Surah Al An'am Tafseer

Asking for Miracles and Swearing to Believe if They Come

Allah says;

وَأَقْسَمُواْ بِاللّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ

And they swear their strongest oaths by Allah,

Allah states that the idolators swore their strongest oaths by Allah,

لَيِن جَاءتْهُمْ ايَةٌ

that if there came to them a sign...,

a miracle or phenomenon,

لَّيُوْمِنُنَّ بِهَا

they would surely believe therein.

affirming its truth.

قُلْ إِنَّمَا الايَاتُ عِندَ اللّهِ

Say:"Signs are but with Allah."

meaning:Say, O Muhammad - to those who ask you for signs out of defiance, disbelief and rebellion, not out of the desire for guidance and knowledge - "The matter of sending signs is for Allah. If He wills, He sends them to you, and if He wills, He ignores your request."

Allah said next,

وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إِذَا جَاءتْ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ

And what will make you perceive that (even) if it came, they will not believe.

According to Mujahid it was said that;

`you' in `make you perceive' refers to the idolators.

In this case, the Ayah would mean,

what makes you -- you idolators -- perceive that you are truthful in the vows that you swore.

Therefore, in this recitation, the Ayah means, the idolators will still not believe if the sign that they asked for came.

It was also said that;

`you' in, `what will make you perceive', refers to the believers,

meaning, what will make you perceive, O believers, that the idolators will still not believe if the signs come.

Allah also said,

مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلاَّ تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ

"What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you!" (7:12)

and,

وَحَرَامٌ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـهَأ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ

And a ban is laid on every town (population) which We have destroyed that they shall not return (to this world again). (21:95)

These Ayat mean:`What made you, O Iblis, refrain from prostrating, although I commanded you to do so, and, in the second Ayah, that village shall not return to this world again.

In the Ayah above (6:109) the meaning thus becomes:

What makes you perceive, O believers, who wish eagerly for the disbelievers to believe, that if the Ayat came to them they would believe.

Allah said next