Surah Saba' 34:49
ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ
Say, "The truth has come, and falsehood can neither begin [anything] nor repeat [it]."
Tafsir of Saba' 34:49
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 34:49
{Say: The Truth has come...}
"Say: The Truth has come"—meaning: Islam and Monotheism, or the Quran. It has also been said that it refers to the sword, because the manifestation of the Truth occurs through it, though this is a view you may evaluate for yourself.
"And the Falsehood neither originates nor restores"—meaning: Disbelief and polytheism have departed and vanished such that no trace of them remains. It is derived from the death of a living being; when it dies, it retains no power of initiation—that is, performing an action initially—nor of restoration—that is, performing it a second time. It is like saying "he neither eats nor drinks," implying he is dead. Thus, the statement is a metonymy for what was mentioned, or a metaphor branching from that metonymy. They cited the lines of ‘Abid ibn al-Abras:
‘Abid’s abode is desolate of its people, So today he neither initiates nor restores.
A group stated: The "Falsehood" refers to Iblis. He is designated by this term because he is its origin and source, and in this interpretation, the speech contains no metonymy. The meaning is: He does not create a creation, nor does he restore one; or, he does not initiate any good for his followers, nor does he restore it—meaning he does not benefit them in this world or the Hereafter. It has been said that it refers to the idol, and the meaning is as you have heard. Abu Sulayman stated: The meaning is that the idol does not initiate speech on its own so that it may be answered, nor does it refute what has come of the Truth with any argument.
The particle "ma" (in "neither originates nor restores") is, in all these cases, one of negation. It has also been said that in all cases except the first, it is an interrogative particle of denial, functioning as the object of the verb that follows it—that is: "What can Falsehood initiate, and what can it restore?" Its result is negation. It is possible that the statement is a completion of what preceded it, or that it is a case of inversion and exclusion, or a concluding maxim confirming that point. Reflect upon this.