Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (681)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(40–42) “On the Day He gathers them all together, He will then ask the angels, ‘Was it you that these people used to worship?’ They will say, ‘Glory be to You! You are our Guardian, not they. Rather, they used to worship the jinn; most of them believed in them.’ Today, therefore, none of you has power to benefit or harm another. We will say to those who did wrong, ‘Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny.’”

“On the Day He gathers them all together”—that is, those who worshipped other than Allah ⦗682⦘ and those among the angels who were worshipped besides Him. “He will then ask the angels”—as a rebuke to those who worshipped them—“Was it you that these people used to worship?” Thereupon, the angels will disavow their worship.

“They will say, ‘Glory be to You!’”—declaring You exalted and holy above having any partner or rival. “You are our Guardian, not they.” We are in utter need of Your guardianship and entirely dependent upon it. How, then, could we call others to worship us? How could we possibly be fit to be taken as guardians and partners besides You?

Rather, these polytheists “used to worship the jinn,” meaning the devils, who commanded(1) them to worship us or others, and they obeyed them in that. Their obedience to them was itself worship of them, for worship is obedience. As Allah Most High said, addressing everyone who has taken other gods alongside Him: “Did I not command you, O children of Adam, not to worship Satan? He is indeed a manifest enemy to you. And worship Me; this is a straight path.”

“Most of them believed in them”—that is, they believed what the jinn told them and submitted to them, for faith is affirmation that entails submission.

When the angels disavowed them, Allah Most High addressed them: “Today, therefore, none of you has power to benefit or harm another.” All ties between you have been severed, and each of you has been cut off from the other. “We will say to those who did wrong” through disbelief and sins—after We have admitted them into the Fire—“Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny.” Today you have beheld it and entered it, as recompense for your denial and as punishment for how that denial kept you from avoiding the paths leading to it.

(1) B reads: “they command them.”

﴿٤٠ - ٤٢﴾ ﴿وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ أَهَؤُلاءِ إِيَّاكُمْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ * قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ أَنْتَ وَلِيُّنَا مِنْ دُونِهِمْ بَلْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ الْجِنَّ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِهِمْ مُؤْمِنُونَ * فَالْيَوْمَ لا يَمْلِكُ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ نَفْعًا وَلا ضَرًّا وَنَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ﴾ . ﴿وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا﴾ أي: العابدين لغير الله ⦗٦٨٢⦘ والمعبودين من دونه، من الملائكة. ﴿ثُمَّ يَقُولُ﴾ الله ﴿لِلْمَلائِكَةِ﴾ على وجه التوبيخ لمن عبدهم ﴿أَهَؤُلاءِ إِيَّاكُمْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ﴾ فتبرأوا من عبادتهم. و ﴿قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ﴾ أي: تنزيها لك وتقديسا، أن يكون لك شريك، أو ند ﴿أَنْتَ وَلِيُّنَا مِنْ دُونِهِمْ﴾ فنحن مفتقرون إلى ولايتك، مضطرون إليها، فكيف ندعو غيرنا إلى عبادتنا؟ أم كيف نصلح لأن نتخذ من دونك أولياء وشركاء؟ " ولكن هؤلاء المشركون ﴿كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ الْجِنَّ﴾ أي: الشياطين، يأمرون (١) بعبادتنا أو عبادة غيرنا، فيطيعونهم بذلك. وطاعتهم هي عبادتهم، لأن العبادة الطاعة، كما قال تعالى مخاطبا لكل من اتخذ معه آلهة ﴿أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَنْ لا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ * وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِي هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ﴾ ﴿أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِهِمْ مُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ أي مصدقون للجن منقادون لهم لأن الإيمان هو التصديق الموجب للانقياد فلما تبرأوا منهم قال تعالى مخاطبا لهم ﴿فَالْيَوْمَ لا يَمْلِكُ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ نَفْعًا وَلا ضَرًّا﴾ تقطعت بينكم الأسباب وانقطع بعضكم من بعض ﴿وَنَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا﴾ بالكفر والمعاصي - بعد ما ندخلهم النار - ﴿ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ﴾ فاليوم عاينتموها ودخلتموها جزاء لتكذيبكم وعقوبة لما أحدثه ذلك التكذيب من عدم الهرب من أسبابها

(١) في ب: يأمرونهم.