Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (585)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(56–60) “We have sent you only as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. Say, ‘I ask you for no reward for it—only that whoever wills may take a path to his Lord.’ Put your trust in the Ever-Living, who never dies, and glorify Him with praise. He is sufficient as One fully aware of His servants’ sins. He created the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them in six days, then rose over the Throne—the Most Merciful. So ask concerning Him One who is well informed. When it is said to them, ‘Prostrate yourselves before the Most Merciful,’ they say, ‘What is the Most Merciful? Are we to prostrate ourselves to whatever you command us?’ And it only increases their aversion.”

Allah Most High states that He did not send His Messenger Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as a controller over creation, nor did He make him an angel or place the treasuries of all things at his disposal. Rather, He sent him “as a bearer of glad tidings,” giving those who obey Allah glad tidings of reward in this world and the Hereafter, “and a warner,” warning those who disobey Allah of punishment in this world and the Hereafter. This necessarily entails explaining the commands and prohibitions upon which those glad tidings and warnings depend.

You, Muhammad, do not ask them for any payment in return for conveying the Quran and guidance to them, such that it might deter them from following you or impose a financial burden upon them. “Only that whoever wills may take a path to his Lord.” That is, whoever wishes may spend something in pursuit of his Lord’s pleasure and in His cause. Although the Messenger encourages them to do so, he does not compel them, nor does this amount to a fee paid to him. Its benefit returns to them, helping them follow the path that leads to their Lord.

Allah then commanded him to place his trust in Him and seek His aid, saying: “Put your trust in the Ever-Living,” whose life is perfect and absolute, “who never dies, and glorify Him with praise.” That is, worship Him and rely upon Him in matters concerning both yourself and creation. “He is sufficient as One fully aware of His servants’ sins”: He knows them and will recompense them accordingly.

You bear no responsibility for their guidance, nor are you charged with keeping account of their deeds. All of that rests with Allah, “who created the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them in six days, then rose” thereafter “over the Throne,” which is the roof of creation and the highest, vastest, and most beautiful of created things. He is “the Most Merciful.” He rose over His Throne, which encompasses the heavens and the earth, as the Most Merciful, whose mercy encompasses all things. Thus, He rose over the vastest of created things while being characterized by the most all-encompassing of attributes. Through this verse, He affirmed that He created all creatures, that He knows their outward and inward states, that He is high above the Throne, and that He is distinct from them.

“So ask concerning Him One who is well informed.” By this, He means His noble self, for He alone knows His attributes, greatness, and majesty. He has informed you of this and has disclosed to you such aspects of His greatness as prepare you through knowledge of Him. Thus, those who truly know came to know Him and humbled themselves before His majesty, while the disbelievers arrogantly refused to worship Him and disdained to do so.

Hence He says: “When it is said to them, ‘Prostrate yourselves before the Most Merciful’”—that is, before Him alone, who has bestowed every blessing upon you and averted every affliction from you—“they say,” in denial and disbelief, “What is the Most Merciful?” In their corrupt thinking, they claimed not to know the Most Merciful. They even made it one of their objections against the Messenger that they said: “He forbids us to take gods alongside Allah, yet he invokes another god along with Him, saying, ‘O Most Merciful,’ and the like.” As Allah Most High says: “Say, ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.’” His names are many because His attributes are many and the aspects of His perfection are manifold. ⦗586⦘ Each of them indicates an attribute of perfection.

“Are we to prostrate ourselves to whatever you command us?” That is, merely because you command us to do so? This assertion rested on their denial of the Messenger and their arrogant refusal to obey him. “And it only increases their aversion”: their being called to prostrate before the Most Merciful made them flee from truth to falsehood and increased them in disbelief and wretchedness.

﴿٥٦ - ٦٠﴾ ﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا * قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِلا مَنْ شَاءَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ سَبِيلا * وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ وَكَفَى بِهِ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا * الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ الرَّحْمَنُ فَاسْأَلْ بِهِ خَبِيرًا * وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اسْجُدُوا لِلرَّحْمَنِ قَالُوا وَمَا الرَّحْمَنُ أَنَسْجُدُ لِمَا تَأْمُرُنَا وَزَادَهُمْ نُفُورًا﴾ . يخبر تعالى: أنه ما أرسل رسوله محمدا ﷺ مسيطرا على الخلق ولا جعله ملكا ولا عنده خزائن الأشياء، وإنما أرسله ﴿مُبَشِّرًا﴾ يبشر من أطاع الله بالثواب العاجل والآجل، ﴿وَنَذِيرًا﴾ ينذر من عصى الله بالعقاب العاجل والآجل وذلك مستلزم لتبيين ما به البشارة وما تحصل به النذارة من الأوامر والنواهي، وإنك -يا محمد- لا تسألهم على إبلاغهم القرآن والهدى أجرا حتى يمنعهم ذلك من اتباعك ويتكلفون من الغرامة، ﴿إِلا مَنْ شَاءَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ سَبِيلا﴾ أي: إلا من شاء أن ينفق نفقة في مرضاة ربه وسبيله فهذا وإن رغبتكم فيه فلست أجبركم عليه وليس أيضا أجرا لي عليكم وإنما هو راجع لمصلحتكم وسلوككم للسبيل الموصلة إلى ربكم، ثم أمره أن يتوكل عليه ويستعين به فقال: ﴿وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ﴾ الذي له الحياة الكاملة المطلقة ﴿الَّذِي لا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ﴾ أي: اعبده وتوكل عليه في الأمور المتعلقة بك والمتعلقة بالخلق. ﴿وَكَفَى بِهِ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا﴾ يعلمها ويجازي عليها. فأنت ليس عليك من هداهم شيء وليس عليك حفظ أعمالهم، وإنما ذلك كله بيد الله ﴿الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى﴾ بعد ذلك ﴿عَلَى الْعَرْشِ﴾ الذي هو سقف المخلوقات وأعلاها وأوسعها وأجملها ﴿الرَّحْمَنُ﴾ استوى على عرشه الذي وسع السماوات والأرض باسمه الرحمن الذي وسعت رحمته كل شيء فاستوى على أوسع المخلوقات، بأوسع الصفات. فأثبت بهذه الآية خلقه للمخلوقات واطلاعه على ظاهرهم وباطنهم وعلوه فوق العرش ومباينته إياهم. ﴿فَاسْأَلْ بِهِ خَبِيرًا﴾ يعني بذلك نفسه الكريمة فهو الذي يعلم أوصافه وعظمته وجلاله، وقد أخبركم بذلك وأبان لكم من عظمته ما تستعدون به من معرفته فعرفه العارفون وخضعوا لجلاله، واستكبر عن عبادته الكافرون واستنكفوا عن ذلك ولهذا قال: ﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اسْجُدُوا لِلرَّحْمَنِ﴾ أي: وحده الذي أنعم عليكم بسائر النعم ودفع عنكم جميع النقم. ﴿قَالُوا﴾ جحدا وكفرا ﴿وَمَا الرَّحْمَنُ﴾ بزعمهم الفاسد أنهم لا يعرفون الرحمن، وجعلوا من جملة قوادحهم في الرسول أن قالوا: ينهانا عن اتخاذ آلهة مع الله وهو يدعو معه إلها آخر يقول: " يا رحمن " ونحو ذلك كما قال تعالى: ﴿قُلِ ادْعُوا اللَّهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّحْمَنَ أَيًّا مَا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الأسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى﴾ فأسماؤه تعالى كثيرة لكثرة أوصافه وتعدد كماله، ⦗٥٨٦⦘ فكل واحد منها دل على صفة كمال. ﴿أَنَسْجُدُ لِمَا تَأْمُرُنَا﴾ أي: لمجرد أمرك إيانا. وهذا مبني منهم على التكذيب بالرسول واستكبارهم عن طاعته، ﴿وَزَادَهُمْ﴾ دعوتهم إلى السجود للرحمن ﴿نُفُورًا﴾ هربا من الحق إلى الباطل وزيادة كفر وشقاء.