Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (181)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(47) “O you who were given the Scripture, believe in what We have sent down, confirming what is with you, before We obliterate faces and turn them backwards, or curse them as We cursed the people of the Sabbath. Allah’s command is ever carried out.”

Allah commands the People of the Scripture—the Jews and Christians—to believe in the Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and in what Allah revealed to him of the magnificent Quran, which has authority over the preceding scriptures and confirms them. Those scriptures had foretold it; thus, when what they foretold came to pass, this confirmed their report.

Moreover, if they do not believe in this Quran, then they do not truly believe in the scriptures in their possession, for Allah’s scriptures confirm and agree with one another. Claiming to believe in some of them but not others is therefore a false claim that cannot possibly be true.

His words, “Believe in what We have sent down, confirming what is with you,” urge them to believe and indicate that they, before all others, should hasten to do so because of the knowledge and Scripture with which Allah has blessed them. These blessings entail that their responsibility is greater than that of others. He therefore threatens them for failing to believe, saying, “before We obliterate faces and turn them backwards.” This is a recompense corresponding to their deeds: just as they abandoned the truth, preferred falsehood, and inverted realities—making falsehood appear true and truth appear false—they would be repaid in kind by having their faces obliterated, just as they obliterated the truth, and turned backwards by being placed on the backs of their heads. This would be utterly hideous.

“Or curse them as We cursed the people of the Sabbath”; that is, He would cast them out of His mercy and punish them by turning them into apes, just as He did to their brethren who transgressed on the Sabbath: “We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised!’”

“Allah’s command is ever carried out,” as He says: “When He wills something, His command is only to say to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.”

﴿٤٧﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ آمِنُوا بِمَا نَزَّلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهَا أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَّا أَصْحَابَ السَّبْتِ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مَفْعُولا﴾ . يأمر تعالى أهل الكتاب من اليهود والنصارى أن يؤمنوا بالرسول محمد ﷺ وما أنزل الله عليه من القرآن العظيم، المهيمن على غيره من الكتب السابقة التي قد صدقها، فإنها أخبرت به فلما وقع المخبر به كان تصديقا لذلك الخبر. وأيضا فإنهم إن لم يؤمنوا بهذا القرآن فإنهم لم يؤمنوا بما في أيديهم من الكتب، لأن كتب الله يصدق بعضها بعضا، ويوافق بعضها بعضًا. فدعوى الإيمان ببعضها دون بعض دعوى باطلة لا يمكن صدقها. وفي قوله: ﴿آمِنُوا بِمَا نزلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ﴾ حث لهم وأنهم ينبغي أن يكونوا قبل غيرهم مبادرين إليه بسبب ما أنعم الله عليهم به من العلم، والكتاب الذي يوجب أن يكون ما عليهم أعظم من غيرهم، ولهذا توعدهم على عدم الإيمان فقال: ﴿مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهَا﴾ وهذا جزاء من جنس ما عملوا، كما تركوا الحق، وآثروا الباطل وقلبوا الحقائق، فجعلوا الباطل حقا والحق باطلا جوزوا من جنس ذلك بطمس وجوههم كما طمسوا الحق، وردها على أدبارها، بأن تجعل في أقفائهم وهذا أشنع ما يكون ﴿أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَّا أَصْحَابَ السَّبْتِ﴾ بأن يطردهم من رحمته، ويعاقبهم بجعلهم قردة، كما فعل بإخوانهم الذين اعتدوا في السبت ﴿فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ﴾ ﴿وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مَفْعُولا﴾ كقوله: ﴿إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ﴾ .