Tafsir of Ibraheem 14:46

Surah Ibrahim (14:46)

(46) And they plotted a plot, but with Allah is [the result of] their plot.

It is stated that after mentioning their punishment, the Almighty followed it by mentioning the manner of their plotting, saying: {And they plotted a plot}. In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The Referent of the Pronoun in {And they plotted}

There are different views regarding what the pronoun in {And they plotted} refers to:

1. The Dwellers of the Wrongdoers' Habitats: This is considered the correct view, as the pronoun should refer back to the nearest mentioned subject, which are those who inhabited the dwellings of those who wronged themselves (mentioned previously).
2. The People of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): This view is supported by the preceding verse, {And warn the people} (Ibrahim: 45). The meaning would be: "O Muhammad, your people plotted their plot." This plot refers to what Allah mentioned elsewhere: {And [remember] when those who disbelieved plotted against you to keep you in confinement or to expel you or to cause you to die} (Al-Anfal: 30). The phrase {their plot} means their great plot, in which they exerted all their effort.
3. Nimrod's Attempt to Ascend to Heaven: Some narrations suggest this plot refers to Nimrod's attempt to ascend to heaven. He allegedly constructed a litter (coffin) and tied its four corners to four eagles. He starved them, placed four poles on the litter's edges, and hung a piece of meat on each pole. He then sat in the litter with his chamberlain. When the eagles saw the meat, they flew upward for three days until the world disappeared from Nimrod's sight, and he saw the sky as it was. He then lowered the poles with the meat, causing the eagles to descend back to earth.

Al-Qadi commented that this third interpretation is very remote because the risk involved was immense, and a wise person would hardly undertake it. Furthermore, there is no sound, reliable report supporting it, nor is it a valid interpretation of the verse.

Issue 2: The Meaning of {but with Allah is [the result of] their plot}

There are two interpretations for this phrase:

1. Plotting by the Agent (Active): The plot is attributed to the actors (the disbelievers), meaning: "And their plot is recorded with Allah, and He will recompense them with a plot greater than theirs."
2. Plotting by the Object (Passive): The plot is attributed to the one against whom the plot is directed (Allah), meaning: "And with Allah is the plot that He plots against them, which is the punishment they deserve, which will come to them from where they do not expect or anticipate."

Know that Al-Kisai alone recited {li-tazūla} (with the first lām being fatḥa and the second lām being in the nominative case, rafʿ). The rest of the reciters read it as {li-tazūla} (with the first lām being kasra and the second lām being in the accusative case, naṣb).

As for the first recitation (li-tazūla with rafʿ): The meaning is that their plot was prepared such that the mountains would move because of it. The purpose of this statement is not to report that it actually happened, but rather to emphasize the magnitude and terror of their plot, similar to the verse: {The heavens are almost to crack apart from it} (Maryam: 90).

As for the second recitation (li-tazūla with naṣb): The meaning is that the particle In (if) in {And even if their plot...} means Mā (negation). The following lām (which is kasra) signifies negation (jحد), which requires the future tense verb following it to be in the accusative case (naṣb). Grammarians call this the lām al-jحد. Examples include: {And Allah would not have let you look upon the unseen} (Al 'Imran: 179) and {And Allah would not have left the believers in that state} (Al 'Imran: 179).

Here, the mountains are a metaphor for the message of the Prophet (PBUH) and the religion of Islam, its proclamation, and its evidence. The implication is that the stability of Islam is like the stability of firmly rooted mountains. This is because Allah promised His Prophet the victory of His religion over all other religions.

This meaning is supported by the subsequent verse: {So never think that Allah will fail in His promise to His messengers} (Ibrahim: 47), meaning: "He has promised you victory over them and dominance against them."

The meaning, therefore, is: "And their plot was weaker and more feeble than that the mountains—which represent the firm religion of Muhammad (PBUH) and the proofs of his Sharia—would move because of it."

Ali and 'Amr recited it as {In kāna makruhum...} (with In being conditional).

(47) So never think that Allah will fail in His promise to His messengers. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might, the Avenger [Owner of Retribution].