Tafsir of Ibraheem 14:28-30

Ibrahim (Verses 28-30)

[28] Have you not seen those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief?

Know that the Almighty has returned to describing the state of the disbelievers in this verse.

This verse was revealed concerning the people of Mecca, whom Allah had settled in His safe sanctuary (Haram), made their livelihood abundant, and sent Muhammad (PBUH) to them. Yet, they did not recognize the value of this favor. Then, Allah recounted types of ugly deeds from them.

The First Type: His saying: {exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief} (بدلوا نعمت الله كفرا). There are several interpretations for this:

1. It means they exchanged the thanksgiving due for Allah's favor with disbelief. Since thanksgiving was obligatory due to that favor, they brought forth disbelief instead, as if they changed gratitude into disbelief and utterly substituted it.
2. It means they exchanged the favor of Allah itself for disbelief. Because when they disbelieved, Allah withdrew that favor from them, leaving disbelief behind as a substitute for the favor.
3. It means Allah favored them with the Messenger and the Qur'an, but they chose disbelief over faith.

The Second Type: What Allah recounted about them: {and brought their people down to the House of Destruction} (وأحلوا قومهم دار البوار).

• Al-Bawār means ruin/destruction. It is said of a man: bā'ir (ruined) and of a people: būr (ruined). This is supported by His saying: {and you were a people ruined} (Al-Fatḥ: 12).
• The intended meaning of the House of Destruction (dār al-bawār) is Hellfire, as evidenced by the subsequent explanation: {Hellfire, into which they will burn, and wretched is the resting place} (جهنم يصلونها وبئس القرار). Al-Qarār (resting place) is a verbal noun used as a name for the place.

The Third Type: Among their ugly deeds is His saying: {and they set up rivals for Allah to lead [people] astray from His path} (وجعلوا لله أندادا ليضلوا عن سبيله). This involves several issues:

Issue 1: When Allah recounted that they exchanged Allah's favor for disbelief, He mentioned that after disbelieving in Allah, they set up rivals (andād) for Him.

• The meaning of "setting up" (jaʿl) here is judgment, belief, and speech.
• The meaning of rivals (andād) is peers and partners. This partnership can be understood in several ways:
  1. They allocated a share of what Allah had bestowed upon them to idols, such as saying, "This portion is for Allah, and this portion is for our partners."
  2. They associated idols with the Creator of the universe in acts of worship (ʿubūdiyyah).
  3. They openly affirmed partners for Allah, as in their saying during the Hajj: "Here I am, O Allah, no partner do you have except a partner that is yours, you own it and it does not own [anything]."

Issue 2: Ibn Kathir and Abu ʿAmr recited {li-yaḍillū} (ليضلوا) with a fatḥa on the yā' (from ḍalla, meaning 'to go astray'—they themselves go astray). The rest recited it with a ḍammah on the yā' (from aḍalla, meaning 'to cause others to go astray'—they cause others to go astray).

Issue 3: The lām in {to lead astray from His path} (li-yaḍillū ʿan sabīlih) can be the lām al-ʿāqibah (the lām of consequence). Worshipping idols is a means that leads to misguidance. It could also be the lām al-keyy (the lām of purpose), meaning they set up rivals so that they might lead others astray.

• If read with the ḍammah (causing others to stray), it admits both interpretations.
• If read with the fatḥa (straying themselves), it only admits the lām al-ʿāqibah, as they did not intend their own misguidance.
• The reality of the lām al-ʿāqibah is that the intended goal is only achieved in the final stages, as it is said: "The beginning of thought is the end of action." Everything that occurs in consequence resembles the intended matter in this sense. This resemblance is one of the factors that validates the soundness of metaphor, which is why it is appropriate to mention the lām for the consequence.

When Allah recounted these three types of ugly deeds, He said: {Say, "Then enjoy yourselves, for indeed, your destination is the Fire."} (قل تمتعوا فإن مصيركم إلى النار).

• This means that whatever the state of the disbeliever in this world, relative to the punishment they will face in the Hereafter, it is merely enjoyment and pleasure. For this reason, He said: {Say, "Then enjoy yourselves, for indeed, your destination is the Fire."}
• Furthermore, this address is directed to those whom Allah recounted as having exchanged Allah's favor for disbelief. They were indeed in many blessings in the world, so it is fitting for His saying to be: {Say, "Then enjoy yourselves, for indeed, your destination is the Fire."}
• This command is known as the command of threatening (amr al-tahdīd), similar to His saying: {Do whatever you will} (Fuṣṣilat: 40), and {Say, "Enjoy your disbelief for a little while; indeed, you are of the companions of the Fire"} (Az-Zumar: 8).

[31]

{Say, "For My servants who have believed, establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them, secretly and publicly, before a Day comes when there will be no transaction, no friendship."}