Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:50

Surah Al-Ankabut (The Spider): Verse 50

(50) And they say, "Why are there not sent down to him signs from his Lord?" Say, "The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a clear warner."

Having concluded the proof from the Prophet's side, the text addresses their doubt. They draw a distinction between the thing being analogized (al-muqās ‘alayhi) and the thing to which the analogy is applied (al-muqās). They argue: "You claim a Book was revealed to you just as it was revealed to Moses and Jesus, but this is not the case, because Moses was given nine signs by which the origin of the Book from God was known, whereas you have not been given any of them."

However, Allah guided His Prophet to answers for this doubt, including His saying: {The signs are only with Allah}.

The meaning here is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) claimed prophethood, and a miraculous sign is not a prerequisite for prophethood. A messenger is sent first to call people to God. If people hesitate in accepting him or demand proof, then God, if He wills to show mercy, will clarify His message; if not, He will not clarify. The Prophet says, "I am the Messenger now. As for the sign, if God wills, He will send it down; if He does not will it, He will not send it down."

This is because certain things are necessities for an entity's existence. If God creates a human, He must necessarily create a space for him, or create the space simultaneously. However, prophethood and miracles are not like this. If God creates a messenger and makes him a messenger, it is not a necessity that a miracle be known for him. This is why the prophethood of messengers like Seth, Enoch, and Shu'ayb is known without their having a specific miracle mentioned.

If it is argued that their prophethood was known, we reply: For those whose prophethood was established without a miracle, our Prophet is likewise not in need of a miracle, because his prophethood is already confirmed by the testimony of Moses and Jesus. Thus, their claim—"Why was no sign sent down to him?"—is invalidated. This is because they demanded the sign precede the claim, whereas it is not a prerequisite to precede it.

Indeed, if they had a legitimate request, the proper way would have been to say: "O claimant, we neither deny you nor affirm you. Rather, we ask that God reveal a sign to us, which will free us from either affirming a liar or denying a Prophet, and through which we will know that you are a Prophet, and then we will believe you." After such a request, it would not be far from God's mercy to send down a sign.

Then comes His saying: {And I am only a clear warner}. This means that the sign—whether God sends it down or not—is not up to me. My role is only that of a warner, and I have no authority over that matter.

After demonstrating the invalidity of their doubt from one perspective, He demonstrates its invalidity from another perspective: Even if sending down a sign were a condition, it has occurred, and it is in the Book itself.

(51) Is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book which is recited to them? Indeed, in that is a mercy and a reminder for a people who believe.

(52) Say, "Sufficient is Allah as a witness between me and you. He knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth." And those who believe in falsehood and disbelieve in Allah—those are the losers.