Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:47

Calling the People of the Book to Embrace the Faith, Warning them Against Doing Otherwise Allah says;

يا أيها الذين أوتوا الكتاب آمنوا بما نزلنا مصدقا لما معكم

O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you, Allah commands the People of the Scriptures to believe in what He has sent down to His servant and Messenger, Muhammad, the Glorious Book that conforms to the good news that they already have about Muhammad. He also warns them,

من قبل أن نطمس وجوها

فنردها على أدبارها

before We efface faces and turn them backwards Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas said that; `effacing' here refers to blindness

فنردها على أدبارها

(and turn them backwards), meaning, We put their faces on their backs, and make them walk backwards, since their eyes will be in their backs. Similar was said by Qatadah and Atiyah Al-Awfi. This makes the punishment even more severe, and it is a parable that Allah set for ignoring the truth, preferring the wrong way and turning away from the plain path for the paths of misguidance. Therefore, such people walk backwards. Similarly, some said that Allah's statement,

إنا جعلنا فى أعنقهم أغلﻼ فهى إلى اﻻذقن فهم مقمحون

وجعلنا من بين أيديهم سدا

(Verily, We have put on their necks iron collars reaching to the chins, so that their heads are raised up. And We have put a barrier before them) (36:8-9) that is a parable that Allah gave for their deviation and hindrance from guidance. Ka`b Al-Ahbar Embraces Islam Upon Hearing this Ayah (4:47) Ibn Jarir recorded that; Isa bin Al-Mughirah said: We were with Ibrahim when we talked about the time when Ka`b became Muslim. He said, `Ka`b became Muslim during the reign of Umar, for he passed by Al-Madinah intending to visit Jerusalem, and Umar said to him, "Embrace Islam, O Ka`b.' Ka`b said, `Do you not read in your Book,

مثل الذين حملوا التوراة ثم لم يحملوها كمثل الحمار يحمل أسفارا

(The likeness of those who were entrusted with the Tawrah, but did not carry it, is as the likeness of a donkey which carries huge burdens of books). I am among those who were entrusted with the Tawrah.' Umar left him alone and Ka`b went on to Hims (in Syria) and heard one of its inhabitants recite this Ayah while feeling sad,

يا أيها الذين أوتوا الكتاب آمنوا بما نزلنا مصدقا لما معكم

من قبل أن نطمس وجوها

فنردها على أدبارها

O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you, before We efface faces and turn them backwards. Ka`b said, `I believe, O Lord! I embraced Islam, O Lord!' for He feared that this might be struck by this threat. He then went back to his family in Yemen and returned with them all as Muslims.'' Allah's statement,

أو نلعنهم كما لعنا أصحاب السبت

or curse them as We cursed the people of the Sabbath. r efers to those who breached the sanctity of the Sabbath, using deceit, for the purpose of doing more work. Allah changed these people into apes and swine, as we will come to know in the explanation of Surah Al-A`raf. Allah's statement,

وكان أمر الله مفعوﻻ

And the commandment of Allah is always executed. means, when He commands something, then no one can dispute or resist His command. Allah Does not Forgive Shirk, Except After Repenting From it Allah said that He,