ﱸ ﱹ ﱺ ﱻ ﱼ ﱽ ﱾ ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ ﲆ ﲇ ﲈ ﲉ ﲊ ﲋ ﲌ ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ ﲗ ﲘ ﲙ ﲚ ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ
Has there not reached you the news of those before you - the people of Noah and 'Aad and Thamud and those after them? No one knows them but Allah. Their messengers brought them clear proofs, but they returned their hands to their mouths and said, "Indeed, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and indeed we are, about that to which you invite us, in disquieting doubt."
Tafsir
Verse range: 14:9
This is a sentence consisting of a subject and a predicate, occurring as a parenthetical clause. Alternatively, "those after them" is conjoined to "the people of Noah," and "none knows them except Allah" is the parenthetical clause. The meaning is: they are so numerous that no one knows their count except Allah.
It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that between Adnan and Ishmael there were thirty forefathers who are unknown. When Ibn Mas‘ud would recite this verse, he would say: "The genealogists have lied," meaning they claim knowledge of lineages, while Allah has negated such knowledge from His servants.
They bit them out of rage and annoyance at what the messengers brought, similar to His saying: {They bite their fingertips at you in rage} (Al Imran: 119).
Or, they did so out of laughter and mockery, like one overcome by laughter who places his hand over his mouth.
Or, they gestured with their hands toward their own tongues, referring to their statement: {Indeed, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent}. This means: "This is our answer to you; we have nothing else," intended to make the messengers despair of their belief. Do you not see His saying: {They put their hands into their mouths and said, "Indeed, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent"}? This is a strong interpretation.
Or, they placed their hands over their own mouths, saying to the prophets: "Shut your mouths and be silent."
Or, they thrust their hands into the mouths of the prophets, gesturing for them to be silent.
Or, they placed their hands over the prophets' mouths to silence them and prevent them from speaking.
It is also said: "Hands" (al-aydi) is the plural of "hand" (yad), meaning "favors" (al-ayadi). That is, they returned the favors of the prophets—which are the greatest of favors, such as their sermons, advice, and the laws and signs revealed to them—back into their mouths. Because when they denied them and refused to accept them, it was as if they returned them into their mouths, rejecting them—a metaphorical expression.
Meaning: to faith in Allah. (It is also recited as tad‘una with the assimilation of the nun).
Meaning: causing doubt, or possessing doubt. It is derived from araba (to cause doubt) or araba al-rajul (the man became doubtful). It refers to the agitation of the soul and its lack of tranquility regarding a matter.
