Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:2

Then, when He, glory be to Him, clarified the nature of the verses so that the addressees might be inclined to properly receive the rulings, stories, and admonitions contained therein, He, may His Majesty be glorified, proceeded to explain what is implied, saying, in His Mighty speech: (Perhaps those who disbelieve)—that is, those who disbelieve in what it is obligatory to believe in—(would wish)—if they were—(Muslims)—meaning, believers in that. It is also said: The intended meaning is their disbelief in the Book, the Quran, and that it is from Allah the Exalted, and their wish is for submission to His judgment and compliance with His command; this implies that their disbelief was based on rejection, though this is subject to debate. This wish occurs on the Day of Resurrection when they see the sinners among the believers coming out of the Fire.

Ibn al-Mubarak, Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Bayhaqi, and others recorded from Ibn Abbas and Anas, may Allah be pleased with them, that they discussed this verse and said: "This is when Allah the Exalted gathers the people of sins from among the Muslims and the polytheists in the Fire. The polytheists will say: 'What has availed you that which you used to worship?' Then Allah the Exalted will become angry on their behalf and bring them out by the grace of His mercy."

Al-Tabarani and Ibn Marduyah recorded with a sound chain of transmission from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Some people from my nation will be punished for their sins and will remain in the Fire for as long as Allah the Exalted wills. Then the people of Shirk will taunt them, saying: 'We do not see that which you used to believe in having benefited you.' Thus, no monotheist will remain except that Allah the Exalted will bring him out of the Fire." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited the verse.

Others besides these recorded the same from Ali, may Allah honor his face, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, and Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, each attributing it to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This has been narrated from many of the righteous predecessors. Therefore, al-Zamakhshari’s statement—that saying this is a form of "wishful thinking" (widada)—is a house of foolishness, the foundation of which is his disfigured doctrine. al-Dahhak said: "This is in the world at the time of death, when the gravity of disbelief is revealed to them." It is narrated from Ibn Mas’ud that the verse concerns the disbelievers of Quraysh; they wished for that on the day of Badr when they saw the victory going to the Muslims. In another narration from him and from several of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, it is said that this is when their necks were struck and they were presented to the Fire.

Ibn al-Anbari mentioned that this wish on the part of the disbelievers occurs at every situation in which the disbeliever is punished and the Muslim is saved.

As for Rubba (رب), despite its frequent occurrence in the speech of the Arabs, it does not appear in the Quran except in this verse. It is pronounced as Rub with a damma on the 'ra' and a shadda on the 'ba', and also with a fatha on the 'ra' and 'ba'. There are seventeen linguistic variations mentioned (by grammarians). It is a preposition, contrary to the Kufans, al-Akhfash in one of his two views, and Ibn al-Tarawah, who claimed it is a noun built like Kam. They argued for its noun-status based on the fact that it can be the subject of a predication.

Regarding its meaning, there are several views:

1. It is always for minimization (taqlil), which is the opinion of the majority.
2. It is always for magnification (takthir).
3. It is mostly for minimization and rarely for magnification, which is the opinion chosen by al-Jalal al-Suyuti.
4. The opposite of the above.
5. It is for both without one dominating the other.
6. It was not intended for either, but is rather a particle of affirmation; the context determines the meaning.
7. It is for magnification when boasting and for minimization otherwise.
8. It is for an indefinite quantity.

Regarding the verse, it is a statement for the future being treated as a past fact. The pronoun in Law kanu (if they were) refers to the disbelievers, and the object of yawaddu (wish) is omitted—that is, "they wish for Islam." The sentence "If they were Muslims" is in the place of a circumstantial clause (hal). Some have claimed that Law here is conditional but infused with the meaning of a wish. Others say it is a restrictive conditional, with the answer omitted (i.e., they would have triumphed).

‘Asim and Nafi’ recited Rubbama with a light 'ba', while Abu ‘Amr narrated both the light and heavy versions. Talha ibn Musarrif and Zayd ibn ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, recited Rubbama with the addition of a 'ta' (Rubtama). I have elaborated on this verse, especially concerning Rubba, because I had a debate regarding it with some of the "great scholars," and he manifested great ignorance and gross foolishness. By the Lord of the Ka’bah, I saw him to be more ignorant than the least of the students regarding Rubba. Indeed, he has peers among the "greats," whom Allah has made deaf, blind, and diminished; may there not be many of their kind.