Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 36

(Ayah 36) ➊ { وَ اِذَا رَاٰكَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْۤا … : ’’ هُزُوًا ‘‘} is a verbal noun in the meaning of the object, that is, the one who is mocked. In the previous verse, it was mentioned that people are tested with good and evil. The greatest good for mankind is the noble person of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and his coming is also the greatest test for people: who values the blessing and believes in him, and who is ungrateful and disbelieves. In this verse, the attitude of those who are ungrateful for this blessing, that is, the disbelievers, is mentioned: when they see you, they make you a subject of mockery, neither do they listen to anything seriously nor do they understand.

➋ { اَهٰذَا الَّذِيْ يَذْكُرُ اٰلِهَتَكُمْ :} This sentence is an explanation of their mockery, that is, when they see you, they say: Is this the one who mentions your gods? Mentioning can mean mentioning in a good way or in a bad way; its determination depends on the context. For example, if someone tells you about your friend that he was mentioning you, it is obvious that he means he was praising you. And if he tells you about your opponent that he was mentioning you, then it will mean he was mentioning you in a bad way. Just as when the people of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, were searching for the idol-breaker, they said: «{ سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَّذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهٗۤ اِبْرٰهِيْمُ }» [ الأنبیاء : ۶۰ ] "We heard a young man mention them; he is called Ibrahim." {’’ اَهٰذَا ‘‘} (Is this the one?) The interrogative hamza is for expressing amazement, and {’’ هٰذَا ‘‘} is used for contempt.

➌ { وَ هُمْ بِذِكْرِ الرَّحْمٰنِ هُمْ كٰفِرُوْنَ :} That is, how does it befit them to mock you for mentioning their gods in a bad way, when their own condition is that they deny the very mention of the Most Merciful? They cannot tolerate the mention of that Most Merciful who created them, bestowed favors upon them, and in whose hand alone is their benefit and harm. Then, who deserves to be mocked: these people or our Messenger? Some commentators have interpreted {’’ بِذِكْرِ الرَّحْمٰنِ ‘‘} as the Quran itself, that is, «{ اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ }» [الحجر : ۹ ] meaning they themselves deny the Reminder sent down by the Most Merciful.

36. 1. Despite this, they mock the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As stated elsewhere: (اِنْ يَّتَّخِذُوْنَكَ اِلَّا هُزُوًا ۭ اَھٰذَا الَّذِيْ بَعَثَ اللّٰهُ رَسُوْلًا) 25. Al-Furqan:41) When, O Prophet! these disbelievers of Makkah see you, they begin to mock you. They say, "Is this the person whom Allah has sent as a Messenger?"

36. And when the disbelievers see you, they only make fun of you, saying, "Is this the one who talks about your gods?" while they themselves deny the mention of the Most Merciful [34].

[34]
The Polytheists Considering Their Deities Superior to You and Mocking You:

That is, according to the polytheists of Makkah, the status of their own deities was much higher and more exalted compared to the Prophet ﷺ. Therefore, when they saw you, they would mockingly say, "Look, this is the person who talks about your deities" (meaning, what status does he have compared to them?). Whereas you neither abused nor spoke ill of their deities. And when you did speak, you only said that these deities of yours can neither harm you nor benefit you. And they considered this to be the greatest insult to themselves. The reason was that, in their view, your belief amounted to the insult of their deities, themselves, and their forefathers. Now, they did not try to understand the matter seriously. Rather, out of stubbornness and prejudice, they began to mock you. And the other aspect was that when the mention was made of that Being who truly possesses the power to benefit or harm anyone, they would become agitated as to why he mentions Allah alone and does not include their deities alongside Him, even though they themselves considered Allah to be a greater deity than their own deities, and when faced with death, they would call upon Him alone. Therefore, even calling upon Allah alone would trouble them. And they were particularly averse to the word "Rahman," as has already been mentioned in the footnote number 39 of Surah Ra'd, verse 30.