ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ
And We have certainly presented to the people in this Qur'an from every [kind of] example. But, [O Muhammad], if you should bring them a sign, the disbelievers will surely say, "You [believers] are but falsifiers."
Tafsir
Verse range: 30:58
"And We have certainly presented for the people in this Qur’an from every example." That is, by Allah the Exalted, We have described for the people every attribute, as if it were an example in its strangeness, and We have related to them every matter of wondrous nature, such as the state of those resurrected on the Day of Resurrection, what they say and what is said to them, and how their excuses will be of no benefit and their pleas for reprieve will not be heard. Thus, darb al-mathal (presenting an example) is its adoption and creation, derived from the striking of a ring or the molding of a brick.
The "example" is a metaphor for a strange or wondrous attribute. By "this Qur’an," it is meant either this magnificent surah or the entire Book, the latter being the more apparent interpretation. The particle min (from) signifies partiality, though its inclusion as an intensifier has also been permitted. It is said: The meaning is, by Allah the Exalted, We have clarified to the people every example that informs them of the Oneness of God (Tawhid), the Resurrection, and the truthfulness of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him; thus, darb here means to clarify, and "example" is maintained in its literal sense. It is also said that it means a wondrous proof, and "the Qur’an" refers to the whole.
"But if you should bring them a sign," that is, despite Our having presented for them every example in this magnificent Qur’an, "the disbelievers will surely say," due to the excess of their arrogance, obstinacy, and the hardness of their hearts, addressing you and the believers, "You are not but falsifiers." That is, fabricators. It is permitted to interpret the "sign" as a miracle; meaning, if you were to bring them a miracle from among those they demanded, the disbelievers would say, etc. The use of the explicit noun (the disbelievers) rather than a pronoun is to clarify the reason that compels them to make such a statement. If the "people" are intended to include both disbelievers and others, the reason for the explicit noun is manifest. The singular form of the address in "you bring" (jita-hum) follows the apparent literal meaning, whereas its plural form in their saying "you are" (antum) is so that there remains, by their estimation, no witness for him—peace and blessings be upon him—from among the believers, as they have deemed them all claimants.
The Imam said regarding the singular address in "you bring" and the plural in "you are," that there is a subtlety: Allah the Exalted is saying, "Even if you were to bring them every sign that the messengers—peace be upon them—brought, and every sign that could possibly be brought, they would say: 'All of you, O claimants of the message, are falsifiers.'" It is not hidden that what We have mentioned is more beautiful and more subtle.
