Tafsir of At-Takweer 81:29

It is narrated from Sulayman ibn Musa and al-Qasim ibn Mukhaymirah that when the verse “For whoever among you wills to take a straight course” (81:28) was revealed, Abu Jahl said, "The matter is left to us; if we will, we become upright, and if we will, we do not." So Allah the Exalted revealed: “And you do not will...” (81:29).

Regarding the syntax here, based on what we mentioned, the an (in an yasha’a) and what follows it is in the genitive case, implying the particle ba of causality. It has also been permitted that it is for accompaniment. Many have held that the exception is mufarragh (vacuous/unconstrained) from the most general of times—that is, you do not will uprightness at any time except at the time that Allah the Exalted wills your uprightness. This is based on what is transmitted from the Kufans regarding the permissibility of a source (masdar) interpreted from an and the verb standing in place of an adverb of time. However, in the eighth chapter of al-Mughni, it states that an and its connected verb do not take the rule of the masdar in standing for an adverb of time. You say, "I came to you at the time of the Afternoon Prayer (salat al-asr)," but it is not permissible to say, "I came to you [at the time] that you pray the afternoon prayer." Thus, the first [interpretation of causality] is what we mentioned earlier, and Makki favored it. The Judge (al-Qadi) favored the second [interpretation regarding time]. It has been objected to, however, by stating that ma is for negating the present and an is exclusively for the future, which necessitates that the time of His Exalted will in the future serves as an adverb for the servant's current will. The response is: We do not concede that ma is exclusively for negating the present; whoever claims such exclusivity assumes the absence of a context (qarina) indicating otherwise, and here it is not absent due to the place of an within its scope. Alternatively, [the response is] that an being for the future is conditioned upon the absence of a context to the contrary, and here it is present because of the ma preceding it, so it is purely for the sake of the masdar. It is also said that the objection is repelled by making the exception disconnected (munqati’); let it be so, although the primary rule in it is connection (ittisal), but that is of no substance. The same objection has been raised against the causal aspect we mentioned, which is that it necessitates—due to ma being for the present and an for the future—the causality of the later for the earlier. From what has been mentioned, the answer is known, as is not hidden. Reflect upon all of this; Allah the Exalted is the Guide to the clear paths.

Some of the commentators said: The sun is the sun of the spirit, the stars are the stars of the senses, and the mountains are the mountains of the molds (bodies); they move all the time, but this is only apparent to the veiled person when the covering is lifted for him. The ten-month pregnant camels (al-’ishar) are the powers of the mold; the wild beasts are the blameworthy animalistic dispositions; the seas are the seas of the natural elements; and the souls are the psychic powers. Their pairing is the linking of every power with its corresponding deed. The girl buried alive (al-maw’uda) is the divine inspirations that occur to the traveler, which he buries in the grave of the mold and darkens. The pages (al-suhuf) are as they appear, the heaven is the heaven of the chest, and the hellfire is the hellfire of the self, fueled by the fires of passion. The Garden (Paradise) is the garden of the heart; the retreating stars (al-khunnas) are the lights deposited in the heart’s powers; the night is the lights of Majesty (Jalal); and the morning is the lights of Beauty (Jamal), to the end of what he said.

One may deduce the state of one thing from another. Abu Hayyan has narrated something similar to this and followed it with a severe denunciation, but this does not hold except if one denies the intention of the literal meaning. As for when one does not deny it and considers what was mentioned and the like as being in the category of ishara (allusion), then the grounds for denunciation do not hold, as has been verified in its proper place.