Tafsir of Ghafir 40:38

Ghafir (40): And the one who believed said...

This is a continuation of the speech of the believer from the family of Pharaoh, who was calling them to faith in Moses and adherence to his path.

He called his people three times:

1. First time: A general call to accept the religion.
2. Second and Third times: A detailed call.

His general call was: "O my people, follow me; I will guide you to the path of righteousness."

• The command "Follow me" does not imply mere imitation (taqlīd).
• This is because he immediately followed it with "I will guide you to the path of righteousness." Guidance (hudā) means demonstration, and one who shows evidence to others is described as having guided them.
• The "path of righteousness" (sabīl al-rashād) is the path leading to reward and good, as righteousness is the opposite of error (ghayy). This explicitly states that Pharaoh and his people are on the path of error.

The detailed call involved contrasting the insignificance of the worldly life with the perfection of the Hereafter.

• Insignificance of the World: Stated in "O my people, this worldly life is but a temporary enjoyment..." (The meaning is that enjoyment of this life lasts for a few days, then ceases and vanishes.)
• Perfection of the Hereafter: The Hereafter is the "abode of permanence, subsistence, and eternity."
• Conclusion: The eternal is better than the transient. A wise person said: If the world were perishable gold and the Hereafter lasting clay, the Hereafter would still be better. How much more so when the world is perishable clay and the Hereafter is lasting gold!

The believer noted that just as the blessings of the Hereafter are eternal, so too is its punishment. Encouraging the eternal reward and warning against eternal punishment are powerful means of motivation.

He then explained how recompense occurs: "Whoever does an evil deed, he will be recompensed only with the like of it."

• "The like of it" means what corresponds to it in terms of desert/deservingness.
• Addressing a potential objection: How can this be true when an hour of disbelief warrants eternal punishment?
  • Answer: The disbeliever believes their disbelief is an act of obedience and faith, so they are resolved to persist in that belief forever; hence, their punishment is eternal.
  • In contrast, the sinner (fāsiq) believes their act is treachery and disobedience, so they are resolved not to persist in it forever; hence, the punishment of the sinner is finite.
• The Mu'tazila view that the sinner's punishment is eternal is false, because the duration of the sin is finite, and the resolve to commit it is also finite. Opposing this with eternal punishment contradicts "he will be recompensed only with the like of it."
• Significance in Jurisprudence: This verse is a major principle in the laws concerning criminal liabilities (jināyāt), implying that equivalence (muthāl) is legislated, and anything exceeding the equivalent is not legislated.
• The verse does not specify which aspect of equivalence is considered. If we restrict it to a specific, unmentioned aspect, the verse becomes ambiguous (mujmal). If we apply equivalence in all aspects, the verse becomes general but specified ('āmm makhṣūṣ). In legal principles, resolving ambiguity is prioritized over specification. Therefore, the verse must be taken as requiring equivalence in all aspects, except where specifically exempted. This principle allows deriving numerous rulings regarding harm to life, limbs, and property.

After establishing that the recompense for evil is limited to the equivalent, he clarified that the reward for good deeds is not limited: "But whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer—those will enter Paradise, and they will be provided for therein without account."

• Argument based on this verse: The term "whoever does righteous deeds" is indefinite in a conditional context in the affirmative, meaning it applies to anyone who performs even one righteous deed. Thus, anyone who performs a single good deed enters Paradise and is provided for without account.
• The one who believes, adheres to monotheism, and glorifies God for eighty years has performed the greatest acts of righteousness. Therefore, they must enter Paradise, contradicting the opponent's claim that they remain eternally in Hellfire.
• Mu'tazila Objection: They argue that the verse conditions entry upon being a believer, and they consider the perpetrator of a major sin (ṣāḥib al-kabīra) not to be a true believer.
• Rebuttal: We established earlier (in Al-Baqarah) that the perpetrator of a major sin is still considered a believer, invalidating their objection.
• Meaning of "without account":
  1. Because the reward has no end, it is described as "without account."
  2. God grants them the reward for their deeds, and adds to it favors that exceed calculation.
• Contrast: "Without account" contrasts with "only with the like of it." The recompense for evil is measured and limited so as not to exceed what is deserved. The recompense for good deeds is without measure or calculation, allowing for vast increases beyond what is due.
• This indicates that the aspect of Mercy and Grace outweighs the aspect of Coercion and Punishment. If general promises conflict with general threats, the general promises must take precedence, which refutes the foundations of the Mu'tazila.

The believer then made his third call: "O my people, what is [the matter] with me that I call you to salvation..."

• He calls them to faith, which brings salvation, while they call him to disbelief, which brings Hellfire.
• Why repeat the call? To increase their awareness and awaken them from heedlessness, showing his deep concern and compassion for them.
• Why the conjunction 'and' (wāw) in the third call but not the second? The second call was essentially an explanation of the first (explanation is the explained thing itself). The third call introduced a new, distinct point (the contrast between salvation and damnation), making the conjunction appropriate.

He explained that they call him to disbelief in God and polytheism:

• Disbelief in God: Most of Pharaoh's people denied God's existence, or, if they affirmed Him, they permitted idol worship.
• "And I call you to associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge." The negation of knowledge implies the negation of the known object—meaning, "I call you to associate with Him that which is not a god." How can something that is not a god be associated with the true God?

He then called them to faith in "the All-Mighty, the Forgiving":

• "The All-Mighty" (al-'Azīz): Signifies complete power. Only the one with complete power deserves worship. Pharaoh is utterly weak, and idols are mere carved stones.
• "The Forgiving" (al-Ghaffār): Indicates that they should not despair of God's mercy despite their long persistence in disbelief. Even though God is All-Mighty and irresistible, He is Forgiving, capable of pardoning seventy years of disbelief with one hour of faith.

"No doubt..." (Lā jarama): The interpretation of this phrase, previously discussed in Hud (22), is reiterated here based on Al-Kashshāf:

• According to the Basrans, lā rejects what they called him to, and jarama means "it became true/necessary." Thus, their call is certainly void.
• Alternatively, jarama means "to earn/acquire" (like in Qur'an 5:2), meaning their call only resulted in the manifestation of its falsehood.
• It can also mean "no cutting off" (lā qat'a), similar to lā budda (no escaping). Thus, their call is perpetually false, and their idols will never become true deities.

"What you call me to has no claim in this world nor in the Hereafter."

This means the idols they call him to worship have no claim:

1. Possibility 1: They have no call to themselves because they are inanimate objects that cannot invite worship. In the Hereafter, if God transforms them into animals, they will disown their worshippers.
2. Possibility 2: They have no response to a call in this world or the Hereafter. The response is called da'wah by association (like in "a recompense for an evil deed is an evil deed like it").

"And our return is to Allah." He emphasizes that these idols are utterly useless, yet the ultimate return is to Allah, who knows all, is capable of all, is independent of all needs, whose word is unchangeable, and who is never unjust to His servants. What rational person would occupy themselves with worshipping falsehood and turn away from the God to whom they must return?

"And that the transgressors are the companions of the Fire." Qatadah interpreted this as polytheists. Mujahid interpreted it as blood-shedders. The correct view is that they transgressed in disobeying God in terms of manner (persistence and repetition) and quantity (duration).

The believer concluded his eloquent speech with a subtle warning: "Soon you will remember what I tell you."

• This ambiguous statement inspires fear. It could mean they will remember it at the time of death in this world, or when witnessing the horrors of the Resurrection. It is a severe warning.

Then, he declared: "And I entrust my affair to Allah." This is the statement of one who is threatened with something he fears (i.e., execution). He learned this method from Moses, who, when threatened by Pharaoh, turned to God: "Indeed, I have sought refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning" (40:27). (Note: Nafi' and Abu Amr vocalized the yā' in amrī [my affair], while others left it silent.)

"Indeed, Allah is Seeing of His servants." He knows their conditions and the measure of their needs.

• Argument for Divine Decree: The phrase "And I entrust my affair to Allah" is used by our companions (Ash'arites) to prove that everything originates from God. They argue that the Mu'tazila, who claim humans independently create good and evil, have entrusted their affairs to themselves rather than to God.
• Mu'tazila Counter-Argument: They use this verse to argue that "I entrust" is an admission that the person is an independent agent in the action. The same debates mentioned regarding A'ūdhu billāh (seeking refuge) apply here entirely.

Here ends the speech of the believer from the family of Pharaoh. And Allah is the Guide.

"So Allah protected him from the evil of their plotting, and the people of Pharaoh were encompassed by the evil of the punishment."

"The Fire, they are exposed to it morning and evening. And the Day the Hour is established [it will be said], 'Make Pharaoh's people enter the severest of the punishment.'"

"And when they dispute with one another in the Fire, the weak will say to those who were arrogant, 'Indeed, we used to follow you, so will you relieve us of a portion of the Fire?'"

"Those who were arrogant will say, 'Indeed, we are all in it. Indeed, Allah has judged between the servants.'"

"And those in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell, 'Supplicate your Lord to lighten for us the punishment for one day.'"

"They [the keepers] will say, 'Did there not come to you your messengers with clear signs?' They will say, 'Yes.' They will say, 'Then supplicate yourselves, but the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in vain.'"