Jonah: (65-66) And let not their saying grieve you...

Know that when the people presented the various doubts mentioned previously in this Surah, which God answered with the explanations we have detailed, they resorted to another path: threatening, frightening, and claiming that they were people of influence and wealth, and thus they would strive to overpower you and nullify your cause. God Almighty responded to this by saying: {And let not their saying grieve you. Indeed, all honor belongs to Allah.}

A person is only grieved by the threats, warnings, schemes, and plots of others if he assumes they have the power to affect his condition. When he knows, through the Knower of the Unseen, that these things have no effect, they cease to be a cause for his grief. Furthermore, just as God removed the Prophet's grief concerning the Hereafter by saying, {Behold, the allies of Allah—no fear will come upon them, nor will they grieve} (Jonah: 62), He also removed his worldly grief by saying, {And let not their saying grieve you. Indeed, all honor belongs to Allah.} Since it is God who sent him to the people and commanded him to invite them to this religion, He will inevitably be his supporter and helper. Since it is established that all honor, might, and victory belong only to Him, security is achieved and fear is removed.

If it is asked: How did God assure him of safety while he still experienced fear, necessitating emigration and flight, and continuing to face fear situation after situation?

We reply: God promised him absolute victory and support, but the specific time was not designated. Therefore, at every moment, he feared that this particular moment might not be the appointed time, which would then result in defeat and collapse at that time.

As for His saying, {Indeed, all honor belongs to Allah}, there are several discussions regarding it:

First Discussion: Al-Qadi stated that the word ‘Izzah (honor/might) must be read with a kasra (short 'i' sound) on the alif (i.e., al-‘izzatu). Reading it with a fathah (long 'a' sound, al-‘āzzatu) approaches disbelief, because it would imply that the people were saying, "Indeed, al-‘āzzatu belongs to Allah," while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was grieved by that statement. However, when the alif is kasra (as in al-‘izzatu), it constitutes a new, independent clause, which demonstrates the virtue of knowledge of Arabic grammar (I'rāb). The author of Al-Kashshāf said that Abu Haywah recited it with a fathah on the alif ({إن العزة}), interpreting it as an elliptical construction where the lām (of causation) is omitted, meaning: "because the honor belongs to Allah."

Second Discussion: The benefit of {Indeed, all honor belongs to Allah} in this context involves several points:

1. It means that all honor, power, and might belong exclusively to Allah, and He grants what He wills to His servants. The purpose here is that He does not grant the disbelievers power over you; rather, He grants you power over them, making you mightier than them through Him. Thus, God assured him of safety from the harm of the disbelievers through killing and injury. Similar verses are {Allah has decreed, "I will surely prevail, I and My messengers"} (Al-Mujadila: 21) and {Indeed, We will surely support Our messengers} (Ghafir: 51).
2. Al-Asamm said that the meaning is that the polytheists boast of their large numbers of servants and wealth, using them to frighten you. All those things belong to Allah, and He is capable of stripping them of all those things and granting you victory, transferring their wealth and homelands to you.

If it is asked: Doesn't the statement {Indeed, all honor belongs to Allah} contradict His statement {And to Allah belongs all honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers} (Al-Munafiqun: 8)?

We reply: There is no contradiction, because the honor of the Messenger and the believers is entirely derived from Allah; thus, it ultimately belongs to Allah.

As for His saying, {He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing}: meaning He hears what they say and knows what they resolve, and He will recompense them accordingly.

As for His saying, {Behold, to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth}: There are two interpretations:

1. In the preceding verses, God mentioned, {Behold, to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth} (Jonah: 61), which indicates that everything non-rational is the property and possession of God. Here, however, the word {من} (man - who/those who) is specific to rational beings. This indicates that all rational beings are included under the dominion and possession of God. Thus, the combination of the two verses indicates that everything—rational and non-rational—is His property and possession.
2. The meaning of {من فى السماوات} (those in the heavens) refers to the rational, discerning beings: the angels and the two weighty species (humans and jinn). They are singled out to indicate that if these beings belong to Him and are in His possession, then inanimate objects are even more deserving of this servitude. This serves as a refutation of those who make idols partners with God.

Then God Almighty said: {And what do those who invoke partners besides Allah follow? They follow nothing but conjecture}. Regarding the word {ما} (mā), there are two opinions:

1. It is a negation and denial. The meaning is that they do not follow a partner of God; rather, they follow something they thought was a partner of God. An example is if one of us thought Zayd was in the house when he was not, and then addressed a person in the house whom he mistook for Zayd; it would not be said that he addressed Zayd, but rather that he addressed the one he thought was Zayd.
2. The {ما} is interrogative, as if asking: What do those who invoke partners besides Allah follow? The intent is to condemn their action, meaning they are following nothing substantial.

Then God Almighty said: {They follow nothing but conjecture}. This means they only follow their false assumptions and corrupt illusions. He then clarified that this conjecture has no validity: {and they do nothing but lie/guess}. We have previously explained the meaning of kharṣ (lying/excessive guessing) in Surah Al-An'am regarding the verse, {They follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but lie} (Al-An'am: 16).

{7} {It is He who made for you the night that you may rest therein and the day, seeing. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen.}