The Saying of the Disbelievers about the Prophets, and its refutation
Allah tells us that the disbeliever deserve to be severely punished by Him,
because when His clear Verses were recited to them, and they heard them fresh
from the lips of His Messenger , they said:
[قَالُواْ مَا هَـذَا
إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَن يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ]
(They say: "This is naught but a man who wishes to hinder you from that which
your fathers used to worship.'') meaning, that the religion of their fathers
was the truth and that what the Messenger brought to them was false -- may the
curse of Allah be upon them and their fathers!
[وَقَالُواْ مَا هَـذَآ
إِلاَّ إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرًى]
(And they say: "This is nothing but an invented lie.'') referring to the
Qur'an. l
[وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ]
(And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them: "This is
nothing but evident magic!'') Allah says:
[وَمَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ
مِّنْ كُتُبٍ يَدْرُسُونَهَا وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ قَبْلَكَ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ
]
(And We had not given them Scriptures that they could study, nor sent to them
before you any warner) meaning, Allah did not reveal any Book to the Arabs
before the Qur'an, and He did not send any Prophet to them before Muhammad .
They used to wish for that and say, `if only a warner comes to us or a Book is
revealed to us, we would be more guided than others,' but when Allah blessed
them with that, they disbelieved him and stubbornly rejected him. Then Allah
says:
[وَكَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ
مِن قَبلِهِمْ]
(And those before them denied;) meaning, other nations.
[وَمَا بَلَغُواْ
مِعْشَارَ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ]
(these have not received even a tenth of what We had granted to those (of
old);) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Of the power of this
world.'' This was also the view of Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd. This is like
the Ayat:
[وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَـهُمْ
فِيمَآ إِن مَّكَّنَّـكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعاً وَأَبْصَـراً
وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَـرُهُمْ وَلاَ
أَفْئِدَتُهُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُواْ يَجْحَدُونَ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ
بِهم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ]
(And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not
established you! And We had assigned them the hearing, seeing, and hearts; but
their hearing, seeing, and their hearts availed them nothing since they used to
deny the Ayat of Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they
used to mock at!) (46: 26)
[أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ
فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ
كَانُواْ أَكْـثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً]
(Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those
before them They were more in number than them and mightier in strength)
(40:82). but that did not protect them from the punishment of Allah, and Allah
destroyed them because they denied His Messengers. Allah says:
[فَكَذَّبُواْ رُسُلِى
فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ]
(yet they denied My Messengers. Then how (terrible) was My denial!) meaning,
`how severe was My wrath and how great was My avenging of My Messengers.'
[قُلْ إِنَّمَآ
أَعِظُكُمْ بِوَحِدَةٍ أَن تَقُومُواْ لِلَّهِ مَثْنَى وَفُرَادَى ثُمَّ
تَتَفَكَّرُواْ مَا بِصَـحِبِكُمْ مِّن جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ لَّكُمْ
بَيْنَ يَدَىْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ ]
(46. Say: "I exhort you to one (thing) only, that you stand up for Allah's sake
in pairs and singly, and reflect, there is no madness in your companion. He is
only a warner to you in face of a severe torment.'')