Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:88

Meaning: It must be one of two things: either your expulsion or your return to disbelief.

If you ask: How could they address Shuʿayb (peace be upon him) regarding a "return to disbelief" in their statement, "Or you must return to our religion," and how could he answer them by saying, "If we were to return to your religion after Allah has saved us from it, and it is not for us to return to it," when it is impermissible for prophets to commit minor sins—let alone major ones or disbelief—that would cause people to be repulsed?

I reply: When they said, "We will surely evict you, O Shuʿayb, and those who have believed with you," they linked to his pronoun those who had entered into faith after their disbelief. Thus, they said, "You [plural] will return," using the rule of taghlīb (dominance/generalization), treating the group as the primary subject over the individual. They made them all appear as "returning" to follow the grammatical rule of generalization. Shuʿayb (peace be upon him) framed his response in the same manner, saying, "If we were to return to your religion after Allah has saved us from it." He intended the return of his people, but he included himself in their group—even though he was innocent of it—to maintain the grammatical rule of generalization.

If you ask: What is the meaning of his saying, "And it is not for us to return to it except that Allah should will," when Allah is too exalted to will the apostasy of believers and their return to disbelief?

I reply: Its meaning is: "Except that Allah should will to abandon us and withhold His grace," because He knows that it would not benefit us and would be in vain. Futility is ugly, and the Wise One does not do it. The proof for this is His saying, "Our Lord has encompassed all things in knowledge," meaning He knows everything that was and will be. He knows the states of His servants, how they transform, how their hearts fluctuate, how they harden after being soft, how they become diseased after being healthy, and how they return to disbelief after faith. "Upon Allah we rely" to keep us firm in faith and grant us success in increasing our certainty. It is also possible that his saying, "Except that Allah should will," is a way to cut off their hope for his return, because Allah willing their return to disbelief is impossible and contrary to wisdom.

"Or [would you force us] even if we were unwilling?" The hamza is for interrogation, and the waw is the waw al-ḥāl (denoting state). The estimation is: "Will you force us back into your religion while we are unwilling, and despite our aversion?"

"And it is not for us..." Meaning: It is not appropriate for us, nor is it correct for us.

"Our Lord, decide between us..." Meaning: Judge between us. Fatāḥa means judgment, or "make our affair manifest" so that what is between us and our people is opened and revealed by You sending down upon them a punishment through which it becomes clear that they are upon falsehood.

"And You are the best of the deciders." Similar to His saying, "And He is the best of the judges" (Al-Aʿrāf: 87).

If you ask: What is the style of his saying, "We would have invented a lie against Allah if we returned to your religion"?

I reply: It is a statement qualified by a condition, and it has two interpretations:

1. It is an independent statement containing a sense of astonishment, as if they said: "How great would be our lie against Allah if we returned to disbelief after Islam!" This is because the apostate is more extreme in fabrication than the disbeliever. The disbeliever fabricates a lie against Allah by claiming He has a partner when He has none. The apostate is like him in that, but exceeds him, as he claims that what was hidden from him regarding the distinction between truth and falsehood has now become clear to him.
2. It is an oath with an implied lām (emphatic particle), meaning: "By Allah, we would have indeed invented a lie against Allah."