لَقَد حَقَّ القَولُ عَلىٰ أَكثَرِهِم فَهُم لا يُؤمِنونَ
The word has certainly become due against most of them, so they will not have faith.
EXEGESIS
Al-qawl (the word): the definite article al means this refers to a word or statement which is already introduced. So, The word here is an existential will and command of God that He has already passed and has defined for us. This word is sometimes expressed in terms of qawl as in this verse and sometimes in terms of kalimah as in, Thus the word (kalimah) of your Lord has been realised against those who transgress that they shall not have faith (10:33); or, Indeed, those against whom your Lord’s word (kalimah) has been realised will not have faith (10:96).
EXPOSITION
The basic concept behind this verse is that Allah has passed a word in eternity, and that word is realised in some people, so they do not believe.
This, however, should not be understood, as some commentators have indicated, that faith and disbelief are predestined and that man has no choice in the matter. Or that the punishment has become necessary for them because Allah has determined that they should not believe, and because of that they cannot believe; it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not have faith (2:6).
This type of deterministic view does not agree with the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt and most Sunni scholars. They believe that the verse does not talk about predestined faith or disbelief. Rather, that it states that God decreed when He created man that if people act in specific ways and disbelieve in certain values, they cannot believe in Me and would meet My punishment. In other words, what is predestined is the universal word that rules over everyone, a word which is realised in certain people due to their voluntary acts. Thus the word of your Lord has been realised against those who transgress that they shall not have faith (10:33).
But, what is that word or statement that has been passed in eternity and is realised in those who transgress? What is that decree which bars them from believing to the extent that It is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not have faith (verse 10), and Even though every sign were to come to them until they sight the painful punishment (10:97)? We must look at it as a law of God which would include anyone who follows a specific course of action. That course of action is explained in 40:5-6, which gives us a history of people who did not believe and were subject to the eternal word: The people of Noah denied before them and the [heathen] factions [who came] after them. Every nation attempted to lay hands on their apostle and disputed erroneously to refute the truth. Then I seized them; so how was My retribution?! That is how the word of your Lord became due concerning the faithless, that they shall be inmates of the fire.
Similarly, that word is used when He addresses Iblīs: He said: ‘The truth and the truth is what I say: I will surely fill hell with you and all of those who follow you’ (38:84-85).
Those who follow Iblīs by obeying him through his whispered commands and deceptions, transgress the limits, oppress, and perform acts of tyranny and corruption. The word of punishment becomes decreed upon them. In the hereafter, when they ask for the reason of being in hell, they are told that it was because of their transgression, rather you [yourselves] were a rebellious lot. So, our Lord’s word became due against us that we shall indeed taste [the punishment] (37:30-31).
Verses 39:71-72 clearly mention that for those arrogant people who did not pay heed to the warnings of the messengers and rejected their proofs, the word of punishment became fixed upon them, and on the Day of Judgement, The faithless will be driven to hell in throngs. When they reach it, and its gates are opened, its keepers will say to them: ‘Did there not come to you [any] apostles from among yourselves, reciting to you the signs of your Lord and warning you of the encounter of this day of yours?’ They will say: ‘Yes, but the word of punishment became due against the faithless.’ It will be said: ‘Enter the gates of hell to remain in it [forever]. Evil is the [ultimate] abode of the arrogant.’
The cause of their arrogance was excessive indulgence in the materialistic world while neglecting the hereafter, which caused the blockage of the heart, the hearing, and the sight. When such happens due to their choice, the word of God becomes fixed upon them, so they can no longer follow guidance; Had We wished We would have given every soul its guidance, but My word became due [against the defiant]: ‘Surely I will fill hell with all the [guilty] jinn and humans’ (32:13).
The fact is that every human deserves guidance from God and is eligible for it; therefore, God gives opportunities of guidance for the straight path to all. But some deprive themselves of such opportunities by making severely evil choices to the extent that God’s word and His decree for punishment become fixed on them.
If people choose righteousness and strive for it, God guides them toward the paths that bring them closer to Him, As for those who strive in Us, We shall surely guide them in Our ways, and Allah is indeed with the virtuous (29:69); He enhances their guidance and invests them with their God-wariness (47:17).
However, as for those who contend with Our signs, seeking to thwart [their purpose], they shall be the inmates of hell (22:51).
In conclusion, verses 6:48-49 clearly indicate that man’s choices make his destiny. We do not send the apostles except as bearers of good news and warners. As for those who are faithful and righteous, they will have no fear, nor will they grieve. But as for those who deny Our signs, the punishment shall befall them because of the transgressions they used to commit.
On a different note, there is another aspect to this verse. It actually foretells that the stubborn chiefs of Quraysh would never believe, and that is what happened. They were killed in the state of paganism and hatred against Islam in the battles they waged against the Holy Prophet.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- Imam al-Bāqir (a) said: ‘There is no servant [of God] except he who has in his heart a white [bright] spot. However, if he sins, a black [dark] spot appears in that [white] spot. If he repents, that black spot goes away, and if he continues sinning, that black spot increases until it gets spread over the whiteness. When it covers the whiteness [totally], it would never take that person back to any goodness, eternally. And that is [as] the word of God, the mighty and the exalted [indicates]: No indeed! Rather their hearts have been sullied [overcast] by what they have been earning [83:14]. Thus, there is nothing more polluting for the heart than wrongdoing.’
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
According to Rāzī, the word of God is what He promised Iblīs, as mentioned in verses 38:84-85: He said: ‘The truth and the truth is (ḥaqq) what I say: I will surely fill hell with you and all of those who follow you.’ Thus, He expressed His promise with the word ḥaqq, which is also mentioned in this verse. Rāzī indicates that this is the popular opinion.
Qawl and kalimah are used with four different meanings in the Quran. The first meaning is God’s declarations, eternal or non-eternal, informing about the past, the present, or the future.
The second meaning is His existential command; Our word for a thing when We intend it, is only that We say to it: ‘Be!’ and it is (16:40).
The third meaning is His legislative and judiciary command, such as for prayers and other acts of worship.
The fourth meaning is His executive command, which is generally for reward or punishment.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshipped the works of their own hands.
[1] Sayyid Kamal Faqih Imani, An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur'an, (London: Imam Ali Foundation), vol. 15.
[2] Kafi, 2/273.
[3] Amali.T, p. 438.
[4] Razi, 26/254.
[5] ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Hasan Ḥabannakah, Maʿārij al-Tafakkur wa Daqāʾiq al-Tadabbur, (Damascus: Dār al-Qalam, 1942), 6/46-47.
[6] Jeremiah 1:16.