Tafsir of Ghafir 40:4

"None dispute in the signs of Allah except those who disbelieve." It was revealed—according to what Abu al-Aliyah said—regarding al-Harith ibn Qays al-Sulami, one of the mockers. The "dispute" intended here is disputing with falsehood by attacking the verses, intending to invalidate the truth and extinguish the light of Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He). This is due to His saying thereafter, "And they disputed with falsehood to invalidate the truth thereby," which is mentioned to liken the state of the disbelievers of Makkah to the disbelievers of the factions (al-Ahzab) before them.

Otherwise, disputing concerning them [the verses] for the purpose of clarifying their ambiguities, resolving their difficulties, the challenging discourse of scholars in deriving their meanings, and repelling the people of deviation from them, constitutes the greatest jihad in the way of Allah (Exalted is He). In the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—which ‘Abd ibn Humid recorded from Abu Hurayrah in a marfu’ (elevated) manner: "Indeed, disputing about the Qur’an is disbelief"—there is an allusion to this; for he mentioned therein a specific, condemned type of dispute. This implies that one type of it is disbelief and misguidance, while another type is not.

The critical investigation, as stated in al-Kashf, is that disputing in (fi) a matter requires that the matter be either doubted by the disputants (or one of them) or similarly denied. In any such case, it is blameworthy—unless it is done by a monotheist against one who has exited the creed, or by a researcher against one who has deviated into innovation; in that case, it is praiseworthy with respect to one of the two parties.

As for what has been said—that research into the verses to clarify the ambiguous and the like is a dispute for them, not in them—this is because the verb jadala (to dispute) takes the preposition ‘an (for/on behalf of) when it is for the purpose of preventing or defending a thing, and it takes fi (in) for the opposite, as the Imam mentioned. It also takes bi (with), as in His saying: "And dispute with them in the way that is best." Thus, there is discussion on this point.

In His saying, "in the signs of Allah"—rather than "in them" (referring back to the Book)—there is an indication that disputing over even a single verse of it is sufficient for disbelief; so how then of one who denies it entirely and says about it what he says? It also indicates that every verse of it is from Allah (Exalted is He), who is described by those attributes; thus, it points to the severity of the obstinacy of the one who disputes in disbelief, and that he disputed concerning that which is manifest and about which there is no hiddenness.

From what has been mentioned, the connection of the verse to what precedes it becomes apparent, as does the link to His saying: "So do not be deceived by their movement in the lands..."—meaning: when you know that these people are severe in their obstinacy in disbelief, and that they have lost both this world and the Hereafter by disputing in the signs of Allah, the Exalted, the All-Knowing, and persisting in that, then do not pay heed to their being lured by the expansion of provision for them and their respite. For their end is destruction, as was done with those like them who came before, as indicated by His, the Glorified, saying: [The subsequent verses].