Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:130

"O company of jinn..."

It will be said to them on the Day of Resurrection by way of rebuke: "Did there not come to you messengers from among yourselves?"

There is a difference of opinion regarding whether messengers were sent to the jinn from among their own kind:

• Some hold to the literal meaning of the verse, making no distinction between different types of accountable beings, arguing that a messenger must be of the same species as those to whom he is sent, as they are more familiar and accustomed to him.
• Others say: Messengers are exclusively from among mankind. The phrase "from among yourselves" is used because, since both groups (mankind and jinn) are addressed together, it is linguistically valid to attribute the action to the collective, even if the messengers were only from one of the two groups. This is like the verse: "From both of them emerge pearl and coral" (Ar-Rahman: 22).
• It is also said: It refers to messengers sent from the jinn to their own kind, as in the verse: "They returned to their people as warners" (Al-Ahqaf: 29).
• Al-Kalbi says: Before the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him), messengers were sent only to mankind, but the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sent to both mankind and jinn.

"They will say, 'We bear witness against ourselves.'"

This recounts their confirmation and acceptance of the question: "Did there not come to you...?" The interrogative particle (hamza) entering the negation of the messengers' arrival is for the purpose of rebuke, thus serving as an admission from them. Their statement, "We bear witness against ourselves," is an acknowledgment that Allah’s proof is binding upon them and that they have been defeated by it.

If you ask: How can they be admitting this here, while they deny it in the verse: "By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists" (Al-An'am: 23)?

I say: The circumstances and stations of that prolonged Day vary. They admit in some instances and deny in others. Alternatively, it may refer to the testimony of their hands, feet, and skin when their mouths are sealed.

If you ask: Why is the mention of their testimony against themselves repeated?

I say: The first is a narrative of their speech—how they speak and confess. The second is a condemnation of them, a correction of their judgment, and a description of their lack of foresight regarding their own souls. They were a people deceived by the worldly life and immediate pleasures, and the end of their affair was that they were compelled to testify against themselves regarding their disbelief, their submission to their Lord, and their deserving of His punishment. This is mentioned as a warning to the listeners against falling into a state like theirs.

"That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing while their people were unaware. And for all are degrees from what they have done. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do."