Surah Al-Ahqaf 46:1-10 - Quran Translation Commentary

(46:3) We have not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them but in truth and for an appointed term. But those who have disbelieved are turning away from what they are being warned.

(46:4) Say, ‘Have you considered those you invoke other than Allah, show me what is it they have created out of the earth, or, have they a share in the heavens? Bring me a Book earlier than this or any remnant of knowledge if you are true.’³

(46:5) And, who can be more misguided than he who invokes those that will not respond to him till the Day of Judgment. Indeed, they are unaware of their invocation.

(46:6) And when the people are gathered, they will be their enemies and will be deniers of their worship of them.⁴

(46:7) When Our revelations are recited to them as clear evidences, the unbelievers said of the truth when it came to them, ‘This is manifest magic.’

(46:8) Or do they say, ‘He has forged it?’ Say, ‘If I have forged it, then you cannot avail me aught against Allah.⁵ He knows well that in which you indulge. Sufficient is He as a witness between me and you; He is the All-forgiving, the All-merciful.’

(46:9) Say, ‘I am not an innovation among the Messengers,⁶ nor do I know what will be done with me or with you.⁷ I only follow that which is revealed to me; and I am not but a plain warner.’

(46:10) Say, ‘Have you considered, if it be from Allah, but you rejected it, while a witness from the Children of Israel testifies to its like,⁸ and entered into faith, but you waxed proud?! Surely, Allah guides not the wrongdoing folk.’

Commentary

2. “The appearance of these letters at the beginning of this chapter and mentioning of ‘the Revelation’ in the following verses suggests that these are the letters of the Arabic language from which ‘the Revelation’ has been composed, yet it happens to be only one of its kind, with no other composition to match with it. This is the strongest proof that it is ‘from Allah, the All-mighty, the All-wise.’

“These opening verses also suggest the relationship that prevails between this ‘Book, revealed by Allah,’ and the ‘Cosmic Book’ – the heavens and the earth and what is between them - that His hand has wrought: a relationship that the inner sight is able to perceive.

“Both these Books are established on Truth: ‘We have not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them but in truth.’

“Both manifest power and wisdom, and wisdom demands termination of the created world at an appointed hour.

“Both the books are open to view and display signs of Allah. They both speak of Allah’s power and testify to His wisdom. The Cosmic Book testifies to the truth of the written Book.

“The written Book asserts that God is one, that He is the Sustainer of all things, since He is the Creator of all things, Organizer of all things, Regulator of all things. And the open-to-all Cosmic Book loudly speaks out the same truth. Its own working system, its organization and arrangement .. its operation .. all of these bear to the truths stated in the Revealed Book. It speaks of the oneness of their Maker, Organizer, Regulator and Sustainer: He who creates by knowledge, originates with knowledge. In everything that He creates, there are stamps of a Creator who is One. From where then have the Associators with Him brought their deities? What have those deities created? In what of the created world do they have a share?” (Sayyid).

3. “Atharatan” has been read in two ways leading to varying understandings, but close in meaning. The majority opinion is expressed in the translation. A reported meaning attributed to Ibn `Abbas is that the allusion is to “Chad” but without any further elaboration.

Shawkani’s commentator points out that Ibn Hajr has (in his Fath) discounted as untrustworthy the report that comes from Ibn `Abbas. All the same, some commentators tend to believe that by “Chad” the allusion is to the science of drawing lines on the earth and predicting the future, to some accuracy. This knowledge has been withdrawn, and the discipline has disappeared. A Prophetic report confirms that once humanity did possess this knowledge of the “Chad.” A hadith in Muslim, Abu Da’ud, Nasa’i and others confirms that it was revealed knowledge. It says

“(Mu`awiyyah b. al-Hakam al-Sulami) said to the Prophet, “Some of our men draw lines. (What about it?)” He answered, “One of the Prophets used to draw lines. So, if someone’s lines agree with his, then, that’s it.”

Nawawi states that “that’s it” makes it “mubah” but since the knowledge (which could have only come through revelation) is lost, there is no chance of anyone’s lines being correct, and, therefore, drawing lines to learn of the future, is now prohibited.

Qurtubi adds: At present, there is no way left for knowing the future but true dreams. All other doors are closed, and prediction is disallowed.

4. It is reported that pagan deities and idols will be given power of speech on the Day of Judgment (Alusi).

Whether it is idols, angels, satans or humans that were chosen for worship, they will all disown those that were devoted to them. Even Satan will disown them as in a Qur’anic verse (14: 22):

Arabic Text ???

“And Satan will say when the matter is concluded, ‘Allah promised you a true promise, and I too promised. But I failed in my promise. And I had no power over you except that I invited you and you responded to me. Therefore, do not blame me, blame your own selves. I cannot come to your aid nor can you come to my aid. I disown your former (act of) associating me (with Allah).’ Surely, a painful chastisement (awaits) the wrong-doers.”

Sayyid notes: “Another point of note is that although it is a fact that the reference at the time of the revelation was to certain false gods, familiar to humankind, it may not be ignored that the text is wider in scope, meaning, and application, and will remain so during every historical phase.

Who – of whichever age, in whatever place - can be in greater wrong than he who is devoted to other than Allah? None of them - whoever they may be - to whom the people are devoted, can respond to the call of their devotees. It is because, there is no Lord but One, who possesses all and everything, without whose approval nothing can be moved. They do not in fact have any power of doing themselves good or bad. To call them, then, is shirk, to apply to them is shirk, to fasten hope upon them is shirk, fearing them is shirk, although, admittedly, their association is not perceptible, because it is so subtle.”

Yusuf Ali expounds further: “As there is no argument at all in favour of your sham worship, what sense is there in it? Either your false gods are senseless stocks and stones which will never answer you to the end of Time, being themselves devoid of understanding, or they are real objects which will disown you at the last. If you worshipped Self, your own misused faculties will witness against you at the last (xli. 20-23). If you worshipped good men or prophets, like Jesus, they will disown you (v. 119). Similarly, if you worshipped angels, they will disown you (xxxiv. 40-41).”

5. That is, if it is supposed that the Prophet (saws) forged the Qur’an then, Allah (swt) would have punished him and no one would have been able to help him against Allah.

Yusuf Ali again, “‘If I forged a message from myself as one purporting to come from Allah, you would not be able to see me enjoy any of the blessings from Allah which I enjoy: you would not see me calm and relying on Allah, nor would you see me bear the reputation of being a trustworthy man.’ A liar comes to an evil end. But what about those who talk so glibly and freely about things which they know not? Allah knows all and He is my witness! According to Ibn Kathir, the verse means that if the Prophet’s claim to be Allah’s messenger would have been a false one, he would have been stricken by a severe punishment from Allah and none had the power to avert that punishment.”

6. That is, as a Messenger I am not a new phenomenon. There have been Messengers before me with similar messages (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Yusuf Ali puts it in different words, “‘What is there to forge? All prophets have taught the Unity of Allah and our duty to mankind. I bring no new fangled doctrine, but eternal truths that have been known to good men through the ages. It is to reclaim you that I have come, I do not know what will be your fate for all this callousness, nor what you will do to me. But this I know, that I am preaching truth and righteousness as inspired by Allah. My duty is only to proclaim aloud and clearly the Message entrusted to me by Allah. The rest I leave to Allah.’”

Another possible connotation is stated by Zamakhshari and Razi, “I am not an innovative Messenger to be producing every one of the miracles that you demand of me, or give you on your demand news of all that is in the Unseen.”

7. Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Hasan, Qat adah and others have said that this ayah has been abrogated (in meaning) in view of a later ayah of Surah al-Fath (no. 2) which said,

“So that Allah may forgive you what has been your shortcoming of the past and the future..”

Reports say that when this latter ayah was revealed, one of the Companions congratulated the Prophet (saws) and asked, “What about us?” So, Allah revealed (33: 47):

“And give glad tidings to the believers that for them is from Allah a great grace.”

He also revealed (48: 5-6),

“In order that He might admit the believing men and believing women into gardens beneath which run springs, abiding therein, and so that He might expiate their evil deeds and that indeed is easy for Allah, and in order that He might punish the hypocritical men and hypocritical women, the associating men and associating women: those who conjecture about Allah, an evil conjecture..” (Ibn Jarir and, Zamakhshari without quoting the verses).

Hasan al-Basri added, “As for the next world, Allah’s refuge that the Prophet should not know what will happen to him. He knew that He will be in Paradise. But in reference to this world the meaning is, ‘I do not know what will happen to me; whether I will be exiled (from Makkah) as Messengers before me were exiled, or will I be killed as Prophets before me were killed, or, will you be sunk into the earth or struck with stones (from the heaven).’” (Ibn Jarir, Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Kathir adds: “That it cannot be said anything about anyone in certain terms, with regard to what will be done to him in the Hereafter, is established by several Prophetic reports; except of course, such of those about whom he predicted that they will be in Paradise, e.g., the ten who were given the glad tiding (al-`ashara al-mubashsharah), or, `Abdullah b. Salam, Ghumida, Bilal, Suraqah, `Abdullah (Jabir’s father), the seventy that were martyred at Bi'r Ma`una, Zayd b. Haritha, Ja`far, Ibn Raw ah a, and a few others. One of the narrations in support is in Bukhari and Ahmad:

Kharijah b. Zayd reported that Umm al-`Ala was one of their women who had pledged Islam at the hands of the Prophet. She reported that `Uthman b. Maz`un fell to their lot when they drew lots in housing the emigrants (immediately after emigration to Madinah). Umm al- `Ala said, “`Uthman was with us and I was nursing him until he died. We covered him up with a cloth until, when the Prophet (saws) entered I remarked, ‘May Allah show you mercy O Abu Sa’ib (i.e., `Uthman b. Maz`un), my testimony be for you: Allah has honored you.’ The Prophet asked, ‘How did you know that Allah has honored him?’ I said, ‘I do not know, may my parents be sacrificed for you O Messenger of Allah, (if not he) then who (should be honored?)’ He said, ‘As to him, by Allah, death has been on him. By Allah, I hope good for him although I do not know what will be done to me despite the fact that I am a Messenger of Allah.’ She said, ‘By Allah, after this I shall never bear witness to anyone’s purity.’ Later she said, ‘That aggrieved me a little. Then I slept off and saw a stream flowing for `Uthman. So I went up to the Prophet and reported it. He said, ‘That was his deeds.’”

Qurtubi refers to Tha`labi’s statement with reference to the above hadith-statement that that was the time in his mission (immediately after emigration, when `Uthman b. Maz`un died: Au.), when the Prophet (saws) had not yet been told that his past and future errors had been forgiven. Thus, the ayah is not abrogated. It carries a piece of news (which cannot be altered or abrogated: Au.).

It is plain however to deduce from the verse in discussion that the Prophet could not have known, either about himself or his followers, everything that was going to happen in every detail, in this world or the Next – to which could be the allusion (Au.).

Sayyid explains the theme: “The Prophet had no misgivings about himself. He was a human being who had been addressed by Allah. He pronounced what was revealed to him. This is the hallmark of a Prophet. He does not ask why. He does not seek proofs and evidences from his Lord. He does not seek a special status for himself. He does what he is told. He preaches what he receives in accordance with what he receives. He says, ‘I do not know what will be done to me or to you. I only follow that which is revealed to me.’

"This is also the attitude of his followers. They follow the Prophetic ways. They remain calling to Islam, without knowing what the ends will be, without knowing anything of the future. They do not seek evidences or proofs from their Lord, for enough signs are there in their hearts. They do not seek to be especial in any way, for their specialty is that they have been chosen..”

8. Although the verse is Makkan, it applied well to `Abdullah b. Salam who bore witness to the truth of this Qur’an as well as to its like, the Torah. This was the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Dahhak, `Ikrimah, Suddi, Thawri and many others (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Jarir and Shawkani have a long narrative here that speaks of `Abdullah b. Salam embracing Islam in a Synagogue when the Prophet (saws) was visiting it. But it contradicts the famous hadith in Sahih works, which says that he presented himself to the Prophet to embrace Islam. Therefore, we ignore it (Au.).

Imam Razi notes that no specific person could have been referred to. It is a general statement concerning anyone who studied the Torah, believed in it, and then entered into Islam testifying to its truth. Thus, to restrict it to `Abdullah ibn Salam, as thought by some, is not correct.