Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (815)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

“Before this, we used to call upon Him”—to protect us from the torment of the scorching wind and bring us into bliss. This encompasses both worship as a form of supplication and supplication in the sense of making requests. That is, we continually drew near to Him through all kinds of devotional acts (1) and called upon Him at all times. “Indeed, He alone is the Most Kind, the Most Merciful.” Out of His kindness and mercy toward us, He granted us His pleasure and Paradise and protected us from His wrath and Hellfire.

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29–43. “So remind them, for by the grace of your Lord you are neither a soothsayer nor a madman. * Or do they say, ‘A poet—we await his death’? * Say, ‘Then wait; I too am waiting with you.’”

Allah Most High commands His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to remind all people, Muslims and unbelievers alike, so that Allah’s proof may be established against the wrongdoers and those granted success may be guided by his reminder. He is to pay no heed to what the polytheists who deny the truth say, to the harm they inflict, or to the claims by which they turn people away from following him, even though they know that he is farther removed from such things than anyone else. Allah therefore denied every deficiency of which they accused him, saying: “By the grace of your Lord”—that is, through His favor and kindness—“you are neither a soothsayer,” meaning one who has a familiar spirit from among the jinn that brings him reports of certain unseen matters, to which he adds a hundred lies, “nor a madman” bereft of reason. Rather, you are the most perfect of all people in intellect, the farthest removed from devils, the most truthful, the noblest, and the most complete.

At other times, “they say” of him that he is “a poet” who composes poetry and that what he has brought is poetry.

Yet Allah says: “We did not teach him poetry, nor is it fitting for him.”

“We await his death,” meaning: We are waiting for him to die (2); then his cause will come to nothing, [and we shall be rid of him].

“Say” to them in response to this foolish talk: “Wait,” meaning: Await my death. “I too am waiting with you”: we await what will befall you—whether Allah strikes you with a punishment from Him or at our hands.

(1) In B: “acts of worship.” (2) Thus in B; in A: “We await his death and expect him to die from it.”

﴿إِنَّا كُنَّا مِنْ قَبْلُ نَدْعُوهُ﴾ أن يقينا عذاب السموم، ويوصلنا إلى النعيم، وهذا شامل لدعاء العبادة ودعاء المسألة أي: لم نزل نتقرب إليه بأنواع القربات (١) وندعوه في سائر الأوقات، ﴿إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْبَرُّ الرَّحِيمُ﴾ فمن بره بنا ورحمته إيانا، أنالنا رضاه والجنة، ووقانا سخطه والنار. ⦗٨١٦⦘ ﴿٢٩-٤٣﴾ ﴿فَذَكِّرْ فَمَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِكَاهِنٍ وَلا مَجْنُونٍ * أَمْ يَقُولُونَ شَاعِرٌ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِهِ رَيْبَ الْمَنُونِ * قُلْ تَرَبَّصُوا فَإِنِّي مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الْمُتَرَبِّصِينَ﴾ . يأمر تعالى رسوله ﷺ أن يذكر الناس، مسلمهم وكافرهم، لتقوم حجة الله على الظالمين، ويهتدي بتذكيره الموفقون، وأنه لا يبالي بقول المشركين المكذبين وأذيتهم وأقوالهم التي يصدون بها الناس عن اتباعه، مع علمهم أنه أبعد الناس عنها، ولهذا نفى عنه كل نقص رموه به فقال: ﴿فَمَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ﴾ أي: منه ولطفه، ﴿بِكَاهِنٍ﴾ أي: له رئي من الجن، يأتيه بأخبار بعض الغيوب، التي يضم إليها مائة كذبة، ﴿وَلا مَجْنُونٍ﴾ فاقد للعقل، بل أنت أكمل الناس عقلا وأبعدهم عن الشياطين، وأعظمهم صدقا، وأجلهم وأكملهم، وتارة ﴿يَقُولُونَ﴾ فيه: إنه ﴿شَاعِرٌ﴾ يقول الشعر، والذي جاء به شعر، والله يقول: ﴿وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ﴾ ﴿نَتَرَبَّصُ بِهِ رَيْبَ الْمَنُونِ﴾ أي: ننتظر به الموت (٢) فسيبطل أمره، [ونستريح منه] . ﴿قُلْ﴾ لهم جوابا لهذا الكلام السخيف: ﴿تَرَبَّصُوا﴾ أي: انتظروا بي الموت، ﴿فَإِنِّي مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الْمُتَرَبِّصِينَ﴾ نتربص بكم، أن يصيبكم الله بعذاب من عنده، أو بأيدينا.

(١) في ب: العبادات. (٢) كذا في ب، وفي أ: نتربص به الموت، وننتظره فيه.