Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:33

Al-An'am: (33) "We know indeed that..."

(We know indeed that what they say grieves you): A resumption of speech initiated to console the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) regarding the grief that overwhelms him—peace be upon him—due to what has been narrated about the disbelievers' persistence in denial and exaggeration. The word qad (indeed) is for intensification. As al-Halabi stated, in refuting the objection of Abu Hayyan, this relates to the objects of knowledge, not knowledge itself, for the attribute of the Eternal (Allah) does not accept increase or intensification, otherwise it would necessitate its being originated (huduth), which implies the origination of the One in whom it subsists—the Exalted and Most High. Al-Safaqsi said: "Intensification is correct considering the known information, and the content within the scope of knowledge here is vast, based on the fact that the mentioned verb indicates continuous renewal." They cited the saying of al-Hudhali as evidence for its ability to convey this: "I often leave the equal in combat with yellowed fingers / as if his garments were dyed with mulberry juice."

Abu Hayyan claimed that its use for intensification is a view not held by the majority of grammarians, even if some have asserted it. He argued that the speech of Sibawayh—where he says, "And qad is in the position of rubba (perhaps/often)"—is not a definitive text for that. Furthermore, what they used as evidence for their claim had the sense of intensification understood only from the context of the speech, including the line of poetry, for pride is only achieved by the frequent occurrence of that which one boasts about. Some scholars of verification mentioned that the truth is what Ibn Malik said: that Sibawayh’s generalization that it is in the position of rubba necessitates equating them in minimization, and referring it to the past; the poem is evidence for this, as pride occurs by the brave man defeating his opponent, and his garments being stained with blood on some occasions.

Abu Hayyan’s statement that pride is only achieved through the frequency of an occurrence, etc., is not accepted in its absolute sense; rather, it applies to what occurs frequently. As for that which is rare, one boasts of its occurrence, for if the brave man's opponent were frequently defeated, he would not be an "equal" (qarn). For qarn (with a kasrah on the qaf and a sukun on the ra) means the resistor or the equal. In the Qamus, it is stated: "Your equal in bravery or more generally." Thus, its wording, upon close inspection, requires that he be defeated only rarely; otherwise, he would not be an equal, and the beginning of the speech would contradict its end.

Al-Tibi claimed that the word qad is for minimization, and it is sometimes intended to mean its opposite in certain places, which is of the category of borrowing one of two opposites for the other. The point here is to console the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) regarding the harm and denial of his people. It means: "It is your right, as you are the master of the Messengers of firm resolve (ulu al-'azm), not to complain much about the harm of your people, and for Allah the Almighty not to know from your expression of complaint except a little." It may also be a mockery of the deniers and a rebuke for them.

Some have specified that qad here is for minimization, meaning that what they are engaged in is the least of His (the Exalted) knowledge. The pronoun in innahu (it) is the "pronoun of the affair" (dhamir al-sha'n), and it is the subject of inna, while its predicate is the sentence explaining it. The relative pronoun (alladhi) is the agent of yahzunuka (grieves you), and its object is omitted, meaning: "that which they say," which is what has been narrated about them, namely their saying: "This is nothing but the myths of the ancients," or it includes that and their other ravings. The sentence innahu... fills the place of the two objects of ya'lam (knows).

Nafi' read li-yuhzinaka (to cause you grief) from ahzana, which is the transitive form derived from the intransitive hazana. His saying—the Exalted—"For indeed they do not call you a liar" is a justification for what the preceding speech suggests regarding the prohibition of taking their words to heart, through consolation by highlighting his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reaching the zenith of greatness and nobility, which has no beyond. He negated their denial—may Allah strike them—of him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and affirmed it for the signs of Allah the Almighty, in the manner of His saying—the Exalted—"Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are actually pledging allegiance to Allah," signaling perfect proximity and the vanishing of his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) affairs into the affair of Allah—the Might and Majestic. This also contains a magnification of their crime, signifying the magnitude of their punishment. It is as if it were said: "Do not take it to heart; entrust it to Allah, for in their denial, they do not call you a liar in truth, but the wrongdoers reject the signs of Allah."

That is, they deny His signs, may He be exalted. The explicit noun was placed in the position of the pronoun to register against them their persistence in wrongdoing, of which this denial is one of its branches. It is said: If "wrongdoing" is intended in its absolute sense, the placement is to indicate that this is their habit and practice, and that it is the cause of their denial, because attributing a ruling to a derivative (mushtaq) implies the causality of the root. If a specific wrongdoing is intended, then it is identical to the denial itself, and occurs through it, such as "You wronged yourselves by taking the calf." Thus, the subject points to the basis for the predicate, as in the poet's saying: "Indeed, He who raised the sky built for us a house whose pillars are mightier and taller."

It is said: If the "al" in al-zalimin (the wrongdoers) is a relative pronoun, and the active participle indicates occurrence, the speech indicates the causality of denial for wrongdoing. If it is the definite article and the active participle indicates permanence, it indicates the causality of wrongdoing for denial—the weakness of which is not hidden. The shift to the Majestic Name (Allah) is to cultivate awe and to magnify what they have embarked upon. The mention of "denial" (juhud) in the place of "calling a liar" (takdhib) is to signify that His signs, the Exalted, are of such clarity that everyone witnesses their truth, and that whoever denies them does so by way of stubborn rejection (juhud). Juhud is like the denial of what is in the heart—to prove its stability, or to prove what is in the heart's denial. The ba in bi-ayati Allah relates to yajhadun. Juhud can be transitive by itself, and the ba is used, so one says jahadahu haqqahu (he denied him his right) and bi-haqqihi (concerning his right), which is what the manifest speech of al-Jawhari and al-Raghib requires. It is said that it is only transitive by itself, and the ba is here to imbue it with the meaning of takdhib (denying/calling a liar). Regardless, placing the prepositional phrase first is in observance of the verse endings or for the sake of restriction.

Al-Tabrisi narrated from Abu Ali that the prepositional phrase relates to al-zalimin, but this is obscure. What was mentioned—that the fa is to justify what the speech suggests—is what some researchers have established. It is also said that it is a justification for His saying, the Exalted, "We know indeed...", based on the meaning of "Do not grieve," just as it is said in the position of prevention and restraint: "We know what you are doing." It is as if it were said: "Do not grieve at what they say, for the denial is in reality against Me, and I am the Forbearing, the Patient, so take on My attributes." It is possible the meaning is: "It grieves you because it is a denial of Me," so you did not grieve for yourself, but for what is more important and greater. It is not hidden that this is contrary to the apparent meaning.

It is said: The meaning is "for they do not call you a liar in their hearts, but they deny with their tongues." This was narrated from Qatada and others. It is supported by what al-Suddi narrated: Al-Akhnas ibn Shariq and Abu Jahl met, and al-Akhnas said to Abu Jahl: "O Abu al-Hakam, tell me about Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), is he truthful or a liar? For there is no one here to hear your words but me." Abu Jahl said: "By Allah, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is indeed truthful, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has never lied. But if the Banu Qusay take the standard, the provision, the custody of the Kaaba, the council, and the Prophethood, what will be left for the rest of Quraysh?" So Allah the Almighty revealed this verse. Similarly, what al-Wahidi extracted from Muqatil: "Al-Harith ibn 'Amir ibn Nawfal ibn 'Abd Manaf ibn Qusay ibn Kilab used to call the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) a liar in public, but when he was alone with his family, he would say: 'Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is not of the liars, and I do not think of him except as truthful.'" So Allah the Almighty revealed the verse.

It is said: The meaning is that their intention is not to call you a liar because you are known to them for truthfulness, but they intend to deny Me and reject My signs. This is attributed to al-Kisa'i and supported by what al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim extracted, and authenticated, from Ali (may Allah honor his face) that Abu Jahl used to say to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "We do not call you a liar, and you are indeed truthful to us, but we deny what you have brought to us," so it was revealed. Similarly, al-Wahidi extracted from Abu Maysara. Al-Radi objected to this view by saying that it is not permissible for them to consider him truthful in his own person and yet deny what he brought, because it is known that he (peace and blessings be upon him) bore witness to the validity of what he brought, and its truth, and that it is the upright religion and the truth from which one may not deviate. So how can he be truthful in his report while what he brought is false? Rather, if he is truthful, then what he brought is true; if what he brought is false, he must be a liar in it.

Our master Sinan said that the essence of the meaning is: they do not call you a liar in the reality of the matter because they say you are truthful, but they imagine that some kind of defect has afflicted your mind—far be you from that—so it was imagined to you that you are a Prophet, and the matter is not such, and what you brought is not true. Al-Tibi said: "They mean: you do not lie because you are the Truthful, the Trustworthy, but what you brought is magic." From this, the answer to al-Radi's objection is known, so reflect.

It is said: The meaning of the verse is that they do not call you a liar in that which agrees with their scriptures, even if they call you a liar in other things. It is also said: The meaning is that they do not all call you a liar, even if some of them do, and those are the "wrongdoers" mentioned in this verse. On this basis, the mention of "the wrongdoers" is not a placement of an explicit noun in place of a pronoun. Other things have been said, and it is not hidden what is more befitting to the eloquence of the Revelation.

Nafi', al-Kisa'i, and al-A'mash from Abu Bakr read la yukadhdhibunaka (they do not call you a liar) from al-ikdhab (the act of finding/declaring someone a liar). This is the reading of Ali (may Allah honor his face) and it was also narrated from Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him). The majority said both mean the same, like akthara and kathara (to multiply), and anzala and nazzala (to send down). It is said: the meaning of akdhabtuhu is "I found him a liar," like ahmadtuhu (I found him praiseworthy). Ahmad ibn Yahya narrated from al-Kisa'i that the Arabs say kadhaba with a shaddah (emphasis) if you attribute lying to him, and akdhabtuhu if you attribute lying to what he brought instead of him.