Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:26

(And they forbid others from it) The nominative pronoun refers to the polytheists, and the genitive pronoun refers to the Quran. It means they are not content merely with what was mentioned regarding their rejection of it and their calling it "tales of the ancients," but they also forbid people from listening to it lest they recognize its truth and believe in it. And they move far away from it (i.e., they distance themselves from it personally, as a manifestation of their intense aversion to it, and to emphasize their prohibition; for the one who forbids avoiding the forbidden thing is one of the completions of the prohibition). Perhaps this—as the Sheikh al-Islam said—is the secret behind mentioning the distancing (na'y) after the prohibition (nahy). This is the interpretation that Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Humayd, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, and others narrated from Mujahid—may Allah the Exalted have mercy on him.

It is said: The genitive pronoun refers to the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), meaning they forbid people from believing in him (peace and blessings be upon him) and they distance themselves from him. This is the interpretation narrated by Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Abu Hatim, and Marduyah via the path of Ali ibn Abi Talhah from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). It was also narrated by Ibn Jarir via the path of al-Awfi, and it is related from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, al-Suddi, and al-Dahhak.

It is also said: The nominative pronoun refers to Abu Talib and his followers or those like him, and the genitive pronoun refers to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), meaning they forbid others from harming him (peace and blessings be upon him), yet they themselves do not believe in him.

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Sa'id ibn Hilal that he said: This verse was revealed regarding the paternal uncles of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). There were ten of them, and they were the people most supportive of him in public and the most severe against him (peace and blessings be upon him) in private. It is said that the plural pronoun refers to Abu Talib alone, and it was put in the plural to magnify his action, as if it were something one person could not sustain alone. It is also said that it was placed in the position of multiple actions, similar to the saying "Qifa" (Stop, both of you) as used by al-Mazini, though its remoteness is not hidden. A group also narrated this view from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both).

It is narrated from Muqatil that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was with Abu Talib, calling him to Islam, while the Quraysh gathered around him intending evil for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). So he (Abu Talib) said, reciting poetry: By Allah, they will never reach you with their gathering Until I am laid in the earth, buried. So proclaim what you are commanded, there is no shame upon you, And rejoice, and let that cool your eyes. You invited me, and you claimed to be a sincere advisor, And you have been truthful, and you were before this trustworthy. You offered a religion which is surely From the best of the religions of humanity. Were it not for the blame or fear of mockery, You would have found me compliant and clear regarding it.

Thus, this verse was revealed. According to this view, as well as the previous one, there is an iltifat (shift in mode of address). The Imam refuted the latter view on the grounds that all the preceding verses are in condemnation of the polytheists' actions, so it would not be appropriate to mention the prohibition of harming him (peace and blessings be upon him), as that is not blameworthy. This was considered, however, by noting that the blame lies in the whole, as a collective entity. With this verse, according to this narration, some who claim that Abu Talib did not believe in the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) have provided evidence. The verification of this matter will come, if Allah the Exalted wills, in its place.

The verb na'a (to distance) is intransitive and takes the preposition 'an (from), as in the verse. It is reported from al-Wahidi that he heard it used transitively by al-Mubarrad, who recited: "O censurer, if sada (echo/thirst) happens in a far wasteland, my visitor and my kin distance themselves from me." Some explain this as being a case of omission and connection. The subtle paronomasia (tajnis) between yanhawna (they forbid) and yan'awna (they distance) is apparent. It has been recited as yanawna 'anhu.

(And they destroy none) i.e., they do not destroy by that (except their own selves) by exposing them to the severest and most hideous punishment, which is the punishment of misguidance and leading others astray. His saying, the Exalted: (but they perceive not) is a state of the pronoun in yuhlikuna (they destroy), meaning they restrict the destruction to themselves, while they are unaware—neither of their destroying themselves nor of the fact that it is restricted to them without them harming anything of the Quran or the Prophet (may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace). It was expressed as "destruction," even though what is negated regarding others is absolute harm, to indicate that what befalls them is destruction, not mere harm. Furthermore, their intent was not absolute obstruction as they mentioned, but rather they were seeking calamities for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who is the thread that strings together the pearls of the Quranic verses.

It is also permitted that the destruction is considered in relation to those whom they lead astray by their prohibition. Restricting it to themselves, then, despite it encompassing both groups, is based on treating the punishment of misguidance as equivalent to non-existence when compared to the punishment of leading others astray. The negation of "perception" (shu'ur), according to what is in al-Bahr, is more eloquent than the negation of "knowledge" ('ilm), as if it were said: "And they do not perceive that at all."