Al-An'am (The Cattle): (42-43) And verily, We sent...

Know that in the first verse, the Almighty clarified that when calamities befall the disbelievers, they turn back to God. Then, in this verse, He clarifies that they do not turn back to God for every type of hardship. Rather, they may remain insistent upon disbelief, steadfast in it, and not return to God. This indicates our position: that if God does not guide someone, he will not be guided, whether he witnesses terrifying signs or not.

There are several issues in the verse:

The verse implies an omission. The meaning is: "And verily, We sent messengers to nations before you, and they opposed them, so We seized them with affliction (al-ba'sā') and hardship (al-ḍarrā')." The omission is well-regarded because it is understood from the context.

Al-Hasan said:

• Al-Ba'sā' (Affliction) means severe poverty stemming from wretchedness (al-bu's).
• Al-Ḍarrā' (Hardship) means illnesses and pains.

Then He said: {That they might humble themselves} (Arabic: laʿallahum yataḍarraʿūn).

The meaning is: We only sent the messengers to them, and We only inflicted affliction and hardship upon them, so that they might humble themselves.

The meaning of tadarrūʿ (humbling oneself) is submission and abandoning rebellion. Its root is from ḍarāʿah, which means humility. It is said: ḍaraʿa al-rajul yaḍraʿu ḍarāʿatan, meaning the man is humble (ḍāriʿ), i.e., lowly and weak.

The meaning here is that God informed His Prophet that He had previously sent messengers to people who reached such hardness of heart that when they were afflicted in their persons and wealth, they did not submit nor humble themselves. The purpose of this is to console the Prophet (peace be upon him).

If it is asked: Does not the statement {But it is Him that you call upon} (referring to the previous verse) indicate that they did humble themselves? Yet here it says their hearts hardened and they did not humble themselves.

We reply: Those were one group of people, and these are another group. Or, we say: Those humbled themselves seeking the removal of the tribulation, but they did not humble themselves with sincerity to God. Thus, this distinction allows for both denial and affirmation (in different contexts).

Then the Almighty said: {So why did they not humble themselves when Our punishment came to them?} (Arabic: Fa-lawlā idh jā’ahum ba’sunā taḍarraʿū).

This means a negation of humbling. The implied meaning is: "So they did not humble themselves when Our punishment came to them."

The use of the word Lawlā (Why did they not / If only) implies that they had no excuse for abandoning humility except their obstinacy, hardness of heart, and admiration for their deeds which Satan beautified for them. And God knows best.

Al-Jubba'i used the phrase {That they might humble themselves} as evidence, arguing: This indicates that God only sent the messengers to them, and only inflicted affliction and hardship upon them, because He willed that they should humble themselves and believe. This proves that God wills belief and obedience from everyone.

The Reply: The word Laʿalla (that/perhaps) implies hope or desire. This is impossible concerning God, as established by proof. You have interpreted it as the will for this desired outcome. We interpret it as God treating them in a manner that, if it originated from someone other than God, the intention would be this meaning. However, attributing the cause of God's decree and will to this is impossible, as established by proof.

Furthermore, if this verse indicates your position from this angle, it indicates the opposite of your position from another angle. This is because it indicates that they did not humble themselves due to the hardness of their hearts and because Satan beautified their deeds for them.

We say: If that hardness occurred by their own action, they would require another cause to bring that action into existence, leading to an infinite regress (tasalsul). If it occurred by God's action, then our position is correct.

Moreover, suppose the disbelievers only committed this ugly act because of Satan's beautification. We then ask: Why did Satan remain insistent upon this ugly act? If it was due to another Satan, this leads to infinite regress. If these chains are broken, they ultimately terminate in the conclusion that everyone acts sometimes toward good and sometimes toward evil based on the impulses (dawāʿī) that arise in their hearts. It is then established that these impulses only arise through God's creation. At that point, our position is validated, and their position is completely invalidated. And God knows best.

{But when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened to them the gates of everything, until when they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly, and behold, they were in despair. So the remnant of the people who wronged were cut off. And praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds. Say: Have you considered? If God should take away your hearing and your sight and set a seal upon your hearts, who other than God could bring them back to you? See how We vary the signs, yet they turn away.}