Verses 17–24

Chapter 11: Hūd · Printed edition: Volume 19, from p. 218

Based on their apparent meaning, these verses are intended to comfort the Prophet, strengthen his faith in the Book of God, and affirming his insight into his mission. This continues from the previous section of verses, in which God was speaking directly to His Messenger until it reached the point where God recounted the idolaters accusing him of fabricating lies about God Almighty. Then, God bade His Prophet to challenge them to produce ten chapters like these alleged fabrications. He was also told to console himself and stay firm in his knowledge that the Qurʾan was indeed revealed by God, that he is upon nothing other than the truth, and that he is not a fabricator. Therefore, he should not be disturbed by the majority’s rejection and should not doubt.

أَفَمَنْ كَانَ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَيَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِنْهُ وَمِنْ قَبْلِهِ كِتَابُ مُوسَىٰ إِمَامًا وَرَحْمَةً ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ ۚ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِهِ مِنَ الْأَحْزَابِ فَالنَّارُ مَوْعِدُهُ ۚ فَلَا تَكُ فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِنْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ١٧

(11:17) Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows? And before him there was the Book of Moses, a guide and mercy. It is they who have faith in it, and whoever denies it from among the factions, the Fire is their tryst. So do not be in doubt about it; it is the truth from your Lord, but most people do not have faith.

This verse follows on from the previous section, which contained an argument for the Qurʾan being a scripture revealed by God Almighty. Note that the question, Is he who stands… follows? appears to be incomplete, as its predicate is implicit, its meaning being ‘…like everyone else?’ or something similar. The evidence for this is the subsequent sentence, It is they who have faith in it, and whoever denies it from among the factions, the Fire is their tryst.

This is also a rhetorical question with the force of a negation. In other words: ‘One who has these qualities is not like others who do not have them; you have these qualities, so do not be in any doubt about the Qurʾan.’

Key Debate: The Witness of His Own →

When He says, on a manifest proof (bayyina) from his Lord, the word bayyina is an adjective meaning ‘clear and apparent.’ However, clear and apparent matters may also make clear and apparent what is attached to or associated with them. For example, light, which is manifest and apparent in of itself, also makes other things apparent. Hence, the term bayyina is often used for things that make other things clear, like an argument or a sign, and witness testimony in support of the claim of a legal claimant is also called a bayyina.

God has used bayyina to refer to a conclusive argument in His saying, so that he who perishes might perish by a manifest proof (). He has also used it to refer to His signs, as per the verse, There has certainly come to you a manifest proof from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign for you (). He has also called the divine insight given to the prophets a bayyina, as in His saying in the story of Noah: O my people! Tell me, should I stand on a manifest proof from my Lord, and He has granted me His own mercy … (). The term bayyina can also refer to divine insight in general, as is apparent from the verse, Is he who stands on a manifest proof from its Lord like someone to whom the evil of his conduct is made to seem decorous, and who follow their desires? (). And, in the same vein as the present verse, God has said: Is he who was lifeless, then We gave him life and provided him with a light by which he walks among the people, like one who dwells in a manifold darkness which he cannot leave? ().

The use of bayyina in the context of the present verse most strongly suggests the last general meaning of the term given above, as indicated by the subsequent phrase, It is they who have faith in it. Even so, the specific addressee of this is evidently the Prophet, as the conclusion God draws from this rhetorical question is, So do not be in doubt about it …, in which the imperative ‘do not be’ is the second-person singular (‘you’), rather than the plural.

Therefore, the manifest proof mentioned in this verse refers to the divine insight bestowed upon the Prophet, rather than the Qurʾanic revelation that has been sent down to him. After all, it doesn’t seem fitting, on the face of it, for God to say, So do not be in doubt about it about the Qurʾan itself, which is evidently clear. However, this reading in no way contradicts the Qurʾan being itself a clear sign from God as a revelation, as indicated in His saying, Indeed I stand on a manifest proof from my Lord and you have denied it (), as each of the two verses has its own specific context.

On the basis of what we have discussed, it is clear that the claim of those who say that the construction ‘he who …’ specifically refers to the Prophet is not correct. Rather, it is a general statement that applies to the Prophet in this context. Similarly, the claim that the phrase, ‘it is they who have faith in it’, refers to the Companions has no basis for restricting the meaning of the verse thusly.

Furthermore, the claim that manifest proof here refers to the Qurʾan is also evidently incorrect, as is the claim that it refers to rational argumentation (ḥujjat al-ʿaql), which is attributed to God here because He is the one who establishes the validity of both logical and transmitted evidence. The reason for its incorrectness is that there is no evidence for such a particularization of the verse’s meaning, nor can the manifest proof from his Lord, upon which the Prophet stands, be equated with the theological arguments given to us by way of rational thought.

As for His saying, and whom a witness (shāhid) of his own follows (yatlū-hu), the intended meaning of ‘witnessing’ here is the act of providing testimony to confirm the truth of the matter that was witnessed, rather than observing something in order to testify about it later. This is because this witnessing is mentioned in the context of affirming the truth of the Qurʾan. Therefore, it is more fitting for ‘witnessing’ to mean the act of testifying rather than the act of observing to testify later.

It would also appear that the witness mentioned here is someone who is absolutely certain of the truth of the Qurʾan. This is someone who has also been granted divine insight into it, who believes in it on the basis of this insight and, therefore, testifies that it is the truth revealed by God Almighty, with the same level of certainty as he testifies to the truths of monotheism and prophethood. This is because the testimony of a person with insight and certainty can remove another person’s doubts and misgivings and strengthen their certainty. This is because when a person is convinced of something but finds that he alone is convinced of it, the fact that no one else agrees with him might cause him to entertain misgivings about his own convictions. On the other hand, when someone else affirm the same idea and support him in it, this removes his worries, strengthens his heart, and invigorates his spirit. Indeed, God Himself has argued on a similar basis in the verse, Say, ‘Tell me, if it is from Allah and you disbelieve in it, and a witness from the Children of Israel has testified to its like and believed, while you are disdainful?’

According to this reading, the verb yatlū-hu should also mean ‘to follow’ rather than ‘to recite.’ The pronoun -hu refers back either to ‘he who …’ or ‘a manifest proof.’ The latter meaning makes sense insofar as this manifest proof is a guide or a light. However, the meaning of both readings is the same, for the witness who follows he who stands on a manifest proof from its Lord is the same as the one who follows the manifest proof, as they are both ultimately following the same manifest proof. Equally, the pronoun ‘his’ in the phrase a witness of his own refers back to he who stands on a manifest proof from its Lord rather than to his Lord, and it obviously does not refer back to a manifest proof. Therefore, the meaning of this section of the verse is: ‘Whoever is in possession of divine insight into this matter and is joined by one of his own who testifies to its veracity and to his uprightness…’

In this way, what is reported in the ḥadīth books of both Shīʿa and Sunnī sects makes sense: The ‘witness’ mentioned here is ʿAlī, in the sense that the general principle expounded in this part of the verse applies to him in this instance, not in the sense that he is meant exclusively by the wording of the verse.

Commentators have offered various explanations of the sentence. For example, some have said that the verb yatlū-hu means ‘he recites it’ or that the pronoun -hu refers to the manifest proof or to he who.

Others have said that the witness mentioned in this verse is the Qurʾan, or that it is the Angel Gabriel who recites the Qurʾan to the Prophet. Perhaps this reading is derived from the verse, But Allah bears witness to what He has sent down to you—He sent it down with His knowledge—and the angels bear witness (). Another suggestion is that the witness is an angel who aids the Prophet and helps him memorise the Qurʾan, which might also be based on the aforementioned verse.

Still others have said that the witness is the Prophet himself, as God has said elsewhere, O Prophet! Indeed We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news and as a warner (). Yet another explanation is that witness refers to the Prophet’s tongue, meaning he recites the Qurʾan with his own tongue.

Some commentators have said that the witness is ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib on the basis of several traditions transmitted with this meaning from both Shīʿī and Sunnī sources.

However, when we examine the verse’s context and reflect on its apparent meaning, it becomes clear that these alternate readings of the verse are not valid. Therefore, we will not extend the discussion by examining and debating them in greater detail.

And before him there was the Book of Moses, a guide and mercy: The pronoun ‘him’ refers back either to ‘he who’ in the previous verse or to the manifest proof, in the same vein as our discussion of the verb follows, above. This sentence is an adverbial clause following another adverbial clause. In other words, it means: ‘Is there anyone endowed with divine insight to whom it is revealed that the Qurʾan is the truth sent down by God, while it is the case that there is a witness of his own testifying to that on the basis of his own insight. It is also the case that this one, who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, was preceded by the Book of Moses, which was a guide and a mercy.’ Alternatively, it could mean: ‘…before his manifest proof—which includes the Qurʾan or is the Qurʾan, which includes divine teachings and ordinances that guide people to the truth—there was the Book of Moses, which was a guide. Therefore, neither he nor the manifest proof he stands on is something new or unprecedented. On the contrary, he follows the well-trodden path of prophethood, which the Book of Moses guided people to before him.’

On this basis, it becomes clear why God describes the Book of Moses—the Torah—as a guide and a mercy, for it contains authentic teachings and divine ordinances for people to follow and from whose blessings they can benefit. God has repeated this description elsewhere in the Qurʾan, in the verses: Say, ‘Tell me, if it is from Allah and you disbelieve in it, and a witness from the Children of Israel has testified to its like and believed, while you are disdainful?’ Indeed Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot. The faithless say about the faithful, ‘Had it been good, they would not have taken the lead over us toward it.’ And since they could not find the way to it, they will say, ‘It is an ancient lie.’ Yet before it the Book of Moses was a guide and a mercy, and this is a Book which confirms it, in the Arabic language, to warn those who do wrong, and is a good news for the virtuous ().

As you can see, these verses convey a similar message to the verse presently under discussion. They mention first that the Qurʾan is a manifest proof from God, or that there is a manifest proof from God underlying it. Then, it mentions the testimony of a witness from the Children of Israel about it and his affirmation of it. Then, it mentions that the Qurʾan was preceded, in terms of the knowledge and laws it includes, by the Book of Moses, which was a guide and a mercy, which people followed and were guided by. Therefore, this is a tried and tested path that the Prophet now follows, for the Qurʾan is a scripture like the Book of Moses and a confirmation of it, which was revealed by God to warn the wrongdoers and give good news to the doers of good deeds.

From here, it also becomes clear that when He describes it as a guide and a mercy, this is an adverbial clause for the Book of Moses not for the phrase, a witness of his own, contrary to what some commentators have suggested.

It is they who have faith in it, and whoever denies it from among the factions, the Fire is their tryst: Based on the meaning of the beginning of the verse, ‘it is they’ refers to those who stand on a manifest proof from their Lord, who are referred to by the clause, ‘he who…’ As for the claim that ‘it is they’ refers to the faithful because the context appears to indicate them, this is not a sound understanding of the text.

Therefore, the pronoun ‘it’ in a manifest proof from its Lord should actually be read as a reference to the Qurʾan given that it is a manifest proof from Him or something that is supported by a manifest proof from Him. As for saying that this refers to the Prophet—in which case, the translation would read: ‘a manifest proof from his Lord’—this does not accord with what we have previously established about the meaning of the verse. After all, the beginning of the verse describes the condition of the Prophet insofar as it is a general principle that applies to this specific situation. It is for this reason that God draws the conclusion, So do not be in doubt about it, from it. This is as if to say: ‘You are upon a manifest proof such as this, and there is a witness with you, and before you there was the Book of Moses, and whoever fits such a description should believe in what he has been given from the Book of God.’ One cannot say that it means: ‘And whoever fits this description should believe in you.’ The discussion about the pronoun ‘it’ in the passage whoever denies it from among the factions is the same as the discussion about the pronoun in it is they who have faith in it.

The matter of the verse in terms of what its individual words and pronouns can suggest is astonishing, for different combinations of readings can potentially lead to thousands of possible interpretations, some of which are correct and some of which are evidently not.

So do not be in doubt (marya) about it; it is the truth from your Lord, but most people do not have faith: Marya is a type of doubt, and this statement is a conclusion drawn from the statements at the beginning of the verse. The meaning is: ‘Whoever is upon a manifest proof from his Lord in a matter and has had a witness from himself to testify to it, and who had before him a guide and mercy like the Book of Moses, is not like the other people who are heedless and easily misled. This is because he believes in what he has of God’s affair and is not alarmed by the majority of people turning away from what is in his possession. And you are in the same situation, for you are upon a manifest proof from your Lord, a witness follows you, and before you was the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy for mankind. If that is indeed the case, then do not be in doubt in the matter of what has been revealed to you of the Qurʾan. It pure truth that has come from God, but most people do not believe.’

… it is the truth (inna-hu al-ḥaqq) from your Lord: This provides the rationale for the command, do not be in doubt about it. Note that it is emphasized through the use of the preposition inna and the definite article for truth, which indicates that there is an abundance of reasons to put one’s doubts aside, namely the manifest proof, the testimony of the witness, and the precedent of the Book of Moses as a guide and a mercy.

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ الْأَشْهَادُ هَٰؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ أَلَا لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ ١٨ الَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ١٩

(11:18-19) And who is a greater wrongdoer than him who fabricates a lie against Allah? They shall be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, ‘It is these who lied against their Lord.’ Look! The curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers; those who bar from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked, and disbelieve in the Hereafter.

It is possible that this is a continuation of the previous passage, insofar as it seeks to reassure the Prophet, in which case the meaning is: ‘Since you are on a clear proof from your Lord, you are not a wrongdoer, so far be it from you to be one who invents a lie about God! After all, there is no greater wrongdoer than he who invents a lie about God, and they shall suffer such-and-such a punishment for their lies!’

In any case, the meaning of ‘fabricating lies about God’ (al-iftirāʾ al-kadhb ʿalā Allāh) is to characterise Him with attributes that are not His, or to attribute something to Him falsely or without knowledge. Fabrication is one of the most conspicuous forms of wrongdoing and sinfulness. Furthermore, the severity of the wrongdoing depends on the importance of the one who has been wronged. Therefore, if the wrong is done to God, this is the greatest wrong of all.

This statement occurs in the context of an accusation levelled against the idolaters, as they used to accuse the Prophet of fabricating lies about God by attributing the Qurʾan to Him. This verse turns their own accusations back against them by indicating that they were the ones who fabricated lies about God. They did by associating partners with Him without any knowledge, when He is the One God and there are no gods other than him. They fabricated lies against God when they barred others from following His way (see the following verse). This is because by barring others from the way of God, they implied that it was not, in fact, the way of God, which is itself fabrication. Then, when they sought another path and followed it in their lives, this was tantamount to altering God’s path, which He had conveyed through human nature (fiṭra) and prophethood, this was also a fabrication against Him. Then, when they denied the Hereafter, this meant that they affirmed the Origin of all things but denied that they would return to God, which was tantamount to saying that He created the cosmos without any purpose, which is yet another form of fabricating lies against Him.

In sum, their adoption of a religion other than the one laid down by God and their adherence to it, their adoption of false beliefs about the Origin of all things and the Resurrection, and their following a path other than God’s in their worldly social lives—when nothing comes from God except the truth, and there is no path with God but the religion of truth—is fabrication against God. And witnesses will testify to this on the day they are presented before their Lord.

As for God’s saying, They shall be presented before their Lord …, to ‘present’ something is to show it so that it can be seen and examined. The veil between them and their Lord will be lifted on the Day of Judgement through the revelation of His signs and the manifestation of the clear truth without any distraction, and they will have no choice but to be present before Him for the Final Judgement. Therefore, God refers to this as being ‘presented’ (ʿaraḍ) before Him. On other occasions, this has been called ‘bringing out’ (burūz), for example in the verses: The day they will brought out, nothing about them will be hidden from Allah … (); … and they are brought out before Allah, the One, the All-paramount (). God says, They shall be presented before their Lord …, meaning that the angels entrusted with them will bring them forth and place them in a situation where there is no barrier between them and their Lord, to receive their final judgment.

… and the witnesses (ashhād) will say, ‘It is these who lied against their Lord’: Ashhād is the plural of shahīd (witness), and it follows the same pattern of conjugation as ashrāf for sharīf (noble). Some have said it is in fact the plural of shāhid (with the same meaning), as aṣḥāb is the plural of ṣāḥib (companion). However, the first opinion is supported by the verses, So how shall it be, when We bring from every nation a witness (shahīd) …? (), and Then every soul will come accompanied by a driver and a witness (shahīd) ().

When the witnesses say, It is these who lied against their Lord, they are testifying to the fact that the idolaters invented lies against God. In other words, the testimony of these witnesses confirms that they are the fabricators, because this testimony is given in a venue where only the truth can be spoken and there is no escape from confessing to and acknowledging the facts of the matter. As God says elsewhere, None shall speak except whom the All-beneficent permits and who says what is right (), and The day when every soul will find present whatever good it has done; and as to whatever evil it has done it will wish there were a far distance between it and itself ().

The declaration, Look! The curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers, is part of the speech of the witnesses. The evidence for this reading is found in His saying, Then a caller will announce in their midst, ‘May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers!’ Those who bar from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked, and disbelieve in the Hereafter ().

This declaration by the witnesses, which God recounts in these verses, confirms that they are indeed far from God’s mercy, cursed as oppressors, and sentenced to everlasting punishment. Note that God’s curse and God’s mercy on the Day of Judgement are not like His curse and His mercy in this world, as God says elsewhere, … they shall be cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers … (). This is because this world is an abode of action, while the Day of Judgement is the abode of recompense. Hence, when someone is cursed by God or receives His mercy on the Day of Judgement, this is nothing other than receiving what they have already earned in this world. Therefore, anyone who is cursed on the Day of Judgement will be forever banished from the special mercy that God has reserved for the truly faithful and sentenced to eternal punishment and estrangement from the Divine.

Then God clarifies who the oppressors are by saying of them, those who bar from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked, and disbelieve in the Hereafter (). These are the ones who do not accept the reality of the Day of Reckoning and strive only for this life, following a path in life that brings them only worldly and material provision. They ignore what God wants from His servants, which is to follow the true faith and the religion of human nature. Therefore, whether they believe in a Creator but follow a distorted tradition that deviates from the religion of human nature, which is Islam, or they do not believe in Him at all and instead belong to those who say, There is nothing but the life of this world: we live and we die, and nothing but time destroys (), they are wrongdoers and fabricators of lies against God. A discussion related to the meaning of these verses can be found in our commentary on Sūrah al-Aʿrāf, verses 44–45.

From the discussion on the preceding verses, it is clear, first of all, that religion (dīn), in the language of the Qurʾan, refers to the societal norms prevailing in a community. Second, these societal norms can either follow the correct and natural religion, which is Islam, or they can be a distorted version of the true religion, deviating from God’s way.

أُولَٰئِكَ لَمْ يَكُونُوا مُعْجِزِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۘ يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ ۚ مَا كَانُوا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ السَّمْعَ وَمَا كَانُوا يُبْصِرُونَ ٢٠

(11:20) They cannot thwart on the earth, nor do they have besides Allah any guardian. For them the punishment shall be doubled, for they could neither listen, nor did they use to see.

This refers to those who fabricate lies against God, who were described in the previous verses.

The context suggests that ‘they cannot thwart on the earth’ means that they could not defy God during their earthly lives, when they deviated from the path of divine servanthood and began to invent lies about Him, obstructed His way, and sought to make it crooked. None of this is because their power exceeded God’s, or because their will superseded His, nor because they escaped God’s patronage to enter under the patronage of another—such as those they took as protectors from among their idols and other means they relied upon. This interpretation aligns with the phrase, nor do they have besides Allah any guardian.

In short, neither did their power exceed that of God, nor did their associates, whom they took as protectors for themselves, truly look after their affairs or compel them to perpetrate the wrongdoing and oppression they engaged in. Rather, it was God who was their protector. He was the one who managed their affairs. And He will recompense them for their evil intentions and deeds, drawing them towards the misery of everlasting punishment and leading them astray subtly, while they remain unaware. As God says elsewhere in the Qurʾan, So when they swerved, Allah made their hearts swerve (), and Thereby He leads many astray, and thereby He guides many; and He leads no one astray thereby except the transgressors ().

For them the punishment shall be doubled: This means that their punishment will be intensified either because they acted rebelliously against God and persisted in this or because they disobeyed God themselves and encouraged others to disobey Him. Therefore, their punishment will be doubled, just as they doubled their disobedience. As God says, that they may bear their entire burdens on the Day of Resurrection, along with some of the burdens of those whom they lead astray without any knowledge () and We write what they have sent ahead and their effects ().

… for they could neither listen, nor did they use to see: This provides the reason for their actions. God declares that they did not disbelieve and disobey because their will overpowered God’s will or because they had protectors other than God with whom to take refuge. Rather, they were unable to hear the warnings and glad tidings that came to them or take heed of the admonitions about the Resurrection. Nor could they comprehend His signs to believe in them. This is what God describes in the verse, they have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, they have ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle; rather they are more astray (), and the verse, We transform their hearts and their visions as they did not believe in it the first time (), and in the verse, Allah has set a seal on their hearts and their hearing, and there is a blindfold on their sight (). There are many other verses besides these that indicate that He has deprived them of their minds, eyes, and ears.

However, in spite of this, God quotes some of the disbelievers as saying, Had we listened or applied reason, we would not have been among inmates of the Blaze.’ Thus they will admit their sin (). They admit that their failure to hear and ponder was a sin. However, their lack of hearing and comprehension is elsewhere attributed to God depriving them of these faculties. This shows that they caused themselves to be deprived of these blessings through their sinful behavior. This is what is indicated by the aforementioned verse, Thereby He leads many astray, and thereby He guides many; and He leads no one astray thereby except the transgressors (), and others.

Commentators have offered alternative explanations of the statement, for they could neither listen, nor did they use to see.

One such explanation is that the phrase, for they could neither …, is in the accusative case due to an implicit preposition attached to the phrase, For them the punishment shall be doubled. The full meaning of the passage reads: ‘The punishment will be doubled for them because they were able to hear but they did not listen and because they were able to see but did not look.’

Another explanation is that the phrase, for they could neither listen, nor did they use to see, is in reference to their deities and idols. In which case, the sentence can be construed as follows: ‘Those disbelievers and their gods were not able to thwart on the earth…’—then God says of their idols— for they could neither listen, nor did they use to see.

Yet another explanation is that the phrase ‘for they could neither…’ (mā kānū yastatīʿūn …) does not contain a negation but instead should be read as ‘…so long as they could listen and so long as they could see.’ In other words, the punishment will be doubled for them so long as they are alive.

Finally, another explanation is the denial of hearing and seeing means denying the benefits of hearing and sight. It is because they were averse to hearing and contemplating God’s verses and their hatred for that was that they acted as if they were unable to hear or see. In this case, the statement is metaphorical.

The most proper of these explanations is the last one. However, all of them are clearly absurd. The correct interpretation is the one we presented earlier.

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ ٢١

(11:21) They are the ones who have ruined their souls, and what they used to fabricate has forsaken them.

As for their loss, the human being, in truth, owns only his own soul—granted to him by God. If he trades his soul for what will lead to its ruin and wastes it through disbelief and sin, he has indeed suffered a loss in this transaction in which he has engaged. Hence, the loss of the soul is a metaphor for its ruin. As for being forsaken by what they fabricated: What they used to fabricate were lies, meaning false claims without any basis in reality. These sprang from their delusions and claims, which were made to seem decorous to them by their base desires and worldly ambitions. With the drawing back of the curtain of this worldly life, all of these illusions fade and vanish, and all of their lies and fabrications come apart. At that point, they will realize that God is the Manifest Truth, and from God will appear to them what they had not reckoned with.

لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ هُمُ الْأَخْسَرُونَ ٢٢

(11:22) Undoubtedly (lā jarama), they are the ones who will be the greatest losers in the Hereafter.

According to al-Farrāʾ, the original meaning of lā jarama is ‘without escape’ or ‘without fail.’ Over time, through its frequent use, it came to function as a kind of oath with the meaning of ‘indeed’ or ‘truly.’ Hence, the object of lā jarama can take the preposition lām, as in the statement, ‘without fail, I will surely do such-and-such’ (lā jarama, laʿafʿalanna kadhā). Some have said that when lā jarama is spelled with two fatḥas, it means ‘certainly.’ It may have originally been used at the end of statements, in a similar way to lā maḥāla (‘without fail’). This would have signified that the speaker was absolutely certain about their statement. Thus the meaning of the verse is: ‘Truly, they will be the ones who are the greatest losers in the Hereafter.’

The reason they will be the greatest losers in the Hereafter—assuming they are the greatest losers compared even to other sinners—is because they lost their souls by ruining them and squandering their potential through denial and obstinacy. They have no hope of salvation from Hellfire in the Hereafter, just as there is no hope for their success and happiness in this world through faith so long as they persist in their stubbornness. God says, Those who have ruined their souls will not have faith (). He also says about these people, whose hearing, sight, and hearts are sealed, And We have put a barrier before them and a barrier behind them, then We have blind-folded them, so they do not see. It is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not have faith (). He also spoke about the reason why they cannot believe, Have you seen him who has taken his desire to be his god and whom Allah has led astray knowingly, and set a seal upon his hearing and his heart, and put a blindfold on his sight? So who will guide him after Allah? ().

And if we suppose that they are the greatest losers with respect to the life of this world, it is on account of their disbelief in and rejection of God’s path that they are deprived of the happiness of life, for which the true religion paves the way for them. Thus, they lose in this life just as they lose in the hereafter. However, they are at an even greater loss in the Hereafter due to its eternal and everlasting nature, while the life of this world is ephemeral and fleeting. God has said: The day when they see what they are promised, as though they had remained only an hour of a day ().

In the hereafter, the consequences of one’s actions are intensified and multiplied as stated by God, But whoever has been blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter and more astray from the right way (). Therefore, it makes most sense to conclude that they are the greatest losers in the Hereafter, as this verse explicitly confines their loss to the hereafter without affirming their loss in this life.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَخْبَتُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ٢٣

(11:23) Indeed those who have faith and do righteous deeds and are humble before their Lord (akhbatū ilā Rabbi-him)—they shall be the inhabitants of paradise, and they shall remain in it forever.

In his Mufradāt, al-Rāghib says:

‘khabat (from whence the verb akhbata is derived) signifies a firm piece of ground; in its literal sense, the verb akhbata means to seek out a firm piece of ground or to set down upon it. Then this verb came to be used figuratively for humility and mildness. The verses, and are humble before their Lord and and give good news to the humble () refer to those who are humble towards God and do not disdain His worship, while the verse, and their hearts may be humbled before Him (), means that their hearts are meek and fearful towards Him.’

Therefore, when God describes them as humble before their Lord, this signifies their contentment with Him, such that the faith in their hearts remains steadfast, unwavering, and unmixed with doubt. This is in the same way as a firm piece of ground protects all that is planted in it. There is no basis for the reading that says akhbatū ilā Rabbi-him actually means akhbatū li-Rabbi-him (meaning, ‘they are humble for the sake of their Lord’), because the meaning ‘contentment’ requires the preposition ilā rather than li-.

The fact that God has qualified faith and good deeds with humbling themselves to Him indicates that this refers to a specific group among the believers, rather than the believers as a whole. They are the ones who are content with God and possess insight from Him, as we have already discussed at the beginning of the verses when God says Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord … and so forth. The verses differentiate between two specific groups: those who are endowed with divine insight and those who are spiritually blind.

Based on this, the flaw in the explanation offered by some commentators becomes clear. They claim that these seven verses beginning with Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord … to … Will you not then take admonition? describe the condition of two groups: those who disbelieve in the Qurʾan and those who believe in it.

مَثَلُ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كَالْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْأَصَمِّ وَالْبَصِيرِ وَالسَّمِيعِ ۚ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٢٤

(11:24) The parable (mathal) of the two parties is that of one who is blind and deaf and one who sees and hears. Are they equal in comparison? Will you not then take admonition?

A mathal is a representation, and it primarily serves to clarify abstract concepts to the listener using tangible or relatable examples. This allows the listener to understand and grasp these concepts. The two groups mentioned in the verse refer to those described in the previous verses, with the rest of the verse being clear.

Examining Narrations

1. In al-Kāfī, al-Kulayni transmits via his chain of narration from Aḥmad b. ʿUmar al-Khalāl, he said: I asked Abū al-Ḥasan about the verse of God Almighty: Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows? () He said: The Commander of the Faithful is the witness from the Messenger of God, and the Messenger of God is the one who stands on clear evidence from his Lord.
2. In his Amālī, Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, transmits via his chain of narration from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Kathīr, from Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad, from his father, from his grandfather ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, from al-Ḥasan, who said in a lengthy sermon he delivered in the presence of Muʿāwiya – among other things—: ‘So events continued and time passed until God sent Muḥammad with prophethood, selected him for His message, and revealed His book to him and then commanded him to invite people to God. My father was the first to respond to the call of God and His messengers and the first to believe and affirm the truth of God and His Messenger. God Almighty has said in His book, revealed to His chosen Prophet: Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows? The Messenger of God is the one who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and my father is the one who follows it, and he is a witness of his own.’

Author’s comment: His speech is the best attestation to what we have presented in the interpretation of the verse, as by describing ʿAlī as the ‘witness’, he intends to apply the general meaning of the verse to this specific case.

3. In Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt, al-Ṣaffār narrates from al-Aṣbagh b. Nabāta that the Commander of the Faithful said: ‘If I were to take the reigns of power, I would judge between the people of the Torah by their Torah, and the people of the Gospel by their Gospel, and the people of the Criterion by their Criterion with a judgment that ascends to God. By God, no verse was revealed in the Book of God, at night or during the day, except that I know about whom it was revealed, and there is no person whose head has been severed except that a verse has been revealed about him in the Book of God which will either lead him to Paradise or Hellfire.’

A man stood up and said to him: ‘O Commander of the Faithful, what is the verse that was revealed about you? He said: ‘Have you not heard God say: Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows… ? The Messenger of God stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and I am the witness of his own who testifies for him.’

Author’s comment: This meaning has also been has been narrated by Shaykh al-Mufīd in his Amālī, with a chain of narration, and in Kashf al-Ghamma, without a chain of narration, from ʿIbād b. ʿAbdallāh al-Asadī, from Imām ʿAlī. Al-ʿAyyāshī also narrated it without a chain of narration in his Tafsīr from Jābir b. ʿAbdallāh, from Imām ʿAlī. Similarly, Ibn Shahrāshūb narrates from al-Tabarī with his chain of narration from Jābir b. ʿAbdallāh, from Imām ʿAlī, and also from al-Asbagh, and from Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, Imām al-Bāqir, and Imām al-Ṣādiq, from Imām ʿAlī.

4. In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is narrated from Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Mardawayh, and Abū Nuʿaym in al-Maʿrifa, all of whom narrate from ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, who said: ‘There is no man from the Quraysh save that a portion of the Qurʾan was revealed concerning him.’ Then a man said to him: ‘What was revealed about you?’ He said: ‘Do you not read Sūrah Hūd? Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows? The Messenger of God, is upon clear evidence from his Lord, and I am a witness of his own.’

Author’s comment: A similar tradition is also narrated in Tafsīr al-Burhān, from Tafsīr al-Thaʿlabī, via a chain of narration from al-Shaʿbī, who narrates with a gap from Imām ʿAlī. And also in the same source from Ibn al-Maghāzilī, via an incomplete chain from ʿIbād b. ʿAbdallāh, from Imām ʿAlī, a similar tradition. And likewise in Kunūz al-Rumūz by al-Rasʿanī, a similar tradition.

5. In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is narrated from Ibn Mardawayh via another chain, from ʿAlī, who said: ‘The Messenger of God said: “Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord—that is me—and whom a witness of his own follows?—that is ʿAlī.”’

Author’s comment: A similar tradition is narrated in Tafsīr al-Burhān from Ibn al-Maghāzilī about the same verse, from the Prophet.

6. In Tafsīr al-Burhān, it is narrated from Ibn al-Maghāzilī, via his chain of narration from ʿAlī b. Hābis who said: ‘I and Abū Maryam entered upon ʿAbdallāh b. ʿAtāʾ. Abū Maryam said, “Tell us the narration you narrated to me from Abū Jaʿfar.” He said, “I was sitting with Abū Jaʿfar when Ibn ʿAbdallāh b. Salām passed by. I said, “May I be your ransom, this is a son who has the knowledge of the Book,” He said, “No, rather it is your companion ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib—the one for whom verses from the Book of God, were revealed: and he who possesses the knowledge of the Book (); Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows? (); and Your guardian is only Allah, His Messenger, and the faithful ().”’
7. It is narrated from Ibn Shahrāshūb, from Ḥāfiẓ Abū Nuʿaym, by three chains from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: ‘I heard ʿAlī say: “Concerning the verse, Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows…: The Messenger of God stands on the manifest proof, and I am the witness.”’ (ibid.)
8. It is narrated from Muwaffaq b. Aḥmad, who said: ‘About the verse, Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows …, Ibn ʿAbbās said: “It is ʿAlī, bearing witness to the Prophet and he is of him.”’ (ibid.)
9. And it is narrated from al-Thaʿlabī in his Tafsīr, via an incomplete chain to Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own follows… specifically refers to ʿAlī.’

Author’s comment: The author of al-Manār said, in the explanation of the verse when mentioning the meanings of ‘a witness’: ‘One explanation is that it refers to ʿAlī (r.a.). It is narrated by the Shīʿa and they interpret it as concerning the Imamate. It is narrated that he, may God ennoble his face, was asked about this, but he denied it and explained it as referring to the tongue of the Prophet. The opponents of the Shīʿa responded in kind and said that it refers to Abū Bakr. However, both of these are explanations influenced by personal opinion.’ As for the author’s claim that ‘It is narrated by the Shīʿa’, you can clearly see from what we have presented above that this is more widely narrated by Sunnī sources than Shīʿī ones. And, as for his claim that this is no different from saying it is a reference to Abū Bakr and that both are explanations influenced by personal opinion, you can refer back to our explanation of the verse to see that this does not fit with it.

10. In al-Kāfi, al-Kulaynī relates via a chain of narration from Zayd al-Shaḥḥām, that he said to Imām al-Ṣādiq: ‘We know a man called Kulayb who, whenever something comes from you, he says: “I submit.” So we named him Kulayb of Submission!’ The Imām invoked God’s mercy upon him, then he said: ‘Do you know what submission is?’ We remained silent, so he said: It is, by God, humility. God has said, those who have faith and do righteous deeds and are humble before their Lord ().’

Author’s comment: A similar tradition is narrated by al-ʿAyyāshī in his Tafsīr, and al-Kashshī, and likewise by al-Ṣaffār in al-Basāʾir from Abū Usāma Zayd al-Shaḥḥām, from him.

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1. See al-Mīzān Eng. v. 15 (Ed.) ↩︎