Tafsir of An-Naml 27:4

"Indeed, those who do not..."

[Question]: How is the beautification of their deeds attributed to His [God’s] Essence, when He has attributed it to Satan in His saying: "And Satan beautified their deeds for them" (An-Naml: 24; Al-Ankabut: 38)?

[Answer]: There is a difference between the two attributions. The attribution to Satan is literal, while the attribution to Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He) is metaphorical. There are two ways to explain this in the science of rhetoric (‘ilm al-bayan):

The First Way: It is a metaphor known as isti‘ara (borrowing/metaphor). Because He granted them long life and abundant provision, and they turned these blessings and His kindness toward them into a pretext for following their desires, their insolence, and their preference for comfort and luxury—while shunning the difficult obligations and exhausting hardships—it is as if He beautified their deeds for them through these means. The angels (peace be upon them) alluded to this in their saying: "But You provided them and their fathers [with comforts] until they forgot the message" (Al-Furqan: 18).

The Second Way: It is a majaz hukmi (predicative metaphor). Because He granted Satan respite and left him free to beautify [evil] for them, this created an outward association with the act of beautification. Thus, it was attributed to Him, for a predicative metaphor is validated by certain associations.

It is also said: These are the good deeds they were obligated to perform; Allah made them appear beautiful to them, yet they remained blind to them and went astray. This is attributed to Al-Hasan.

"Blindness" (‘amah): Confusion and hesitation, such as the state of one who has lost his way. A Bedouin once entered the market, having never seen one before, and said: "I saw the people ‘amihin," meaning: hesitant and wandering in their tasks and occupations.

"The worst of punishment": Killing and captivity on the day of Badr.

"The greatest losers": The people who suffer the most loss. For had they believed, they would have been witnesses over all nations; thus, they lost that status along with the loss of salvation and the reward of Allah.

"And indeed, you receive the Qur’an from One Wise and Knowing."