Tafsir of Saba' 34:43

Surah Saba' (34): Verse 43

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالُوا مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَن يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُكُمْ أَوْ مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرًى ۚ وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ

Context and Refutation of Idolatry:

• This verse reveals the depth of their corrupt belief and the intensity of their obstinacy.
• Even when the highest beings they worship—the angels—are declared incapable of being objects of worship (as stated in the preceding verse: "Glory be to You! You are our Patron, not them," meaning they have no right to be worshipped or to benefit or harm others), they still persist.

Their Rejection of Revelation:

• Despite this clear evidence regarding the angels, whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) presents the call to pure Monotheism (Tawhid) and recites Allah's verses—which serve as signs of His Oneness in all things—they deny it.
• They claim: "This is nothing but a man who intends to turn you away from what your fathers used to worship."
  • This shows them opposing clear proof (Burhan) with mere adherence to tradition (Taqlid).

Interpretation of "Falsehood Fabricated" (Ifkun Muftara):

The statement "Or this is nothing but a falsehood fabricated" has several possible meanings:

1. The Doctrine of Monotheism is the Falsehood: The claim of Tawhid itself is the lie. This is supported by the fact that the monotheist accuses the polytheist of fabricating lies (as in the verse: "Do you invent a lie about Allah or is there madness in him?"). It is also supported by their accusation against the Prophet: "They said: Have you come to us to turn us away [from our gods]?"
2. The Quran is the Falsehood: The intended meaning is that the Quran itself is the fabrication.
   • If the first interpretation is taken, then their subsequent statement, "And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it comes to them: 'This is nothing but plain magic'" (referring to the Quran), is a separate accusation against the Quran.
   • If the second interpretation is taken (that the Quran is the fabrication), then the statement about magic refers to the miracles brought by the Prophet.

The Shift in Address ("And those who disbelieve say..."):

• The shift from saying "they said" (wa qalu) to "And those who disbelieve say" (wa qala allatheena kafaroo) is significant.
  • Denying Tawhid was specific to the polytheists (Mushrikeen).
  • However, denying the Quran and the miracles was a consensus view shared by the polytheists and the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab). Therefore, Allah uses the general term "those who disbelieve" (allatheena kafaroo) to encompass all deniers of the truth when referring to the rejection of the Quran and miracles.

وَمَا آتَيْنَاهُم مِّن كُتُبٍ يَدْرُسُونَهَا ۖ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ قَبْلَكَ مِن نَّذِيرٍ

And We had not given them any books to study, nor had We sent to them before you any warner.

وَكَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَمَا بَلَغُوا مِعْشَارَ مَا آتَيْنَاهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوا رُسُلِي ۖ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ

And those before them denied, and they did not attain a tenth of what We had given them. Yet they denied My messengers. Then how [terrible] was My punishment!

• Summary of Points:
  • The people of the past also denied the truth.
  • Crucially, those previous nations did not possess even one-tenth of the blessings, power, or provisions granted to the current disbelievers.
  • Despite their lesser status, they still denied Allah's messengers.
  • The verse concludes with a rhetorical warning: If the punishment for those less favored was severe, consider how severe it must be for these current deniers. (This emphasizes the severity of their rejection despite the clear signs given to them.)