Al-An'am (The Cattle): (122) Or is he who was...

Issues in the Verse:

When the Almighty mentioned in the previous verse that the polytheists dispute with the believers concerning the religion of God, He then presented a parable illustrating the state of the guided believer and the state of the misguided disbeliever.

The guided believer is likened to one who was dead, whom We brought to life, and granted him a light by which he navigates his affairs.

The disbeliever, conversely, is likened to one who is in deep darkness from which he cannot escape, thus remaining perpetually bewildered.

Then the Almighty said: {And thus We have made fair-seeming to the disbelievers that which they used to do}.

At this point, the issue of predestination (Jabr) and free will (Qadar) resurfaces.

Our companions (the Ash'arites) argue that the one who makes these deeds seem fair is Allah Himself. Their proof is what was previously mentioned: an action depends on the presence of a motive (dā'ī), and the creation of this motive must be by Allah. This motive is defined as a belief, conviction, or assumption that the action contains a superior benefit or a preponderant good. This motive has no meaning other than this beautification (tazyīn). Therefore, if Allah is the Creator of this motive, then the beautifier must inevitably be Allah.

The Mu'tazilah argue that the one who makes things seem fair is Satan. They cite Al-Hasan who said: "He made it seem fair to them, and Allah is Satan."

Know that this view (of the Mu'tazilah) is extremely weak for several reasons:

1. The decisive proof we already mentioned (that all creation stems from Allah).
2. This parable is mentioned to distinguish the state of the Muslim from the disbeliever, and Satan is included in this context. If Satan’s initiation of that disbelief was due to another tempter, it would necessitate an infinite regress of tempters, or there must be another beautifier besides Satan.
3. Allah explicitly states that the beautifier is none other than Him, both before and after this verse. Before it: {And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus have We made fair-seeming to every community their deeds} (Al-An'am 6:108). After it: {And thus have We made in every town its greatest criminals to plot therein} (Al-An'am 6:123).

Regarding the phrase: {Or is he who was dead and We gave him life}.

Nāfi' recited it as "mayyitan" (with a shaddah on the yā' - intensified), while the rest recited it as "mayyitan" (with a takhfīf - lightened). The linguists state that the lightened form is a simplification of the intensified form; their meaning is the same, differing only in emphasis (heaviness or lightness).

The scholars of Ma'ānī (Rhetoric/Meaning) state that the disbelievers are described as dead in several verses:

• {They are dead, not living, and they do not know when they will be resurrected} (An-Nahl 16:21).
• {To warn whoever is alive} (Yā-Sīn 36:70).
• {Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear} (An-Naml 27:80).
• {And the blind and the seeing are not equal, nor are the living and the dead} (Fāṭir 35:19, 22).

Since disbelief is termed death and the disbeliever is called dead, guidance is termed life, and the guided person is called living. Disbelief is called death because it is ignorance, and ignorance leads to confusion and stagnation, similar to death which causes stillness. Furthermore, the dead person cannot be guided to anything, and neither can the ignorant person.

Guidance is knowledge and insight (baṣar), and knowledge and insight are the means to achieve righteousness and attain salvation.

The phrase {and We made for him a light by which he walks among people} is connected to {and We gave him life}, meaning this light must be distinct from that life.

What occurs to the mind (and Allah knows best) is that human souls possess four ranks in terms of knowledge:

1. The First Rank: Being receptive to these knowledges (original predisposition). This original predisposition varies among souls; some souls possess a complete, strong, and noble predisposition, while others have a weak and deficient one, resulting in dullness.
2. The Second Rank: Attaining the primary, universal knowledges, which are called intellect ('aql).
3. The Third Rank: The individual attempts to combine these self-evident principles (badīhiyyāt) and, through their combination, arrives at knowing acquired, theoretical knowledge (majhūlāt kasbiyyah). However, this knowledge might not be actively present but is available such that the possessor can recall and bring it to mind whenever they wish.
4. The Fourth Rank: These sacred knowledges and spiritual illuminations (jalāyā rūḥāniyyah) are actively present, and the essence of that soul is radiant with these knowledges, illuminated by them, and perfected by their manifestation within it.

Knowing this, we state:

• The First Rank (mere possession of predisposition) is what is termed Death.
• The Second Rank (attainment of self-evident, universal knowledge) is what is referred to by {and We gave him life}.
• The Third Rank (combining self-evident principles to reach theoretical knowledge) is what is intended by {and We made for him a light}.
• The Fourth Rank ({by which he walks among people}) indicates that he has those sacred illuminations actively present and is contemplating them. At this stage, the degrees of felicity for the human soul are completed.

Alternatively, Life can be interpreted as the predisposition inherent in the soul's essence, and Light can be interpreted as the conveyance of the light of revelation (waḥy) and revelation (tanzīl). For sight to occur, two things are necessary: a sound sense organ and the rising of the sun. Similarly, for insight (baṣīrah), two things are necessary: a sound faculty of intellect and the rising of the light of revelation and scripture. This is why the commentators say this Light refers to the Qur'an. Some say it is the light of Religion, and others say it is the light of Wisdom. All these opinions are close, but the precise interpretation is what we have detailed.

As for the disbeliever, {he is like one in darkness, not emerging from it}.

There is a subtle intellectual point in the phrase {not emerging from it}: If something persists continuously with a thing, it becomes like an inherent attribute or an inseparable quality. If the disbeliever remains continuously in the darkness of ignorance and blameworthy characteristics, those darknesses become like an inherent quality difficult to remove from him—may God protect us from this state! Moreover, one standing in darkness remains bewildered, unable to discern the path to his well-being, leading to fear, panic, helplessness, and stagnation.

There is disagreement on whether these two parables apply specifically to two named individuals or are general for every believer and disbeliever. There are two views:

The First View: It is specific to two particular individuals. There are several narrations supporting this:

1. Ibn Abbas narrated that Abu Jahl threw filth upon the Prophet (PBUH). Hamza, who had not yet believed, was informed upon returning from a hunt with his bow in hand. He went to Abu Jahl, struck his head with the bow, and Abu Jahl said, "Do you not see what he has brought? He has ridiculed our intellects and insulted our gods!" Hamza replied, "You are the most foolish people; you worship stones besides God. I testify that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger." Then this verse was revealed.
2. Muqatil narrated that this verse was revealed concerning the Prophet (PBUH) and Abu Jahl. Abu Jahl said, "The Banu Abd Manāf have competed with us for prestige. When we became like two horses in a race, they claimed a Prophet would arise from among them who receives revelation. By God, we will never believe in him unless revelation comes to us as it comes to him." Then this verse was revealed.
3. ‘Ikrimah and Al-Kalbī said it was revealed concerning ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir and Abu Jahl.
4. Ad-Ḍaḥḥāk said it was revealed concerning ‘Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb and Abu Jahl.

The Second View: This verse is general concerning all believers and disbelievers. This is the correct view, because if the meaning applies universally to everyone, restricting it is mere arbitrary assertion. Furthermore, we mentioned that this Sūrah was revealed all at once, making the claim that the cause of revelation for this specific verse was X or Y problematic, unless one argues that the Prophet (PBUH) clarified that the intended meaning of this general verse referred specifically to so-and-so.

This verse is also strong evidence that disbelief and belief originate from Allah. This is because we have established that {and We gave him life} and {and We made for him a light by which he walks among people} are metaphors for knowledge and guidance. This indicates that all these matters occur only from Allah and by His permission. Rational proofs support this, such as the proof of the dā'ī (motive) which we summarized.

Moreover, no rational person would choose ignorance and disbelief for themselves. It is impossible for a person to choose to make himself ignorant and disbelieving. Since he intended to attain belief and knowledge but instead attained its opposite—disbelief and ignorance—we know that this occurred through the creation of another.

If they argue: "He chose it because he believed that ignorance was knowledge." We reply: The conclusion of this statement is that he chose this ignorance due to a preceding ignorance. If the discussion about that preceding ignorance is the same as the subsequent one, it leads to an infinite regress. Otherwise, it must terminate in an ignorance that occurs through its own creation and formation, which is what we seek to prove.

{And thus We have made in every town its greatest criminals to plot therein. But they plot not except against themselves, and they perceive not.}