Surah An-Nahl: Verses 26–28

It is to be understood that the purpose of this verse is to emphasize the severity of the warning against those disbelievers.

Regarding "those who were before them": There are two opinions:

1. The First Opinion (Majority of Commentators): It refers to Nimrod, son of Canaan, who built a massive structure in Babylon, said to be five thousand cubits high (or two farsakhs). He intended to ascend to heaven to fight its inhabitants. In this context, "plotting" (makr) refers to the construction of this edifice to fight the inhabitants of heaven.
2. The Second Opinion (The Sounder View): This is a general reference to all those who pursue falsehood and attempt to harm or plot against those who adhere to the truth.

Concerning the Almighty's saying: {So Allah came upon their building from the foundations}: There are two issues here:

Issue 1: Since movement and "coming" are impossible attributions for Allah, the meaning is that when they disbelieved, Allah sent upon them earthquakes that tore their structures from their foundations.

Issue 2: Regarding the phrase {So Allah came upon their building from the foundations}, there are two opinions:

1. The First Opinion: This is purely a metaphor (tamthīl). It means that they arranged their schemes to plot against the Prophets of Allah. Allah then made their situation regarding those schemes like the situation of people who built a structure supported by pillars, but the structure collapsed, the pillars weakened, and the roof fell upon them. A parallel is their saying: "Whoever digs a well for his brother, Allah causes him to fall into it."
2. The Second Opinion: The meaning is what the literal text suggests: Allah caused the roof to fall upon them and killed them beneath it. The first opinion is closer to the intended meaning.

As for the Almighty's saying: {Then the roof collapsed upon them from above them}: A question arises: Since a roof only collapses from above, what is the significance of stating "from above them"?

The answer is twofold:

1. It is for emphasis (ta'kīd).
2. Sometimes a roof collapses, but no one is underneath it. By stating {Then the roof collapsed upon them from above them}, this indicates that they were beneath it, confirming that the structures were destroyed and they died underneath them.

And {And the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive}:

• If we interpret this as a metaphor, the matter is clear: They relied on their schemes, and the calamity arose directly from those very schemes.
• If we interpret it literally, it means the roof fell upon them suddenly (baghtatan), which is more effective as a deterrent for anyone who follows their path.

Then, the Almighty clarifies that their punishment is not limited to this; rather, Allah will disgrace them on the Day of Resurrection. Disgrace (khizy) is punishment combined with humiliation. He explains this humiliation by stating that Allah will say to them: {Where are My partners whom you used to dispute concerning?}

There are several discussions regarding this:

Discussion 1: Al-Zajjaj said that the meaning of {Where are My partners?} is: "Where are the partners in your claim and belief?" This is similar to His saying: {Where are their partners whom you used to claim?} (Al-An'am: 22) and {And their partners will say, "You did not worship us"} (Yunus: 28). This attribution (iḍāfah) is appropriate because the slightest reason suffices for a valid attribution. It is like saying to someone carrying one end of a beam: "Take your end, and I will take mine."

Discussion 2: {whom you used to dispute concerning them} (tushāqūn fīhim) means you used to show enmity and hostility toward the believers regarding them. It is also said that mushāqqah refers to one disputant being in one side (shiq) and the other in the opposite side.

Discussion 3: Nafi' recited {tushāqūna} with a kasra on the nūn (implying addition/possession), while the rest recited it with a fatḥa on the nūn (implying plural).

Then the Almighty said: {Those who were given knowledge will say, "Indeed, disgrace this Day and evil are upon the disbelievers"}. There are two discussions here:

Discussion 1: Ibn Abbas said that {Those who were given knowledge} refers to the angels. Others said they are the believers, saying this when they witness the disgrace of the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection: "Indeed, disgrace this Day and evil are upon the disbelievers." The benefit here is that the disbelievers used to rebuke the believers in this world. When the believer utters this statement on the Day of Resurrection while humiliating the disbeliever, the impact and pain inflicted upon the disbeliever are more complete, and the satisfaction (shamātah) derived by the believer is stronger.

Discussion 2: The Murji'ah used this verse as evidence that punishment is exclusive to the disbeliever. They argue that {Indeed, disgrace this Day and evil are upon the disbelievers} indicates that the essence (māhiyyah) of disgrace and evil on the Day of Resurrection is specific to the disbeliever, negating its existence for anyone else. This is reinforced by Moses' statement: {Indeed, it has been revealed to us that the punishment is upon whoever denies and turns away} (Taha: 48).

Then, the Almighty described the punishment of these disbelievers from another angle: {Those whom the angels cause to die while they are wronging themselves}. Hamzah recited {tunazzilu al-malā'ikah} (We send down the angels) with a yā’ because angels are masculine, while the rest recited it with a tā’ due to the feminine form of the word malā’ikah.

Then He said: {They will cast forth submission, [saying], "We used not to do any evil."} There are two opinions here:

1. The First Opinion: Allah recounts them casting forth submission (surrendering/accepting Islam) near the point of death. Ibn Abbas said: They embraced Islam and acknowledged servitude to Allah at death. Their statement {We used not to do any evil} refers to polytheism (shirk). The angels then reply, refuting and denying them: "Yes, indeed, Allah is Knowing of what you used to do" of denial and polytheism. The word balā (Yes/Nay) here is a refutation of their statement {We used not to do any evil}.

2. The Second Opinion: The statement ended at {wronging themselves}. Then the discourse returns to recounting the speech of the polytheists on the Day of Resurrection. The meaning is: On that Day, they cast forth submission and said, "We did not do any evil in the world." Here, they differed:
   • Those who permitted lying to people on the Day of Resurrection said this statement is a lie, motivated by extreme fear.
   • Those who held that lying is impermissible for them said the meaning is: "We did not do any evil in our own estimation or according to our belief." We have already discussed whether lying on the Day of Resurrection is permissible or not in Surah Al-An'am, concerning the verse: {Then their trial was not but that they said, "By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists"} (Al-An'am: 23).

Know that when Allah recounted their saying, {We used not to do any evil}, He replied: {Yes, indeed, Allah is Knowing of what you used to do}. It is plausible that the speaker of this reply is Allah Himself or some of the angels, refuting them. The meaning of balā is a rejection of their claim {We used not to do any evil}. And {Allah is Knowing of what you used to do} means He knows what you were doing in the world, so this lie will not benefit you; He will recompense you for the disbelief He knew from you.

Then He explicitly mentioned the punishment:

{So enter the gates of Hell, abiding therein forever. And wretched is the abode of the arrogant.}