Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:123

"And thus We have placed in..."

It is said: Just as We placed the great ones of its criminals in Makkah so that they might plot therein; or just as We made the deeds of the people of Makkah adorned for them, so have We placed in every town, etc. Imam al-Razi leaned toward these two possibilities.

Many have taken ja‘alna (We placed/made) as a verb transitive to two objects. There is disagreement regarding the determination of these two objects. It is said: fi kulli qaryatin (in every town) is the second object, and akabira mujrimiha (the great ones of its criminals) in the genitive construction (idafa) is the first. It is also said: akabiru (the great ones) is the first object, and mujrimuha (its criminals) is an appositive (badal) to it. Another view is that akabiru is the second object and mujrimuha is the first, because it is definite (ma‘rifah), and therefore it must be the subject according to the original structure; the estimation being: ja‘alna mujrimihim akabira (We made its criminals [to be] great ones), so the prepositional phrase attaches to the verb.

Abu Hayyan objected to mujrimuha being an appositive to akabiru or an object, calling it an error and a lapse in grammatical rule—namely, that the superlative af‘al (elative) must remain in the singular and masculine form if it is followed by a min (comparative) that is explicit or implicit, or if it is in an idafa construction to an indefinite noun, regardless of whether it refers to a singular masculine or otherwise. If it matches its qualifier in gender or number, it must be accompanied by either al- (the definite article) or an idafa to a definite noun. In both interpretations, akabiru remains in the plural form, and it is neither made definite by al- nor in an idafa to a definite noun, which is impermissible.

Al-Shihab refuted him, saying: It is invalid, because akabiru (great ones) and asagiru (small ones) are treated as nouns, for they carry the meaning of "leaders," as Al-Raghib has stated. What he [Abu Hayyan] mentioned only applies when it retains its original meaning. This is supported by Ibn ‘Atiyyah, who said akabiratan (the great ones), just as one says ahmaru and ahamiratan (red/reds), as the poet said: Indeed, the three reds have struggled.

Although Abu Hayyan rejected this on the grounds that he did not know of any linguist or grammarian who permitted the pluralizing of afdal as afadilatan, there is room for debate. As for the reply that it is based on the ellipsis of a definite genitive noun because it is understood—i.e., akabiru al-nas (the great ones of the people) or akabiru ahli al-qaryah (the great ones of the people of the town)—its weakness is manifest.

The apparent view of Al-Zamakhshari is that the prepositional phrase is non-essential (laghw) and that akabiru is the first object, in an idafa construction with mujrimiha, and li-yamkuru (that they may plot) is the second object.

Some allowed that ja‘ala is transitive to only one object, under the interpretation that the "placing" means empowerment—in the sense of settling them in a place and housing them there—and its object is akabira mujrimiha via the idafa. It is understood from the words of some that the possibility of idafa only holds under the interpretation of "We empowered them." This is not free from some agitation.

The second master (Al-Khafaji), after listing several views, said: What sound reasoning dictates is that fi kulli qaryatin is non-essential, akabira mujrimiha is the first object, and li-yamkuru is the second. Its elegance is hidden, but it is built upon the assumption that the "thus" (al-kaf) refers to one of the two possibilities indicated earlier. Sheikh al-Islam disputed this and claimed that the closest interpretation is that what is referred to is the well-known disbelievers, considering their possession of those attributes, and the singular/plural forms are considered with respect to the group or the mentioned party. The position of the kaf is in the accusative as the second object of ja‘alna, brought forward to denote exclusivity, as in His, the Exalted’s, saying: "Even so were you before." The first object is akabira mujrimiha, and the prepositional phrase is non-essential. That is: Just as those disbelievers who are the leaders of Makkah and its criminals were, We have placed in every town its great criminals—meaning, We have made them characterized by the attributes of those mentioned, their deeds adorned for them, persisting in falsehood, arguing with it against the truth, so that they may plot therein. This is quite remote.

The specification of the "great ones" is because they are more capable of leading people astray and plotting against them. It was recited as akbara mujrimiha (the greatest of its criminals). This is a consolation for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

His, the Exalted’s, saying: "And they do not plot except against themselves" is an interjection in the manner of a promise to him, peace be upon him, and a threat to the plotting disbelievers. That is: No consequence of their plot shall befall anyone but themselves, "while they do not perceive." This is a state (hal) from the pronoun in yamkurun (they plot). That is: They only plot against themselves, while they do not perceive that at all; rather, they imagine that they are plotting against others.