Source: Ibn Kathir
| The Accusation that the Prophet fabricated the Qur'an -- and the Response to that |
Allah's saying;
(Or say they: "He has invented a lie against Allah'' If Allah willed, He could have sealed up your heart.) means, `if you had invented any lies against Him, as these ignorant people claim,'
(He could have sealed up your heart.) means, `and thus caused you to forget what had already come to you of the Qur'an.'
This is like the Ayah:
(And if he had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allah), We surely would have seized him by his right hand, and then We certainly would have cut off his life artery, And none of you could have withheld Us from (punishing) him.) (69:44-47) which means, `We would have wrought the utmost vengeance upon him, and no one among mankind would have been able to protect him.' And Allah said:
(and establishes the truth by His Word.) means, He establishes it and strengthens it and makes it clear by His Words, i.e., by His evidence and signs.
(Verily, He knows well what is in the breasts.) means, all that is hidden in the hearts of men.
| Allah accepts Repentance and responds to Supplications |
Here Allah reminds His servants that He accepts repentance. If they turn to Him and come back to Him, then by His kindness and generosity He forgives, overlooks and conceals (their sins),
as He says:
(And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterward seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) (4:110)
It was reported in Sahih Muslim that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah said: (Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than anyone of you who loses his riding beast in a barren land, and it was carrying his food and drink; he despairs of ever finding it, so he comes to a tree and lies down in its shade, having given up all hope of finding his riding beast; then whilst he is there like that, suddenly he sees it standing near him, so he takes hold of its reins and because of his great joy he says, "O Allah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!'' -- i.e,. he makes a mistake because of his great joy. )'' A similar report was also narrated in the Sahih from `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, may Allah be pleased with him.
(And He it is Who accepts repentance from His servants,) It was reported that Az-Zuhri said, concerning this Ayah, that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah said: (Allah rejoices more over the repentance of His servant than one of you feels when he finds his lost camel in a place where he had feared that he would die of thirst.)
(and forgives sins,) means, He will accept repentance in the future, and He forgives past sins.
(and He knows what you do. ) means, He knows all your deeds and actions and words, yet He still accepts the repentance of those who repent to Him.
(And He answers those who believe and do righteous good deeds,) As-Suddi said, "This means, He responds to them.'' This was also the view of Ibn Jarir: "It means that He answers their supplication for themselves, their companions and their brothers.''
(and gives them increase of His bounty.) means, He answers their supplications and gives them more besides.
Qatadah said, narrating from Ibrahim An-Nakha`i Al-Lakhmi about the Ayah: (And He answers those who believe and do righteous good deeds,) -- (this means) they intercede for their brothers;
(and gives them increase of His bounty.) -- (this means) they intercede for their brothers' brothers.
(And as for the disbelievers, theirs will be a severe torment.) -- having mentioned the believers and the great reward that is theirs, Allah then mentions the disbelievers and the severe, painful, agonizing torment that they will find with Him on the Day of Resurrection, the Day when they are brought to account.
| The Reason why Provision is not Increased |
(And if Allah were to extend the provision for His servants, they would surely rebel in the earth,) means, `if We gave them more provision than they need, this would make them rebel and transgress against one another in an arrogant and insolent manner.'
(but He sends down by measure as He wills. Verily, He is, in respect of His servants, the Well-Aware, the All-Seer.) means, but He gives them provision according to what is in their best interests, and He knows best about that. So He makes rich those who deserve to be rich, and He makes poor those who deserve to be poor.
(And He it is Who sends down the rain after they have despaired,) means, after the people have given up hope that rain will fall, He sends it down upon them at their time of need. This is like the Ayah:
(And verily, before that (rain) -- just before it was sent down upon them -- they were in despair!) (30:49)
(and spreads His mercy. ) means, He bestows it upon all the people who live in that region.
Qatadah said, "We were told that a man said to `Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, `O Commander of the faithful, no rain has come and the people are in despair.' `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `Rain will be sent upon you,' and he recited: (And He it is Who sends down the rain after they have despaired, and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, Worthy of all praise).'' Meaning He is the One Who is in control of His creation, taking care of what will benefit them in this world and the Hereafter, and the consequences of all His decrees and actions are good, for which He is worthy of all praise.
| Among the Signs of Allah is the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth |
(And among His Ayat) the signs which point to His great might and power,
(is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and whatever moving creatures He has dispersed in them both.) means, whatever He has created in them, i.e., in the heavens and the earth.
(and whatever moving creatures) this includes the angels, men, Jinn and all the animals with their different shapes, colors, languages, natures, kinds and types. He has distributed them throughout the various regions of the heavens and earth.
(And He) means, yet despite all that,
(is Able to assemble them whenever He wills.) means, on the Day of Resurrection, He will gather the first and the last of them, and bring all His creatures together in one place where they will all hear the voice of the caller and all of them will be seen clearly; then He will judge between them with justice and truth.
| The Cause of Misfortune is Sin |
(And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned.) means, `whatever disasters happen to you, O mankind, are because of sins that you have committed in the past.'
(And He pardons much.) means, of sins; `He does not punish you for them, rather He forgives you.'
(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth) (35:45).
According to a Sahih Hadith:
(By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, no believer is stricken with fatigue, exhaustion, worry or grief, but Allah will forgive him for some of his sins thereby -- even a thorn which pricks him.)
Imam Ahmad recorded that Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say: (No physical harm befalls a believer, but Allah will expiate for some of his sins because of it.)''
Imam Ahmad also recorded that `A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "The Messenger of Allah said: (If a person commits many sins and has nothing that will expiate for them, Allah will test him with some grief that will expiate for them.)''
| Ships are also among the Signs of Allah |
Allah tells us that another sign of His great power and dominion is the fact that He has subjugated the sea so that ships may sail in it by His command, so they sail in the sea like mountains. This was the view of Mujahid, Al-Hasan, As-Suddi and Ad-Dahhak. In other words, these ships on the sea are like mountains on land.
(If He wills, He causes the wind to cease,) means, the winds that cause the ships to travel on the sea. If He willed, He could cause the winds to cease, then the ships would not move and would remain still, neither coming nor going, staying where they are on the surface of the water.
(Verily, in this are signs for everyone who is patient) means, who is patient in the face of adversity
(and grateful.) means, in the fact that Allah has subjugated the sea and He sends as much wind as they need in order to travel, there are signs of His blessings to His creation for everyone who is patient, i.e., at times of difficulty, and grateful, i.e., at times of ease.
(Or He may destroy them because of that which their (people) have earned. ) means, if He wills, He may destroy the ships and drown them, because of the sins of the people on board.
(And He pardons much.) means, of their sins; if He were to punish them for all of their sins, He would destroy everyone who sails on the sea. Some of the scholars interpreted the Ayah
(Or He may destroy them because of that which their (people) have earned.) as meaning, if He willed, He could send the wind to blow fiercely so that it would take the ships and divert them from their courses, driving them to the right or the left, so that they would be lost and would not be able to follow their intended path. This interpretation also includes the idea of their being destroyed. This also fits the first meaning, which is that if Allah willed, He could cause the wind to cease, in which case the ships would stop moving, or He could make the wind fierce, in which case the ships would be lost and destroyed. But by His grace and mercy, He sends the wind according to their needs, just as He sends rain that is sufficient. If He sent too much rain, it would destroy their houses, and if He sent too little, their crops and fruits would not grow. In the case of lands such as Egypt, He sends water from another land, because they do not need rain; if rain were to fall upon them, it would destroy their houses and cause walls to collapse.
(And those who dispute as regards Our Ayat may know that there is no place of refuge for them. ) means, they have no means of escape from Our torment and vengeance, for they are subdued by Our power.
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