Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:36

“And when those who disbelieved see you...” (meaning the polytheists): “...they take you for nothing but mockery.” This means they treat you—may Allah deal with them according to His justice—in no other way than by mockery. The meaning is not that they restrict the act of taking to only mockery (as the immediate understanding might suggest), but rather it is as if it were said: "They do nothing toward you but take you as an object of mockery."

The apparent view is that the sentence “they take you for nothing but mockery” constitutes the apodosis (answer) to the conditional “when.” It does not require the particle fa (the connecting particle), just as the apodosis does not require it when it is joined with ma in the Almighty’s saying: “And when Our verses are recited to them as clear proofs, their argument is no other than...” This differs from the apodosis of conditional particles other than idha (when) that are joined with ma, for in those cases, the fa is mandatory, as in: "If you visit us, fa-ma (then) we will not treat you poorly."

Some have said the apodosis is omitted and that it is the speech implied by the Almighty’s saying: “Is this the one who mentions your gods?” In this view, the Almighty’s saying “they take you...” is parenthetical, but that is not a strong position. Indeed, there must be an implied verb of saying in what was mentioned, which is either coordinated with the sentence “they take you...” or is in the state of being a circumstantial qualifier (hal)—meaning, "and they say," or "being those who say."

The interrogation is for the purpose of denunciation and astonishment, conveying that the intent is: "He mentions your gods with evil." Sometimes the circumstantial context suffices to indicate this, as in the Almighty’s saying: “We heard a young man mentioning them,” for the mention of an enemy cannot be anything but negative. They avoided explicit speech out of respect for their gods. In Majma‘ al-Bayan, it is stated: "The Arabs say, 'I mentioned so-and-so,' meaning I criticized him." On this is the verse of Antara: "Do not mention my horse and what I have fed it, or your skin will become like the skin of the mangy one." The reference “this” is similar in his saying: "This is Abu al-Saqr, unique in his virtues, from the lineage of Shayban, between the dhal and the salm." Thus, there is a type of clarification in that regarding the taking of mockery.

“...While they, at the mention of the Most Merciful, are disbelievers.”

The phrase is in the accusative case as a circumstantial qualifier referring to the pronoun of the implied verb of saying. The meaning is that they criticize him—upon him be peace and blessings—for mentioning their gods, which neither harm nor benefit, in a negative light, while they themselves are disbelievers in the Quran that was sent down as a mercy. Thus, they are more deserving of criticism and denunciation.

The first pronoun (hum) is a subject whose predicate is “disbelievers,” and “at the mention” relates to it. It was placed first to observe the rhyme scheme, and its genitive attribution is possessive. The second pronoun (hum) is a verbal emphasis for the first. Separating the agent and the acted-upon with an emphasis, or the emphasis and the emphasized with the acted-upon, is permissible. It is also possible that “at the mention of the Most Merciful” implies His oneness (tawhid), as “mention” is a verbal noun added to the object; meaning, they are disbelievers in the oneness of the Most Merciful, who bestowed favors upon them that necessitate His oneness and belief in Him, the Almighty. It may also mean His preaching and His guidance to creation through the sending of messengers and the revelation of scriptures, as a verbal noun added to the subject.

It has been said that the meaning of “the mention of the Most Merciful” is this very term, His being called by this name. The meaning of their disbelief in it is their saying: "We do not know the Merciful except for the Merciful of Yamamah." In this view, it is a verbal noun added to the object, and nothing more, but that is of no substance, as is not hidden.

Al-Zamakhshari made the sentence a circumstantial qualifier from the pronoun in “they take you,” meaning: "They take you for mockery while they are in a state that is the root of mockery and ridicule, which is disbelief in the mention of the Most Merciful."

As for the cause of the revelation of the verse, according to what Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from al-Suddi, the Prophet—upon him be peace and blessings—passed by Abu Sufyan and Abu Jahl while they were conversing. When Abu Jahl saw him, he laughed and said to Abu Sufyan, "This is the prophet of the Banu Abd Manaf." Abu Sufyan became angry and said, "Do you deny that the Banu Abd Manaf should have a prophet?" The Prophet—upon him be peace and blessings—heard this, so he returned to Abu Jahl, confronted him, frightened him, and said, "I do not see you ending this until what befell your uncle, al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, befalls you." He said to Abu Sufyan, "You did not say what you said except out of fanaticism." I hold the view that the heart does not feel at ease that this is the cause of the revelation, and Allah, the Almighty, knows best.