Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:47

"And that I favored you" This is in the accusative case, coordinated with "My favor" (ni‘mati). That is: "Remember My favor and My favoring of you."

"Over the worlds" (‘alamin) Meaning: Over the vast multitude of people. Like His saying, the Exalted: "We blessed it for the worlds" (Al-Anbiya: 71). It is said, "I saw a ‘alam (a multitude) of people," meaning a great number.

"A day" (yawman) Meaning: The Day of Resurrection.

"Shall not suffice" (la tajzi) Meaning: It shall not fulfill any of the rights [due]. From this is the Hadith regarding Judha‘ah ibn Niyar: "It shall suffice for you, but shall not suffice for anyone after you."

"Anything" (shay’an) It is the direct object. It is also permissible for it to be in the position of an infinitive (masdar), meaning: "not even a little bit of compensation," like His saying, the Exalted: "And they shall not be wronged anything" (Maryam: 60). As for the one who reads it as la tujzi’ (from ajza’a ‘anhu—meaning "to suffice/avail for him"), then in his reading, it can only mean "anything of sufficiency." Abu al-Sarar al-Ghanawi read: "No soul shall suffice for another soul anything."

This sentence is in the accusative position as an adjective for "a day." If you ask: "Where is the pronoun referring back to the described noun?" I say: It is omitted. The estimation is: "It shall not suffice in it." Similar to this is what Abu ‘Ali cited: "A watering place more worthy for you to rest in," meaning: "a watering place in which it is more worthy for you to rest." Some grammarians argue that the prepositional phrase is treated as a direct object, so the preposition is dropped, and then the pronoun is dropped, just as it was dropped in the saying: "Or wealth they acquired." The meaning of the indefinite (tankir) is that no soul among the souls shall suffice for any soul among them anything of the things. This is total despair and a cutting off of all hopes.

"And neither shall intercession be accepted from it, nor shall compensation be taken from it" Meaning: A ransom, because it is equivalent (mu‘adalah) to the one being ransomed. From this is the Hadith: "Neither repentance (sarf) nor compensation (‘adl) shall be accepted from him," meaning neither repentance nor ransom. Qatadah read "And He shall not accept" (wa la yaqbalu) in the active voice—referring to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic—with "intercession" in the accusative. It is said that the Jews used to claim that their forefathers, the Prophets, would intercede for them, so they were made to despair of that.

If you ask: "Is there evidence here that intercession is not accepted for the sinners?" I say: Yes, because He negated that any soul could fulfill for another soul a right it neglected—whether by action or omission—then He negated that the intercession of an intercessor would be accepted for it. Thus, it is known that it is not accepted for the sinners.

If you ask: "To which of the two souls does the pronoun in 'accepted from it' refer?" I say: To the second, the sinful one, the one for whom no sufficiency is provided, and from whom no compensation is taken. The meaning of "intercession shall not be accepted from it" is: if it brings the intercession of an intercessor, it shall not be accepted from it. It is also permissible for it to refer to the first soul, meaning: even if it were to intercede for the other, its intercession would not be accepted, just as it would not suffice for it in anything, and if it were to offer compensation for it, it would not be accepted from it.

"And they shall not be helped" Meaning: The many souls indicated by the indefinite "soul." The masculine plural pronoun is used because it refers to the meaning of "servants" or "human beings," just as you say "three souls" (thalathat anfus).

"And when We saved you from the people of Pharaoh, who were afflicting you with the worst of torment, slaughtering your sons and keeping your women alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord."