Al-Hajj: (8-10) And there are some people...

Readings:

• { ثانى عطفه } (thānī ‘aṭfahu): Read with a kasra on the ‘ayn (Al-Hasan only).
• { ليضل } (li-yuḍilla): Read with a ḍamma on the yā’ (the known reading) and with a fatḥa on the yā’.
• { ونذيقه } (wa nudhīquhu): Read with the nūn (we make him taste). Zayd ibn ‘Alī read أذيقه (udhīquhu - I make him taste).

Issues in the Verse:

1. Abū Muslim’s View: He stated that the first verse (mentioning disputing without knowledge) refers to the followers/imitators, while this subsequent verse (mentioning leading others astray) refers to the leaders/models being followed. Both disputers argue without knowledge, whether they are followers or leaders. This is supported by the phrase: "nor a guidance nor a revealing Book." Such a description would not apply to a mere imitator but to someone arguing based on a semblance of proof.
   • Rebuttal to a potential objection: If someone argues that an imitator does not dispute, we say that an imitator might dispute to justify their imitation or present an apparent doubt if they grasp it, even if their primary reliance is imitation.

2. Second View: The first verse was revealed concerning Al-Naḍr ibn Al-Ḥārith, and this verse concerns Abū Jahl.

3. Third View (Ibn ‘Abbās): This verse was also revealed concerning Al-Naḍr ibn Al-Ḥārith.
   • Benefit of Repetition: The repetition serves to intensify the condemnation. Furthermore, the first verse mentions following the devil by imitation without proof, whereas the second mentions disputing religion and misleading others without proof. The first view is considered closer to the preceding context.

• Regarding { ثانى عطفه ليضل عن سبيل الله } (turning away his side, to lead astray from the path of Allah):
  • "Turning away his side" (ثنى العطف) is an idiom for arrogance and haughtiness, like turning one's cheek away or stiffening one's neck.
  • Reading with ḍamma on the yā’ (ليُضلَّ - li-yuḍilla): This indicates that this disputer performed the dispute and displayed arrogance so that others would follow him, thus leading them astray from the path of truth. He combines disbelief with misleading others.
  • Reading with fatḥa on the yā’ (ليَضَلَّ - li-yaḍalla): This means that since his dispute led to misguidance, it is as if that was his intended goal.

• Consequences (Worldly and Hereafter): Allah then explains his condition in this world and the Hereafter.
  • In this world: It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās that this verse was revealed concerning Al-Naḍr ibn Al-Ḥārith, who was killed on the Day of Badr. Those who do not specify a particular person say that the disgrace (الخزي) in this world refers to what the believers were commanded to condemn, curse, and fight against him.
  • In the Hereafter: His statement: "And We will make him taste on the Day of Resurrection the punishment of the burning fire."
  • Allah clarifies that this hastened disgrace and the deferred punishment are due to what his hands have sent forth (بما قدمت يداه).

• The Mu‘tazila’s Points Derived from the Verse:
  1. Accountability: The verse proves that the punishment is due to his own action/deed. If the action were created by Allah, it would be impossible for it not to occur when created, or for it to occur when not created. Thus, the punishment would not be due to his deed, making the punishment sheer injustice, which contradicts the text.
  2. Justice: The subsequent phrase, "And that Allah is not unjust to His servants," proves that Allah is not unjust in inflicting that punishment because the accountable person performed an act deserving of it. This implies that if Allah punished him without an act originating from him, He would be unjust. This also implies that it is impermissible to punish children for the disbelief of their fathers.
  3. Divine Power: Allah praises Himself for not committing injustice, which necessitates that He is capable of committing injustice (contrary to what Al-Niẓām claims), and that it is possible for Him to do so (contrary to what the Sunnis claim).
  4. Avoiding Circular Reasoning: It is impermissible to use this verse to prove that Allah does not commit injustice because, for them (Mu‘tazila), the validity of the Prophet's prophethood depends on the negation of injustice. If we prove the negation of injustice through transmitted evidence (dalīl sam‘ī), it leads to circular reasoning.
  • The Response to All Points: These points are countered by the argument based on necessary knowledge (al-‘ilm) and the inherent call/invitation (al-dā‘ī).

7 < { And there are some people who worship Allah on an edge. If good befalls them, they are reassured by it; but if a trial befalls them, they turn back on their faces. They have lost this world and the Hereafter. That is the manifest loss. * They invoke besides Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them. That is the far error. * They invoke that whose harm is nearer than its benefit. Evil is the patron, and evil is the associate. } > 7

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