أَأُنزِلَ عَلَيهِ الذِّكرُ مِن بَينِنا ۚ بَل هُم في شَكٍّ مِن ذِكري ۖ بَل لَمّا يَذوقوا عَذابِ
Has the reminder been sent down to him out of [all of] us?’ Rather, they are in doubt concerning My reminder. Rather, they have not yet tasted My punishment.
EXEGESIS
Bal (rather) is used twice in this verse. This is to show that there are several layers to their denial of God’s message and Messenger.
EXPOSITION
This verse begins with quoting the final disparagement levelled at the Prophet and his religion by the Meccan elite, as they disdainfully ask, Has the reminder been sent down to him out of [all of] us? The reminder here is the same as in the opening verse of this surah, the Quran itself.
This is an elaboration of what was more generally stated in verse 4 (which in turn elaborated the conceit mentioned in the first verse), which we will not repeat here. In brief, their pride denied them from accepting the superiority of someone else, an important subtheme of the surah, which is revisited again later when an implicit connection is drawn between the malaʾ (elite) of Mecca, and the malaʾ of the angels, where Iblīs was present, refusing to prostate to Prophet Adam (a) because of his pride. This is ultimately an admission as to the real reason for their denial of the message: it was their pride and conceit. The verse is also naturally related to the main theme of wonder present throughout the surah, as they express surprise at God’s choice.
God then turns to answer all of these accusations, urgings, and doubts that the Meccan elite had raised, by saying that all of these are symptoms of an even deeper issue, and that is that Rather, they are in doubt concerning My reminder. In other words, doubts about the prophethood of Muhammad (s) is in reality doubts about the possibility of prophethood altogether.
Finally, we are told that even the aforementioned doubt is symptomatic of a yet deeper issue. Their words are not motivated by doubt in the Quran really either, but falsehood has penetrated so deep into their hearts that no number of signs or miracles will bring them out of that doubt; they will not believe unless they feel compelled by punishment, Rather, they have not yet tasted My punishment. This final statement also brings us back to the third verse of the surah: the Meccan elite would never believe until punishment comes to them, but when the punishment comes it is no longer the time for escape (verse 3), and repentance at that point would no longer benefit anyone.
It has also been suggested that this is the answer to their initial question doubting Prophet Muhammad’s (s) prophethood, meaning they will get their answer in the form of the punishment of the hereafter. Another possibility is that they had been warned by the Prophet of punishment if they turned away from the reminder, and after they did that and no punishment came, it increased their doubt towards the message. This interpretation is supported by verse 16 as well as 8:32.
[1] The Quran frequently refers to itself as the reminder (al-dhikr) (see for example 15:9, 16:44, and 3:58). Apparently, this name became commonly used to refer to it in the time of the Prophet, to the extent that it was used even by non-Muslim opponents, such as in this verse in question, and the verse, O you, to whom the reminder has been sent down, you are indeed crazy (15:6).
[2] Qaraati, 8/84.
[3] Mizan, 17/184; Alusi, 12/161; Tantawi, 12/135; see also Zamakhshari, 4/74.
[4] Tabrisi, 8/728; Tabari, 23/81.
[5] Razi, 26/369-370.