Al-An'am (The Cattle): (135) Say, "O my people...

It is known that after He clarified by saying: {Indeed, what you are promised [is near]} (Al-An'am: 132), He then commanded His Messenger to warn those who deny the Resurrection from among the disbelievers, saying: {Say, "O my people! Do [as you will] according to your position; indeed, I am doing [as I will]. And you will know whose will be the best outcome."} (Al-An'am: 135). There are several discussions regarding this verse:

First Discussion: Recitation Variants

Abu Bakr narrated from 'Asim the reading of {على مكاناتكم} (ala makānātikum) with an alif (plural form) throughout the entire Qur'an. The rest read {على مكانتكم} (ala makānatikum) (singular form). Al-Wahidi said: The singular form is the more appropriate choice because makānah is a verbal noun (masdar), and verbal nouns are usually singular. However, they can sometimes be pluralized in certain contexts, though the singular form is more common.

Second Discussion: Meaning of Makānah

The author of Al-Kashshāf stated that al-makānah can mean:

1. Verbal Noun (Masdar): It is said, makana makānatan (he achieved a position/status) meaning he attained the utmost firmness/establishment.
2. Place/Position: It can mean place, just as makān (place) and maqām (standing place) can also mean makānah and maqāmah, respectively.

Therefore, the phrase {اعملوا على مكانتكم} (Do according to your makānah) can mean:

• "Do according to your firm establishment in your affair and your utmost capability and possibility."
• It can also mean: "Do according to the state you are currently upon." It is said to a man when commanded to remain steadfast in a situation: "Remain upon your makānah, O so-and-so," meaning, "Stay firm upon what you are doing and do not deviate from it."

Then, {إنى عامل} (Indeed, I am doing [as I will]) means: "I am acting according to my makānah (my established state)." The overall meaning is: "Remain steadfast in your disbelief and enmity, for I am steadfast in Islam and in opposing you. {فسوف تعلمون} (And you will know) whose will be the final, praiseworthy outcome."

This command follows the pattern of the verse: {اعملوا ما شئتم} (Do what you will) (Al-Tur: 16), which is a delegation of the matter to them, but in the form of a threat.

Third Discussion: Grammatical Analysis of Man

Regarding the phrase {فسوف تعلمون من تكون له عاقبة الدار} (And you will know whose will be the best outcome of the abode), Al-Farrā' mentioned two grammatical possibilities for man (who/whose):

1. It is in the accusative case (nasb) because it is the object of the verb ta'lamūn (you will know).
2. It is in the nominative case (raf') with the meaning of "which one of us," similar to the Almighty's saying: {لنعلم أي الحزبين} (that We may know which of the two parties...).

Fourth Discussion: Apparent Contradiction

The phrase {فسوف تعلمون من تكون له عاقبة الدار} seems to imply that the disbeliever has no ultimate outcome ('āqibah) in the abode, which is problematic.

Our Reply: The 'āqibah (outcome) can befall the disbeliever, but it is not for him (i.e., it is not a good outcome for him). This is like saying, "The majority is upon them, and victory is upon them," in a negative sense, whereas one says, "He has the majority, and he has the victory," when it is positive.

Fifth Discussion: Gender Agreement of 'Āqibah

Ḥamzah and Al-Kisā'ī recited {من يكون} (whose it will be) using the masculine pronoun (yaqūn), and similarly in Al-Qasas (28:87). The rest read the feminine pronoun {تكون} (takūn) in both verses.

Al-Wahidi commented: 'Āqibah is a verbal noun (masdar) like 'āfiyah. Its femininity is not inherent (ghayr haqīqī). Those who use the feminine pronoun do so like in {فأخذتهم الصيحة} (Then the cry seized them) (Al-Mu'minūn: 41). Those who use the masculine pronoun do so like in {وأخذ الذين ظلموا الصيحة} (And the cry seized those who wronged) (Hud: 67). He also noted variations in the use of masculine/feminine for maw'iẓah (admonition) in different verses.

Then the Almighty says: {إنه لا يفلح الظالمون} (Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed).

The purpose of this statement is to clarify that the command {اعملوا على مكانتكم} (Do according to your position) is a threat and a warning, not a command or a request. It means that these disbelievers will absolutely not succeed or attain what they seek.

| Al-An'am (The Cattle): (136)