Al-Anfāl 8:31
The verses
And when Our revelations are recited unto them they say: We have heard. If we wish we can speak the like of this. Lo! this is naught but fables of the men of old. — Marmaduke Pickthall
And when they said: O Allah! If this be indeed the truth from Thee, then rain down stones on us or bring on us some painful doom! — Marmaduke Pickthall
But Allah would not punish them while thou wast with them, nor will He punish them while they seek forgiveness. — Marmaduke Pickthall
The issue
Muhammad was reciting Qur’ānic verses to the Quraysh people and telling them tales
and news of the ancients as proof of his calling as a prophet. But all of this recitation
was not convincing to most of the people of the Quraysh tribe. They declared his
recitations “nothing new,” that he was merely telling them stories of ancient times or
myths: “this is nothing but tales of those of yore” (Q 8.31).
The people of Quraysh did not see in the Qur’ān anything linguistically or anecdotally miraculous. Rather, they saw a creativity that could be emulated. “We could say likewise,” they said, “and even surpass it.” Since the Qur’ānic verses were a
repetition of what they already knew of the “tales of the ancients,” they called upon the
god of Muhammad to prove to them—even by torture if necessary, the truthfulness
of Muhammad: “O God! if this be truth, and from Thee, then rain upon us stones from
heaven or bring us grievous woe!” (Q 8.32).
That taunting call was a great challenge. Since Muhammad knew the divine proof was not forthcoming, he cleverly evaded the challenge by telling the people of Quraysh
that Allah would not punish them while he, Muhammad, dwelt among them. “But
God would not torment them while thou art amongst them” (Q 8.33). The verse also adds, “...nor was God going to torment them while they asked Him to forgive”.
Yet, if the Quraysh were not Muslims and did not accept Muhammad’s calling, how
could they then be expected to ask for pardon? An exegete tries to justify what cannot
be justified by stating that the pagan Quraysh used to seek forgiveness during the Ka‘ba
circumambulation ritual (tawāf ) by saying “your pardon.” Another view states that
asking for pardon belongs to the Muslims who are among the pagans—meaning, Allah
was not going to punish the pagans while the Muslims who ask for pardon were among
them.
Question: If the presence of Muhammad and the other Muslims shielded the Quraysh
from the torment of Allah, why didn’t Allah send down his torment upon the Quraysh
after Muhammad and his Companions emigrated? Did God not burn down Sodom and Gomorrah after he led Lot out of them?.
Arabic text of this item
كان محمد يتلو على القرشيين النصوص القرآنية، وكان يقص عليهم حكايات وأخباراً قديمة، كبرهان على صحة دعواه بالنبوة، لكن ذلك لم يكن مقنعاً لكثير من القرشيين، فقالوا بأن ما سمعوه من محمد ليس جديداً، وأنه يعيد على مسامعهم أقاصيص الأزمنة الغابرة: <إِنْ هَذَا إِلاَّ أَسَاطِيرُ الأوَّلِينَ> (الأنفال 8: 31).
لم يرَ القرشيون في القرآن معجزةً لغوية أو قصصية، بل رأوا فيه إبداعاً يمكن محاكاته، <لَوْ نَشَاء لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَذَا>، وربما مضاهاته. ولما كانت الآيات القرآنية تكرر ما يعرفونه من <أَسَاطِير الأوَّلِينَ>، فقد وجّهوا نداءً لإله محمد أن يبرهن لهم حتى لو تعرضوا للعذاب على صدق محمدٍ: <اللَّهُمَّ! إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ، أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ> (الأنفال 8: 32).
كان ذلك تحدياً كبيراً. ولمّا كان محمد يعرف أن البرهان الإلهي لن يأتي، فإنه تخلص من التحدي بذكاءٍ، فقال للقرشيين إن الله لن يعذبهم لأنه مقيم بين ظهرانيهم: <وَمَا كَانَ اللّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ [يا محمد!] فِيهِمْ> (الأنفال 8: 33). ثم استدركت الآية: <وَمَا كَانَ اللّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ>، مع أن القرشيين لم يكونوا مسلمين، ولم يقبلوا دعوة محمدٍ، فكيف كانوا يستغفرون؟ ويسارع احد المفسرين لتبرير ما لا يُبرر، فيقول:
كان القرشيون الوثنيون «يقولون في الطواف: «غفرانك»، وقيل: إن الاستغفار راجع إلى المسلمين الذين هم بين أظهرهم: أي ما كان الله معذّبهم وفيهم مَن يستغفر من المسلمين».
ونسأل: إن كان وجود محمد والمسلمين هو الواقي لقريش من عذاب الله، فلماذا لم ينزل الله بهم العذاب بعد أن هاجر محمد وأصحابه، ألم يحرق الله سدوم وعمورة بعدما أخرج لوطاً منها؟!
Sources cited
- القرطبي 9: 497.
This item merges 3 entries of the original site that carried the same text across the passage (old ids 137, 138, 139; the old ids redirect here).