Tafsir of Al-Bayyinah 98:4

“And those who were given the Scripture did not become divided until after the clear evidence had come to them.”

It is apparent that their disbelief increased at that point. Jar Allah said: The disbelievers from both groups (the People of the Scripture and the polytheists) used to say before the mission of the Prophet: “We shall not cease to be in what we are in of our religion until God Almighty sends the promised Prophet who is written in the Torah and the Gospel, who is Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace).” God Almighty recounted what they used to say, then the Exalted said: “And did not become divided…” meaning that they used to promise unity of word and agreement upon the truth when the Messenger arrived. Then, what separated them from the truth and kept them in disbelief was nothing but his arrival.

A parallel to this speech is when a poor, corrupt person says to one who advises him: “I will not cease from what I am in until God Almighty grants me wealth.” Then God Almighty grants him that, so he increases in corruption. The advisor then says: “You were not ceasing from corruption until you became wealthy, and you did not plunge your head into corruption except after wealth,” reminding him of what he used to say as a form of rebuke and binding proof. The gist is that the first (verse) is a narrative of their claim, and His saying, Exalted is He, “And did not become divided…” is a binding argument against them. God Almighty recounted their words by way of rebuke and reproach, as if saying: “This is the result.”

Its apparent meaning is that by their “division,” He meant their division away from the truth, and it is interpreted as disbelief and falsehood because it necessitates it. The lack of mention of the polytheists in His saying “And did not become divided…” is because their state is known from the state of those who were given the Scripture, a fortiori.

It is also said—and this is close to the former in one aspect and provides clarification in another—that they were not ceasing from what they were upon regarding the promise to follow the truth and believe in the Messenger sent at the end of time, until that which they had made a fixed time for agreement came to them. So they made it the time for parting and division, as the Exalted said: “And did not become divided…” The expression “ceasing” (munfakkīn) contains an indication of the confirmation of their promise. This was well-known among the People of the Scripture, to the extent that they used to seek victory, saying: “O God, grant us victory and aid us by the Prophet of the end of time.” They would say to their enemies among the polytheists: “The time of a Prophet who will emerge confirming what we said has drawn near, so we shall kill you with him as the tribes of ‘Ad and Iram were killed.”

As for the polytheists, perhaps it occurred among the later ones after it became widespread among the People of the Scripture, and they believed in its truthfulness based on what they witnessed, for example, from some among their own people who were trusted, such as Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl. He used to seek a Prophet from the Arabs, saying: “His time has drawn near,” and that he is from Quraysh, or rather from the Banu Hashim, or even the Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib. Witnessing to this is that shortly before his mission, peace be upon him, more than one of them named their son Muhammad, hoping that he would be the sent Prophet. God knows best where He places His message.

The expression of his arrival in the imperfect tense (tātīyahum) refers to the state of the narration, not the state of the time of narrating, as in His saying, Exalted is He: “And they followed what the devils recited” (i.e., recited in the past). His saying, “And did not become divided…” is speech aimed at increasing the condemnation of the People of the Scripture specifically, by explaining that what was attributed to them regarding their “ceasing” was not due to confusion in the matter, but rather after the truth was manifest, the situation was clear, and excuses were completely cut off. This is the secret in describing them as being “given the Scripture,” which indicates their perfect ability to study it and encompass the rulings and news within its folds, among which is what relates to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the truth of his mission. This is after mentioning them previously in a way that functions as a generic noun for both parties.

Since these people and the polytheists—in view of their agreement on the aforementioned opinion—are in the ruling of one group, He expressed what emanated from them after the agreement (when informing of its occurrence) as “ceasing,” and when explaining the manner of its occurrence, as “dividing,” regarding each of the two groups of the People of the Scripture as independent. This is to signal that their ceasing from the mentioned opinion was not by way of agreeing upon another opinion, but by way of old disagreement.

These two explanations are countered by the fact that there is nothing in the speech indicating that it is a narrative, except upon the intention of “ceasing from the promise to follow the truth.” Qadi ‘Abd al-Jabbar said: “The meaning is: Those who disbelieved were not ceasing from their disbelief, even if the clear evidence came to them.” The Imam countered this by saying that interpreting the word ḥattā (until) in the manner mentioned has no basis in language. Perhaps he intended that the meaning is the continuation of the negation and that there is an omission in the speech, i.e., “They were not ceasing from their disbelief at any time, up until the time the clear evidence came to them,” but he expressed it as mentioned because it is more concise. This also contains what is not hidden.

It is said the meaning is: They were not ceasing from mentioning the Messenger (may God bless him and grant him peace) with merits and virtues until he came to them; then they divided regarding him, and each of them said a falsehood about him. This is countered by it being an indication of the intention of what was estimated as the object of “ceasing.”

It is said the meaning is: They were not ceasing from their disbelief until the coming of the Messenger (may God bless him and grant him peace), then when he came to them, they divided; some believed, and some persisted in their disbelief. This is sufficient for acting according to the requirements of ḥattā. This is countered by the fact that the apparent meaning of “And did not become divided…” is a condemnation of all of them and a reproach, supported by His saying afterward: “Indeed, those who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture…” and that makes interpreting the division as “some believing and some persisting” remote.

It is said the meaning is: They were not ceasing from their disbelief in terms of hesitating in it, but were certain of it, believing in its truthfulness, until the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) came to them. At that point, their thoughts and ideas were disturbed, and each doubted his religion and his statement. This also contains what is not hidden.

It is said the meaning of “ceasing” (munfakkīn) is “perishing,” from their saying: “The woman’s hip separated (infakka) during childbirth,” meaning it detached and did not mend. The meaning would be: They were not being punished nor perishing except after the proof was established against them by sending Messengers and revealing Scriptures. Similar to this is the meaning that it is said: They were not ceasing from life (by dying and perishing) until the clear evidence came to them, which is as you see.

It is said the intent is that they did not cease from their religion in reality until the coming of the Messenger who followed the clear scrolls, which nullifies and voids it. When he came and that became clear, they ceased from it in reality, even if they remained upon it in form. This also contains what it contains.

Abu Hayyan said: The apparent meaning is “were not ceasing,” i.e., separated one from another. Rather, each of them was fixed upon what he chose for himself: this one upon his belief in his law, and that one upon his belief in his idols. The gist is that their word was united until the clear evidence came to them. “And did not become divided, those who were given [the Scripture]”—meaning, away from the polytheists—and separated from one another, so each said what he deemed as proof for the correctness of his statement. However, its arrival necessitated that they should gather to follow it. It is not hidden that his statement “rather each of them…” is subject to objection, and also interpreting “and did not become divided” in the way he did is not apparent.

Ibn ‘Atiyyah said: There is a brilliant angle here for the meaning, which is that the intent might be: These people were not ceasing from the command of God and His power and His regard until He sent a Messenger as a warner to establish the proof against them and complete the favor for those who believe in him. It is as if He said: They were not to be left in vain. There are parallels to this in the Book of God, the Majestic.

This is what we have attained in terms of question and answer, criticism and verification. Then I say: The preceding presentation of the problematic aspects is based on the school of those who uphold the concept of the limit (al-ghāyah)—and they are the majority of jurists and a group of theologians like Qadi Abu Bakr, Qadi ‘Abd al-Jabbar, Abu al-Husayn al-Basri, and others—rather than the school of those who uphold it, who are the followers of Imam Abu Hanifah and a group of jurists and theologians, which was chosen by al-Amidi. He brought evidence for it and refuted the contradictory evidence of his opponents. Upon this basis, it can be said that the Exalted first clarified the state of those who disbelieved from both groups up until the time of the arrival of the Messenger (may God bless him and grant him peace) with His saying: “The disbelievers among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not ceasing…”—meaning from what they were upon of religion according to their belief—until the Messenger came to them. Since He did not address their state after the arrival of the Messenger (peace be upon him) according to that school, He clarified it with His saying: “And did not become divided, those who were given the Scripture…”—meaning, they did not divide, so some of them recognized the truth and believed, and others recognized it and were obstinate and did not believe—at any time except after the clear evidence came to them. He omitted the mention of the state of the polytheists because it is known a fortiori from their state. Then, after that, He mentioned the state of the believers and disbelievers from both parties and what they have in the Hereafter with His saying: “Indeed, those who disbelieve…” and His saying: “Those who believe…”

What I am inclined toward from the preceding is that “ceasing” refers to the promise of following the truth. Perhaps the indication of it is a state-based context. It is possible to have another mode of guidance: that the speech is of the type of “dual attribution” (al-a‘māl). It is said that “ceasing” requires a related object (which is the thing one ceases from), and “come to them” requires a subject. There is nothing in the speech but “the clear evidence,” so each of them requires it as a subject. So make it act upon “come to them,” and omit the object of “ceasing” because it is indicated. It is as if it were said: “The disbelievers from both groups were not ceasing from the clear evidence until the clear evidence came to them.” Since the intended meaning of the “clear evidence” was the Messenger, the speech is equivalent to: “They were not ceasing from the Messenger until he came to them.” “Not ceasing from the Messenger” (while he was not present at that time) means not ceasing from mentioning him and the promise to follow him. The rest of the speech in the verse follows the same manner as previously mentioned, assuming the intention is “ceasing from what they were upon of the promise to follow the truth.” If you wish, you may say regarding His saying: “And did not become divided…” that it has the meaning: “And those who were given the Scripture did not divide away from the Messenger, and they did not cease from him by persisting in disbelief, except after the clear evidence came to them.” So reflect upon everything we have brought to you, and God Almighty knows best the secrets of His Book.