Taysir al-Latif al-Mannan fi Khulasat Tafsir al-Quran - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (الكتاب/343)

Taysir al-Latif al-Mannan fi Khulasat Tafsir al-QuranAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

• Among the stances they took toward the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was their tireless effort to make him stop criticizing their idols and denouncing their religion. They longed for a mutual cease-fire: he would leave them alone and they would leave him alone. For they knew that whenever he mentioned their gods and described the deficiencies that actually characterized them—making clear that they possessed none of the qualities that could justify the slightest act of worship—people would recognize and admit the truth of his words. Nothing, therefore, pleased them more than falsifying matters and letting things remain as they were, with no investigation into the facts. They knew full well that once the realities became clear, everyone would see the falsity of what they practiced; and that is precisely what they were trying to escape.

Allah has referred to this stance in several verses, such as: “They would like you to compromise a little, so they would compromise as well” (Q 68:9), and others of the same meaning.

As for His words, “Do not revile those whom they invoke besides Allah, lest they revile Allah out of hostility without knowledge” (Q 6:108), this applies when cursing their objects of worship would provoke them to curse Allah; in that case it must be avoided because of the greater harm that would follow.

• Yet another of their varied postures toward the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was that they would propose signs according to their whims. They said, “If you are truthful, then bring us Allah’s punishment, or what you have promised us, or remove the mountains of Mecca for us, or make rivers and springs flow there,” and the like—everything Allah has transmitted about them.

Allah answers such demands by stating that He has already supported His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, with signs; that He alone knows best what signs to send down and what will truly benefit them; and that the objective—establishing his truthfulness—has already been attained, for the proofs and evidence stand conclusive. Therefore the ignorant fool who says, “If only such-and-such had happened,” speaks only out of ignorance, arrogance, and pure contention.

* ومنْ مقاماتهم معَ النبيِّ ﷺ: أنهم يسعونَ أشدَّ السعيِ أنْ يكفَّ عن عيبِ آلهتِهم، والطعنِ في دينِهم، ويحبونَ أنْ يتارِكَهم ويتارِكُوهُ؛ لعلمِهم أنهُ إذا ذكَرَ آلهتَهم، ووصفَها بالصفاتِ التي هيَ عليهِ من النقصِ، وأنهُ ليسَ فيها شيءٌ من الصفاتِ يُوجِبُ أنْ تستحقَّ شيئًا من العبادةِ؛ يعرفونَ أنَّ الناسَ يعرفونَ ذلكَ، ويعترفونَ بهِ، فلا أحبَّ إليهم من التزويرِ، وإبقاءِ الأمورِ على علاتِها من غيرِ بحثٍ عن الحقائقِ؛ لأنهم يعرفونَ حقَّ المعرفةِ أنَّ الحقائقَ إذا بانَتْ ظهَرَ للخلقِ بطلانُ ما هم عليهِ، وهذا الذي منهُ يفرونَ. وهذا المقامُ أيضًا ذكرَهُ اللهُ في آياتٍ متعددةٍ، مثلَ قولهِ: ﴿وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ﴾ [القلم: ٩] ونحوِها من الآياتِ. وأمَّا قولهُ تعالى: ﴿وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ﴾ [الأنعام: ١٠٨] فهذا إذا ترتَّبَ على السبِّ المذكورِ سبُّهم للهِ فإنهُ يُترَكُ؛ لما يترتبُ عليهِ من الشرِّ. * ومن مقاماتِهم المتنوعةِ معَ النبيِّ ﷺ: أنهم كانوا يقترحونَ الآياتِ بحسبِ أهوائِهم، ويقولونَ: إنْ كنتَ صادقًا فأتنا بعذابِ اللهِ، أو بما تعدُنا، أو أزِلْ عنا جبالَ مكةَ، واجعلْ لنا فيها أنهارًا وعيونًا، وحتى يحصلَ لكَ كذا وكذا مما ذكرَهُ اللهُ عنهم. فيجيبُهم اللهُ عن هذهِ الأقوالِ بأنَّ رسولَهُ ﷺ قدْ أيدَهُ اللهُ بالآياتِ، واللهُ أعلمُ بما ينزلُ من آياتهِ، وأعلمُ بما هوَ أنفعُ لهم، وأنهُ قدْ حصلَ المقصودُ من بيانِ صدقهِ، وقامَتِ الأدلةُ والبراهينُ على ذلكَ. فقولُ الجاهلِ الأحمقِ: لوْ كان كذا وكذا، جهلٌ منهُ، وكبرٌ، ومشاغبةٌ محضةٌ.