Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (324)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

“53–54. That is because Allah would never change a blessing He had bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves, and because Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. * Their fate was like that of Pharaoh’s people and those before them: they denied the signs of their Lord, so We destroyed them for their sins, and We drowned Pharaoh’s people. They were all wrongdoers.”

“That” refers to the punishment Allah inflicted upon the nations that denied the truth (1), and His removal of the blessings and prosperity they had enjoyed, because of their sins and the change they made within themselves. Allah would never change a blessing He had bestowed upon a people—whether a religious or worldly blessing. Rather, He preserves it for them and grants them more of it if they increase in gratitude to Him. “Until they change what is within themselves” by turning from obedience to disobedience, thereby showing ingratitude for Allah’s blessing and exchanging it for disbelief. He then deprives them of it and changes their condition, just as they changed what was within themselves.

In this belong to Allah perfect wisdom, justice, and benevolence toward His servants (2): He punished them only for their own wrongdoing, and He draws the hearts of His close servants toward Himself through the exemplary punishment He makes people taste when they disobey His command.

“And because Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing”: He hears everything uttered by every speaker, whether one speaks secretly or aloud, and He knows what consciences harbor and innermost hearts conceal. He therefore brings to pass for His servants whatever decrees His knowledge entails and His will determines.

“Their fate was like that of Pharaoh’s people”—that is, Pharaoh and his people—“and those before them: they denied the signs of their Lord” when those signs came to them, “so We destroyed them for their sins,” each according to his offense.

“And We drowned Pharaoh’s people. They were all”—among those destroyed and punished—“wrongdoers” to themselves, actively pursuing their own ruin. Allah did not wrong them or seize them for any offense they had not committed. Those being addressed should therefore beware of resembling them in wrongdoing, lest Allah inflict upon them the same punishment He inflicted upon those defiant transgressors.

(1) Manuscript B reads: “that denied the truth.” (2) This is the reading in manuscript B; manuscript A reads: “upon.”

﴿٥٣ - ٥٤﴾ ﴿ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَى قَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ * كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَكُلٌّ كَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ﴾ . ﴿ذَلِكَ﴾ العذاب الذي أوقعه الله بالأمم المكذبين (١) وأزال عنهم ما هم فيه من النعم والنعيم، بسبب ذنوبهم وتغييرهم ما بأنفسهم، فإن الله لم يك مغيرا نعمة أنعمها على قوم من نعم الدين والدنيا، بل يبقيها ويزيدهم منها، إن ازدادوا له شكرا. ﴿حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ﴾ من الطاعة إلى المعصية فيكفروا نعمة الله ويبدلوها كفرا، فيسلبهم إياها ويغيرها عليهم كما غيروا ما بأنفسهم. ولله الحكمة في ذلك والعدل والإحسان إلى (٢) عباده، حيث لم يعاقبهم إلا بظلمهم، وحيث جذب قلوب أوليائه إليه، بما يذيق العباد من النكال إذا خالفوا أمره. ﴿وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾ يسمع جميع ما نطق به الناطقون، سواء من أسر القول ومن جهر به، ويعلم ما تنطوي عليه الضمائر، وتخفيه السرائر، فيجري على عباده من الأقدار ما اقتضاه علمه وجرت به مشيئته. ﴿كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ﴾ أي: فرعون وقومه ﴿وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ﴾ حين جاءتهم ﴿فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ﴾ كل بحسب جرمه. ﴿وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَكُلٌّ﴾ من المهلكين المعذبين ﴿كَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ﴾ لأنفسهم، ساعين في هلاكها، لم يظلمهم الله، ولا أخذهم بغير جرم اقترفوه، فليحذر المخاطبون أن يشابهوهم في الظلم، فيحل الله بهم من عقابه ما أحل بأولئك الفاسقين.

(١) في ب: المكذبة. (٢) كذا في ب، وفي أ: على.