Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (814)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

“Is this magic, or can you not see? * Enter it, then endure patiently or do not endure—it is all the same for you. You are only being recompensed for what you used to do.”

“Is this magic, or can you not see?” The reference may be to the Fire and its punishment, as indicated by the context of the verse. That is, when they see the Fire and its punishment, they will be told by way of rebuke: “Is this magic with no reality, now that you have seen it? Or was it that, in the world, you could not see?” In other words: Did you possess neither insight nor knowledge, but were instead ignorant of this matter, with no proof having been established against you? The answer is that both possibilities are false.

As for its being magic, it will have become manifest to them that it is the truest and most certain of all realities, contrary (1) to magic in every respect. As for their being unable to see, the truth is quite the opposite: Allah’s proof had indeed been established against them. The messengers called them to believe in it and presented evidence and demonstrations that made it one of the most clearly and conclusively proven matters.

It is also possible that the reference [in His words, “Is this magic, or can you not see?”] is to the manifest truth and the straight path brought by the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. That is: Is what Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has brought magic, or has your lack of insight caused the matter to become confused to you? The reality is that it is clearer than anything else and is the truest of all truths, and Allah’s proof had been established against them (2).

“Enter it,” meaning: enter the Fire in such a way that it surrounds you, encompasses your entire bodies (3), and reaches your hearts.

“Then endure patiently or do not endure—it is all the same for you.” That is, patiently enduring the Fire will not benefit you at all; none of you will find consolation in another, nor will the punishment be lightened for you. The Fire is not (4) one of those ordeals whose hardship becomes easier and whose severity passes away when a servant patiently endures it.

This is done to them only because of their wicked deeds and what they earned. [Hence He says,] “You are only being recompensed for what you used to do.”

(1) In B: “incompatible [with magic].” (2) After the words “and the straight path,” the wording in B differs from that in A. B reads: “That is: Can anyone possessed of reason conceivably say of it, ‘It is magic,’ when it is the greatest and most sublime truth? Yet, because they lacked insight, they said of it what they said.” (3) In B: “and encompass your bodies.” (4) Thus in B; in A, the masculine form: “and it is not.”

﴿أَفَسِحْرٌ هَذَا أَمْ أَنْتُمْ لا تُبْصِرُونَ * اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُوا أَوْ لا تَصْبِرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ . ﴿أَفَسِحْرٌ هَذَا أَمْ أَنْتُمْ لا تُبْصِرُونَ﴾ يحتمل أن الإشارة إلى النار والعذاب، كما يدل عليه سياق الآية أي: لما رأوا النار والعذاب قيل لهم من باب التقريع: " أهذا سحر لا حقيقة له، فقد رأيتموه، أم أنتم في الدنيا لا تبصرون " أي: لا بصيرة لكم ولا علم عندكم، بل كنتم جاهلين بهذا الأمر، لم تقم عليكم الحجة؟ والجواب انتفاء الأمرين: أما كونه سحرا، فقد ظهر لهم أنه أحق الحق، وأصدق الصدق، المخالف (١) للسحر من جميع الوجوه، وأما كونهم لا يبصرون، فإن الأمر بخلاف ذلك، بل حجة الله قد قامت عليهم، ودعتهم الرسل إلى الإيمان بذلك، وأقامت من الأدلة والبراهين على ذلك، ما يجعله من أعظم الأمور المبرهنة الواضحة الجلية. ويحتمل أن الإشارة [بقوله: ﴿أَفَسِحْرٌ هَذَا أَمْ أَنْتُمْ لا تُبْصِرُونَ﴾ ] إلى ما جاء به الرسول ﷺ من الحق المبين، والصراط المستقيم أي: هذا الذي جاء به محمد ﷺ سحر أم عدم بصيرة بكم، حتى اشتبه عليكم الأمر، وحقيقة الأمر أنه أوضح من كل شيء وأحق الحق، وأن حجة الله قامت عليهم (٢) . ﴿اصْلَوْهَا﴾ أي: ادخلوا النار على وجه تحيط بكم، وتستوعب جميع أبدانكم (٣) وتطلع على أفئدتكم. ﴿فَاصْبِرُوا أَوْ لا تَصْبِرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ أي: لا يفيدكم الصبر على النار شيئا، ولا يتأسى بعضكم ببعض، ولا يخفف عنكم العذاب، وليست (٤) من الأمور التي إذا صبر العبد عليها هانت مشقتها وزالت شدتها. وإنما فعل بهم ذلك، بسبب أعمالهم الخبيثة وكسبهم، [ولهذا قال] ﴿إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾

(١) في ب: المنافي. (٢) بعد قوله والصراط المستقيم جاءت العبارة في ب مختلفة عما في أ، وهذا نص ما في: ب: أي: (أفيتصور من له عقل أن يقول عنه: إنه سحر، وهو أعظم الحق وأجله، ولكن لعدم بصيرتهم قالوا فيه ما قالوا) . (٣) في ب: (وتشمل أبدانكم) . (٤) كذا في ب، وفي أ: وليس.