Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 89

(Ayah 89) ➊ {قَدِ افْتَرَيْنَا عَلَى اللّٰهِ كَذِبًا … :} This is an answer in another way. Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) was an Arab, and among the Arabs, there has always been a strong aversion to lying. It appears that Allah Almighty decided to send His Prophet, who was for all the worlds and until the Day of Judgment, among the Arabs because, despite all their vices, the Arabs possessed some praiseworthy qualities that other nations did not have. Among these qualities was a love for truth and a hatred for falsehood. That is why Abu Sufyan did not lie in the court of Heraclius, fearing that no one in Mecca would say that the leader had lied. Therefore, Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) said that when Allah Almighty saved us from your religion and granted us the ability to proclaim monotheism, if we were now to adopt your religion again, it would mean that we had fabricated a lie—and that too against Allah Almighty! How could this be possible?

➋ {وَ مَا يَكُوْنُ لَنَاۤ اَنْ نَّعُوْدَ فِيْهَاۤ …:} That is, it is not possible for us to adopt your religion, except if Allah Almighty wills, because He can do whatever He wants. Thus, even our claim that we will never again adopt your religion is not based on our own strength, but rather on the ability granted by Allah Almighty, because no matter how good the intention, its fulfillment depends solely on the will of Allah Almighty. From this exception, one should not think that Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) had any doubt about his good end; rather, he said this only to express his humility and to entrust himself to Allah, and he included other believers in this as well. Wahidi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that the Prophets (peace be upon them) and the great ones of the Ummah have always sought refuge from a bad end. The prayer of Khalilullah (peace be upon him) is: «{ وَ اجْنُبْنِيْ وَ بَنِيَّ اَنْ نَّعْبُدَ الْاَصْنَامَ }» [ إبراہیم : ۳۵ ] "And save me and my sons from worshipping idols." And the frequent prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was: [ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوْبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِيْ عَلٰی دِيْنِكَ ] "O Turner of hearts! Keep my heart firm upon Your religion." [ ترمذي، الدعوات، باب یا مقلب القلوب … : ۳۵۲۲، عن أم سلمۃرضی اللہ عنھا و صححہ الألبانی ] And it is also possible that this sentence is hypothetical, meaning that we cannot adopt disbelief due to your compulsion and coercion, but (hypothetically) if it is the will of Allah Almighty, then that is another matter.

➌ {عَلَى اللّٰهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا :} That is, for steadfastness in faith, we rely not on our own strength but only on Allah. By bringing { ’’ عَلَى اللّٰهِ ‘‘} first, the meaning of exclusivity is established.

➍ The meaning of {رَبَّنَا افْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا …: ’’فَتَحَ‘‘} is a clear decision. Obviously, the decision of Allah Almighty will be in favor of His followers, meaning that by helping us against these polytheists who persist in denial and stubbornness, He will make clear that we are upon the truth and they are upon falsehood.

89. 1. That is, if we were to return to this ancestral religion from which Allah has saved us, it would mean that by calling to faith and monotheism, we had fabricated a lie against Allah? The meaning was that it is simply not possible for us to do such a thing.

98. 2. After expressing their determination, they entrusted the matter to Allah’s will. That is, by our own consent, we cannot return to disbelief now. However, if Allah wills, then that is another matter.

89. 3. That He will keep us steadfast upon faith and will place a barrier between us and disbelief and the people of disbelief, will complete His favor upon us, and will protect us from His punishment.

89. "If we were to return to your religion after Allah has saved us from it, then we would indeed be fabricating a lie against Allah. And it is not for us to return to it unless [94] our Lord so wills. Our Lord encompasses everything in knowledge. In Allah alone we put our trust. (Then he prayed:) O our Lord! Decide between us [95] and our people with truth, for You are the best of those who decide."

[94]
The Reply of Shu‘ayb (علیہ السلام):

Shu‘ayb (علیہ السلام) replied, "Both of your suggestions are unacceptable to us, because if we were to adopt your religion again, it would mean that my companions and I have been lying all along and have been attributing falsehood to Allah. Then, regarding the task that Allah has assigned to me, if I or my companions were to violate it, who could be more unjust than us? And, insha’Allah, our resolve is that we will remain steadfast on our religion with utmost determination, and if Allah’s divine enablement (Tawfiq) remains with us, we will never choose to enter your religion. As for your second point, that you will expel us from here, we do not like this either. However, if you want to force us and expel us by compulsion, then try it, but only that will happen which our Lord Allah wills. We rely on Him alone, and all our affairs are entrusted to Allah."

[95] When the confrontation between truth and falsehood reached such an extent that the hostile and rebellious chiefs became determined to exile Sayyiduna Shu‘ayb (علیہ السلام) and his companions from the land, at that time Sayyiduna Shu‘ayb (علیہ السلام) prayed to Allah, "O Allah! Now the time has come that there remains no hope of any benefit from further advice and admonition for these wrongdoers, so now You Yourself decide between us and them as to what our course of action should be in the future."