Surah Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verse 113

Issues in the Verse

In the Arabic language, ṣaghw (صغو) means inclination or leaning. It is said of a listener who leans his sense organ toward the sound that he yuṣghī (يصغي). It is also said of a vessel (inā’) that is tilted (aṣghā) so that some of its contents pour out. Similarly, the moon is described as ṣaghā or aṣghā when it leans toward setting.

Therefore, the phrase {wa-li-taṣghā} (ولتصغى) means: and that they may lean/incline.

The lām (ل) in {wa-li-taṣghā} requires a preceding context to which it is attached.

Our Companions (Ashābi’unā) [i.e., the Ash'arites/Sunnis] say: The implied context is: "And thus We have made for every Prophet an enemy—devils from mankind and jinn—who inspire one another with embellished speech as delusion." We did this so that {wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi af'idatu alladhīna lā yu'minūna bi-l-ākhirah} (the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline toward it). They argue that God created this enmity and the devils' characteristic of whispering embellished speech so that this deceptive talk would be accepted by these disbelievers. If the verse is interpreted this way, it implies that God wills disbelief from the disbeliever.

The Mu'tazila offered three responses to this interpretation:

1. The First View (Al-Jubbā'ī): This expression is a form of command that actually means prohibition (zajr). It is like God's saying: {wa-stafziz man istaṭaʿta minhum bi-ṣawtika wa-ajlib ʿalayhim bi-khaylikā wa-rajlikā} (And incite whom you can among them with your voice and assault them with your cavalry and your foot soldiers) or {wa-li-yarḍawhu wa-li-yaqtarifū} (and that they may be pleased with it and perpetrate). The meaning is as if God said to the Prophet: "So leave them to what they fabricate," and then addressed the disbelievers threateningly: "And let their hearts incline toward it, and let them be pleased with it, and let them perpetrate what they are perpetrating."

2. The Second View (Al-Ka'bī): This lām is the lām al-ʿāqibah (the lām of consequence). It means the outcome of their affair will result in these states.
   • Al-Qāḍī’s Critique: It is unlikely that this consequence refers to the Hereafter, because compulsion (ilja’) already occurs in the Hereafter. Therefore, the hearts of disbelievers cannot incline toward accepting falsehood, nor be pleased with it, nor perpetrate sins in the Hereafter. Thus, it must mean that the consequence of their worldly affair is that they accept falsehoods, are pleased with them, and act upon them.

3. The Third View (Abū Muslim): The lām in {wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi af'idatu alladhīna lā yu'minūna bi-l-ākhirah} is attached to the preceding statement: {yūḥī baʿḍuhum ilā baʿḍin zukhrufa l-qawli ghurūrā} (some of them inspire others with embellished speech as delusion). The structure implies: Some inspire others with embellished speech in order to delude them, {wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi af'idatu alladhīna lā yu'minūna bi-l-ākhirah} (and that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline toward it), {wa-li-yarḍawhu} (and that they may be pleased with it), and {wa-li-yaqtarifū} (and that they may perpetrate sins). The intent of the devils' inspiration is the totality of these meanings.

Critique of the Mu'tazila Views:

• Critique of the First View (Command meaning Prohibition): This view is weak for several reasons mentioned by Al-Qāḍī. First, the wāw (و) in {wa-li-taṣghā} implies attachment to what precedes it, making the assumption that it starts a new sentence distant from the context. Second, the lām in {wa-li-taṣghā} is the lām al-taʿlīl (causality/purpose), so interpreting it as a lām al-amr (command) is inappropriate and borders on altering God's words.

• Critique of the Second View (Consequence Lām): This view is weak because scholars agree that using the lām for consequence is metaphorical (majāz), whereas using it for causality (kay) is literal (ḥaqīqah). Our literal interpretation is therefore preferable.

• Critique of the Third View (Abū Muslim): This is the best of the mentioned views. We argue that {yūḥī baʿḍuhum ilā baʿḍin zukhrufa l-qawli ghurūrā} implies that the purpose of the inspiration is delusion. If we then connect {wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi af'idatu alladhīna lā yu'minūna} (and that the hearts of those who do not believe may incline toward it), this inclination is the very essence of delusion—it is the process of attracting someone to something whose inner reality is ugly but whose outward appearance is beautiful. If we connect them with wāw (and), it implies the second clause is merely a repetition of the first, which is impermissible.

However, if we adopt our initial interpretation: "And thus We have made for every Prophet an enemy whose nature is to inspire embellished speech for the purpose of delusion, and We made such a person an enemy to the Prophet so that the hearts of the disbelievers might incline toward him, thereby distancing them from accepting the Prophet's call," then there is no repetition, as the enemy's nature (inspiration) is distinct from the consequence (the disbelievers' inclination away from the Prophet). Thus, our initial interpretation is superior.

Our companions hold that the physical structure (al-bunya) is not a prerequisite for life. Life resides in the part (al-juz’) where life is established, and knowledge resides in the part where knowledge is established. The Mu'tazila argue that the living entity (al-ḥayy) and the knowing entity (al-ʿālim) are the totality (al-jumla), not just a specific part.

Our companions use this verse to support their view: {wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi af'idatu alladhīna lā yu'minūna} (and that the hearts of those who do not believe may incline toward it). God described the heart (al-fu'ād) as the subject of inclination and desire, not the entire living being. This indicates that the locus of these faculties is a specific part, supporting our position.

Those who maintain that the human being (al-insān) is distinct from the body have differed on the attachment points:

1. Some say the primary attachment is the heart, through which the soul connects to other organs like the brain and the liver.
2. Others say the heart is attached to the Animal Soul (al-Nafs al-Ḥayawāniyyah), the brain to the Rational Soul (al-Nafs al-Nāṭiqah), and the liver to the Natural Soul (al-Nafs al-Ṭabīʿiyyah).

The first group relies on this verse, as God designated the heart (al-fu'ād) as the seat of inclination (ṣaghw), which signifies desire and will. This indicates that the heart is the primary attachment point for the soul.

The pronoun in {wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi af'idatu...} refers back to "embellished speech" (zukhruf al-qawl), as does the pronoun in {wa-li-yarḍawhu} (and that they may be pleased with it).

As for {wa-li-yaqtarifū mā hum muqtarifūn} (and that they may perpetrate what they are perpetrating): Iqtirāf (الاقتراف) means acquisition or earning. A proverb states: "Confession removes acquisition [of sin]," just as "Repentance erases the offense." Al-Zajjāj suggested that {li-yaqtarifū} means "that they may differ and lie." However, the first meaning (acquisition/perpetration) is more sound.

Verse 114