Jonah (10:94-97)

If you are in doubt...

Know that when the Almighty previously mentioned their disagreement upon receiving knowledge, He addressed the Messenger (peace be upon him) in this verse with what strengthens his heart regarding the truthfulness of the Qur'an and Prophethood, saying: {If you are in doubt about what We have revealed to you}.

There are several issues concerning this verse:

Issue 1: The Meaning of Shakk (Doubt)

Al-Wāḥidī said that the linguistic meaning of shakk (doubt) is the joining of one thing to another. It is said, shakka al-jawāhir fī al-ʿiqd (the jewels were linked/intertwined in the necklace). Similarly, shakaktu aṣ-ṣayd (I trapped the game) means I threw it and joined its limbs together. Ash-Shakā’ik (types of litters/palanquins) are those whose parts are joined. Ash-Shikāk are aligned houses. Ash-Shakā’ik also refers to false claimants (adʿiyā’) because they join themselves to a people who are not theirs (i.e., they claim affiliation). A man shakka fī as-silāḥ (doubts in his weapon) when he draws it in and joins it to himself. When they say, shakka fulān fī al-umūr (so-and-so is doubtful about matters), they mean he stands suspended between two things, where either is possible, so he joins himself to what he imagines might be the opposite.

Issue 2: Who is Addressed?

There is a difference of opinion among the exegetes regarding the addressee of this discourse.

Opinion 1: The Prophet (PBUH) is addressed. Those who hold this view differ on several points:

Point 1: The address is outwardly to the Prophet (PBUH), but the intended recipient is someone else, similar to:

• {O Prophet, fear Allah and do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites} (Al-Ahzāb: 1).
• {If you associate others [with Allah in worship], your work will surely become worthless} (Az-Zumar: 65).
• {And [mention] when Allah says, "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allah'?"} (Al-Mā’idah: 116).
• The famous proverb: "I intend you, but my neighbor is the one listening."

Evidence for this:

1. The end of the Sūrah states: {Say, "O people, if you are in doubt about my religion..."} (Jonah: 104). This shows that what was alluded to at the beginning of the verse is stated explicitly here, referring to the people.
2. If the Messenger himself doubted his own Prophethood, then the doubt of others regarding his Prophethood would be more warranted, which would invalidate the entire religious law.
3. Even if we suppose he doubted his own Prophethood, how could that doubt be removed by the reports of the People of the Book, most of whom are disbelievers? Even among those who were believers, their word is not proof, especially since it is established that what they possess of the Torah and the Gospel is largely corrupted and altered.
   • Therefore, the truth is that although the address is outwardly to the Messenger (PBUH), the intended audience is the Ummah (community). This is a common rhetorical device: when a great Sultan instructs his subjects through a commander under his banner, he addresses the commander, not the subjects directly, as this has a stronger impact on their hearts.

Point 2: Allah knew the Messenger did not doubt. Rather, the purpose was that whenever the Prophet heard this statement, he would affirm and say: "My Lord, I do not doubt, nor do I seek proof from the People of the Book; what You have revealed to me with clear proofs is sufficient for me." This is analogous to Allah asking the angels: {Were these the ones who used to worship you?} (Saba’: 40), intending for them to clearly state the truth: {Exalted are You! You are our protector, not them. Rather, they were worshipping the jinn} (Saba’: 41). Similarly, regarding Jesus (PBUH): {Did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allah'?} (Al-Mā’idah: 116), intending for Jesus to clearly disavow that.

Point 3: Muhammad (PBUH) was human, and it is permissible for distracting thoughts or troubled ideas to cross his mind. Such thoughts are only dispelled by presenting proofs and establishing clear evidence. Thus, Allah revealed this type of confirmation so that these whispers would be removed from his mind. This is analogous to: {Perhaps you would omit part of what is revealed to you, or that your breast becomes constrained by it} (Hud: 12). * I argue that the complete establishment here is that {If you are in doubt} is a conditional statement. A conditional statement does not imply that the condition has occurred or not, nor that the consequence has occurred or not. It only indicates that the nature of the condition necessitates the nature of the consequence. * The proof is: If you say, "If five were even, it would be divisible by two equal parts," this is true because it means the property of being even necessitates divisibility. However, this statement does not imply that five is even, nor that it is divisible. * Similarly, this verse indicates that if this doubt occurred, the required action would be such-and-such. But whether the doubt occurred or not is not indicated by the verse. The benefit of revealing this verse to the Messenger is that multiplying and strengthening proofs increases the certainty and tranquility of the soul. This is why Allah frequently reiterates proofs of Monotheism and Prophethood in His Book.

Point 4: The purpose of mentioning this statement is to attract the hearts of the disbelievers and bring them closer to accepting faith. They repeatedly demanded proofs of his Prophethood, and perhaps they felt shy about these repeated demands, which became a barrier to accepting faith. Allah says: {If you are in doubt about your Prophethood}, then hold fast to the few proofs—meaning, the people most entitled not to doubt are himself. Yet, if he himself sought proof for his Prophethood after the manifest signs already presented, there is no fault in it, nor does it cause any deficiency. If this is not reprehensible for him concerning himself, then it is certainly not reprehensible for others to seek proofs. Thus, the purpose of this statement is to attract the people and remove their shyness regarding engaging in further debate.

Point 5: The intended meaning is: "You are certainly not in doubt. But if you were in doubt, you have many ways to remove that doubt," similar to: {If there were within the heavens and earth any deities other than Allah, there would have been corruption in both} (Al-Anbiyā’: 22). The meaning is: If that impossible thing were to occur, it would necessitate such-and-such impossibility. Similarly here: If we suppose this doubt occurred, then refer to the Torah and the Gospel to find that this doubt is removed and this suspicion is false.

Point 6: Al-Zajjāj said that Allah addressed the Messenger in {If you are in doubt}, but this address encompasses all creation, like: {O Prophet, when you divorce women...} (At-Talaq: 1). He said this is the best opinion. Al-Qāḍī objected, saying this is far-fetched because if the Messenger is included in the address, the question returns, whether others are intended with him or not. If it is permissible for others to be intended along with him, why is it not permissible for him alone to be intended, as the outward meaning suggests? He added that such interpretations indicate a lack of deep understanding.

Point 7: The particle in (if) in {If you are in doubt} is for negation, meaning: "You were not in doubt before, so We are not commanding you to ask because you are doubtful, but rather so that you may increase in certainty," just as Abraham (PBUH) increased in certainty by witnessing the revival of the dead.

Opinion 2: The address is not to the Prophet (PBUH). The basis for this opinion is that the people in his time were divided into three groups: those who believed him, those who denied him, and those who paused, doubting him. Allah addressed these doubters, saying: "If you, O human being, are in doubt about the guidance We revealed to you through Muhammad, then ask the People of the Book to show you the truth of his Prophethood." Allah used the singular form (al-insān) while intending the plural, as in: {O human, what has deluded you concerning your Lord, the Most Generous, Who created you...} (Al-Infiṭār: 6-7) and {O human, indeed you are striving toward your Lord with effort} (Al-Inshiqāq: 6), and {And when adversity touches man...} (Az-Zumar: 49). In all these verses, a specific human is not intended, but the collective group. Similarly here. After Allah mentioned what removes their doubt, He warned them against joining the second group, the deniers, saying: {And never be among those who denied the verses of Allah, lest you become among the losers}.

Issue 3: Who is to be Asked?

There is disagreement on who is meant by {So ask those who know the Book}.

The verified scholars say they are the believers among the People of the Book, such as ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām, ‘Abdullāh ibn Sūriyā, Tamīm ad-Dārī, and Ka‘b al-Aḥbār, because their testimony is trustworthy. Others say it includes everyone, whether Muslim or disbeliever among them, because if they reach the number of tawātur (mass transmission) and recite a verse from the Torah or Gospel indicating the glad tidings of Muhammad’s advent (PBUH), the objective is achieved.

Objection: If your doctrine is that these books have undergone alteration and corruption, how can reliance be placed upon them?

Response: They only altered the verses indicating Muhammad’s Prophethood. If verses indicating his Prophethood remain, that is one of the strongest proofs of his truthfulness, because their remaining, despite their strong motivation to remove them, indicates they were extremely clear.

As for what is sought by this questioning, there are two opinions:

1. It is about the Qur'an and knowing the Prophethood of the Messenger (PBUH).
2. It refers back to His statement: {They did not differ until knowledge came to them} (Jonah: 93). The first opinion is preferable because it is more important and the need to know it is greater.

Know that after Allah established this path, He immediately followed it with: {The truth has come to you from your Lord, so never be among the doubters * And never be among those who denied the verses of Allah}. This means: be firm and steadfast in your state of having no doubt and no denial of Allah's verses. It could also be for the purpose of encouragement and showing firmness, which is why the Prophet (PBUH) said upon its revelation: "I do not doubt, nor do I ask; rather, I testify that it is the truth."

Then He said: {And never be among those who denied the verses of Allah, lest you become among the losers}.

Know that the accountable people are three categories: either believers in the Messenger, those who pause regarding his truthfulness, or deniers. There is no doubt that the status of the one who pauses is easier than that of the denier. Thus, the doubter was mentioned first with: {And never be among the doubters}, followed by mentioning the denier and clarifying that he is among the losers.

After detailing this, Allah clarified that He has servants upon whom the decree of wretchedness has been established, and they will not change, and servants upon whom the decree of honor has been established, and they will not change, saying: {Indeed, those against whom the word of your Lord is decreed will not believe}.

There are issues concerning this:

Issue 1: Kalimah (Word) vs. Kalimāt (Words)

Nāfi‘ and Ibn ‘Āmir read kalimāt (plural), while the rest read kalimah (singular). I say that it is kalimāt in terms of qualitative or categorical multiplicity, and kalimah in terms of generic unity.

Issue 2: The Meaning of the Word

The meaning of this kalimah is Allah's judgment concerning them, His report about them, and His creation within the servant of the capacity and the incentive that necessitates the occurrence of that effect. The meaning of judgment, report, and knowledge is clear. The meaning of the combination of capacity and incentive is also clear, because when capacity is suitable for both sides, neither side is preferred over the other except by a deciding factor (murajjiḥ), which must ultimately be from Allah to avoid infinite regress. Upon the existence of this combination, the action becomes obligatory. Our companions (the Ash‘arites) use this verse as proof for the validity of their position regarding the establishment of necessary decree (qaḍā’ lāzim) and obligatory destiny (qadar wājib), which is true and inescapable.

Then Allah Almighty said: {Even if every sign came to them until they saw the painful punishment}. This means they will absolutely not believe, even if unlimited and countless proofs came to them. This is because guidance through a proof only occurs with Allah's assistance; if that assistance is withheld, those proofs are lost.

The Third Story

Among the stories mentioned in this Sūrah is the story of Jonah (peace be upon him):

{Then why was there not a single town that believed so that its faith would benefit it, except for the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the worldly life and gave them enjoyment for a while.} (Jonah: 98)