Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (144)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(116–117) “Indeed, neither the wealth nor the children of those who disbelieve will avail them at all against Allah. They are the inhabitants of the Fire, where they will remain forever. * The likeness of what they spend in this worldly life is that of a wind carrying a bitter frost which strikes the crops of people who have wronged themselves and destroys them. Allah did not wrong them; rather, they wronged themselves.”

Allah Most High informs us that neither the wealth nor the children of those who disbelieve will avail them at all against Allah. That is, they will neither protect them in any way from Allah’s punishment nor bring them any of Allah’s reward. As Allah Most High says: “It is neither your wealth nor your children that bring you nearer to Us, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds.” Rather, their wealth and children will become provisions carrying them to the Fire and evidence against them: Allah’s abundant blessings upon them required their gratitude, yet they will be punished for failing to fulfill that duty and for showing ingratitude toward those blessings. He therefore says: “They are the inhabitants of the Fire, where they will remain forever.”

He then gives a parable of the wealth the disbelievers spend to hinder others from Allah’s path and use in seeking to extinguish Allah’s light: it comes to nothing and vanishes. It is like someone who plants a crop, hoping it will bear fruit and that he will reap its yield. While he remains in that state of expectation, a wind carrying a bitter, searing cold strikes it and destroys his crop, leaving him with nothing but toil, hardship, and even greater sorrow. The same applies to those disbelievers of whom Allah says: “Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder others from Allah’s path. They will spend it, but then it will become a source of regret for them; then they will be defeated.” “Allah did not wrong them” by rendering their deeds void; “rather,” they “wronged themselves,” because they disbelieved in Allah’s signs, denied His Messenger, and strove to extinguish Allah’s light. These are the very things that rendered their deeds void and caused their wealth to be lost. Then Allah Most High says:

﴿١١٦ - ١١٧﴾ ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلا أَوْلادُهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ * مَثَلُ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ فِي هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَكِنْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ﴾ . يخبر تعالى أن الذين كفروا لن تغني عنهم أموالهم ولا أولادهم من الله شيئا، أي: لا تدفع عنهم شيئا من عذاب الله، ولا تجدي عليهم شيئا من ثواب الله، كما قال تعالى: ﴿وما أموالكم ولا أولادكم بالتي تقربكم عندنا زلفى إلا من آمن وعمل صالحا﴾ بل تكون أموالهم وأولادهم زادا لهم إلى النار، وحجة عليهم في زيادة نعم الله عليهم، تقتضي منهم شكرها، ويعاقبون على عدم القيام بها وعلى كفرها، ولهذا قال: ﴿أولئك أصحاب النار هم فيها خالدون﴾ . ثم ضرب مثلا لما ينفقه الكفار من أموالهم التي يصدون بها عن سبيل الله ويستعينون بها على إطفاء نور الله، بأنها تبطل وتضمحل، كمن زرع زرعا يرجو نتيجته ويؤمل إدراك ريعه، فبينما هو كذلك إذ أصابته ريح فيها صر، أي: برد شديد محرق، فأهلكت زرعه، ولم يحصل له إلا التعب والعناء وزيادة الأسف، فكذلك هؤلاء الكفار الذين قال الله فيهم: ﴿إن الذين كفروا ينفقون أموالهم ليصدوا عن سبيل الله فسينفقونها ثم تكون عليهم حسرة ثم يغلبون﴾ ﴿وما ظلمهم الله﴾ بإبطال أعمالهم ﴿ولكن﴾ كانوا ﴿أنفسهم يظلمون﴾ حيث كفروا بآيات الله وكذبوا رسوله وحرصوا على إطفاء نور الله، هذه الأمور هي التي أحبطت أعمالهم وذهبت بأموالهم، ثم قال تعالى: