QUR'AN: Surely those
who disbelieve . . . . will not believe:
They were the people who
obstinately clung to rejection of faith and in whose hearts disbelief had
established deep roots. This may be inferred from the fact that warning
them and not warning them was all alike to them; they would not move from
their obduracy. Probably it refers to the disbeliever of Quraysh, who were
the bitterest enemies of Islam and who did try their utmost to extinguish
the light of faith; they persisted stubbornly in their enmity until Allah
destroyed them in Badr and other battles. The sentence, "alike is it to
them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe",
strengthens this interpretation; because it could not be applied to all
the disbeliever of the world - otherwise the door of guidance would be
closed. Also, this same sentence has come in Chapter of Ya Sin (36:10)
which is a Meccan chapter. Then it appears in this chapter that is the
first chapter revealed at Medina. (It was revealed before the battle of
Badr.) Therefore, more probably this verse also refers to the same Meccan
group. In other places too the same explanation may be given to the word,
"those who disbelieve", unless there is a reason to the contrary.
Likewise, wherever the
word, "those who believe", has been used in the Qur'an it refers to the
first and early Muslims - unless there is any reason to believe otherwise.
This style of address was reserved for them as a protocol of honor.
QUR'AN: Allah has
set a seal. . . great punishment:
Allah has ascribed the
sealing to His own action, but the covering over their eyes is attributed
to their own selves. It shows that they had put a curtain on their souls
against the light of truth - it was their own choice. Then, after their
sins and disbelief, Allah put another curtain or seal over their souls.
Their disbelief and misdeeds thus fall between two curtains - the first
from themselves, the second from Allah.
Its further explanation
will be given under 2:26; Surely Allah is not ashamed to set
forth any parable - that of a gnat or any thing above that . .
.
Disbelief, like belief, has
various degrees and ranks; and its effects also vary, like those of
belief.
TRADITIONS
az-Zubayri says that he
said to as-Sadiq (a.s.): "Tell me how many ways of al-kufr
(disbelief, infidelity, to cover) are there according to the Book of
Allah? Mighty and Great is He! He (the lmam) said: 'Disbelief, according
to the Book of Allah, is of five types. There is the disbelief of denial
(and denial is of two kinds), and the disbelief by neglecting what Allah
has ordered, and the disbelief of disavowal, and the ingratitude. As for
the disbelief of denial, it is denial of the Lordship; it is the talk of
those who say: "there is no Lord (i.e. Creator), nor any Garden nor Fire
". It is the word of two groups of disbeliever who are called atheists.
And they are those who say: "nothing destroys us but time" (45:
24). It is a religion invented by them as it seemed good to them, but they
have no proof to support their view. That is why Allah has said (about
them): And they have no knowledge of that; they only conjecture
(ibid.), that it is in reality as they say. And He also said:
Surely those who disbelieve, alike is it to them whether you warn
them or do not warn them, they will not believe.’ "
(al-Kafi)
And as for the second kind,
it is the denial after knowing; it means that the denier denies (the
existence of God), but he knows (very well) that He is the truth, and he
is convinced of it (in his heart). And Allah has said (about such people):
And they denied them unjustly and proudly while their soul had
been convinced of them (27:14); . . . and aforetime they used to
pray for victory against those who disbelieved, but when there came
to them that which they did recognize (i.e. the Prophet)
they disbelieved in him; so Allah’s curse is on the unbelievers (2:
89).
So this is the explanation
of the two kinds of denial.
And the third way of
disbelief is ingratitude to the bounties (of Allah); and it is as Allah
says quoting (the Prophet) Sulayman: "This is of the grace of my Lord
that He may try me whether I am grateful or ungrateful; and whoever
is grateful, he is grateful only for his own self and whoever is
ungrateful, then surely my Lord is Self-sufficient, Honored "
(27:40); If you are grateful, I would certainly give you more, and
if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe
(14:7). Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, and be
thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me (2:152). (In all
these verses Allah has used the word al-kufr = disbelief, to denote
ungratefulness, and ingratitude.)
And the fourth way of
disbelief is leaving out or neglecting what Allah has ordered to do. It is
as Allah says: And when We made a covenant with you: You shall
not shed your blood and you shall not turn your people out of your
cities,- then you gave a promise while you witnessed. Yet you it is
who slay your people and turn a party from among you out of their
homes, backing each other up against them unlawfully and exceeding
the limits; and if they should come to you as captives, you would
ransom them - while their very turning out was unlawful for you.
Do you then believe in a part of the book and disbelieve in the
other? (2:84-85). In this verse Allah has charged them with disbelief
because they did not follow the commandment of Allah; (it should be noted
that) Allah has (in this very verse) linked them to belief, yet He did not
accept it from them and it did not benefit them before Allah. So Allah
(further) said: What then is the reward of such among you as do
this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of
resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous
chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do
(ibid:)
And the fifth way of
disbelief is disavowal. It is as Allah says, quoting lbrahim (a.s.) ". .
we renounce you, and enmity and hatred have appeared between us
and you for ever until you believe in Allah alone" (60:4), that
is, we disavow and repudiate you. And He says, describing Iblis and his
disowning his friends from mankind on the Day of Resurrection: ". . .
surely I disbelieved in your associating me (with Allah) before"
(14:22). And also He says: And he said: "You have only taken for
yourselves idols besides Allah by way of friendship between you in
the world's life, then on the resurrection day some of you shall
deny others, and some of you shall curse others . . (29: 25),
that is, some of you shall dissociate from others.
The author says: This
tradition confirms what we have previously mentioned that disbelief has
many grades and ranks.
