Surah Al-Baqarah 2:94
ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ
Say, [O Muhammad], "If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is for you alone and not the [other] people, then wish for death, if you should be truthful.
Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:94
Tafsir
Al-Kashshaf
Verse range: 2:94
**"Khāliṣatan" (Exclusive)** It is in the accusative case as a state (*ḥāl*) of "the Last Abode." The meaning is: "safe for you, exclusive to you," such that no one else has a right to it. This refers to their claim: "None shall enter Paradise except those who are Jews."
**"The people"** It refers to mankind in general. It is also said to refer to a specific group: the Muslims.
**"Then wish for death"** Because whoever is certain that he is among the people of Paradise longs for it, desires a swift arrival at the bliss, and wishes to be rid of this world of impurities. * **Evidence:** It is narrated that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was walking between the battle lines in his light armor. His son, al-Hasan, said to him, "This is not the attire of a warrior!" He replied, "My son, your father does not care whether he falls upon death or death falls upon him." * **Evidence:** It is narrated that Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to wish for death. When he was dying, he said, "A beloved has come in a time of need; he who regrets [his past deeds] shall not prosper"—meaning he regretted having wished for death. * **Evidence:** Ammar said at Siffin, "Now I shall meet the beloved, Muhammad and his party." Each of the ten [promised Paradise] loved death and yearned for it. * **Evidence:** The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "If they had wished for death, every person would have choked on his own saliva and died on the spot, and not a single Jew would have remained on the face of the earth."
**"For what their hands have sent forth"** Meaning: for what they have committed of the causes of the Fire, such as disbelief in Muhammad and what he brought, the distortion of the Book of Allah, and all other types of disbelief and disobedience.
**"But they will never wish for it, ever"** This is among the miracles, as it is an informing of the unseen, and it happened exactly as foretold, similar to His saying: "And you will never be able to do it."
- Objection: How do you know they did not wish for it?
- Response: Because if they had, it would have been transmitted just as other events were. If it had been transmitted, those among the People of the Book and others who seek to attack Islam would have been more numerous than dust in reporting it, yet none of them reported it.
- Objection: Wishing is an act of the heart, a secret no one can see. How do you know they did not wish for it in their hearts?
- Response: Wishing is not an act of the heart; it is a person saying with his tongue, "I wish I had such-and-such." When he says it, they say, "He wished." "Would that" (layta) is the word of wishing. It is impossible for a challenge to be based on what is in the conscience and hearts. If wishing were merely in the heart, they would have said, "We wished for death in our hearts," but it was never reported that they said that.
- Objection: Perhaps they did not say it because they knew they would not be believed.
- Response: How many things has He narrated about them—slander against Allah, distortion of His Book, and other things—which they knew they would not be believed in, and which had no interpretation other than pure lies? Yet they did not care. Why then would they refrain from saying, "We wished for death," even if it were an act of the heart? They could have claimed it, and there is a possibility they might have been truthful in their report about their own consciences. A man might report his own faith and be believed, even though there is a possibility he is lying, because it is a hidden matter that cannot be verified.
**"And Allah is All-Knowing of the wrongdoers"** A threat to them.
**"And you will surely find them"** This is from *wajada* (to find), meaning "to know," which takes two objects, as in the saying: "I found Zayd to be a keeper of trusts." Its two objects are "the most greedy of people" and "for life."
- Objection: Why is "life" (ḥayāh) indefinite?
- Response: Because He intended a specific type of life: a prolonged life. That is why this reading is more impactful than the reading of Ubayy: "for the life" (al-ḥayāh).
**"And from those who associate partners"** This is based on the meaning, for the sense of "the most greedy of people" is "more greedy than the people." * **Objection:** Are those who associate partners not included under "the people"? * **Response:** Yes, but they are singled out for mention because their greed is intense. It is also possible that the meaning is "more greedy than those who associate partners," with the first part omitted because "the most greedy of people" implies it. This contains a great rebuke, for those who associate partners do not believe in the Hereafter and know nothing but the life of this world, so their greed for it is not surprising, as it is their "paradise." Thus, if one who possesses a Scripture and acknowledges the recompense is even more greedy than them, he is truly deserving of the greatest rebuke.
- Objection: Why is their greed greater than that of the polytheists?
- Response: Because they know, due to their knowledge of their own state, that they are destined for the Fire without doubt, whereas the polytheists do not know that.
- Note: It is said that by "those who associate partners," the Magians are meant, because they used to say to their kings, "Live a thousand Nawruz and a thousand Mihragan." Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says it is the Persian phrase: hazār sāl (a thousand years).
**"One of them wishes"** This is based on the omission of the described noun, as in His saying: "And there is none among us except that he has a known position." In this interpretation, "those who associate partners" refers to the Jews, because they said, "Ezra is the son of Allah."
**"And it is not"** The pronoun refers to "one of them."
**"That he be granted long life"** This is the subject of "it will remove him" (*bi-muzahziḥihi*). Meaning: "His being granted long life will not remove him from the Fire." It is also said the pronoun refers to what is indicated by "granted long life" (*yuʿammar*) from its verbal noun, and that "granted long life" is a substitute for it. It is also possible that "it" is vague and "granted long life" clarifies it. *Zahzaḥah* means to distance or push away.
- Objection: What is the position of "one of them wishes"?
- Response: It is an explanation of the increase in their greed, presented as a new statement.
- Objection: How does "if he were granted long life" connect to "one of them wishes"?
- Response: It is a narration of their wish. "If" (law) is in the sense of a wish. The standard form would have been "if I were granted long life," but it follows the third-person form because of "one of them wishes," similar to saying, "He swore by Allah that he would do it."