Tafsir of Al-Mu'minoon 23:86-92

79

That is, "If you acknowledge this, why do you not then understand chat none but Allah deserves to be worshiped and that when He has once created the earth and all the things in it, it is not difficult for Him to re-create them once again?"

80

That is, "Why are you not afraid of rebelling against Him and worshiping others besides Him? Why do you not dread that one day you shall have to give an account of all your deeds to the All-Powerful Sovereign of the universe?"

81

The word malakut in the Text is a strong word which combines both sovereignty and ownership. The verse therefore means: "Whose is the Sovereignty and Who possesses the real ownership rights over everything?"

82

In order to understand the significance of this question, we should know that the art of magic makes a thing appear different from what it really is. Thus the question will mean: "Who has bewitched you that, in spite of knowing and acknowledging all these things, you do not understand the Reality ? Who has bewitched you that even after acknowledging Allah to be the Owner and the All Powerful Sovereign, you set up other owners and sovereigns along with Him or make them partners with Him and worship them ? Who has deluded you that you should dare to be treacherous and unfaithful to Allah knowing that none can protect you against Him, and forget that you will be called to account for these things?" In this connection, it should also be noted that this question has a subtle meaning also. The Quraish accused the Holy Prophet of practicing magic and sorcery. This question turns the tables on them, as if to say, "O foolish people, the man who presents the Reality appears to you to be a sorcerer, while those leaders who say things against Reality, against common sense and against your own convictions and beliefs, do not appear to you to be sorcerers at all."

83

They are liars because they say that others besides Allah have a share in His Godhead and that there is no Life-after-death, because their first saying contradicts their own admission that Allah is the Owner and the Sovereign of the universe. Then their second assertion is based on the presumption that the All-Powerful Allah cannot recreate what He has created once. This is clearly a contradiction in terms.

84

It should be, noted that this is a general refutation of the belief that Allah has a child or children, and incidentally refutes the Christian belief that Christ is the son of God. Yet even some eminent commentators confine this to the refutation of the Christian belief. Obviously, there is no reason why it was necessary to refute the Christian belief specifically in this context, when the whole discourse has been directed towards the disbelievers of Makkah alone, who were, like the Christians, guilty of this sort of shirk.

85

Here the argument of Tauhid is based on this principle : Had there been more than one God or partners in Godhead, there would have been serious differences, conflicts and wars among the different sovereigns and rulers. See Bani Isra'il (XVII): 42 and E.N. 47 thereof, and Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 22 and E. N. 22 thereof.

86

This contains a subtle allusion to the refutation of the doctrine of "intercession". See E.N.'s 85, 86 of Ta Ha (XX) and E.N. 27 of AI-Anbiya' (XXI).