Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:5

Surah Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verse 5

{فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ} (So they have certainly denied the Truth.)

It is known that the Almighty has arranged the states of these disbelievers in three stages:

1. The First Stage: Their turning away from contemplating the proofs and reflecting upon the clear signs.
2. The Second Stage: Their denial of these signs. This stage is more severe than the first, because one who turns away might not necessarily be a denier; rather, they might just be heedless and unconcerned. When they become deniers, they have surpassed mere turning away.
3. The Third Stage: Their mockery of the signs. A denier might not reach the level of mockery, but when they reach this stage, they have reached the utmost extreme in rejection.

The Almighty clarified that these disbelievers reached these three stages in this specific order.

There is a difference of opinion regarding what is meant by "the Truth" (الحق):

• It is said that it refers to the miracles. Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the moon split in Mecca into two halves, one went away and one remained.
• It is said that it refers to the Qur'an.
• It is said that it refers to Muhammad (peace be upon him).
• It is said that it refers to the Law (Shari'ah) brought by Muhammad (PBUH) and the rulings he brought.
• It is said that it refers to the Promise and the Threat (of reward and punishment) by which they are sometimes encouraged and sometimes warned.

The most comprehensive view is that all of these are included under the term "the Truth."

{فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ أَنبَاءُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ} (So there will come to them the news of that for which they used to mock.)

The meaning here is the threat and the deterrence from that mockery. Therefore, what is meant by "the news" (أنباء) is not the news itself, but rather the punishment that Allah has informed them about.

This is similar to His saying: {وَلَتَعْلَمُنَّ نَبَأَهُ بَعْدَ حِينٍ} (And you will surely know its news after a time) [Sad: 88]. When a wise person issues a threat, they might say, "You will know the news of this matter when what you were warned against befalls you."

This is because the purpose of the report (the threat) is the attainment of knowledge about the impending punishment. When the punishment itself descends, it confirms that report, removing any doubt about it.

This punishment could refer to:

1. The punishment of this world, which manifested on the Day of Badr.
2. The punishment of the Hereafter.

{أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّن قَرْنٍ مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِم مِّدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِم قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ} (Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them? We had established them on the earth in a manner We had not established you, and We sent down abundant rain for them and made rivers flow beneath them. Then We destroyed them for their sins and brought forth after them another generation.)