Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (459)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(45–48) “Whenever you recite the Quran, We place between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a concealing veil. We have placed coverings over their hearts so that they do not understand it, and deafness in their ears. When you mention your Lord alone in the Quran, they turn their backs and flee in aversion. We know best what they listen for when they listen to you and when they confer in secret—when the wrongdoers say, ‘You are following only a bewitched man.’ See what comparisons they draw for you! They have gone astray and cannot find a way.”

Allah Most High informs us of His punishment of those who denied the truth, rejected it, and turned away from it: He interposes a barrier between them and faith. He says:

“Whenever you recite the Quran,” which contains admonition, reminders, guidance, faith, goodness, and abundant knowledge,

“We place between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a concealing veil,” which prevents them from truly understanding it, grasping its realities, and submitting to the good to which it calls.

“We have placed coverings over their hearts”—that is, covers and veils because of which they do not understand the Quran. Rather, they hear it only in a manner that establishes the proof against them—“and deafness in their ears,” preventing them from hearing it. “When you mention your Lord in the Quran,” calling to His oneness and forbidding the association of partners with Him,

“they turn their backs and flee in aversion,” because of their intense hatred for it and their love of the falsehood they follow. As Allah Most High says: “When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter recoil in disgust; but when those besides Him are mentioned, they immediately rejoice.”

“We know best what they listen for.” That is, We have prevented them from benefiting when they hear the Quran because We know that their aims are evil: they seek to find even the slightest thing by which to discredit it. They do not listen in order to seek guidance and accept the truth; rather, they are resolved not to follow it. Listening is of no benefit to anyone in such a state. He therefore says: “When they listen to you and when they confer in secret”—that is, whisper among themselves—“when the wrongdoers say” in their private conversations, “You are following only a bewitched man.” Since this is their wicked private talk among themselves, founded upon the assumption that he is bewitched, they are firmly resolved not to pay any heed to what he says and believe that he is raving, unaware of what he is saying.

Allah Most High says: “See”—in amazement—“what comparisons they draw for you!” They are the most misguided of comparisons and the furthest from the truth. “They have gone astray” by doing so; or these comparisons became the cause of their misguidance, for they based their position upon them, and what is built upon a corrupt foundation is even more corrupt.

“They cannot find a way” (1)—that is, they cannot attain any guidance whatsoever. Their lot is thus pure misguidance and sheer injustice.

(1) The shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—made a slip of the pen, writing a phrase from another verse: “so they are not guided,” and interpreted the passage accordingly. I have retained the interpretation as it was and corrected the verse.

﴿٤٥-٤٨﴾ ﴿وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالآخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَسْتُورًا * وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَنْ يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَحْدَهُ وَلَّوْا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمْ نُفُورًا * نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَسْتَمِعُونَ بِهِ إِذْ يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِذْ هُمْ نَجْوَى إِذْ يَقُولُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنْ تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلا رَجُلا مَسْحُورًا * انْظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا لَكَ الأمْثَالَ فَضَلُّوا فَلا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلا﴾ . يخبر تعالى عن عقوبته للمكذبين بالحق الذين ردوه وأعرضوا عنه أنه يحول بينهم وبين الإيمان فقال: ﴿وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ﴾ الذي فيه الوعظ والتذكير والهدى والإيمان والخير والعلم الكثير. ﴿جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالآخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَسْتُورًا﴾ يسترهم عن فهمه حقيقة وعن التحقق بحقائقه والانقياد إلى ما يدعو إليه من الخير. ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً﴾ أي: أغطية وأغشية لا يفقهون معها القرآن بل يسمعونه سماعا تقوم به عليهم الحجة، ﴿وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا﴾ أي: صمما عن سماعه، ﴿وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِي الْقُرْآن﴾ داعيا لتوحيده ناهيا عن الشرك به. ﴿وَلَّوْا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمْ نُفُورًا﴾ من شدة بغضهم له ومحبتهم لما هم عليه من الباطل، كما قال تعالى: ﴿وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالآخِرَةِ وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ﴾ ﴿نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَسْتَمِعُونَ بِهِ﴾ أي: إنما منعناهم من الانتفاع عند سماع القرآن لأننا نعلم أن مقاصدهم سيئة يريدون أن يعثروا على أقل شيء ليقدحوا به، وليس استماعهم لأجل الاسترشاد وقبول الحق وإنما هم متعمدون على عدم اتباعه، ومن كان بهذه الحالة لم يفده الاستماع شيئا ولهذا قال: ﴿إِذْ يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِذْ هُمْ نَجْوَى﴾ أي: متناجين ﴿إِذْ يَقُولُ الظَّالِمُونَ﴾ في مناجاتهم: ﴿إِنْ تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلا رَجُلا مَسْحُورًا﴾ فإذا كانت هذه مناجاتهم الظالمة فيما بينهم وقد بنوها على أنه مسحور فهم جازمون أنهم غير معتبرين لما قال، وأنه يهذي لا يدري ما يقول. قال تعالى: ﴿انْظُرْ﴾ متعجبا ﴿كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا لَكَ الأمْثَالَ﴾ التي هي أضل الأمثال وأبعدها عن الصواب ﴿فَضَلُّوا﴾ في ذلك أو فصارت سببا لضلالهم لأنهم بنوا عليها أمرهم والمبني على فاسد أفسد منه. ﴿فَلا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلا﴾ (١) أي: لا يهتدون أي اهتداء فنصيبهم الضلال المحض والظلم الصرف.

(١) سبق قلم الشيخ ﵀ إلى آية أخرى فكتب: فلا يهتدون وعلى ذلك فسرها، فأبقيت التفسير كما هو، وصوبت الآية.