Allah commands His believing servants to obey Him and His Messenger and warns
them against defying him and imitating the disbelievers who reject him. Allah
said,
[وَلاَ تَوَلَّوْاْ
عَنْهُ]
(and turn not away from him...), neither refrain from obeying him or
following his commands nor indulge in what he forbade,
[وَأَنتُمْ
تَسْمَعُونَ]
(while you are hearing.) after you gained knowledge of his Message,
[وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ
كَالَّذِينَ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ ]
(And be not like those who say: "We have heard,'' but they hear not.)
Ibn Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to the hypocrites, who pretend to hear
and obey, while in fact they do neither. Allah declares that these are the most
wicked creatures among the Children of Adam,
[إِنَّ شَرَّ
الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ]
(Verily, the worst of living creatures with Allah are the deaf) who do not
hear the truth,
[الْبُكْمُ]
(and the dumb) who cannot comprehend it,
[الَّذِينَ لاَ
يَعْقِلُونَ]
(who understand not. ) These indeed are the most wicked creatures, for every
creature except them abide by the way that Allah created in them. These people
were created to worship Allah, but instead disbelieved. This is why Allah
equated them to animals, when He said,
[وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَآءً
وَنِدَآءً]
(And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of him who shouts to
those that hear nothing but calls and cries.) [2:171], and,
[أُوْلَـئِكَ
كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَـفِلُونَ]
(They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless
ones.) [7:179]
It was also said that the Ayah (8:22) refers to some of the pagans of Quraysh
from the tribe of Bani `Abd Ad-Dar, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ibn
Jarir. Muhammad bin Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to hypocrites, as we
stated. There is no contradiction here, because both disbelievers and hypocrites
are devoid of sound comprehension, in addition to having lost the intention to
do good. Allah states here that such are those who neither have sound
understanding nor good intentions, even if they have some type of reason,
[وَلَوْ عَلِمَ
اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ]
(Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen.)
He would have helped them understand. However, this did not happen because
there is no goodness in such people, for Allah knows that,
[وَلَوْ
أَسْمَعَهُمْ]
(even if He had made them listen...) and allowed them to understand,
[لَتَوَلَّواْ]
(they would but have turned...), intentionally and out of stubbornness, even
after they comprehend,
[وَهُم
مُّعْرِضُونَ]
(with aversion.), to the truth.
[يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ
وَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ
إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ]
(24. O you who believe! Answer Allah and (His) Messenger when he (the
Messenger) calls you to that which will give you life, and know that Allah comes
between a person and his heart. And verily to Him you shall (all) be
gathered.)
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