Know that the great ones of Quraysh gathered and said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): "If you wish for us to believe in you, then drive away these poor people from your presence. When we attend, they should not be present, and set a specific time for them to gather with you." So Allah revealed: {And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord} (Al-An'am: 52) and the rest of the verse. In it, Allah clarified that it is not permissible to drive them away. Rather, you should sit with them, be agreeable to them, and honor their status, paying no heed to the words of those disbelievers, whether they are absent or present. This narrative is disconnected from what precedes it and is a new, independent statement. A similar verse to this one has already passed in Surah Al-An'am, which is His saying: {And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening} (Al-An'am: 52). In that verse, the Prophet (PBUH) was forbidden from expelling them, whereas in this verse, he is commanded to sit with them and be patient with them. The saying **{And keep yourself patient}** (*Waṣbir nafsaka*): The root of *ṣabr* (patience) is restraint/confinement. From this, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) forbade *al-Maṣbūrah*, which is the animal confined until it throws its load. As for His saying **{with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening}**: There are two issues concerning this: **Issue 1:** Ibn 'Amir recited it as *bi-l-ghuduwah* (with a *ḍammah* on the *ghayn*), while the rest recited it as *bi-l-ghadāh* (with a *fatḥah* on the *ghayn*). Both are linguistically valid. **Issue 2:** Regarding **{in the morning and the evening}** (*bi-l-ghadāh wa-l-'ashiyy*), there are several interpretations: 1. It means they are persistent in this act at all times, like when someone says, "So-and-so has no occupation in the morning and evening except insulting people." 2. It refers to the Fajr (dawn) and 'Asr (afternoon) prayers. 3. *Al-Ghadāh* refers to the time when a person transitions from sleep to wakefulness—a transition similar to moving from death to life. *Al-'Ashiyy* refers to the time when a person transitions from wakefulness to sleep, from life to death. A rational person engages in much remembrance of Allah and great gratitude for His blessings and favors during these two times. Then He said: **{and let not your eyes turn away from them}** (*wa-lā ta'du 'aynāka 'anhum*). *'Adāhu* means to pass him by, as in the saying, "He exceeded his limit" (*'adā ṭawrhu*). The word *'an* (from) is used because it implies separation/aversion. It is as if Allah forbade that aversion. A variant reading is: **{wa-lā ta'id 'aynayk}** (and do not let your eyes stray), derived from *a'dāhu* (to cause someone to stray) with a *hamzah* (glottal stop) and a heavy middle consonant. Poetry supports this: > *So turn away from what you see, for there is no return for it.* The intent of the verse is that Allah forbade the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) from scorning the poor believers or letting his eyes show aversion toward them due to his desire to sit with the wealthy and admire their fine appearance. His saying: **{desiring the adornment of the life of this world}** (*turīdu zinata al-ḥayāti ad-dunyā*) is in the accusative case, functioning as a circumstantial adverb (*ḥāl*). It means that if you were to do that (drive them away), your action would only stem from your desire for the adornment of this worldly life. After emphasizing the command to sit with the poor Muslims, He strongly forbade paying attention to the words of the arrogant rich, saying: **{And do not obey one whom We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own desire, and whose affair is excessive}** (*wa-lā tuṭi' man aghfalnā qalbahu 'an dhikrinā wa-ttaba'a hawāhu wa-kāna amruhu furṭā*). This contains several issues: **Issue 1:** Our scholars used this verse as evidence that Allah is the one who creates ignorance and heedlessness in the hearts of the ignorant, because the phrase **{We have made heedless}** (*aghfalnā*) indicates this meaning. The Mu'tazilites argue that the meaning of Allah's saying **{We have made heedless of Our remembrance}** is that "We found his heart heedless," not that He created the heedlessness within it. Their evidence is the narration from 'Amr ibn Ma'dīkarib al-Zubaydī, who said to the Banu Sulaym: "We fought you, but we did not find you cowardly; we asked you, but we did not find you stingy; and we satirized you, but we did not silence you." They mean: We did not find you cowardly, stingy, or silenced. They argue that interpreting the word this way is preferable for several reasons: 1. If Allah created the heedlessness, they would not deserve blame. 2. Allah says immediately after this verse: **{So whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve}**. If Allah created the heedlessness in the heart, this command would not be sound. 3. If the meaning were that Allah caused his heart to be heedless, it should have been phrased: "Do not obey one whom We made heedless of Our remembrance, *and so* he followed his desire" (using *fa'*), because this structure implies consequence (like *kasartuhu fa-nkasara*—I broke it, and it broke). It should not use *wāw* (and). 4. The phrase **{and follows his own desire}** implies that if Allah had truly created the heedlessness, it would not be attributed to his following his desire. **The Reply:** Regarding the Mu'tazilite claim that *aghfalnā* means "We found him heedless" and not "We caused heedlessness," we offer two counter-arguments: First: Assuming the word is shared (between creation and finding) goes against the default understanding. It is necessary to assume that the verb form (*af'ala*) is literal in one meaning and metaphorical in the other. It is more appropriate to take it as literal for *creation/actualization* (*takwīn*) and metaphorical for *finding* (*wijdān*), rather than the reverse. This is supported by: 1. The *af'ala* form is more frequently used to mean creation/actualization than finding, and frequency indicates preference. 2. The immediate comprehension derived from this form leans toward creation more than finding, and the immediacy of comprehension indicates preference. 3. If we take it as literal for creation, we can metaphorically take it for finding, because knowledge of a thing follows the actual existence of the known thing. Thus, making the word literal for the primary reality (creation) and metaphorical for the derivative (finding) aligns with reason. If we took it as literal for finding and metaphorical for creation, we would be making it literal for the derivative and metaphorical for the original, which reverses the rational order. Therefore, it is established that the default meaning of this verbal form is creation/actualization, not mere finding. Second: We concede that the word might be shared between creation and finding. However, we must interpret **{We have made heedless}** as the *creation* of heedlessness. This is because rational proof dictates that it is impossible for the servant to create heedlessness within himself. The proof is: If he attempts to create heedlessness, he either attempts to create absolute heedlessness, or he attempts to create heedlessness concerning a specific thing. The first is false, because if he achieved heedlessness concerning one thing, there would be no reason why he shouldn't achieve heedlessness concerning another thing, as the nature shared among many types relates equally to all those types. The second is also false, because heedlessness concerning X is merely heedlessness that is distinguished from other types of heedlessness only by being attributed to that specific thing X. Therefore, he cannot intend to create heedlessness concerning X unless he conceives that this heedlessness is heedlessness concerning X, and he cannot conceive that this heedlessness is concerning X unless he conceives X, because knowledge of the relation of one thing to another is conditional upon conceiving both related entities. Thus, it is established that he cannot intend to create heedlessness concerning X except while being conscious of X. But heedlessness concerning X is the opposite of consciousness of X. Therefore, it is established that the servant cannot create this heedlessness except when two opposites coincide, which is impossible. Since the prerequisite (creating heedlessness) is impossible, the intended result (the servant creating it) is impossible. Thus, it is established that the servant is incapable of creating heedlessness, and it must be Allah who creates and brings forth heedlessness in the servants. This is a decisive point in establishing the required conclusion. At this point, it becomes clear that the meaning of Allah's saying **{And do not obey one whom We have made heedless of Our remembrance}** is the *creation* of heedlessness, not merely finding it. As for the argument regarding praise and blame, we have countered it repeatedly with the concepts of knowledge and motivation. As for His saying immediately after this verse: **{So whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve}**, the discussion concerning it will follow, Allah willing. Regarding the structure **{And do not obey one whom We have made heedless...}**, if the meaning were the creation of heedlessness, the *fā'* (implying consequence) should have been used, not the *wāw* (and). We reply: This would only be necessary if the creation of heedlessness in the heart necessarily implied following desire, just as breaking necessarily implies being broken. This is not the case, because heedlessness of Allah does not necessarily lead to following desire; it is possible that one becomes heedless of Allah's remembrance yet does not follow desire, remaining suspended in a state of bewilderment, astonishment, or fear of the All-Powerful. Thus, this objection fails. Al-Qaffāl mentioned other interpretations for the Mu'tazilites: 1. That Allah poured the world upon them in abundance, leading to the deep rooting of heedlessness in their hearts. In this interpretation, it is correct to attribute the presence of heedlessness to Allah, as in His saying: {But their call only increased them in flight} (Nuh: 6). 2. That **{We have made heedless}** means "We left him heedless," meaning We did not mark him with the sign of purity and piety. This is derived from the saying *ba'īr ghafil*, meaning a camel without a brand mark. 3. That **{We have made heedless of Our remembrance}** means "We left him with the devil and did not prevent the devil from him." We respond to these: Regarding the first point: Does opening the door to worldly pleasures affect the presence of heedlessness in his heart or not? If it does, then the effect of delivering pleasures to him was the *cause* of heedlessness in his heart, which is precisely what we say: Allah did something that resulted in heedlessness in his heart. If it has no effect on causing this heedlessness, then attributing that heedlessness to Him is invalid. Regarding the second point: The phrase **{We have made heedless}** is like saying "We blackened his heart" or "We whitened his face," which only conveys what we have already mentioned (i.e., a state we found him in). Regarding the third point: If that abandonment (to the devil) had an effect in causing that heedlessness, then our assertion is correct. Otherwise, attributing that heedlessness to Allah is invalid. **Issue 2:** His saying **{And do not obey one whom We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own desire}** indicates that the worst state for a human is when his heart is empty of the remembrance of the Truth and filled with desire that calls him to preoccupation with creation. The reality is that the remembrance of Allah is light, and the remembrance of anything else is darkness, because existence (*wujūd*) is the nature of light, and non-existence (*'adam*) is the source of darkness. Allah, the Exalted, is necessarily existent by Himself, so the true Light is Allah. Everything besides Allah is possibly existent by itself, and possibility (*imkān*) is a nature of non-existence, thus being the source of darkness. When the remembrance of Allah shines in the heart, light, brightness, and illumination are present. When the heart turns toward creation, darkness and gloom, even utter darkness, are present. For this reason, when the heart turns away from the Truth and inclines toward creation, it is pure, complete darkness. Turning away from the Truth is what is meant by **{We have made heedless of Our remembrance}**, and inclining toward creation is what is meant by **{and who follows his own desire}**. **Issue 3:** It is said that **{excessive}** (*furṭā*) means exceeding the limit, derived from the saying *farasun furraṭ*, meaning a horse that is ahead of the others in a race. Al-Layth said: *Al-furṭ* is the matter that is neglected/overlooked. He cited poetry: > *Indeed, he burdened me with a heavy price,* > *And a futile, neglected matter.* So, His saying **{and whose affair is excessive}** means that the matter which he is obligated to preserve and care for—which is the matter of his religion—is the very thing he allows to be neglected and fallen short in. This state describes one who does not look to his religion but acts only for his worldly life. Thus, Allah described those heedless of the remembrance of Allah and following their desires as being negligent in their most important affairs, turning away from what is obligatory upon them, which is contemplating the signs and safeguarding the essentials of this world and the Hereafter. In summary, Allah described those poor people by their persistence in the remembrance of Allah and turning away from everything except the remembrance of Allah, saying: **{with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His Countenance}**. And He described these rich people by their turning away from the remembrance of Allah and inclining toward other than Allah, saying: **{We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own desire}**. Then He commanded His Messenger to sit with the former group and distance himself from the latter group. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he was sitting with a group of poor emigrants, some of whom were covering themselves with rags due to nakedness, while a reciter was reading the Qur'an. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came and asked, "What were you doing?" We replied, "O Messenger of Allah, one of us was reading from the Book of Allah, and we were listening." He said, (Praise be to Allah, who has placed among my Ummah those whom I am commanded to keep patient with). Then he sat in the middle of us and said, (Rejoice, O poor ones of the Emigrants, with the complete light on the Day of Resurrection! You will enter Paradise before the rich by the measure of fifty thousand years.)