them.

فَإِذَا جَـآءَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ

(But, when comes the commandment of Allah,) means, His punishment and vengeance which will encompass the disbelievers,

قُضِىَ بِالْحَقِّ

(the matter will be decided with truth,) so the believers will be saved and the disbelievers will be destroyed. Allah says:

وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ

(and the followers of falsehood will then be lost.)

And verily We sent messengers before you. Of them are those whom We have recounted to you and of them are those whom We have not recounted to you it is reported that God exalted be He sent 8000 prophets 4000 prophets sent from among the Children of Israel and the other 4000 from among the remainder of mankind. And it was never permitted for any messenger from among them to bring a sign except with God’s permission for they are also servants enthralled by Him. Hence when God’s command comes for the chastisement to be sent down on the disbelievers judgement between the messengers and their deniers is passed justly; and it is thence that the advocates of falsehood become losers that is to say it is thence that the judgement and the loss become manifest for mankind although such advocates of falsehood will have always been losers always before that.

In verse 77, it was said: فَاصْبِرْ‌ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقٌّ فَإِمَّا نُرِ‌يَنَّكَ (Therefore, be patient. Surely, the promise of Allah is true. Then, whether We show you [ in your life ] a part of the promise We are making to them, or make you die [ before they are punished ], in any case they have to be returned to Us). From this verse it appears that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was hopefully waiting for the disbelievers to be punished. Therefore, it was to comfort him that he was asked to be somewhat patient about it. The promise of Allah for them, that they will be punished, will certainly be fulfilled - may be during his lifetime, or after he has departed from the mortal world. Waiting for the disbelievers to be punished apparently seems contrary to the dignity of one who was sent with universal mercy. But, here the matter is different. When the purpose of punishing criminals is to bring comfort to innocent believers who were oppressed, then, the punishment of criminals is not contrary to compassion and mercy. Nobody regards the punishment given to a criminal against the dictate of mercy.