The disbelievers accused Messenger Muhammad of madness, asked for causing angels to come down from heaven to confirm his truthfulness, and ridiculed him and the Quran. The disbelievers’ objections were baseless. However, they were dangerous and needed refutations.
Indeed, We sent before you to the former communities. [Q 15:10]
No messenger came to them, but they mocked him. [Q 15:11]
Thus, We cause it to enter the hearts of the criminals. [Q 15: 12]
They will not believe in it. This has been the way of the former communities. [Q 15:13]
Had We opened a gate for them in the sky and they continued ascending through it, [Q15:14]
they would say, ‘Our eyes have been dazzled; rather, we are bewitched people.’ [Q15:15]
Relationship with the Previous Part
The disbelievers were rude to Messenger Muhammad. They accused him of madness. Allah consoled His Messenger. He mentioned that the attitude of the former communities towards the message of their messengers was the same.
Tafsir
Indeed, We sent before you to the former communities. [Q 15:10]
No messenger came to them, but they mocked him. [Q 15:11]
O Messenger! We sent before you many messengers to the former communities. Their messengers invited them to worship Allah alone and avoid worshipping other gods besides Him, just as you have invited your people to do so. They refused to obey their messengers and mocked them, just as your people refused to obey and follow your message, and mocked you.
Indeed, the disbelievers resemble one another in their hideous disposition in every place and every time. They stubbornly reject the truth and ridicule and mock the advocates of the truth.
Thus, We cause it to enter the hearts of the criminals. [Q 15: 12]
They will not believe in it. This has been the way of the former communities. [Q 15:13]
Rejection and refusal of the truth are the normal attitudes of the stubborn and arrogant disbelievers in every place and every time. Just as Allah caused disbelief and mocking Allah’s messengers to enter the hearts of the disbelievers of the former communities, He would do the same thing with the criminal, who disbelieve in Allah’s Oneness among the people of Mecca. They would not believe in Allah’s Oneness, His Messenger Muhammad, and the Quran.
The criminals, whose hearts disbelieve in Allah’s Oneness, will not believe in the Quran until they see a painful torment befalling them.
The way of Allah with the disbelievers of the former communities was that He destroyed them because they disbelieved in their messengers and He saved His messengers and their followers. Allah will do the same thing with criminals, who disbelieve in Him among the succeeding generations and He will give victory to the messengers and their followers.
Had We opened a gate for them in the sky and they continued ascending through it, [Q15:14]
The ayah depicts a strange image showing the stubbornness of the disbelievers and their denial of the truth.
Had Allah opened a gate in the sky and enabled the disbelievers to keep on ascending through it, their reactions would agree with their stubbornness. If they ascended to the heavens and saw the angels and the wonders therein, their attitude towards the message of their messengers would never change. They will insist on their disbelief and denial of the truth.
They would say, ‘Our eyes have been dazzled; rather, we are bewitched people.’ [Q15:15]
After seeing the heavens, the wonders therein, and the angels, the disbelievers would say, ‘Our eyes have been dazzled and magically covered. Rather, we are bewitched people.’
In other words, the stubbornness of the disbelievers is so great that even if they ascended to the heavens and saw the wonders therein, they would say that what they saw was because Messenger Muhammad bewitched them. Thus, their eyes saw those things.
The attitude of the stubborn disbelievers is sufficient to prove that there is no use in arguing with them. Their attitude confirms that they do not need proofs to believe. They are arrogant. They will never use their minds to see and follow the truth.
This type of stubborn mentality is not restricted to a specific place nor time and it is not a product of a particular environment at a particular time. Rather, it is an example of human beings when their natural dispositions are corrupted, their insights are completely closed, and their receptive faculties are impaired. Thus, they are cut off from the world around them with its harmonies and inspirations.
Learned Lessons from Tafsir of Surah al-Hijr Ayah: 10-15
• Disbelief in and ridiculing Allah’s Messengers are an old habit and a common phenomenon among the disbelievers. Just as the disbelievers of Mecca disbelieved in Allah’s Oneness, Messenger Muhammad, and the Quran, the former communities disbelieved in their messengers.
• Just as the hearts of the people of the former communities rejected the truth and the hearts of the disbelievers of Mecca had the same attitude towards Islam and its messenger.
• The rule of Allah with the disbelievers is that He punish and destroy them if they insist on disbelieving and denying the truth.
• The disbelievers are stubborn. Even if they ascended to the heavens and saw the wonders and the angels therein with their own eyes, they would not believe in Allah’s Oneness and His Messenger. They would claim that their eyes were dazzled and magically covered so that they see strange things.
English Translation of Surah al-Hijr
Quran Tafsir of ibn Kathir, Tafsir of Surah al-Hijr
Introduction to Tafsir of Surah al-Hijr
Tafsir of Surah an-Nahl: Ayah 79
Introduction to Tafsir of Surah Ibrahim
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