The Ocean of the Quran

A verse by verse explanation of The Ultimate Scripture

Yūsuf – Verse 106

وَما يُؤمِنُ أَكثَرُهُم بِاللَّهِ إِلّا وَهُم مُشرِكونَ

And most of them do not believe in Allah without ascribing partners to Him.

EXPOSITION

There are several understandings suggested for this verse of which we may mention two:

  1. It is referring to the People of the Book who believe on one hand, and disbelieve on the other, as they are reprimanded for that in the verse, Do you believe in part of the book and defy another part? (2:85).[1]
  2. It intends the supplication of disbelievers who ascribe partners to God in moments of ease, but when they face intense hardship they turn to Him in sincerity, When they board the ship, they invoke Allah putting exclusive faith in Him, but when He delivers them to land, behold, they ascribe partners [to Him] (29:65).[2]

Neither of these explanations are satisfying, nor are they compatible with the universality of the verse, which has not specified this to some group. It seems there is a deeper reality being referred to here. Most people might believe in God – and statistically most people do – but that belief in the divine falls short of what true monotheism (tawḥīd) should be, nor does it have the effect on them that it should. A person might believe in God, but will ascribe things such as provision, success, tribulation, triumph, and so on, to other factors. True belief in God is to realise that He is the one and only sovereign. There is no power but His power. Nothing happens without His leave. This is what is alluded to in the report from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), who said this verse is about a person who says: ‘“If it were not for so-and-so, I would have perished, or if it were not for so-and-so, my family would have fallen apart,” and by doing so he has ascribed partners to God in His kingdom, [thinking] they give him nourishment and turn away troubles from him.’[3] The report then adds that Mālik ibn ՙAṭiyyah asked the Imam whether it is allowed for a person to say that ‘had God not blessed me through so-and-so, I would have perished’, to which the Imam replied in the affirmative.

This understanding can also be extended as per the interpretation attributed to Imam al-Bāqir (a), who according to the report said that what is being referred to here is shirk al-ṭāʿah (ascribing partners to God in matters of obedience), not shirk al-ʿibādah (ascribing partners to God in matters of worship).[4] A true believer is not one who simply declares that he believes in God, but his words, actions, and purpose should all be for God. He should not accept a law contrary to the law of the Lawgiver or submit to anyone but Him. In the crossroads of God and desire, he should choose the path of God. When viewed in such a manner, true believers are few indeed.[5]

There are two polar ends: one in which a person is completely engrossed in this world and has because of that forgotten all about God and the hereafter, and another in which a person is completely divorced from all which distracts from God and the hereafter and is totally devoted to Him and wishes nothing but what He wishes. In between these two, there is a lot of grey, where faith and disbelief mix together in some degrees. Hence, for example, we may see someone who believes in God and the hereafter and who believes and declares that God is His provider, but will nevertheless resort to lying or other sins in order to secure his worldly provision, knowing even then that he will have to answer for those actions.[6]

This verse is hence continuing from the important point raised in verse 103, where we were told that most people will not believe in the message of Prophet Muhammad (s). Now we are told that even within that minority, most of those who believe will not believe in that message in a pure way, but rather will mix into that their own biases and false worldviews and will not understand the truth of monotheism and what it entails about the absolute sovereignty of God. The mirage of this world veils their hearts from understanding that reality and they are fooled by the chain of cause and effect, which misleads them to think that things happen independently of God. So, while the previous verse told us that the world of creation is all full of signs pointing towards God’s sovereignty over it, most people will look at that creation and instead see something independent of God; unless of course, irrefutable and final judgement befalls them, as the next verse explains.

This understanding also equips us with further insight regarding the surah’s main theme,[7] as the one whose sight is veiled by the mirage of this world will fail to see God’s plan, and instead think that he can thwart his Creator and lay plans contrary to His will. The one who is totally submitted to God on the other hand will see the reality of matters and gain deep perception about matters.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

  1. From Yaʿqūb ibn Shuʿayb, that he asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) about this verse and he said: ‘They used to say: “We receive rain because of the rising of such-and-such star and such-and-such star.” And among them were those who would go to soothsayers and believe what they said.’[8]
  2. From Muhammad ibn al-Fuḍayl, that Imam al-Riḍā (a) said regarding this verse: ‘It is polytheism that has not reached the level disbelief (kufr).’[9]
  3. In numerous reports from Imam al-Bāqir (a) and al-Ṣādiq (a), that ‘it is referring to shirk al-niՙam,’[10] which should mean ascribing partners to God with regards to His blessings.

Note: The last two reports mentioned here are essentially summaries of what we said in the Exposition.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some other less viable opinions have been suggested about this verse, such as:

  1. It is referring to the polytheists, who claimed they believed in God as the Creator but then ascribed partners to Him, like what is described in the verse, If you ask them: ‘Who created the heavens and the earth, and disposed the sun and the moon?’ They will surely say: ‘Allah’ (29:61).[11]
  2. It is the hypocrites, who display faith whilst hiding disbelief.[12] This is an invalid understanding, as we cannot imagine that God should describe their pretence as faith. The same can be said of the previous opinion as well.
  3. It is referring to the mushabbihah (those who believed God had comparable attributes to creation, such as having a body), who believed in a general sense but were considered disbelievers in important details.[13] It is not imaginable that the verse should be talking about such views here.
[1] This was the opinion of al-Rummānī and Ibn al-Anbārī (Tibyan, 6/203; Qurtubi, 9/272). It is also reported from Imam al-Riḍā (a), who narrates it from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) (Tabrisi, 5/410).
[2] This opinion is attributed to ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ (Zamakhshari, 5/263; Qurtubi, 9/273).
[3] Tabrisi, 5/410; Ayyashi, 2/200; Wasail, 15/215, h. 20310.
[4] Tabrisi, 5/410; Ayyashi, 2/199; Kafi, 2/397.
[5] Nemuneh, 10/91.
[6] Mizan, 11/276.
[7] See the Introduction.
[8] Ayyashi, 2/199.
[9] Ayyashi, 2/199.
[10] Ayyashi, 2/200.
[11] See for example Munyah, 14/220. This opinion is attributed to Ibn Abbas, Mujāhid, ʿIkramah, and others (Tibyan, 6/203; Tabari, 13/50-51).
[12] This was the opinion of Balkhī (Tabrisi, 5/410), and has also been attributed to Hasan al-Baṣrī (Qurtubi, 9/273; Suyuti, 4/40).
[13] This opinion is (falsely) attributed to Ibn Abbas (Tabrisi, 5/410; Qurtubi, 9/272-273).