Tafsir of Al-Ahqaf 46:17

"And he who said to his parents..."

The expression "And he who said..." refers to the tongues of the Messengers (peace be upon them). It is read as yutaqabbal (it will be accepted) in the passive voice, with ahsan (the best) in the nominative case as a substitute for the active subject (na'ib al-fa'il). Similarly, yatajawazu 'an sayyi'atihim (and He will pass over their evil deeds) is read in this manner. Al-Hasan, al-A'mash, and 'Isa read both verbs in the active voice, the subject being the Almighty, while ahsan is in the accusative case as the object.

"And he who said to his parents"—upon their inviting him to faith—"Fie on you!" (Uff lakuma). This is a sound emitted by a person when feeling distress. There are nearly forty different readings and dialects for this, which we have already noted in Surah al-Isra. The lam is for the purpose of clarifying the one to whom the distress is directed, as in the phrase hayta laka (I am for you).

The relative pronoun (alladhi) is the subject, and its predicate is "Those are the ones upon whom the word has become justified." The meaning here is generic, thus it encompasses the plural, which is why "those" (ula'ika) is used. Al-Hasan alluded to this by stating: "He is the disbeliever who is undutiful to his parents and denies the Resurrection." The fact that the verse was revealed concerning a specific person does not negate its general application, as has been established more than once.

Marwan ibn al-Hakam falsely claimed that it was revealed concerning Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both). Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) refuted him. Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Marduwayh recorded from Abd Allah that he said: "I was in the mosque when Marwan delivered a sermon, saying: 'Allah has shown the Commander of the Faithful—meaning Mu'awiyah—a good opinion regarding Yazid, that he should appoint him as his successor, just as Abu Bakr and Umar appointed successors.' Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr replied: 'Is this a Heraclian (Byzantine) tradition? By Allah, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did not place it among any of his children, nor did anyone of his household, and Mu'awiyah has only done this out of mercy and honor for his son.' Marwan replied: 'Are you not the one who said to his parents, Uff lakuma?' Abd al-Rahman answered: 'Are you not the son of the Accursed, whom the Messenger of Allah (may Allah be pleased with him and grant him peace) cursed?' Aisha heard this and said: 'Marwan, you are the one who said such-and-such to Abd al-Rahman? You have lied, by Allah. It was not revealed concerning him, but rather concerning so-and-so, son of so-and-so.'"

In a previous narration recorded by a group—and authenticated by al-Hakim—from Muhammad ibn Ziyad, it states that she denied him three times, then said: "By Allah, it is not him"—meaning her brother—"and if I wished to name the one regarding whom it was revealed, I would name him," continuing until the end of what was previously mentioned. That was an attempt to spite Abd al-Rahman and turn the people away from him so they would not heed what he said, though he had spoken only the truth. Where is Yazid, who is far above the curse, and where is the Caliphate?

Some, such as al-Suhayli in al-A'lam, agreed with Marwan in the claim that it was revealed concerning Abd al-Rahman. Even if that were accepted, there would be no meaning in such an expression—especially coming from Marwan—for the man had embraced Islam and was one of the most virtuous Companions and brave men, having performed great service for Islam at the Day of al-Yamamah and elsewhere. Islam wipes away what came before it; therefore, a disbeliever, upon accepting Islam, should not be reproached for what he used to say.

"Do you promise me that I will be brought forth"—meaning resurrected from the grave after death? Al-Hasan, 'Asim, and Abu 'Amr (in one narration), and Hisham read atu'idani by assimilating the nun of the nominative into the nun of protection. Nafi' (in one narration) and a group read it with a single nun. Al-Hasan, Shaybah, Ja'far (with a disagreement from him), 'Abd al-Warith from Abu 'Amr, Harun ibn Musa from al-Jahdari, and Bassam from Hisham read atu'idanani with two nuns without assimilation, while opening (fatha) the first nun. It is as if they fled from the sequence of two kasrahs and a ya', so they opened it for the sake of lightness. Abu Hatim said: "Opening the nun is invalid and a mistake." Some said: "Opening the dual nun is a weak dialect, and the situation here, because of the gathering (of the ya' and the nuns), made the matter lighter." Al-Hasan, Ibn Ya'mar, al-A'mash, Ibn Musarrif, and al-Dahhak read ukhraja (I will be brought forth) in the passive voice, deriving from "exit."

"While generations have passed away before me"—meaning they have gone, and no one has come out of them, nor has anyone been resurrected. The intention is the denial of the Resurrection, as it is said: "No one has come to us to inform us that he is in Paradise or Hell, since they have passed away." Sulayman al-Dimashqi said: "He intended, 'Generations have passed away before me' denying the Resurrection." Thus, the speech is like an argument for the negation of the Resurrection.

"While they both invoke the aid of Allah"—meaning they say: "We seek refuge with Allah from you." The intent is the denial and magnification of his statement, as if they were turning to Allah, the Exalted, to repel him. This is similar to saying: "I seek refuge in Allah from such-and-such," or they are requesting of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, to aid him with guidance so that he might return from his denial of the Resurrection.

"Woe to you! Believe"—meaning, as they say or as they are told. The root of "woe" (wayl) is a supplication for destruction, used in place of urging to do or leave something, signaling that what the person is committing is worthy of bringing destruction upon its perpetrator. Thus, when that is heard, it acts as an incitement to abandon his current state and adopt what will save him. It has been said that this is because it signals that the action he is being ordered to do is something to be envied, so a supplication for destruction is made against him, and when that is heard, one desires it. In any case, the intent here is urging and inciting toward faith, not a literal supplication for destruction.

"For the promise of Allah is true"—meaning the Resurrection. Attributing the promise to Him, the Exalted, is to verify the truth and alert him to his error in attributing the promise to them (the parents). Al-A'raj and 'Amr ibn Fa'id read anna with a fatha on the hamza, on the estimation of "because" (li-anna) or "believe that the promise of Allah is true." The first is considered more likely, as it allows for the reconciliation of both readings.

"Then he says"—denying them—"What is this that you both call the promise of Allah, except the legends of the ancients?"—meaning their falsehoods which they inscribed in books without having any truth to them.