Al-An'am (The Cattle): (26) And they forbid others from it...

In this verse, there are several issues to consider:

Issue 1: The Meaning of "It" (عنه)

Know that after Allah the Exalted clarified that they criticized the Quran's miraculous nature by saying it was merely "legends of the ancients and tales of former peoples," He states in this verse that they forbid others from it and shun it (وهم ينهون عنه وينأون عنه).

Since the preceding verses mentioned both the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), the pronoun "it" (عنه) is ambiguous:

1. Some commentators said: "They forbid others from it and shun it" means they forbid others from the Quran, its contemplation, and listening to it.
2. Others said: It means they forbid others from the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

However, forbidding the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) himself is impossible. Therefore, the prohibition must relate to an action connected to him. This leads to two further opinions:

• Some said the meaning is that they forbid people from believing in his prophethood and affirming his message.
• 'Ata' and Muqatil said: This verse was revealed concerning Abu Talib, who used to forbid the Quraysh from harming the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), yet he himself distanced himself from the Prophet and did not follow his religion.

The first opinion (forbidding belief in prophethood) is more fitting for two reasons:

1. All verses preceding this one condemn their way of life. Therefore, the statement "And they forbid others from it" should also refer to a blameworthy action. If we interpret it as Abu Talib forbidding harm to the Prophet, this sequence is disrupted.
2. Allah follows this by saying, "And they destroy none but themselves" (وإن يهلكون إلا أنفسهم). This statement is appropriate if the meaning of "forbidding" is related to disbelief, but it is not appropriate if it means forbidding harm to the Prophet, as forbidding harm is a good deed that does not lead to destruction.

Objection: Someone might argue that the phrase "And they destroy none but themselves" refers to "and they shun it" (وينأون عنه), because shunning means departing from his religion and refusing to follow him, which is blameworthy, thus invalidating the preference given above.

Response: The apparent meaning of "And they destroy none but themselves" refers to everything mentioned previously. It is like saying: "So-and-so distances himself from a certain thing and shuns it, and by doing so, he harms no one but himself." Thus, this harm is not confined to one of the two actions over the other.

Issue 2: The Two Types of Harmful Actions

Know that those disbelievers treated the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) with two types of reprehensible behavior:

1. They forbade people from accepting his religion and affirming his prophethood.
2. They distanced themselves from him (ينأون عنه), where nā’a (نأى) means to be distant.

Then Allah says: "And they destroy none but themselves, and they perceive not" (وإن يهلكون إلا أنفسهم وما يشعرون).

Ibn 'Abbas said: Meaning, they destroy none but themselves due to their persistence in disbelief and their extremism therein, and they do not realize that they are destroying themselves and sending themselves to the Fire through the disbelief and disobedience they commit. And Allah knows best.

7 < { If only you could see when they are made to stand before the Fire and say, "Oh, would that we were sent back [to the world] and did not deny the signs of our Lord and become among the believers!" * Nay, what they used to conceal before has become clear to them. And if they were sent back, they would return to that which they were forbidden, and indeed, they are liars. } > 7

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