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31
وَلَو أَنَّ قُرآنًا سُيِّرَت بِهِ الجِبالُ أَو قُطِّعَت بِهِ الأَرضُ أَو كُلِّمَ بِهِ المَوتىٰ ۗ بَل لِلَّهِ الأَمرُ جَميعًا ۗ أَفَلَم يَيأَسِ الَّذينَ آمَنوا أَن لَو يَشاءُ اللَّهُ لَهَدَى النّاسَ جَميعًا ۗ وَلا يَزالُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا تُصيبُهُم بِما صَنَعوا قارِعَةٌ أَو تَحُلُّ قَريبًا مِن دارِهِم حَتّىٰ يَأتِيَ وَعدُ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُخلِفُ الميعادَ

Muhammad Asad

Yet even if [they should listen to] a [divine] discourse by which mountains could be moved, or the earth cleft asunder, or the dead made to speak - [they who are bent on denying the truth would still refuse to believe in it]!1 Nay, but God alone has the power to decide what shall be.2 Have, then, they who have attained to faith not yet come to know that, had God so willed; He would indeed have guided all mankind aright?3 But as for those who are bent on denying the truth - in result of their [evil] deeds, sudden calamities will always befall them or will alight close to their homes;4 [and this will continue] until God's promise [of resurrection] is fulfilled: verily, God never fails to fulfil His promise!
  • The sentence added by me between brackets corresponds to the interpretation given to the above passage by Tabari and also by Az-Zajjaj (as quoted by, Razi and - without the mention of Az-Zajjaj by name - by Baghawi and Zamakhshari as well); cf. 6:109-111.
  • Lit., "God's alone is all [power of] command": i.e., no "miraculous sign" can ever convince those whose hearts God has "sealed" in consequence of their "breaking their bond with Him" (see surah 2, notes 7 and 19).
  • The meaning is that God grants man the freedom to choose between right and wrong: "He guides unto Himself all who turn unto Him" (verse 27 above) and "are true to their bond with God" (verse 20); on the other hand, He withholds His guidance from "the iniquitous, who break their bond with "God" (2:26-27). See also the last sentence of 6:149 and the corresponding note 143.
  • Lit., "a sudden calamity (qari'ah) will not cease (la yazal) to befall them or to alight close to their home". However, since this phrase connotes repetition and continuity, the singular form of the noun qari'ah has here obviously a cumulative sense - namely, an unceasing succession of social catastrophes, fratricidal wars and mutual deprivations which, in consequence of their deliberate disregard of all spiritual values, will directly befall "those who are bent on denying the truth" (alladhina kafaru), or will, indirectly, cause them to suffer by affecting their whole organic environment: and this, to my mind, is the meaning of the phrase "or will alight close to their homes". (Cf. in this connection 5 :33 and the corresponding notes, especially note 45.)