'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah Al-Ahqaf

This surah is Meccan. There is disagreement regarding only two verses: His saying, the Exalted, "Say, 'Have you considered if it is from Allah'" [Al-Ahqaf: 10], and His saying, the Exalted, "So be patient as those of determination among the messengers were patient" [Al-Ahqaf: 35]. Some of the commentators said that these two verses are Medinan and were placed in a Meccan surah.

His saying, the Exalted:

"Ha, Meem. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. We did not create the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them except in truth and for an appointed term. And those who disbelieve, from what they are warned, are turning away. Say, 'Have you considered what you invoke besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth, or do they have a partnership in the heavens? Bring me a Book before this or a trace of knowledge if you should be among the truthful.' And who is more astray than one who invokes besides Allah one who does not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and they, of their invocation, are unaware. And when the people are gathered, they will be for them enemies and will be of their worshippers disbelievers."

The discussion regarding the disconnected letters at the beginning of the surahs has preceded. And "The revelation" is raised by the beginning, or it is an implied subject of the beginning. And "the Book" refers to the Qur'an. And "the Exalted in Might" and "the Wise" are two attributes necessitating that whoever possesses them overcomes everyone who opposes him.

And His saying, the Exalted, "We did not create the heavens" is an admonition and a warning, meaning: bear witness, O people, and see what is intended for you and why you were created. And His saying, "except in truth" means: it is based on the necessary good that must exist, and "for an appointed term" means: We have set it and made it a deadline for the destruction of this creation, and that is the Day of Resurrection. And His saying, the Exalted, "from what they are warned, are turning away"—the word "what" is a nominal particle, and the meaning is: from the warning. It is possible that "what" means "that which," and the implication is: from the mention of that which they were warned about and the caution against it, or something like this.

And His saying, the Exalted, "Say, 'Have you considered'" has two possible meanings: one is that it could be transitive, and "what" is the object of it. It is possible that it is a warning that does not transgress, and "what" is an interrogative meaning reproach. And "you invoke" means: you worship. Al-Farra said: In the reading of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: "Who do you worship besides Allah?" And His saying, the Exalted, "of the earth"—the "of" indicates partitive, because everything on the surface of the earth, whether animal or otherwise, is from the earth. Then He brought their attention to the heavens: do they have a partnership in it? Then the Exalted called upon them for a revealed Book before the Qur'an that includes the worship of an idol.

And His saying, the Exalted, "or a trace of knowledge" means: or an ancient remnant of the knowledge of one of the scholars that necessitates the worship of idols. The majority of people read, "or a trace of knowledge" in the form of a source, like courage and generosity, and it is the remnant of something as if it were its trace. Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan said: the meaning is: from knowledge that you extract and bring forth. Mujahid said: the meaning is: is there anyone who has a trace of knowledge in that? And Al-Qurazi said: it is the attribution. And from this meaning is the saying of Al-A'sha:

Indeed, that which you have disputed about is clear to the listener and the one who prefers it. That is: and for the one who is supported by another, among them is the saying of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him: "So what you have left behind is neither remembered nor preferred." And Abu Salamah ibn 'Abdur-Rahman and Qatadah said: The meaning is: especially from knowledge, for its derivation is from [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN: al-atharah], as if Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has preferred through it those who are with Him. And 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The intended meaning of "the preference" is the marking in the soil, and that is something that the Arabs used to do and would use for divination and admonition. And this is from the remnants and the trace. It has been narrated that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, was asked about that, and he said: "There was a prophet from the prophets who marked it, so whoever coincides with his mark, that is it." The apparent meaning of the hadith strengthens the matter of marking in the soil, and that it is something that has a significance if someone is guided to it. Many scholars have interpreted it this way. And a group said: Rather, its meaning is denial, that is, it was from the actions of a prophet who has passed, and the revelation has departed from him and the inspiration in that. Then he said: "So whoever coincides with his mark" in the context of distancing, that is, this cannot be done by someone who is not a prophet who is facilitated for that. This is like when someone asks you, saying: Can a human fly? You say: Only the bird flies. So whoever has wings among the people can fly, that is, this does not happen.

And the preference is used in the remaining honor, so it is said: If for the sons of so-and-so there is a trace of honor, if they have witnesses of its antiquity. And it is used in other than that, like the saying of the shepherd:

And with a trace that has eaten upon it

Vegetation in its cover, and it fled.

He means: the trace of fat, that is, the remnant.

And 'Abdur-Rahman al-Sulami read - as narrated by al-Tabari -: "or a preference" with the hamzah and the thaa and the raa pronounced without an alif, and Abu al-Fath narrated it from Ibn 'Abbas, and Qatadah, and 'Ikrimah, and 'Amr ibn Maymun, and al-A'mash. It is singular, its plural is athar, like qatarah and qatar. Al-Thalabi narrated that 'Ikrimah read: "or an inheritance from knowledge." And Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, and al-Sulami - as narrated by Abu al-Fath - read: "a preference" with the thaa being silent, and it is the singular action of what is preferred, that is: I have sufficed for you with one proof and one choice and one trace that testifies to the correctness of your words. And a group read with the hamzah pronounced and the thaa silent, and all of these have the meaning: Do you have anything that Allah has specially favored you with from knowledge and preferred you with it?

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿And who is more misguided﴾ is a reprimand for the worshippers of idols. That is, no one is more misguided than one who has this characteristic. The metaphors in this verse regarding the idols are as they come regarding those who have understanding. This is because the disbelievers have placed them in the position of deities and in the status that humans have recorded. So they were addressed according to their belief in them. In the Mushaf of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: 'What does not respond,' and the pronoun in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿And they are distant from their supplication﴾ refers to the idols according to the saying of some. He described the idols as being heedless in that He treated them as those who have understanding. It is possible that the pronoun in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿And they are distant from their supplication﴾ and in ﴿'heedless'﴾ refers to the disbelievers. That is, their misguidance is that they call upon one who does not respond, and they do not reflect upon what is upon them in their supplication to one who has this characteristic.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿They were enemies to them﴾ is a description of what will occur on the Day of Resurrection between the disbelievers and their idols, regarding disavowal and denial. He has clarified this in other than this verse, and that is His saying, glorified and exalted is He, as a narration from them: ﴿We disavow You; what they used to worship﴾ [Al-Qasas: 63].