Appearance
Verses 4–11
This passage points to the disbelievers’ rejection of the truth with which the Messenger was sent, and shows their continued refutation of truth and mockery of the divine signs; then it admonishes them and warns them (of its consequences); finally it responds to some of their imprudent talks in which they have rejected the clear truth.
وَمَا تَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ ٤
(6:4) And there does not come to them any sign of the signs of their Lord but they turn aside from it:
It points to the characteristic of arrogance which is deeply rooted in their souls, and has produced in them the aversion for the signs which lead to the truth. Thus, they do not look at any sign and are indiscriminately heedless of all. This is because they have rejected the ultimate goal, that is, the truth, as God says: So they have indeed rejected the truth when it came to them… ()
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ أَنْبَاءُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ ٥
(6:5) So they have indeed rejected the truth when it came to them; therefore the truth of what they mocked at will come to them.
This is a warning and threat (to those who reject the signs of God) because what they mock at is the truth; and the truth refuses until to appear one day and emerge from the realm of news to the realm of reality. God says: …and Allah blots out the falsehood and confirms the truth with His words… (). They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, though the unbelievers may be averse. He it is Who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion, that He may make it overcome the religions, all of them, though the polytheists may be averse, (). Also, He said in a parable: …thus does Allah compare truth and falsehood; then as for the scum, it passes away as a worthless thing; and as for that which profits the people, it tarries in the earth… ().
It is known that when the truth will appear the believer and the unbeliever will not be equal in its handling, nor the one who was humble to it and the one who mocked at it. God says: And certainly Our word has already gone forth in respect of Our servants, the messengers, most surely they shall be the assisted ones, and most surely Our host alone shall be the victorious ones. Therefore turn away from them till a time, and (then) see them, so they too shall see. What! Would they then hasten on Our chastisement? But when it shall descend in their court, evil shall then be the morning of the warned ones (37:171–7).
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّنْ لَكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ ٦
(6:6) Do they not consider how many a generation We have destroyed before them, whom We had established in the earth as We have not established you, and We sent the clouds pouring rain on them in abundance, and We made the rivers to flow beneath them, then We destroyed them on account of their faults and raised up after them another generation.
al-Rāghib says: “al-Qarn translated here as generation, means a people who are together in the same era, and its plural is qurūn.” Also, he said: “God said: ‘And We sent the clouds pouring rain on them in abundance’ (). …He will send on you clouds pouring down abundance of rain… (). The term midrāra (abundance of rain) comes from al-darr and al-dirrah which literally means milk; and it is symbolically used for rain just as the names of the camel and its qualities are used in metaphorical meanings. So, it is said: ‘Li ‘llāhi durrahu—(lit: his achievement is due to God) your udder flowed copiously;’ from it is borrowed the usage: dark pass.”
… whom We had established in the earth as We have not established you: Here the talk turns from third person to the second; apparently its reason is avoidance of confusion regarding the reference point of the pronoun. Had there been no change in the phrase: “as We have not established you”, the context would have given the idea that the pronoun refers to those mentioned as ‘whom’ in “whom We had established in the earth”; otherwise the real context in the opening of the chapter is of the third person. We have explained earlier the change which is found in the phrase: He it is Who created you from clay ().
… then We destroyed them on account of their faults: This proves that evil deeds and sins have some bearing on afflictions and general calamities. There are many verses conveying this meaning as there are verses which prove that good deeds and obedience have an impact on bestowal of bliss and showering of blessings.
وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا فِي قِرْطَاسٍ فَلَمَسُوهُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ لَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ ٧
(6:7) And if We sent to you a writing on a paper, then they had touched it with their hands, certainly those who disbelieve would have said: “This is nothing but clear enchantment.”
It shows that the arrogance of the polytheists has reached a stage where nothing would help them to come to the right path; even if We sent to them a message written on a paper which they could touch with their hands and perceive it with their sight and hearing, and their sensory perceptions supported one another yet they would only say that it is nothing but a clear enchantment. Therefore one should not care about their senseless talk: …and we will not believe in your ascending until you bring down to us a book which we may read, ().
‘Writing’ is used as a common noun in the phrase: “a writing on a paper,” because this writing or book has been revealed in a piecemeal and gradual manner, and it is qualified with “on a paper” in order that it may be nearer to what they had demanded; also then it would be further from their thought that the verses revealed to the Holy Prophet are his own composition written by him, and not something that was revealed upon him through the Faithful Spirit, as God says: The Faithful Spirit has descended with it upon your heart that you may be of the warners in plain Arabic language, (26:193–5).
وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ ۖ وَلَوْ أَنْزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنْظَرُونَ ٨
(6:8) And they say: “Why has not an angel been sent down to him?” And had We sent down an angel, the matter would have certainly been decided and then they would not have been respited.
Their talk: “Why has not an angel been sent down to him?” is an incitement to show his inability. The Holy Prophet had informed them that the verses which he recited to them were brought to him by a noble angel who comes down from God; as God says: Most surely it is the word of an honoured messenger, the possessor of strength, having an honourable place with the Lord of the Throne, one (to be) obeyed, and faithful in trust, (). There are many similar verses.
Their demand for an angel to be sent to them could be for one of the two reasons as God describes in His speech:
One: That the Holy Prophet should bring to them the chastisement which he had threatened them with; as God says: But if they turn aside, then say: “I have warned you of a scourge like the scourge of ʿĀd and Thamūd.” (). Also, He says: Say: “It is a message of importance …Naught is revealed to me save that I am a plain warner ().
And since the coming of the angel would mean changing the realm of the unseen into the realm of the seen, then there would be no escape if they had not yet believed—and they would never believe because of their disposition towards arrogance—but to judge them justly and that would necessitate their death as He said: And had We sent down an angel, the matter would have certainly been decided and then they would not have been respited.
Moreover, the humans who are tied to the material world and are settled in the earthly abode are unable to see the angels if they were to be sent down to them and to mingle with them, because their environment is different from that of the angels. So, if humans were to verge into the angels’ environment, it will not be possible except by them transferring from the low physical level to the metaphysical level, and that simply means death. As God says: And those who do not hope for Our meeting, say: “Why have not angels been sent down upon us, or (why) do we not see our Lord?” Now certainly they are too proud of themselves and have revolted in great revolt. On the day when they shall see the angels, there shall be no joy on that day for the guilty, and they shall say: “It is a forbidden thing totally prohibited.” (). This refers to the day of death or even later aspects, as is seen in the next Divine Word: The dwellers of the garden shall on that day be in a better abiding place and a better resting place ().
The Almighty God says after it (and the context apparently shows that it is the last day): And on the day when the heaven shall burst asunder with the clouds, and the angels shall be sent down a sending. The Kingdom on that day shall rightly belong to the Beneficent God, and a hard day shall it be for the unbelievers (). Perhaps they meant the same when they said: …or bring Allah and the angels face to face (with us); ().
In short, the words: And had We sent down an angel, the matter would have certainly been decided…, is the reply to their demand that an angel should be sent down to punish them. As such, there should be added to it what God has promised this ummah that punishment would be deferred from them, as the verses of the Chapter Yūnus point to it: And every nation had a messenger; so when their messenger came, the matter was decided between them with justice and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. And they say: “When will this threat come about, if you are truthful?” Say: “I do not control for myself any harm, or any benefit except what Allah pleases; every nation has a term…” And they ask you: “Is that true?” Say: “Yea! By my Lord! It is most certainly the truth, and you will not escape.” (). There are many verses of this meaning; we shall thoroughly describe them in another chapter, God willing. And God says: And Allah was not going to chastise them, while you were among them, nor is Allah going to chastise them while yet they ask for forgiveness; ().
The verse, in short, indicates that they are demanding descent of an angel but We shall not respond to it because if an angel came down the matter will be decided and they will not be given a respite. God, however, has willed to give them some respite to a certain time, so that they should plunge in what they are doing until they meet this day of theirs and God will certainly give them in full what they are asking for, then God will decide between them.
The verse may possibly be interpreted in another way: They ask for descending of an angel in order that it should be a sign, not that he should bring chastisement. Then the reply would mean: Even if an angel came down to them, they will not believe because of the arrogance and hatred of truth which are deeply rooted in them, and then it will be decided between them and they will not be given respite—and this is not what they want.
Two: That an angel should be sent down to them in order to carry out all the burdens of the mission of inviting them to God instead of the Holy Prophet; or he should be accompanied by a messenger like him confirming his call and to be a witness for his truth, as is seen in their talk as quoted by God: And they say: “What is the matter with this messenger that he eats food and goes about in the marts; why has not an angel been sent down to him, so that he should have been a warner with him?” (). They meant that the person who has been sent as a messenger by God, it is beneath his dignity that he should be like the people in their habits, example, eating of food, and going to and fro in markets to earn his livelihood; rather it is necessary that he should have a heavenly life and angelic living which is devoid of hardships and discomforts of material life. Thus he should either have visible sign of his call or an angel should come down to him from the heaven to become a warner with him. In this way, there would be no doubt in truthfulness of his call and reality of his mission.
It is this idea which is replied to in the next verse: And if We had made him an angel, We would certainly have made him a man…
وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ مَلَكًا لَجَعَلْنَاهُ رَجُلًا وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَلْبِسُونَ ٩
(6:9) And if We had made him an angel, We would certainly have made him a man, and We would certainly have made confused to them what they make confused.
al-Labs means to hide with a cover what must be kept hidden because of its ugliness or because it needs hiding; al-lubs means covering of the truth; and it seems that the meaning is metaphorical, and the root is the same.
al-Rāghib says in his al-Mufradāt:
“He wore the cloth, that is, he hid himself with it, and dressed someone else… The root meaning of al-lubs is to hide a thing, and it is used in various meanings: it is said, ‘I confused his affair on him.’ (God) says: “We would certainly have made confused to them what they make confused.” Also, He said: And do not confuse the truth with the falsehood, (). Why do you confound the truth with the falsehood…? (). Those who believe and do not mix up their faith with iniquity… (); and it is said: ‘There is confusion in this matter, that is dubiousness.’”
…what they make confused: Its object is deleted; probably it denotes generality; its full meaning will be as follows: That which the disbelievers confuse themselves about; it may mean, confusion of someone over his own self, and confusion of the one over another person.
As for their confusing others, then it is like the corrupt scholars who mingle the truth with the falsehood because of the ignorance of their followers; and like corrupt leaders who mingle the truth with the falsehood because of the weakness of their followers just as Pharaoh had said to his people (as God quotes him): “O my people! Is not the kingdom of Egypt mine? And these rivers flow beneath me; do you not then see? Nay! I am better than this fellow, who is contemptible, and who can hardly speak distinctly: But why have not bracelets of gold been put upon him, or why have not come with him angels as companions?” So he incited his people to levity and they obeyed him… (). Also, he said: “I do not show you aught but that which I see (myself), and I do not make you follow any but the right way.” ().
And as for their confusing their own selves, it was by their imagination that the truth was falsehood and falsehood was truth. Then they continued on their falsehood, for, although man by nature distinguishes truth from falsity—the nature made by God in which He has made men; and his soul is inspired to what is right and what is wrong—yet he prefers the side of base desire, and supports the spirit of desire and anger in his soul; This creates in his soul the trend of arrogance against truth and superiority over reality; thus his soul is attracted to it. It is dazzled of its misdeed, and it does not leave him free to turn towards truth and to heed its call; at this juncture he embellishes his misdeed and knowingly confuses truth with falsehood. As God says: Have you then considered him who takes his low desire for his god, and Allah has made him err having knowledge and has set a seal upon his ear and his heart and put a covering upon his eye, (). Also, He has said: Say: “Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in (their) deeds? (These are) they whose labour is lost in this world’s life and they think that they are well-versed in skill of the work of hands.” (18:103–4).
This explains how man goes astray in an issue even though he knows it; and, therefore, it cannot be said that man’s confusing the truth with falsehood means that he proceeds to a necessary harm (rather he thinks it is good for him)—since that won’t be (rationally) unacceptable. Moreover, if we deeply look at our own condition and do justice with it, we shall find in ourselves many bad habits of whose evil we are sure, yet we do not leave them just because they have become deep-rooted in us. This is nothing except becoming astray with knowledge and confusing the truth with falsity in the soul; taking delight in imaginary pleasures and infatuation with it forgetting the firmness on truth and practicing it; may God help us to seek His pleasures.
In any case, the Divine Word: “And if We had made him an angel, We would certainly have made him a man…” answers their demand that an angel should be sent down to them as a warner, so that they may believe in him.
In short, it means that this place is the abode of choice; man does not acquire his real blessing and happiness except through proceeding on the path of choice and earning for or against himself what benefits him or harms him; and proceeding on either path (which he selects for himself) is affirmed by God.
God says: Surely We have shown him the way: he may be thankful or unthankful (). So, it is guidance and showing of the way, so that man may choose what he chooses for himself, either going onto the right path or deviating from it, without being compelled to take this or that path. In fact, he sows for himself and then reaps what he had sowed. God says: And that man shall have nothing but what he strives for; and that his striving shall soon be seen; then shall he be rewarded for it with the fullest reward, (). So, man does not get except what he strives for; if it is good God shows it to him, and if it is evil, He affirms it to him. He says: Whoever desires the gain of the hereafter, We will give him more of that again; and whoever desires the gain of this world, We give him of it, and in the hereafter he has no portion, ().
In short, this Divine Call would not be meaningful except when it is based on human choice without compulsion and coercion. There is no escape therefore from the fact that the messenger who was to bring the divine message must be one of the people who speaks their language; so that they would choose for themselves happiness by obedience, and misfortune by disobedience, without putting any compulsion on them to accept the call through a heavenly sign which would force them to it—although He has power to do so, as He says: Perhaps you will kill yourself with grief because they do not believe. If We please, We should send down upon them a sign from the heavens so that their necks should stoop to it, ().
So, if God was to send down to them an angel messenger, it was rationally incumbent to make him a man like them, in order that the righteous should profit from their good deeds, and the evil doers should lose, since they would confuse truth with falsehood for themselves and for their followers just as they are confused with a human messenger; and God will affirm it and confuse for them what they have confused. God says: …but when they turned aside, Allah made their hearts turn aside… ().
So, by sending down an angel messenger there would be no (added) benefit or effect more than that which was to accrue by sending down a human messenger, and so that would be futile. Thus the saying of the unbelievers: Why has not an angel been sent down to him? is a demand for a useless thing from which no special or new effect would result based on their expectation. This is the meaning of the Divine Word: And if We had made him an angel, We would certainly have made him a man, and We would certainly have made confused to them what they make confused.
The above explanation makes it clear that:
First: The issue of making the messenger an angel and making him a man depends on intellectual necessity of preserving the human will and choice in divine religious call, because if the angel was to be sent down in his heavenly form and the unseen was changed to the seen, it would have meant compulsion which is not appropriate with the call of choice.
Second: The verse only talks about the angel becoming a man; it does not elaborate whether it would happen by changing his essence of angelhood to that of humanness—which, various scholars say, is impossible—or by the angel’s only taking on a human form, as the Spirit appeared before Maryam as a full-grown human being, or as they appeared to Abraham and Lot in the form of human guests.
Most of the verses speaking about the angels support the second alternative; yet the Divine Word: And if We please, We could make among you angels to be successors in the land (), somewhat points to the first alternative. This topic has further details which should be looked for in another place.
Third: The Divine Word: “and We would certainly have made confused to them what they make confused,” is of the genre of the words, but when they turned aside, Allah made their hearts turn aside (). So, this divine misguidance for them took place after they preferred misguidance for themselves; it cannot be the initial misguidance which is not appropriate for God’s holy divinity.
Fourth: “what they make confused” is of general sense; it covers their act of confusion for their own selves and also their act of confusion for others.
Fifth: The verse offers argument against them that even if an angel was sent down to them with the message, it would not help them in removing their bewilderment. It is because God would make that angel a man similar to the human messenger, and they will confuse themselves and indulge in doubt. The fact is that they are making this demand only to get rid of the human messenger (in the form of a man) for changing their doubt into certainty (that he was not a true messenger); and when the angel will inevitably appear in the same form, they would not benefit from it at all.
Sixth: God has said: “We would certainly have made him a man,” and did not say, ‘have made him a human,’ (a term that includes man and woman both): it is said that this expression shows that a messenger cannot be but a man; it is also indicates that this “making” would be by the angel taking on the human form, not that his essence would change into that of a man, as has been said.
Most of the exegetes have explained the verse in this way: The human being who demanded that an angel be send down did not have power to look at the angel in his true form because they are fully bound by the material world. Therefore, if an angel was sent down to them, he would have appeared to them as a fully developed human being. Consequently, the same confusion and doubt would have occurred to them as it appeared in case of the human messenger, and they would have not benefited from it at all.
This explanation does not answer the objection, even if we were to admit that an ordinary human being does not see the angels in their true forms, by relying on such verses as: On the day when they shall see the angels, there shall be no joy on that day for the guilty… ().
And we say that because if it were impossible for a human being to see the angel in his original form, then the condition of various individuals would not have differed in being possible or impossible; whereas it has been narrated in the Sunnī and the Shīʾī traditions that the Holy Prophet had seen Gabriel in his original form twice, and God has power to enable all human beings (as He had enabled His Holy Prophet) so that all people could see the angels and believe in them. Thus, there is no problem in it from rational point of view, except the problem of compulsion; so this is the difficulty which should be resolved through this verse, as described earlier.
Likewise, seeing the angels in human shape is not concomitant with possibility of doubt and confusion. God tells us about Abraham and Lot that they saw the angels in human forms, and then they recognized them and had no doubt about them. Likewise, He informed about Maryam that she looked at the Spirit, and then knew him and had no doubt about him, nor was his affair confused to her. So, why it is not possible that all people should enjoy similar condition like the above-mentioned friends of God so that they could see the angels in human shape, then recognize them and be certain of them? But there remains a difficulty: Making the souls of all people similar to the souls of Abraham, Lot and Maryam makes it necessary to erase their natural tenets and to change their souls into purified and holy souls, and this leads us to the problem of compulsion; so compulsion is the problem that makes the question of test and trial redundant; that’s the problem which should be removed with the help of this verse, as described earlier.
وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ ١٠ قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ انْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ١١
(6:10–11) And certainly messengers before you were mocked at, but that which they mocked at encompassed the scoffers among them Say: “Travel in the land, then see what was the end of the rejecters..”
al-Ḥayq means staying, descending. al-Rāghib says in al-Mufradāt:
“It is said that its root is ḥaqq, then it was changed as in zalla and zāla; and (the phrase) fa-azallahuma al-shayṭān is recited, fa-azālahuma; and similarly, dhammahu and dhāmahu.”
Their act of mocking the messengers was actually aimed at mocking the divine punishment which the messengers were warning them that it would come down and encompass them, and so the exact punishment that they had mocked at came down upon them. The first verse aims at pleasing the Holy Prophet and warning the polytheists; and the second verse is an admonition and advice.