Chapter 4
2:6-7
Surely those who disbelieve, alike is it to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe (6). Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing; and there is a covering over their eyes; and for them is a great punishment (7).
Commentary
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 disbelievers 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 disbelievers of the world - otherwise the door of guidance would be closed. Also, this same sentence has come in Chapter of Ysin (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 honour.
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-Sdiq (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 Imm) 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 disbelievers 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, Honoured " (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 Ibls 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.
Chapter 5
2:8-20
And there are some people who say: "We believe in Allah and in the last day"; while they are not at all believers (8). They desire to deceive Allah and those who believe, and they do not deceive except themselves and they do not perceive (9) . There is a disease in their hearts, so Allah added to their disease and for them is a painful chastisement because of the lie they were saying (10). And when it is said to them, "Do not make mischief in the land", they say: "We are but peace-makers" (11). Now surely they themselves are the mischief-makers, but they do not perceive (12). And when it is said to them: "Believe as the people have believed ", they say: "Shall we believe as the fools have believed? " Now surely they themselves are the fools, but they do not know (13). And when they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe "; and when they are alone with their Satans, they say: "Surely we are with you, we were only mocking" (14). Allah pays them back their mockery, and leaves them alone in their rebellion blindly wandering on (15) . These are they who buy error for the guidance, so their bargain brings (them) no gain, nor are they guided aright (16). Their parable is like the parable of one who kindled afire, but when it had illumined all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in utter darkness - they do not see (17). Deaf, dumb (and) blind, so they will not turn back (18). Or like an abundant rain from the heaven in which is utter darkness and thunder and lightning; they put their fingers into their ears because of the thunder peals, for fear of death, and Allah encompasses the unbelievers (19). The lightning almost takes away their sight; whenever it shines on them they walk in it, and when it becomes dark to them they stand still; and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have taken away their hearing and their sight; surely Allah has power over all things (20).
Commentary
These thirteen verses are about the hypocrites. We shall discuss this subject in detail in Chapter 63 (The Hypocrites) and in some other places.
QUR'AN: They desire to deceive: "al-Khad'ah" is deceit, duplicity.
QUR'AN: When they are alone with their Satans: "ash-Shaytn" means evil, wicked; that is why the Ibls is called the Satan.
QUR'AN: Their parable is like the parable of one who kindled a fire ... they will not return: The hypocrites are like a man who is surrounded by a blinding darkness in which he cannot distinguish good from bad, beneficial from harmful; to remove it he kindles a fire, and in its light is able to see to some distance around it; then as soon as it has illumined all around, Allah, extinguishes it by wind, rain or some other thing like it and he is left as he was before - in utter darkness. And now he is pressed between two darknesses - that of the night and that of bewilderment and nullity of his endeavour. This parable fits exactly on hypocrites. A hypocrite declares himself to be a Muslim, and through it gains some benefits, as he is treated as a Muslim in matters of marriage and inheritance etc. But as soon as death approaches - the time when the real and complete benefits of Islam should have appeared - Allah takes away the light, nullifies his deeds and leaves him in utter darkness in which he cannot see at all. Thus he falls between two darkness - his original one and the one he added with his dark deeds.
QUR'AN : Or like an abundant rain ... Allah has power over all things: "as-Sayyib " ( = abundant rain); "al- barq " ( = lightning; flesh of lightning); "ad-ra'd" ( = thunder that is heard after lightning); "as-s iqah " ( = thunderbolt, to strike with lightning).
This is another example for the hypocrites. A man is caught in a rainpour; darkness surrounds him, he is unable to see around and loses his bearings. The rain tells him to run away; to find a shelter somewhere, but darkness prevents him from it; frightening thunder and lightning-bolts have overwhelmed him, yet when lightning appears he tries to take its advantage by walking ahead in its light - but it appears only for a fleeting moment and then disappears; whenever it shines he walks ahead and when darkness I engulfs him again he stops.
A hypocrite is exactly in the same position. He does not like Islam, but has to profess to be a Muslim. His words do not reach his heart; what he says is different from what he believes in his heart. Because of this discrepancy his path is not illuminated as it should have been. The result is that he gropes about aimlessly and stumbles every now and then; he walks a little and then stops. Thus Allah punishes him with disgrace; and had He wished so, He would have taken away his sight and hearing, thereby disgracing him on the very first day.
