Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (239)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

Surah al-An‘ām (The Cattle)

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

[Surah al-An‘ām (6): verses 8–9]

“They say, ‘Why has no angel been sent down to him?’ Had We sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled, and they would have been granted no respite. (8) Had We made him an angel, We would have made him a man, and We would have confused them just as they confuse themselves. (9)”

The polytheists, obstinately persisting in their disbelief, said (6:8): “Why has no angel been sent down to him?” They meant an angel whom they could see with their own eyes, who would testify on his behalf and affirm his truthfulness. Otherwise, an angel was already descending to him with revelation from Allah.

Allah, the Exalted, answered this and explained the wisdom behind not sending down an angel in the manner they proposed: had He sent down an angel as they demanded, and had they failed to believe in him and accept his testimony, punishment would have overtaken them immediately. Such has been His established way with unbelievers when the miraculous signs they demand come to them and they do not believe in them. Thus He said (6:8):

“Had We sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled, and they would have been granted no respite.”

He, glorified be He, then explained that sending down an angel as they demanded would not have achieved their purpose. Had He sent him down in his true form, they would have been unable to receive anything from him, for human beings cannot converse with an angel or encounter him directly. Even the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—the strongest of all creation—would experience distress and be overcome by intense anguish «1» when the angel descended to him, and sweat would stream from him even on a wintry day.

If, however, He made the angel appear in the form of a man, they would be confused: was he a man or an angel? Allah, the Exalted, therefore said (6:9):

“Had We made him an angel, We would have made him a man, and We would have confused them

(1) Burahāʾ—pronounced with an initial u and a long final ā—means intense suffering caused by fever or other afflictions.

سورة الأنعام ﷽ [سورة الأنعام (٦) : الآيات ٨ الى ٩] وَقالُوا لَوْلا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ وَلَوْ أَنْزَلْنا مَلَكاً لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لا يُنْظَرُونَ (٨) وَلَوْ جَعَلْناهُ مَلَكاً لَجَعَلْناهُ رَجُلاً وَلَلَبَسْنا عَلَيْهِمْ ما يَلْبِسُونَ (٩) إن المشركين قالوا تعنتا في كفرهم ٦: ٨ لَوْلا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ يعنون ملكا نشاهده ونراه، يشهد له ويصدقه وإلا فالملك كان ينزل عليه بالوحي من الله. فأجاب الله تعالى عن هذا، وبين الحكمة في عدم إنزال الملك على الوجه الذي اقترحوه: بأنه لو أنزل ملكا كما اقترحوا ولم يؤمنوا به ويصدقوه، لعوجلوا بالعذاب كما استمرت به سنته تعالى مع الكفار في آيات الاقتراح، وإذا جاءتهم ولم يؤمنوا بها. فقال ٦: ٨ وَلَوْ أَنْزَلْنا مَلَكاً لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لا يُنْظَرُونَ ثم بين سبحانه أنه لو أنزل ملكا كما اقترحوا لما حصل به مقصودهم، لأنه إن أنزله في صورته لم يقدروا على التلقي عنه، إذ البشر لا يقدر على مخاطبة الملك ومباشرته. وقد كان النبي ﷺ، وهو أقوى الخلق- إذا نزل عليه الملك كرب لذلك وأخذه البرحاء «١» ، وتحدّر منه العرق في اليوم الشاتي. وإن جعله في صورة رجل حصل لهم لبس: هل هو رجل أم ملك فقال تعالى: ٦: ٩ وَلَوْ جَعَلْناهُ مَلَكاً لَجَعَلْناهُ رَجُلًا وَلَلَبَسْنا عَلَيْهِمْ

(١) برحاء الحمر وغيرها بالضم والمد شدة الأذى.