Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 46

(Ayah 46) ➊ The meaning of { قُلْ اِنَّمَاۤ اَعِظُكُمْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ … : ’’ جِنَّةٍ ‘‘} is madness, insanity, and lunacy. After refuting the false statements of the polytheists, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was instructed to convey the truth with very strong arguments, effective styles, and in various ways. They used to call the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not only a liar and a magician but also mad, that is, insane. So Allah Almighty said, tell them that I only advise you one thing: in large gatherings, due to noise, crowd, and social pressure, a person cannot think properly. Remove stubbornness and prejudice and think alone or in pairs that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is after all your companion; he spent forty years with you before prophethood, whom you called truthful and trustworthy, whose wisdom and sound judgment you yourselves testified to. Now, when he conveyed Allah’s message to you, you started calling him mad. Therefore, reflect thoroughly on every statement he has brought and tell, after thinking, which of these statements can you call madness? Is believing in the Oneness of Allah insanity? Is forbidding adultery, theft, murder, and slander insanity? Is commanding truthfulness, chastity, trustworthiness, hospitality, and compassion insanity? Point out even one thing and show that this is the statement of a madman. This explanation is based on considering {’’ مَا ‘‘} as interrogative; if {’’ مَا ‘‘} is negative, then the meaning will be that there is no kind of madness in your companion. This meaning is also correct.

➋ {اِنْ هُوَ اِلَّا نَذِيْرٌ لَّكُمْ … :} means that the Prophet is only a warner to you before a very severe punishment comes, so you should think carefully and decide whether the one who warns his people before a severe punishment comes and tries to save them from it is mad or is their well-wisher and sympathizer. Bukhari has narrated this hadith in the explanation of this verse: Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once climbed Mount Safa and said: {’’يَا صَبَاحَاهُ‘‘} (which was said to alert people to an important danger), so the Quraysh gathered around him and said, “What has happened to you?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ يُصَبِّحُكُمْ أَوْ يُمَسِّيْكُمْ أَمَا كُنْتُمْ تُصَدِّقُوْنِيْ؟ ] “Tell me, if I inform you that an enemy will attack you in the morning or in the evening, will you believe me?” They said: [ بَلٰی ] “Why not!” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ فَإِنِّيْ نَذِيْرٌ لَّكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيْدٍ ] “Then I am a warner to you before a very severe punishment.” So Abu Lahab said: [ تَبًّا لَكَ أَلِهٰذَا جَمَعْتَنَا؟ ] “May you perish! Did you gather us for this?” So Allah Almighty revealed this (Surah): « تَبَّتْ يَدَاۤ اَبِيْ لَهَبٍ وَّ تَبَّ » [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب : «إن ھو إلا نذیر لکم… » : ۴۸۰۱ ]

46. 1. That is, I warn you against your current way of life and advise you only one thing, and that is to abandon stubbornness and arrogance, and for Allah’s sake, think about me individually or in pairs: my life has been spent among you, and even now, in the message I am giving you, is there anything that indicates madness in me? If you reflect above partisanship and selfish desire, you will surely understand that there is no madness in your companion.

46. 2. That is, he has only come for your guidance so that you may be saved from that severe punishment which you will have to face for not adopting the path of guidance. It is mentioned in the hadith that the Prophet ﷺ once climbed the hill of Safa and proclaimed, "Ya Sabahaa!" Hearing this, the Quraysh gathered. He ﷺ said, "Tell me, if I inform you that an enemy is about to attack you in the morning or evening, will you believe me?" They said, "Why not?" He ﷺ said, "Then listen, I warn you of a severe punishment before it comes." Upon hearing this, Abu Lahab said, "تَبَّالکَ ! اَلِھٰذا جَمَعْتَنَا" — "May you perish! Is it for this that you gathered us?" Upon this, Allah revealed Surah تَبَّتْ یَدَآ اَبِیْ لَھَبٍ (Sahih Bukhari).

Say, "I advise you only one thing: that you stand up for Allah's sake [70], in pairs and singly, and then reflect. There is no madness in your companion (the Messenger of Allah ﷺ). He is only a warner to you before a severe punishment [71]."

[70]
Ending the Dispute Over the Placement of Hajr-e-Aswad is Proof of Your Wisdom:

That is, just accept one thing from me. Leave stubbornness and prejudice aside and think about this matter with complete sincerity, whether alone, in pairs, or in larger groups, and reflect deeply on whether the accusations you are making against me are correct. And are you saying what you say with sincerity? You are well aware of my life from childhood until today. You have always acknowledged my truthfulness and honesty. Is it not a fact that just a few years ago, during the reconstruction of the Ka'bah, when a dispute arose among you regarding the placement of the Hajr-e-Aswad, you said that whoever enters the Ka'bah first in the morning, you would accept his decision as final. Then, when I entered the Ka'bah in the morning, all of you willingly agreed to accept my judgment. Then, when I spread out a cloth, placed the Hajr-e-Aswad on it, and asked all of you to lift the cloth from its corners, and upon reaching the required height, I myself lifted the Hajr-e-Aswad and placed it in its position, not only did you all willingly accept my decision, but you also praised my wisdom. And today, you are the same people who call me insane, sometimes saying that I have fabricated lies against Allah, and sometimes saying that I have made up the Quran myself to deceive you. For God's sake, have some sense of justice.

[71] Do you think I am insane just because I am telling you that the way of life you have adopted is wrong, and I am warning you of its evil consequences? And if I had said, "Well done! You people are on the right path," then everything would have been fine. But if I inform you of a few solid facts, you start calling me insane.