لَقَد جِئناكُم بِالحَقِّ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَكُم لِلحَقِّ كارِهونَ

‘We certainly brought you the truth, but most of you were averse to the truth.’

EXEGESIS

Laqad (certainly) is composed of two morphological statements: the prefixed particle lām which conveys an oath, and the particle of certainty qad. This double emphasis regarding the inhabitants of hell having been exposed to the truth in this world is a reflection of God’s justice in that the everlasting punishment is limited to those who knowingly rejected the truth.[1]

The word ḥaqq (truth) is repeated twice, even though it would have been simpler to use the pronoun in the second instance, i.e. lahu kārihūn (averse to it) instead of lil-ḥaqq kārihūn (averse to the truth). Perhaps this is to emphasise that the only way to achieve bliss and felicity in the hereafter is to accept and follow the truth.[2]

EXPOSITION

Exegetes differ as to whether this verse is a continuation of Mālik’s response to the inhabitants of the fire[3] or a new statement of God directed at the disbelievers.[4]

For those exegetes who opine that this is a continuation of Mālik’s statement, they understand Mālik as speaking on behalf of the angels when he says We certainly brought you the truth, for angels were part of the process of revelation.[5] This follows the custom of a tribe or faction taking pride in the merits of its members, a known rhetorical device in Arabic speech.[6] Some of these exegetes further add that what weakens the idea of this as God’s address is that 83:15 suggests that there will be no communication between the inhabitants of hell and God, They will be alienated from their Lord on that day.[7]

Exegetes who consider it God’s statement argue that the purport of the verse is similar to 39:71, 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?’ Here, the keepers of hell consider the apostles as the ones who brought the truth, not the angels. As such, in the present verse it seems unlikely that Mālik would be suggesting that angels were the bringers of truth, and thus it seems more likely that these are God’s words.[8]

We certainly brought you the truth: regarding what truth is intended here and in most of you were averse to the truth, several ideas have been suggested. Some state that the truth means truth in general, as opposed to falsehood in general. Therefore, most of the inhabitants of hell despise truth, as such. With regards to specific instances of truth such as Islam or the Quran, that is despised by all the inhabitants and not just a majority.[9]

In other words, truth has a wide-ranging meaning that includes all decisive, fundamental truths – though the tenets of divine unity, the hereafter, and the Quran rank foremost among them. In essence, this wording makes clear that they opposed not merely the prophets, but they opposed truth itself. And it is this very opposition that has driven them to eternal, everlasting punishment.[10] Had they not been averse to the truth, sound intellect, pure conscience, and a living sense of morality would have sufficed them.[11] Most human beings are, in general, averse to the truth, for they follow only their desires and immediate personal interests. The truth they detest is not limited to what was revealed to the messengers; rather, they dislike all truth, even if reason and conscience guide them to it (see also 10:82). This interpretation is supported by the verses that follow, as the context returns to describing the condition of the polytheists and their schemes against Prophet Muhammad (s).[12]

Other exegetes restrict truth in this verse to specific instances such as Islam, the Quran, or Prophet Muhammad (s).[13]

According to some exegetes, most of you were averse to the truth refers to the majority of the inhabitants of hell who shall remain therein eternally. As such, this indicates that there will also be a minority in hell who were not averse to the truth and thus will not remain there eternally. This minority would include those who were sinful and corrupt in this world but were not intrinsically averse to the truth.[14] According to these exegetes, even though such people who were averse to the truth constitute the majority of the inhabitants of hell, it is not the case that they are the majority in the life of this world. In fact, the majority of people in this worldly life do not harbour an active hatred for the truth; rather, it is that most of them do not know the truth, and so they are disregardful (21:24).

However, it is the majority from amongst those who are actively hostile against the apostles that are averse to the truth, Do they say: ‘There is madness in him’? Rather he has brought them the truth, and most of them are averse to the truth (23:70).[15]

Other exegetes add that those who are averse to the truth tend to be the chiefs and leaders of disbelief, who actively prevent people from believing through intimidation and inducement, such as Abū Jahl and Abū Lahab. When those who were followed will disown the followers, and they will sight the punishment while all their means of recourse will be cut off (2:166).[16]

In other words, people who reject the truth do so for two main reasons: the first group does so out of ignorance – they simply do not know it, but they blindly imitate others out of ignorance and foolishness. They are still considered as part of the criminals because they have no acceptable excuse for their blind imitation.[17]

The second group, which is the vast majority, does so because the truth conflicts with their personal desires and interests. This group tends to be the chiefs and leaders of disbelief.

Every soul destined for the fire enters it as a consequence of rejecting the truth and refusing to act upon it. Yet, only a minority are condemned for failing to seek knowledge of what is true. The overwhelming majority are condemned because they knowingly turned away from the truth when it opposed their desires – not because they were unaware of it.[18]

This aversion to the truth is obviously an acquired characteristic of theirs, for man in his pure and innate nature is not averse to the truth.

This verse can be seen as stating the reason behind their eternal punishment in the hellfire. The narrations that explain how eternal punishment can be justified for a temporary sin also point towards this internal trait and intention.

By a different approach, some exegetes suggest that the you in We certainly brought you the truth includes all humans and jinn, and the you in but most of you were averse to the truth refers to all the inhabitants of hell, i.e. the truth was sent to all of mankind but the majority rejected it and thus entered hell.[19]

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. It has been reported from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘The people of the fire are made to abide in the fire forever only because their intentions in the world were such that if they were to remain in it [forever], they would disobey God eternally. And the people of paradise are made to abide in paradise forever only because their intentions in the world were such that if they were to remain in it, they would obey God eternally. Thus, by [virtue of] their intentions, these and those are made to abide forever.’ Then he recited the verse, Say: ‘Everyone acts according to his character’ (17:84), and said: ‘That is, according to his intention.’[20]

Note: This tradition points to a profound and foundational principle: the eternal recompense of individuals – whether in paradise or hell – is ultimately determined not merely by discrete acts, but by the enduring orientation of the soul that those acts both express and reinforce.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some exegetes have suggested that perhaps this verse is an address to the Quraysh by God rather than to the inhabitants of hell. Its meaning is, ‘we have come to you in this surah (or in this Quran) with the truth’.[21] As such, the direct addressees at the time of revelation of this verse were, in fact, the majority of the polytheists who had maintained a defiant stance against Allah – refusing to listen to Allah’s signs or respond to them. As for those who responded to the Messenger and believed in Allah, they were only a small group among them.[22]

They argue that the statement, but most of you were averse to the truth implies that some of those being addressed are not averse to the truth – they are, in fact, prepared to accept it and derive benefit from it. This characterisation, however, cannot apply to the inhabitants of the fire, if they are presumed to be the recipients of this address. For no one among them was free from aversion to the truth; all of them rejected it, shunned it, and even combated anyone who inclined towards it. Had any of them possessed a different disposition, they would never have been placed in that position, nor would they have met such a dreadful end.[23]

It has been attributed to Ibn Abbas that the intended meaning of most here is ‘all’, which perhaps stems from an understanding that it is human nature to be averse to the truth, except for those whom Allah protects. As such, we can infer that a person must overcome this aversion within themselves through resolute will in order to attain the truth. However, if they surrender to their desires, those desires will lead them to falsehood.[24]

[1] Rahnama, 17/105.
[2] Rahnama, 17/105.
[3] Mizan, 18/123.
[4] Tabrisi, 9/87; Amthal, 16/100; Alusi, 13/102; Zamakhshari, 4/265.
[5] Mizan, 18/123.
[6] Ibn Ashur, 25/294.
[7] Mizan, 18/123.
[8] Amthal, 16/100.
[9] Mizan, 18/123.
[10] Amthal, 16/100.
[11] Hadi, 3/267.
[12] Hadi, 3/267.
[13] Razi, 27/644.
[14] Furqan, 26/366.
[15] Furqan, 26/367.
[16] Ibn Ashur, 25/294; Qurtubi, 16/118.
[17] Hadi, 3/267.
[18] Kashif, 6/560.
[19] Atyab, 12/58.
[20] Kafi, 2/85.
[21] Alusi, 13/102; Baghawi, 4/170.
[22] Khatib, 13/168.
[23] Khatib, 13/167-168.
[24] Mudarrisi, 12/528.