Tafsir

The Rebellious Person is given Respite but He is not forgotten

Allah, the Exalted, says,قُلْ(Say) This means, "O Muhammad, say to these people who are associating partners with their Lord, while claiming to follow the truth, that they are really following falsehood."مَن كَانَ فِى الضَّلَـلَةِ(whoever is in error) This means, `be they from us or from you.'فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَـنُ مَدّاً(the Most Gracious will extend circumstances for him.) This means that the Most Beneficent will give him respite in that which he is in, until he meets his Lord and his appointed time will have arrived.حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَوْاْ مَا يُوعَدُونَ إِمَّا العَذَابَ(until, when they see that which they were promised, either the torment) that will strike him,وَإِمَّا السَّاعَةَ(or the Hour) that will come suddenly,فَسَيَعْلَمُونَ(they will come to know) at that time,مَنْ هُوَ شَرٌّ مَّكَاناً وَأَضْعَفُ جُنداً(who is worst in position, and who is weaker in forces.) This is in refutation of thier argument about their nice dwellings and splendid places of gathering.

This is a challenge against the idolators who claim that they were following guidance in what they were doing. This is similar to the challenge that Allah mentions about the Jews when He says,يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ إِن زَعمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ لِلَّهِ مِن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ(O you Jews! If you pretend that you are friends of Allah, to the exclusion of (all) other people, then long for death if you are truthful.) 62:6 Meaning, `Supplicate for death to come to those who are following falsehood among us if you truly claim to be upon the truth. If you are true, then this supplication will not harm you.' But they refused to do so. An extensive discussion of this has already preceded in Surat Al-Baqarah, and to Allah is the praise. Likewise, Allah mentioned the challenge that was given to the Christians in Surah Al `Imran, when they were persistent in their disbelief and continued in their transgression. They refused to give up their exaggerating claim that `Isa was the son of Allah.

Therefore, Allah mentioned His arguments and proofs against the worship of `Isa, and that he was merely a creature like Adam. After this, Allah said,فَمَنْ حَآجَّكَ فِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْاْ نَدْعُ أَبْنَآءَنَا وَأَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَنِسَآءَنَا وَنِسَآءَكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَتُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَـذِبِينَ (Then whoever disputes with you about him after (all this) knowledge that has come to you, say: "Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves - then we pray and invoke (sincerely) the curse of Allah upon those who lie.") 3:61 However, they (the Christians) also retreated from this challenge.

Commentaryخَيْرٌ‌ مَّقَامًا وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيًّا"Superior in respect of its place and better in respect of its assembly" - 19:73.

The infidels never relaxed their efforts to confuse and perplex the believers. They were very rich and possessed material wealth in great abundance. They had their retinues, their followers, friends and supporters. In contrast, the believers were poor and lacking in worldly assets. However, it is a common experience that material wealth turns people's heads and makes them unduly proud and arrogant, so that even the sensible and wise among them are led to believe that their prosperity and affluence is the reward of their personal merit and effort, and will last forever. History is replete with instances where prosperous communities and rich nations crumbled to dust and vanished without leaving a trace. But these instances of Divine wrath hold no lesson for them and fail to turn them from their erroneous ways.

On the other hand there are good people who, following the teachings of Qur'an, do not regard wealth and worldly honors as the result of their own effort and merit, but as Allah Ta` ala's bounty to be held as a trust from Him and to be expended according to His command. They are well aware that these gifts from Allah Ta` ala will not last forever, and the prospect of their abatement or even their total loss does not cause them any concern. These are the people who are safe from the mischief resulting from wealth and material abundance to which the infidels are exposed. Prophets like Sayyidna Sulayman and Dawud (علیہما السلام) ، many a followers of The Holy Prophet ﷺ and multitude among the pious believers fall in this category.

Allah Ta` ala has dispelled the mistaken notions of the infidels by saying that the transient material prosperity cannot be regarded as a token of His goodwill nor as a symbol of their own merit, because it often happens that foolish and undeserving people are loaded with wealth while wise and learned persons spend their lives in poverty.

قل - أيها الرسول - لهم: من كان ضالا عن الحق غير متبع طريق الهدى، فالله يمهله ويملي له في ضلاله، حتى إذا رأى - يقينا - ما توعَّده الله به: إما العذاب العاجل في الدنيا، وإما قيام الساعة، فسيعلم - حينئذ - مَن هو شر مكانًا ومستقرًا، وأضعف قوة وجندًا.

يقول تعالى : ( قل ) يا محمد ، لهؤلاء المشركين بربهم المدعين ، أنهم على الحق وأنكم على الباطل : ( من كان في الضلالة ) أي : منا ومنكم ، ( فليمدد له الرحمن مدا ) أي : فأمهله الرحمن فيما هو فيه ، حتى يلقى ربه وينقضي أجله ، ( إما العذاب ) يصيبه ، ( وإما الساعة ) بغتة تأتيه ، ( فسيعلمون ) حينئذ ( من هو شر مكانا وأضعف جندا ) أي : في مقابلة ما احتجوا به من خيرية المقام وحسن الندي .قال مجاهد في قوله : ( فليمدد له الرحمن مدا ) فليدعه الله في طغيانه . هكذا قرر ذلك أبو جعفر بن جرير ، رحمه الله .وهذه مباهلة للمشركين الذين يزعمون أنهم على هدى فيما هم فيه ، كما ذكر تعالى مباهلة اليهود في قوله : ( قل يا أيها الذين هادوا إن زعمتم أنكم أولياء لله من دون الناس فتمنوا الموت إن كنتم صادقين ) [ الجمعة : 6 ] أي : ادعوا على المبطل منا ومنكم بالموت إن كنتم تدعون أنكم على الحق ، فإنه لا يضركم الدعاء ، فنكلوا عن ذلك ، وقد تقدم تقرير ذلك في سورة " البقرة " مبسوطا ، ولله الحمد .

وكما ذكر تعالى المباهلة مع النصارى في سورة " آل عمران " حين صمموا على الكفر ، واستمروا على الطغيان والغلو في دعواهم أن عيسى ولد الله ، وقد ذكر الله حججه وبراهينه على عبودية عيسى ، وأنه مخلوق كآدم ، قال بعد ذلك : ( فمن حاجك فيه من بعد ما جاءك من العلم فقل تعالوا ندع أبناءنا وأبناءكم ونساءنا ونساءكم وأنفسنا وأنفسكم ثم نبتهل فنجعل لعنة الله على الكاذبين ) [ آل عمران : 61 ] فنكلوا أيضا عن ذلك .