ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ ﳇ
Rather, they have denied that which they encompass not in knowledge and whose interpretation has not yet come to them. Thus did those before them deny. Then observe how was the end of the wrongdoers.
Tafsir
Verse range: 10:37-40
"But [it is] a confirmation of what is before it" Meaning, the scriptures revealed previously. Because it is miraculous compared to them, it serves as a standard for them and a witness to their authenticity, as in His saying: "It is the truth, confirming what is before it" (Fatir: 31).
It is also read as: wa-lakin tasdiqu alladhi bayna yadayhi wa-tafsilu al-kitab (But it is a confirmation of what is before it and an explanation of the Book), meaning: "But it is a confirmation and an explanation."
"And what could not be invented" Meaning: It was not valid, nor was it upright, and it was impossible for something like it—in the loftiness of its status and its inimitability—to be an invention.
"And an explanation of the Book" An elucidation of what has been written and ordained of rulings and laws, from His saying: "The Book of Allah [is] upon you" (An-Nisa: 24).
If you ask: To what does the phrase "No doubt in it, from the Lord of the worlds" connect? I say: It is included within the scope of the istidrak (the "but" clause). It is as if He said: "But it was a confirmation and an explanation, with doubt negated from it, being from the Lord of the worlds," connecting to "confirmation and explanation." Or, "No doubt in it" may be a parenthetical clause, just as you say: "Zayd—there is no doubt about him—is generous."
"Say, 'Then bring a surah like it'" If the matter is as you claim, then you—being my peers in Arabic and eloquence—bring a surah like it.
"And call upon whom you can besides Allah" To seek their help in producing the like of it. This means: Allah alone is the One capable of producing the like of it; no one else is capable of it. So do not seek help from Him alone, but seek help from everyone else besides Him.
"If you are truthful" That it is an invention.
Like the one raised on blind imitation (taqlid) among the Hashwiyya (literalists): when he senses a word that does not conform to what he was raised upon and grew accustomed to—even if it were brighter than the sun in the clarity of its truth and the manifestation of its uprightness—he denies it at the first glance and recoils from it before his sense of hearing even perceives it, without any thought as to its truth or falsehood. This is because his heart has not felt anything but the correctness of his own sect and the falsehood of all other sects.
If you ask: What is the meaning of the "expectation" (tawaqqu') in His saying: { ولما يأتهم تأويله } ("And they have not yet come to its interpretation")? I say: It means they denied it immediately before reflection and knowledge of its interpretation, out of imitation of their forefathers. Then they denied it after reflection, out of rebellion and stubbornness. He censured them for hastening to deny it before having knowledge of it. He used the word of expectation (lamma) to signal that they eventually came to know of its lofty status and inimitability after the challenge was repeated to them, and they tested their powers in opposition and became certain of their inability to produce the like of it. Thus, they denied it out of transgression and envy.
"Likewise did those before them deny" Meaning: Just like that denial, those before them denied—before looking into the miracles of the prophets and before reflecting upon them, without fairness to themselves, but rather imitating their forefathers and acting out of stubbornness. It is also said: This refers to those who denied while they were in doubt.
It is also possible that the meaning of { ولما يأتهم تأويله } is: "And the interpretation of what it contains regarding the news of the Unseen has not yet come to them," meaning its outcome, until it becomes clear to them whether it is a lie or the truth. This means it is a miraculous book from two aspects: the miracle of its composition, and the news of the Unseen it contains. They hastened to deny it before looking into its composition and its reaching the limit of inimitability, and before testing its reports of the Unseen and its truthfulness or falsehood.
"And among them are those who believe in it" They acknowledge it within themselves and know it is the truth, but they act stubbornly by denying it. "And among them are those who doubt it" They do not believe in it. Or, it may be for the future: "Among them are those who will believe in it, and among them are those who will persist."
"And your Lord is most knowing of the corrupters" The stubborn ones, or those who persist.
