Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:133

(Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob?) The address is directed at the genus of the Jews or those present during the time of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as indicated by the occasion of revelation (sabab al-nuzul). Al-Wahidi mentioned that the verse was revealed concerning the Jews when they said to the Prophet, "Do you not know that when Jacob was dying, he bequeathed Judaism to his sons?"

As for (Am/Or), it is either munqati'ah (disjunctive), meaning "rather," accompanied by the interrogative of rebuke. The meaning of "rather" is an abandonment of the previous discourse—which was the clarification of the bequest—in favor of rebuking the Jews for their claim that Jacob and his sons were Jews. Its benefit is to transition from one statement to another that is more significant. That is, "You were not present at his—peace be upon him—deathbed when he asked his sons about their religion, so why do you claim what you claim?"

You may also treat the interrogation as taqrir (affirmation/confirmation). That is, "Were your ancestors present when he—peace be upon him—bequeathed Islam and monotheism to his sons, and are you aware of that? So why do you claim against him that which you know to be false?" Thus, their knowledge of their ancestors' testimony is placed in the position of actual testimony, and they are addressed accordingly.

Or, [the particle] is muttasilah (connective), implying an ellipsis in the speech. The estimated meaning is: "Were you absent, or were you witnesses?" In this case, the interrogation is not literal, because the former is known to be true and the latter false; rather, it is for the purpose of forcing an admission and rebuking. That is, "Whichever of the two cases it was, your claim is void." As for the first, it is because it is guessing at the unseen, and as for the second, it is because it contradicts the well-known history. Abu Hayyan objected to this view, stating that we know of no one who permitted the omission of the clause being conjoined in the connective Am. What has been heard is the omission of Am along with the conjoined element because the latter parts can carry what the former cannot.

It is said: The address is to the believers. The meaning of "rather" is the abandonment of the first topic to take up that which is more important: inciting them to follow the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—by establishing some of his miracles, namely, informing them of the states of past prophets without hearing it from anyone or reading it from a book. It is as if the Exalted, after mentioning what preceded, turned to the believers of the Ummah: "Whether you witnessed what happened or learned of it through revelation and the report of the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—you must follow him." However, He sufficed with mentioning the dialogue between Jacob and his sons to indicate that they were not present during the bequest of Abraham—peace be upon him—by way of a fortiori (the greater to the lesser). It is not hidden that this proponent did not consider the occasion of revelation; perhaps because of its weakness, to the extent that Imam al-Suyuti said: "I have not come across it."

Al-shuhada’ (witnesses) is the plural of shahid or shahid, meaning "present." Hadara (approached) is from the category of qa'ada. It is also read hudira (passive), and its imperfect yahduru with a damma is a rare dialect. It is also said that it is a case of "intertwining" (tadakhul), since (when he said to his sons) is a substitute (badal) for (when death approached)—a substitute of inclusion (badal ishtimal). Both are intended, as is established regarding the substitution of sentences, except that the substitute possesses a greater degree of clarity not present in the element for which it is substituted. If "when" (idh) were linked to "they said" (qalu), the speech would not be coherent.

(What will you worship after me?) That is, "Which thing will you worship after my death?" (Ma/What) is in the nominative position, and the referent ('a'id) is omitted. Its being in the accusative position as an object would invalidate the taqwa (caution/piety) that is appropriate for the context. Ma is used in questions for everything; when the essence is known, the specific noun for intelligent beings (man/who) is used when asking for its determination, and the answer is given in accordance with what provides that. When asking for its description, ma is used (e.g., "Is Zayd a scribe or a poet?"). In questioning their condition after his death, there is evidence that the purpose was to urge them toward what they were upon during his lifetime: monotheism and Islam, and taking their covenant upon it. Thus, the interrogation is not literal. This happened after he—peace be upon him—entered Egypt and saw in it those who worshipped fire, so he feared for his children and urged them toward that which he urged them.

(They said, "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac.") This is a new beginning that serves as an answer to a question arising from the narration of the inquiry. In attributing the "God" to the plural, there is an indication of the consensus upon His existence and divinity. Ishmael was mentioned before Isaac because he was older. He is counted among the fathers of Jacob, even though he was his paternal uncle, by applying the term of the majority to the minority. Alternatively, it is because the uncle is likened to the father in that they are both linked in one chain, which is brotherhood; thus, the term was applied to him. This is supported by what the two Sheikhs (Bukhari and Muslim) recorded: "A man's paternal uncle is the counterpart of his father." In this case, "fathers" is intended as the term is applied to them so that it does not necessitate combining the literal and metaphorical senses. The verse is in line with what Ibn Abi Shaybah and others recorded from his—peace be upon him—statement: "Protect me regarding my paternal uncles, for they are the remnant of my fathers."

Al-Hasan read abika (your father) as singular. As for (Ishmael and Isaac), it is a conjunction ('atf nasaq), and (Abraham) alone is an explanatory apposition ('atf bayan), or it is a plural and its nun was dropped due to the genitive construct (idafa), as in the saying: "When our voices became clear, they wept and redeemed us with our fathers."

(One God) is a substitute for (the God of your fathers). An indefinite noun can be a substitute for a definite one on the condition that it is described, as in the Exalted's saying: "The forelock, a lying, sinful forelock." The Basrans do not stipulate this condition. The benefit of the substitution is to repel the illusion of multiplicity arising from mentioning "God" twice. It may also be in the accusative case to denote praise or as a hal (state) that prepares for what follows, as stated in Al-Bahr.

(And we are Muslims unto Him), i.e., submissive, acknowledging Him with servitude. It is also said: obedient, compliant, surrendered to His prohibitions and commands in speech and belief. It is also said: entered into Islam and remaining firm upon it. The sentence is a hal from the subject, the object, or both due to the presence of their pronouns, or it is an intercalary clause confirming the content of what preceded at the end of the speech without further ado. Abu Hayyan said: "It is more eloquent for it to be conjoined to 'we will worship', so that they have answered with two things." This is from the category of an answer that exceeds the scope of the question.