Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:46-47

Surah Al-Ankabut (The Spider): Verses 46-47

When Allah clarified the method of guidance for the polytheists, benefiting those who accepted and establishing despair regarding those who refused, He then turned to the method of addressing the People of the Book, saying:

{And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best} (29:46)

Some commentators interpreted this as: Do not argue with them with the sword unless they commit aggression beyond their disbelief.

A more subtle meaning is that the polytheist brought forth manifest falsehood, so it was appropriate to argue with him harshly, severely criticizing his doctrine and undermining his arguments. This is why Allah said concerning them: {Deaf, dumb, blind} (Al-Baqarah: 18), and: {They have eyes through which they do not perceive, and they have ears through which they do not hear} (Al-A'raf: 179), and other similar statements.

However, the People of the Book brought forth everything good, except for acknowledging the Prophet (peace be upon him). They affirmed Tawhid (monotheism), believed in the revelation of the Books, the sending of Messengers, and the Resurrection. Therefore, in response to their good points, you should first argue with them in the best manner. Do not belittle their views, nor attribute misguidance to their forefathers, unlike the polytheists.

Based on this, the phrase {except those who have wronged} clarifies another aspect of "the best way": it means except those among them who committed Shirk (polytheism) by attributing a son to God or asserting that God is the third of three. For in this statement, they imitated the polytheists in their reprehensible speech, and thus they are the wrongdoers, because Shirk is a grave injustice. In this case, they should be argued against using the harshest means, exposing the falsehood of their claims and clarifying their ignorance.

Then, Allah clarified what constitutes "the best way" by first presenting their merits:

{And say, "We believe in what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to you. And our God and your God is one, and to Him we submit."} (29:47)

This means that we must follow what was revealed to us, and He revealed to you [the Torah and the Gospel], which is a clear proof. Following this, He mentioned a deductive proof:

{And thus We have sent down to you the Book} (29:47)

Meaning, just as We sent down [revelation] to those before you, We sent down this Book to you. This is an analogy (qiyas).

Then He said: {So those to whom We gave the Scripture believe in it} (29:47), because the text [confirming the Prophet] exists among them. And among these [believers] are those [from the Arabs].

The commentators differed on the meaning of {So those to whom We gave the Scripture}:

1. Some said it refers to those People of the Scripture who believed in our Prophet, such as Abdullah ibn Salam and others. And {And among these} refers to the people of Mecca (the polytheists).
2. Others said that {those to whom We gave the Scripture} refers to the People of the Scripture who preceded the time of Muhammad (PBUH), and {And among these} refers to those People of the Scripture who were contemporaries of Muhammad (PBUH). This latter view is closer, as the pronoun {these} is more appropriately directed toward the People of the Scripture, since the discussion is about them, and the polytheists were not mentioned here, as the discourse had concluded regarding them due to their persistence in disbelief.

Another view, which is closer to reason, textual evidence, and the "best manner" of argumentation commanded, is:

The intended meaning of {those to whom We gave the Scripture} is the Prophets. And {And among these} refers to the People of the Scripture (contemporaries). This is closer because, in reality, those to whom the Book was given are the Prophets, as Allah only gave the Book to the Prophets, as He said: {Those are the ones to whom We gave the Scripture} (Al-An'am: 89), and {And We gave David the Psalms} (An-Nisa: 163), and {He gave me the Book} (Maryam: 30).

If we adopt this interpretation, the statement is not restricted, because all Prophets believed in all Prophets. If we follow the previous view, the meaning of {those to whom We gave the Scripture} would be Abdullah ibn Salam and two or three others, or a small number, and {And among these} would refer to those not mentioned.

Under our preferred interpretation, the discourse is structured as if dividing people into two groups: the polytheists, about whom the discussion is finished, and the People of the Scripture, whose matter is still being explained while they are the current subject. Thus, when He says {these}, it refers to the People of the Scripture currently being described. When He says {those} (referring to the polytheists earlier), it refers to the polytheists whose mention preceded and whose status was established.

Under this interpretation, the argumentation is best conducted because disagreement concerning Prophets and Imams is akin to disagreement over the virtues of leaders and kings. If two factions disagree over the virtue of two kings, leading to conflict, the strongest argument to reconcile them is to say: "These two kings are in agreement and truthful; therefore, your dispute is meaningless." Similarly here, the Prophet (PBUH) says: "We believed in the Prophets, and they believed in me, so there is no reason for your partisanship for them."

Then Allah says: {Allah—those are the disbelievers} (referring to those who reject the Book entirely), warning them against their current state. Meaning: You believed in everything and distinguished yourselves from the polytheists by every virtue, except for this single issue. By denying it, you join them and nullify your merits, for the denier of even one verse is a disbeliever.

{And you were not reciting any book before it, nor transcribing it with your right hand; otherwise, the doubters would have been in doubt.} (29:47b)

{Rather, it is [a collection of] clear signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge. And none reject Our signs except the wrongdoers.} (29:47c)