Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:94

According to some investigators, the sentence is a new statement from the Almighty, and it does not contradict His saying, "And He will not speak to them," because the intended meaning is the negation of speaking to them in a way that would benefit them, or because it is a metonymy for wrath. It is also said that it is conjoined to the saying, "The angels [say], 'Bring out...'" and is part of their speech, though this is far-fetched, even if the Imam deemed it more appropriate and stronger.

Furādā is in the accusative case as a state (ḥāl) from the pronoun of the subject. It is a plural of fard (individual) against the rules of analogy, as if it were the plural of fardān (like sakrān), according to al-Ṣiḥāḥ, with the alif being for feminization as in kasālā (lazy). The rā’ in fard is vocalized with a fatḥah according to the author of al-Durr al-Maṣūn, while he reported with a sign of weakness (tamrīḍ) that it is vocalized with a sukūn. It is transmitted from al-Rāghib that it is the plural of farīd (unique), like asīr (captive) and usārā (captives). In al-Qāmūs, it says: they came furādā, furāda, furādā, furād, furāw, furād, and fardā (like sakrā), meaning one after another. The singular forms are fard, fard, farīd, and fardān; fard is not permitted in this sense, and perhaps this meaning is not intended in the verse.

It was also read as furādā with a ḍammah on the rā’ (like rukhāl), and furād like aḥād and rubā‘ in terms of being a declined adjective. It is not a valid objection that this declined weight is specific to numbers, but rather it applies to some of its words, as al-Farrā’ and others established regarding its non-exclusivity. Yes, it is common in what was mentioned. Fardā (like sakrā) is the feminine of fardān, and the feminine is used for the plural of the possessor of the state.

(As We created you the first time) is a substitute (badal) from furādā, a total substitution, because the intent is the similarity in the aforementioned state of being alone. The kāf is a noun meaning "like"—that is, like the state in which you were born regarding being alone. It is permissible for it to be a second state (ḥāl) according to the view of one who permits multiple states without a conjunction, which is the correct view, or a state from the pronoun in furādā, making it a consecutive or overlapping state. The comparison is also in being alone. It is also possible that it is with regard to the beginning of creation—that is, resembling the beginning of your creation, meaning your state is like the state of your creation, barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised. It is also permissible for it to be an adjective of the verbal noun (maṣdar) of "you have come to Us," meaning: a coming like Our creation of you.

Ibn Abī Ḥātim and al-Ḥākim—who authenticated it—recorded from ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she recited this verse and said: "O Messenger of Allah, what a shame! Will men and women be gathered together, looking at each other's private parts?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Each person among them on that day will have a concern that will occupy him; men will not look at women, nor women at men; each will be too occupied to notice the other."

(And you have left behind what We granted you) —that is, what We gave you in the world of wealth and servants. This contains a rebuke—meaning, you were occupied by it to the neglect of the Hereafter—(behind your backs) without having sent forth any of it for yourselves. ‘Abd ibn Ḥumayd and Ibn Abī Ḥātim recorded from al-Ḥasan that he said: The son of Adam will be brought on the Day of Resurrection as if he were full of pride, and the Blessed and Exalted will say to him: "Where is what you collected?" He will say: "O Lord, I collected it and left it in its most abundant state." He will say: "Where is what you sent forth for yourself?" He will not find that he sent anything forth. Then he recited this verse.

The sentence is said to be new, or a state with the estimation of "already" (qad). And (we do not see) —that is, we do not perceive. According to what Abū al-Baqā’ established, it is a narrative of a state. To it is attached the Almighty’s saying, "(with you)," and it is not a state from the object of "we see"—meaning His saying, "your intercessors"—nor a second object. The "seeing" is cognitive. The attribution of the "intercessors" to the pronoun of the addressed refers to their claim, as is made clear by describing them with His saying, "those you claimed" in the world, "(that they were among you partners)"—that is, partners to Allah, the Almighty, in your lordship and in deserving your worship. The "claim" here is definitive for falsehood, though it can be used for the truth, as indicated previously. Among that is his saying: "You say we will perish if you perish, while the provisions of the servants are with Allah as you claim."

(Indeed, the connection between you has been severed) with the nasb of bayna—this is the recitation of ‘Āṣim, al-Kisā’ī, and Ḥafṣ from ‘Āṣim. There is disagreement regarding the parsing of this: it is said that the speech is based on the elision of the subject due to the indication of what precedes it; that is, "The matter, or the connection, between you has been severed." It is also said that the subject is the pronoun of the verbal noun (maṣdar). Abū Ḥayyān objected to this, saying it is not correct because the condition for the benefit of predication is missing, which is the distinctness between the subject and the predicate. For this reason, "he stood" (qāma) is not allowed if you intend "he, the act of standing, stood."

He was refuted by the fact that it has been heard, "The beginning has begun" (badā badā). They have also estimated in the Almighty's saying, "Then it occurred to them after they had seen the signs [that] he should surely be imprisoned" that "the occurrence occurred." Al-Safāqusī said: The one who made the subject the pronoun of the verbal noun said: The intent is that the "severing" occurred, and the distinction is achieved by this consideration. Even if granted, the "severing" considered is a reference defined by the generic alif-lām, while "severed" is indefinite, so how can it be said that the subject and predicate are identical?

It is not hidden that the view of metaphorical interpretation (ta’wīl) is mandatory given this estimation, because if "the severing" is severed, "connection" occurs, which is the opposite of the intent. It is said that bayna (between) is the subject and it remained in the accusative case, treating it according to its most frequent state; this is the school of al-Akhfash. It is also said that it is indeclinable because it is annexed to an indeclinable, and others say otherwise.

Abū Ḥayyān chose the view that the speech is from the category of tanāzu‘ (contention). The two verbs "severed" and "strayed" were given power over "what you used to claim." He acted upon the second, which is "strayed," and elided its pronoun in "severed." The intent of this is the idols. The meaning is: "Indeed, what you used to claim has been severed from between you, and they have strayed away from you," just as the Almighty said: "And the connections between them will be severed"—that is, no connection remains between you and what you used to claim were partners so that you worshipped them.

The rest of the seven recited "between you" (baynukum) with the nominative case (raf‘) as the subject. It is among the contraries, like the word qur’ (menstruation/purity), used for both connection and separation. The intent here is connection—that is, your connection has been severed and your gathering has been dispersed. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah criticized this, stating that it was not heard from the Arabs that bayn means connection, and that it was extracted solely from this verse. He was answered that it is a figurative meaning and does not depend on being heard, because bayn is used between two things that are linked—such as "between me and you is kinship, friendship, or partnership"—so it became, by that, to mean "connection." Furthermore, even if it were said to be literal in that, it would not be far-fetched; for Abū ‘Amr, Abū ‘Ubaydah, Ibn Jinnī, al-Zajjāj, and others among the masters of language reported it, and they are sufficient as authority for it. Thus, it being extracted from this verse is not conceded. According to this, it is a noun, not an adverb. It is also said that bayn here is an adverb, but the verb was ascribed to it by way of extension (ittisā‘).

‘Abdullāh recited: "Indeed, the connection between you has been severed"—with "what" (mā) being either descriptive or relative—"and strayed from you [what you used to claim]."