Surah At-Tur 52:41
ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ
Or have they [knowledge of] the unseen, so they write [it] down?
Tafsir of At-Tur 52:41
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 52:41
Surah At-Tur (The Mount): Verse 41
أَمْ عِندَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ (Or do they have the unseen, so they write it down?)
This verse follows the previous sequence, as if God Almighty is saying to them:
By what right have you rejected the Law (Shar‘) and its merits, and said what you said based on following corrupt illusions that you call 'rationalities'? The Prophet (PBUH) does not ask you for a reward, and you claim not to know [the truth]. Therefore, you have no excuse. The excuse would either be due to a penalty (if they were forced to accept something burdensome) or due to having no need for what the Prophet brought. Yet, there is no penalty upon you regarding this message, nor can you do without it.
In this verse, there are several issues:
Issue 1: The Structure of the Interrogation
How should the structure be understood?
We say that there is no need for presupposition (i.e., assuming a preceding statement). Rather, it is a middle-ground interrogation, as if He is saying:
- Do you guide them to the truth of God Almighty?
- Or do you ask them for a reward, so they refuse?
- Or do they have no need for what you say because they possess knowledge of the Unseen (Al-Ghayb)?
Issue 2: The Definite Article (Alif and Lam) in "Al-Ghayb"
What does the Alif and Lam in Al-Ghayb signify—is it for the genus or for a specific known thing (عهد)?
We say that the apparent meaning is the genus of the Unseen, just as one says, "He bought al-lahm (the meat)," intending to specify the reality of eating meat, not a specific piece of meat. This is similar to the Almighty's saying: {Knower of the unseen and the seen} (Al-An'am: 73), where it encompasses all of the Unseen.
Issue 3: The Validity of "They Possess the Unseen"
If this is the case (referring to the genus), how can "the Unseen" be possessed by them, when what a person possesses is not unseen to him?
We say the meaning is: What is unseen to others is present with them.
Another opinion suggests this is connected to His saying: {We await for him a calamity of time} (At-Tur: 30), meaning: Do you possess knowledge of the Unseen, knowing that he (the Prophet) will die before you? This view is weak because of the distance of this statement [from the preceding one], or because the command {Say: Await} is connected to the verse immediately preceding this one, which prevents this connection.
Issue 4: The Significance of "So They Write It Down"
What is the benefit of saying {so they write it down}?
It signifies the clarity of the matter and indicates that the knowledge of the Unseen which the Prophet (PBUH) possesses—knowledge derived from revelation, encompassing numerous matters, secrets, rulings, and news—is something he is absolutely certain of.
It is not like what a diviner claims, saying, "The matter is such and such." If one were to ask the diviner, "Write down in your handwriting that this will happen," he would refuse and say, "I do not claim certainty or finality in this; rather, I mention it based on conjecture and inference." However, if he were certain, he would say, "Write this from me and record in the registers that on such-and-such a day, such-and-such will occur."
Therefore, the statement {Or do they have the unseen, so they write it down?} means: Have they reached the rank of Muhammad (PBUH) such that they are self-sufficient and turn away from him?
It is narrated from Ibn Qutaybah that "writing" here means judging (i.e., they judge matters). He bases this on the Prophet's saying: (Judge between us by the Book of God). However, this is not the intended meaning. Rather, it is an instance of implication (Idmār), meaning: they judge according to what is in the Book of God. It is said, "So-and-so judges according to the school of Shafi'i," meaning according to what is in it. The messenger who carries the King's book to the subjects says: "Act according to the King's book."