Tafsir of Fussilat 41:14

"When the messengers came to them" (meaning: came to 'Ad and Thamud). This constitutes using the plural to refer to two [groups], which is common [in the language]. Likewise [is the word] "messengers." It has been said: it is possible that it encompasses the messenger of the messenger. Regarding the first [interpretation], it was permitted that it be in consideration of the individuals of the two tribes.

They mentioned several facets regarding the syntax of "id" (when):

1. It is an adverbial [modifier] for "I have warned you."
2. It is an adjective for the first "thunderbolt." This has been countered by the necessity that His peace and blessings be upon him's warning and the thunderbolt with which he warned occur at the same time the messengers came to 'Ad and Thamud, which is not the case.
3. It is an adjective for the second "thunderbolt." This was objected to on the grounds that it necessitates omitting the relative pronoun along with part of its relative clause, which is not permitted according to the Basrans, or [it necessitates] describing a definite noun with an indefinite one.
4. Abu Hayyan chose this: it is governed by the "thunderbolt of 'Ad and Thamud," based on the view that what is intended is the punishment; otherwise, in its known sense, it is a body that the adverb cannot govern, and there is an obvious issue with this.
5. Many have chosen this: it is a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for the thunderbolt, because it is definite by way of the genitive construction (idafah). Some also considered it to be a circumstantial qualifier for the first [thunderbolt] as well, because it is specified by the description, [and thus] specified by the genitive construction. There are, therefore, six facets.

His saying, Exalted is He: "from before them and from behind them" relates to "came to them," and the pronoun attached to it refers to 'Ad and Thamud. The two directions are a metonymy for all directions, as is known in such cases—meaning, the messengers came to them from all their directions. The intention behind their coming from all directions is the exertion of effort in calling them, by way of metonymy. It is also permissible that "before them" signifies the past and "behind them" signifies the future, or vice versa; the spatial adverb has been metaphorically used for time. The meaning is: they came to them with a warning regarding what befell their likes among the disbelievers in the past, and a caution against what will encompass them in the hereafter. This was narrated from al-Hasan.

It is also permitted that the attached pronoun refers to the messengers, with the meaning: the former and latter messengers came to them, by treating the arrival of their words and their call to the Truth as equivalent to the arrival of their very selves. For Hud and Salih were calling them to believe in them and in all the messengers who came from before them and who would come from behind them; so it is as if the messengers came to them and addressed them with His saying: "that you worship none but Allah." This view was narrated from Ibn Abbas and al-Dahhak, and al-Farra’ leaned towards it. Some eminent scholars asserted that "from before them" is a circumstantial qualifier for the messengers, not related to "came to them," and the pluralization of messengers in this view is apparent. It has also been said: it is possible that the messengers being "from before them and from behind them" is a metonymy for abundance, like His saying: "Its provision comes to it in abundance from every place."

Al-Tabari said: The pronoun in His saying "from before them" refers to 'Ad and Thamud, and in His saying "from behind them" it refers to the messengers. This was countered in al-Bahr by the fact that it is a departure from the apparent meaning in splitting the referents of the pronouns and obscuring the meaning, for the estimation would become: "the messengers came to them from before them, and they came to them from behind the messengers," i.e., from behind themselves. This is a meaning that is not intelligible, unless the pronoun in "from behind them" refers to the messengers in wording, while referring to other messengers in meaning. It would then be like saying: "I have a dirham and half of it," meaning half of another dirham. The weakness of this is obvious.

'Ad and Thamud were singled out from the destroyed nations because of the Quraysh's knowledge of their situation and their familiarity with their lands in Yemen and al-Hijr.

"That" (an) can be explanatory for the coming of the messengers because it occurs through revelation and religious laws, thus containing the meaning of speech. "Do not" (la) is prohibitive. It could also be the infinitive particle (masdariyyah), and "la" remains prohibitive. The infinitive particle may be connected to a prohibition just as it is connected to a command, though there is debate regarding this. Al-Hawfi took "la" to be negative and "an" to be governing the verb in the accusative. It is also said that it is the "lightened" form of the heavy anna, and with it is an omitted pronoun of the matter (dhamir al-sha'n). This was objected to on the grounds that it only occurs after verbs of certainty, and the predicate of the anna class cannot be a command except through interpretation. This may be repelled by the assumption of a verbal verb, and that the coming of the messengers is like revelation in meaning, so it is like it in the occurrence of an after it, due to its inclusion of that which signifies certainty, as al-Radi and others pointed out. The forced nature of this, which is unnecessary, is evident. Under the probability of it being an infinitive or lightened, the speech is estimated with a preposition, i.e., "[conveying] that you should not worship but Allah."

"[They] said: 'If our Lord had willed...'" The object of the will is omitted. Al-Zamakhshari estimated it as "sending messengers," i.e., "if our Lord had willed the sending of messengers, He would have sent down angels"—meaning He would have sent them. However, since their sending was by way of warning, it was said [He would have sent down]. It is said: He did not estimate the sending down of angels based on the fact that the common practice is to estimate the object of the will after the conditional law from the substance of the condition, because it is devoid of expressing what they intended of denying His sending of human beings; yet, the common practice is not universal. Abu Hayyan said: The estimation is "If our Lord had willed the sending down of angels with the message from Him to human beings, He would have sent them with it to them." This is more eloquent in the impossibility [of their claim] than the sending of humans, for they linked it to the sending down of angels, and He—Glorified is He—did not will that, so how would He will it for human beings? This is a sound perspective.

"For we, in that which you have been sent with, are disbelievers"—that is, with that which you claim you have been sent with. In this is a type of mockery of them.

(14)

"Because you are humans like us, having no superiority over us." The fa is the fa of consequence or causality. Thus, the speech contains an allusion to a deductive syllogism, meaning: "But He did not send [angels]." It is also permissible for it to be explanatory for their conditional statement, meaning: "We only said that because we are disbelievers in what you have been sent with, just as we deny your messengership." And "what" (ma), as we pointed out, is a relative pronoun. That it is an infinitive particle, and that the pronoun "with it" (bihi) refers to their statement "that you worship none but Allah," is contrary to the apparent meaning.

Al-Bayhaqi in al-Dala'il and Ibn 'Asakir narrated from Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah, who said: Abu Jahl and the notables of Quraysh said: "The affair of Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—has confused us. If you would seek out a man learned in sorcery, soothsaying, and poetry, and he speaks to him and then brings us a clarification regarding his affair..." 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah said: "By God, I have heard poetry, soothsaying, and sorcery, and I have gained knowledge of that, and it is not hidden from me if [his speech] is of that kind." So he went to him and said: "O Muhammad, are you better, or is Hashim? Are you better, or is 'Abd al-Muttalib?" He did not answer him. He said: "Why do you insult our gods and declare our forefathers to be misguided? If you only desire leadership, we will bind our banners for you. If you desire wealth, we will collect from our wealth what will suffice you and your descendants after you. And if you desire marriage, we will marry you to ten women, choose whichever of the daughters of Quraysh you wish." The Messenger of Allah—may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—was silent and did not speak. When he finished, he—peace and blessings be upon him—said: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Ha Mim. A revelation from the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. A Book whose verses have been detailed, an Arabic Qur'an." He recited until he reached: "But if they turn away, then say: 'I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of 'Ad and Thamud'." 'Utbah placed his hand over the mouth of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—and adjured him by kinship to stop. He returned to his family and did not go out to the Quraysh. When he did not appear to them, Abu Jahl said: "O assembly of Quraysh, I see nothing of 'Utbah but that he has inclined toward Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—and he liked his food; and that is only due to the need that has befallen him. Let us go to him." They went to him, and Abu Jahl said: "By God, O 'Utbah, we only thought that you had inclined toward Muhammad and that his affair pleased you. If you are in need, we will collect from our wealth what will make you independent of Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him." He became angry and swore by Allah, the Exalted, that he would never speak to Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—ever again. He said: "You know that I am the wealthiest of Quraysh, but I went to him and he recounted the story to them. He answered me with something—by God, it is not sorcery, nor poetry, nor soothsaying. He recited 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Ha Mim. A revelation from the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. A Book whose verses have been detailed, an Arabic Qur'an' until he reached 'I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of 'Ad and Thamud.' So I placed my hand over his mouth and adjured him by kinship, and he stopped. You know that Muhammad—may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—when he says something, he does not lie, and I feared that the punishment would descend upon you."