Surah At-Tur 52:38
ﱴ ﱵ ﱶ ﱷ ﱸ ﱹ ﱺ ﱻ ﱼ ﱽ
Or have they a stairway [into the heaven] upon which they listen? Then let their listener produce a clear authority.
Tafsir of At-Tur 52:38
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 52:38
Surah At-Tur (52): 38 - Or do they have a ladder...
And this is also a completion of the proof. For one who is neither a treasurer nor a scribe might still learn the matter by hearing from the treasurer or the scribe. So [the argument is]: You are neither treasurers nor scribes, nor have you met them, because they are angels and you have no ascent to them. There are several issues here:
Issue 1: The intent is to negate ascent. Does negating the ladder necessitate negating ascent?
Answer: No. Negating the ladder is more emphatic than negating ascent. The end of the verse encompasses everything: "Let his listener come with a manifest authority" (falyat'i mustami'uhum bi-sultānin mubīn).
Issue 2: Listening does not occur *in* a ladder, but *on* it. What is the answer?
Answer: There are two views:
- As Al-Zamakhshari mentioned, the meaning of ${\text{yastami'ūn}} (they listen) is while ascending in it.
- As Al-Wāḥidī mentioned, the preposition fī (in) means ʿalā (on), as in the verse: "I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees" (walāusallibannakum fī judhū'in nakhl), meaning on the trunks.
Both views are weak because they involve implied meanings and alteration.
Issue 3: Why was the object of \{\text{yastami'ūn}\}$ (they listen) omitted, and what is it?
Answer: There are several views:
- The listener is the revelation (al-waḥy). Meaning: Do they have a ladder in which they listen to the revelation?
- They listen to what they say—that he [Muhammad] is a poet, that God has a partner, and that resurrection will not occur.
- The object is omitted entirely, as if saying: Do they possess the power to listen from the heavens so that they may know that he is not a Messenger and his speech is not divinely sent?
Issue 4: Why did He say, "Let his listener come" (falyat'i mustami'uhum) and not "Let them come" (falyat'ū), as He said elsewhere, "Then let them produce a discourse like it" (falyat'ū bi-ḥadīthin mithlih)?
Answer: He requested from them what would be easier if their claim were true, so that their agreement upon it would be stronger evidence of their falsehood.
- There (regarding producing a similar discourse), He said, "Let them come," meaning, gather and cooperate to produce its like, as this is easier when done collectively.
- However, ascending the ladder collectively is impossible, as one ascends after another, and only one person reaches the highest rung. Therefore, He said, "Let his listener come"—that one individual who achieved the most difficult ascent by what he heard.
Issue 5: What is meant by "with a manifest authority" (bi-sultānin mubīn)?
Answer: This points to a subtlety: If they were asked to bring what they heard, and it was said to them, "Let his listener bring what he heard," one person could falsely claim, "I heard such and such." Therefore, He said, "No, rather, he must bring proof that indicates it."