Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (360)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(18) “They worship besides Allah what can neither harm nor benefit them, and they say, ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say, ‘Are you informing Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on earth?’ Glory be to Him! Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.”

The Most High says, “They worship”—that is, the polytheists who reject the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—

“besides Allah what can neither harm nor benefit them.” That is, these objects of worship possess not even an atom’s weight of benefit for them, nor can they ward off anything from them.

“And they say,” without any proof, “‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’” That is, they worship them so that they may bring them nearer to Allah and intercede with Him on their behalf. This is merely a claim of their own making—words they themselves invented. Thus, the Most High says, invalidating this claim: “Say, ‘Are you informing Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on earth?’” That is, Allah the Most High is the All-Knowing, whose knowledge encompasses everything in the heavens and on earth. He has informed you that He has no partner and that there is no deity alongside Him. Yet do you, assembly of polytheists, claim that He has partners therein? Are you informing Him of something hidden from Him but known to you? Do you know better, or does Allah?

Can any claim be more false than one implying that these misguided, ignorant fools know better than the Lord of all worlds? A rational person need only contemplate this claim to become certain of its corruption and falsehood.

“Glory be to Him! Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.” That is, He is holy and far above having any partner or equal. Rather, He is Allah—the One, the Unique, the Self-Sufficient Master. There is no deity in the heavens or on earth except Him, and every object worshipped besides Him in the higher and lower realms is false according to reason, revelation, and innate human nature.

“That is because Allah alone is the Truth, whatever they invoke besides Him is falsehood, and Allah alone is the Most High, the Most Great.”

﴿١٨﴾ ﴿وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلا فِي الأرْضِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾ . يقول تعالى: ﴿وَيَعْبُدُونَ﴾ أي: المشركون المكذبون لرسول الله ﷺ. ﴿مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنْفَعُهُمْ﴾ أي: لا تملك لهم مثقال ذرة من النفع ولا تدفع عنهم شيئا. ﴿وَيَقُولُونَ﴾ قولا خاليا من البرهان: ﴿هَؤُلاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ﴾ أي: يعبدونهم ليقربوهم إلى الله، ويشفعوا لهم عنده، وهذا قول من تلقاء أنفسهم، وكلام ابتكروه هم، ولهذا قال تعالى -مبطلا لهذا القول-: ﴿قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلا فِي الأرْضِ﴾ أي: الله تعالى هو العالم، الذي أحاط علما بجميع ما في السماوات والأرض، وقد أخبركم بأنه ليس له شريك ولا إله معه، أفأنتم-يا معشر المشركين- تزعمون أنه يوجد له فيها شركاء؟ أفتخبرونه بأمر خفي عليه، وعلمتوه؟ أأنتم أعلم أم الله؟ فهل يوجد قول أبطل من هذا القول، المتضمن أن هؤلاء الضلال الجهال السفهاء أعلم من رب العالمين؟ فليكتف العاقل بمجرد تصور هذا القول، فإنه يجزم بفساده وبطلانه: ﴿سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾ أي: تقدس وتنزه أن يكون له شريك أو نظير، بل هو الله الأحد الفرد الصمد الذي لا إله في السماوات والأرض إلا هو، وكل معبود في العالم العلوي والسفلي سواه، فإنه باطل عقلا وشرعا وفطرة. ﴿ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ﴾ .