6:157 Al-An'aam (The Cattle)

{ أَوْ تَقُولُوا لَوْ أَنَّا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْكِتَابُ لَكُنَّا أَهْدَى مِنْهُمْ } أي: إما أن تعتذروا بعدم وصول أصل الهداية إليكم، وإما أن تعتذروا، بـ[عدم] كمالها وتمامها، فحصل لكم بكتابكم أصل الهداية وكمالها، ولهذا قال: { فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ } وهذا اسم جنس، يدخل فيه كل ما يبين الحق { وَهُدًى } من الضلالة { وَرَحْمَةٌ } أي: سعادة لكم في دينكم ودنياكم، فهذا يوجب لكم الانقياد لأحكامه والإيمان بأخباره، وأن من لم يرفع به رأسا وكذب به، فإنه أظلم الظالمين، ولهذا قال: { فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا } أي: أعرض ونأى بجانبه. { سَنَجْزِي الَّذِينَ يَصْدِفُونَ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ } أي: العذاب الذي يسوء صاحبه ويشق عليه. { بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْدِفُونَ } لأنفسهم ولغيرهم، جزاء لهم على عملهم السيء { وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ } وفي هذه الآيات دليل على أن علم القرآن أجل العلوم وأبركها وأوسعها، وأنه به تحصل الهداية إلى الصراط المستقيم، هداية تامة لا يحتاج معها إلى تخرص المتكلمين، ولا إلى أفكار المتفلسفين، ولا لغير ذلك من علوم الأولين والآخرين. وأن المعروف أنه لم ينزل جنس الكتاب إلا على الطائفتين، [من] اليهود والنصارى، فهم أهل الكتاب عند الإطلاق، لا يدخل فيهم سائر الطوائف، لا المجوس ولا غيرهم. وفيه: ما كان عليه الجاهلية قبل نزول القرآن، من الجهل العظيم وعدم العلم بما عند أهل الكتاب، الذين عندهم مادة العلم، وغفلتهم عن دراسة كتبهم.

وقوله "أو تقولوا لو أنا أنزل علينا الكتاب لكنا أهدى منهم" أي وقطعنا تعللكم أن تقولوا لو أنا أنزل علينا ما أنزل عليهم لكنا أهدى منهم فيما أوتوه كقوله "وأقسموا بالله جهد أيمانهم لئن جاءهم نذير ليكونن أهدى من إحدى الأمم" الآية. وهكذا قال ههنا "فقد جاءكم بينة من ربكم وهدى ورحمة" يقول فقد جاءكم من الله على لسان محمد صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم النبي العربي قرآن عظيم فيه بيان للحلال والحرام وهدى لما في القلوب ورحمة من الله بعباده الذين يتبعونه ويقتفون ما فيه وقوله تعالى "فمن أظلم ممن كذب بآيات الله وصدف عنها" أي لم ينتفع بما جاء به الرسول ولا اتبع ما أرسل به ولا ترك غيره بل صدف عن اتباع آيات الله أي صرف الناس وصدهم عن ذلك قاله السدي وعن ابن عباس ومجاهد وقتادة وصدف عنها أعرض عنها وقول السدي ههنا فيه قوة لأنه قال"فمن أظلم ممن كذب بآيات الله وصدف عنها" كما تقدم في أول السورة"وهم ينهون عنه وينأون عنه وإن يهلكون إلا أنفسهم" وقال تعالى "الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله زدناهم عذابا فوق العذاب" وقال في هذه الآمة الكريمة "سنجزي الذين يصدفون عن آياتنا سوء العذاب بما كانوا يصدفون" وقد يكون المراد فيما قاله ابن عباس ومجاهد وقتادة "فمن أظلم ممن كذب بآيات الله وصدف عنها" أي لا آمن بها ولا عمل بها كقوله تعالى "فلا صدق ولا صلى ولكن كذب وتولى" وغير ذلك من الآيات الدالة على اشتمال الكافر على التكذيب بقلبه وترك العمل بجوارحه ولكن كلام السدي أقوى وأظهر والله أعلم لأن الله قال "فمن أظلم ممن كذب بآيات الله وصدف عنها" كقوله تعالى "الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله زدناهم عذابا فوق العذاب بما كانوا يفسدون".

The Qur'an is Allah's Proof Against His Creation

Ibn Jarir commented on the Ayah, "The Ayah means, this is a Book that We sent down, so that you do not say,

إِنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ الْكِتَـبُ عَلَى طَآئِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا

("The Book was sent down only to two sects before us.") This way, you will have no excuse. Allah said in another Ayah,

وَلَوْلا أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُواْ رَبَّنَا لَوْلا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولاً فَنَتِّبِعَ ءايَـتِكَ

(Otherwise, they would have suffered a calamity because of what their hands sent forth, and said: "Our Lord! Why did You not send us a Messenger We would then have followed Your Ayat.")28:47." The Ayah,

عَلَى طَآئِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا

(to two sects before us) refers to the Jews and Christians, according to `Ali bin Abi Talhah who narrated it from Ibn `Abbas. Similar was reported from Mujahid, As-Suddi, Qatadah and several others. Allah's statement,

وَإِن كُنَّا عَن دِرَاسَتِهِمْ لَغَـفِلِينَ

("...and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied.") meaning: `we did not understand what they said because the revelation was not in our tongue. We, indeed, were busy and unaware of their message,' so they said. Allah said next,

أَوْ تَقُولُواْ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْكِتَـبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَى مِنْهُمْ

(Or lest you should say: "If only the Book had been sent down to us, we would surely, have been better guided than they.") meaning: We also refuted this excuse, had you used it, lest you say, "If a Book was revealed to us, just as they received a Book, we would have been better guided than they are." Allah also said.

وَأَقْسَمُواْ بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـنِهِمْ لَئِن جَآءَهُمْ نَذِيرٌ لَّيَكُونُنَّ أَهْدَى مِنْ إِحْدَى الاٍّمَمِ

(And they swore by Allah their most binding oath that if a warner came to them, they would be more guided than any of the nations (before them).) 35:42 Allah replied here,

فَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ

(So now has come unto you a clear proof from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy.) Allah says, there has come to you from Allah a Glorious Qur'an revealed to Muhammad ﷺ, the Arab Prophet. In it is the explanation of the lawful and unlawful matters, guidance for the hearts and mercy from Allah to His servants who follow and implement it. Allah said;

فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَّبَ بِآيَـتِ اللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا

(Who then does more wrong than one who rejects the Ayat of Allah and Sadafa away therefrom) This refers to the one who neither benefited from what the Messenger brought, nor followed what he was sent with by abandoning all other ways. Rather, he Sadafa from following the Ayat of Allah, meaning, he discouraged and hindered people from following it. This is the explanation of As-Suddi for Sadafa, while Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah said that Sadafa means, he turned away from it.

Or lest you should say ‘If the Scripture had been revealed to us we would have surely been more rightly guided than they are’ because of the excellence of our minds. Now indeed a clear proof a clear statement has come to you from your Lord and a guidance and a mercy for him who follows it; and who that is none does greater evil than he who denies God’s signs and turns away from them? We shall surely requite those who turn away from Our signs with dreadful the most severe chastisement for their aversion.

Commentary

The reason of being ` ignorant of (or heedless to) what they studied - 156' was not that the Torah and the Injil were non-existent in the Arabic language because it is possible to become informed of the contents through a translation, in fact, this happens. Instead, this is because the people of the Book never took steps to educate and inform the people of Arabia in the mores of monotheism. That something falls within hearing distance casually is customarily ineffective as a meaningful warning - though, this much note of warning makes search and consideration obligatory, and on this basis, the coming of Divine punishment against the abandonment of Tauhid (the belief in the Oneness of Allah) was possible. However, this raises no doubts about the universal nature of the prophetic mission of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) and Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) because the particularization of this universality of message is with our master, may the blessing of Allah be upon him, and peace - and this particularization is in terms of the totality of fundamentals and subsidiaries, otherwise, in fundamentals, following all prophets is obligatory on all peoples. So, the punishment would have been proper on this basis. But, this would have been an excuse advanced initially. Now that too is no more valid. The argument of Allah is already established.

As for their second saying: لَوْ أَنَّا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْكِتَابُ لَكُنَّا أَهْدَىٰ مِنْهُمْ (If the Book had been sent down to us, we would have been more adhering to the right path than they' ), a question and its answer has already appeared under the commentary on verse 19 of Surah A-Ma'idah earlier in this volume. This concerns the hope of salvation during the period of Fatrah or gap between prophets.