Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (770)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(81–83) “Say: ‘If the Most Merciful had a child, I would be the foremost of worshippers. Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the Throne, far above what they ascribe to Him. So leave them to indulge in vain discourse and play until they meet the Day they have been promised.’”

That is: O noble Messenger, say to those who ascribe a child to Allah—although He is the One, the Unique, the One and Only, the Self-Sufficient Master, who has taken neither consort nor child, and to whom none is comparable—“If the Most Merciful had a child, I would be the foremost of worshippers” of that child, since a child is part of his father. I am the foremost of creation in submitting to all that Allah loves, yet I am the first to reject this claim, the most emphatic in denying it, and the furthest removed from it. Its falsity is thereby established.

This is a compelling argument for anyone who understands the character of the messengers. Once it is known that they are the most perfect of creation, that they are the first people to hasten toward every good and bring it to completion, and that they are the first to abandon, denounce, and distance themselves from every evil, it follows that if the Most Merciful truly had a child, Muhammad ibn Abdullah—the best of the messengers—would have been the first to worship him, and the polytheists would not have preceded him in doing so.

The verse may also mean: If the Most Merciful had a child, I would be the foremost of those who worship Allah; and part of my worship of Allah is to affirm whatever He has affirmed and deny whatever He has denied. This is a form of verbal and creedal worship. It necessarily follows that, if this claim were true, I would be the first to affirm it. The falsity and corruption of the polytheists’ claim are thus established both rationally and through revelation.

“Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the Throne, far above what they ascribe to Him”—such as a partner, supporter, helpers, child, and all else that the polytheists attribute to Him.

“So leave them to indulge in vain discourse and play.” That is, let them indulge in falsehood and toy with absurdities. Their knowledge is harmful rather than beneficial: it consists of delving into and pursuing fields of knowledge by which they oppose the truth and what the messengers brought. Their deeds are mere play and folly; they neither purify souls nor yield true knowledge.

He therefore warns them of the Day of Resurrection awaiting them, saying: “Until they meet the Day they have been promised.” On that Day, they will come to know what they earned and what it brought them: everlasting misery and unceasing torment.

﴿٨١-٨٣﴾ ﴿قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْعَابِدِينَ * سُبْحَانَ رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ * فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّى يُلاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ﴾ . أي: قل يا أيها الرسول الكريم، للذين جعلوا لله ولدا، وهو الواحد الأحد الفرد الصمد، الذي لم يتخذ صاحبة ولا ولدا، ولم يكن له كفوا أحد. ﴿قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْعَابِدِينَ﴾ لذلك الولد، لأنه جزء من والده، وأنا أول الخلق انقيادا للأمور المحبوبة لله، ولكني أول المنكرين لذلك، وأشدهم له نفيا، فعلم بذلك بطلانه، فهذا احتجاج عظيم عند من عرف أحوال الرسل، وأنه إذا علم أنهم أكمل الخلق، وأن كل خير فهم أول الناس سبقا إليه وتكميلا له، وكل شر فهم أول الناس تركا له وإنكارا له وبعدا منه، فلو كان على هذا للرحمن ولد وهو الحق، لكان محمد بن عبد الله، أفضل الرسل أول من عبده، ولم يسبقه إليه المشركون. ويحتمل أن معنى الآية: لو كان للرحمن ولد، فأنا أول العابدين لله، ومن عبادتي لله، إثبات ما أثبته، ونفي ما نفاه، فهذا من العبادة القولية الاعتقادية، ويلزم من هذا، لو كان حقا، لكنت أول مثبت له، فعلم بذلك بطلان دعوى المشركين وفسادها، عقلا ونقلا. ﴿سُبْحَانَ رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ﴾ من الشريك والظهير، والعوين، والولد، وغير ذلك، مما نسبه إليه المشركون. ﴿فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا﴾ أي: يخوضوا بالباطل، ويلعبوا بالمحال، فعلومهم ضارة غير نافعة، وهي الخوض والبحث بالعلوم التي يعارضون بها الحق وما جاءت به الرسل، وأعمالهم لعب وسفاهة، لا تزكي النفوس، ولا تثمر المعارف. ولهذا توعدهم بما أمامهم من يوم القيامة فقال: ﴿حَتَّى يُلاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ﴾ فسيعلمون فيه ماذا حصلوا، وما حصلوا عليه من الشقاء الدائم، والعذاب المستمر.