Tafsir for verse: 49:16
قُلۡ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ ٱللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمۡ وَٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٞ ١٦ ﴿16
16Say, “Would you apprise Allah of your religion, while Allah knows all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is All-Knowing about every thing?”
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Commentary

And when they were as if saying: We are like that, he ﷺ commanded him to denounce them and reprimand them, indicating what the conclusion of the verse pointed to, which is the encompassing knowledge that distinguishes the truthful from others among all of creation. He said: "Say"; that is, to these Bedouins, reproaching them: "Do you teach Allah?" That is, do you inform Him with a significant and profound report, as if when they believed, that was a declaration from them? So when they said, 'We have believed,' that was a reiteration, and it was in the form of teaching. So he reproached them with that: "Allah"; that is, the Greatest King, who encompasses in power and knowledge: "concerning your religion." Therefore, you say: 'We have believed.' In that is a type of good news for them, because He has provided them with a religion and added it to them, as Ibn Burjan said. And when he denounced them and reproached them, he connected it with what testifies for him, saying: "And Allah"; that is, while the King who encompasses everything: "knows what is in the heavens"; all of it, despite its greatness and the multitude of what is in it and who is in it. And when it was in the context of responding to them and reproaching them, it was a place of emphasis, so he said: "And what is in the earth"; likewise.

And when the situation was for generalization, he made it evident and did not conceal it, so as not to imply specificity regarding what was mentioned of creation. He said: "And Allah"; that is, the One who has complete encompassing: "of everything"; that is, of what has been mentioned and what has not been mentioned: "is Knowing."

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