Al Ḥijr

فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ

الَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهاً ءَاخَرَ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

94. “Therefore, declare openly what you are bidden and turn you away from the polytheists.”
95. “Verily We will suffice you against the scoffers,”
96. “Those who set up another god with Allah, so they will soon know (the truth).”

The Arabic term /sad‘/ signifies splitting and exposing or exhibiting. The blissful Prophet (S) engaged in propagation for three years in secret, and as the Qur’anic clause:

was revealed, he openly went on his invitation and he told the people if they accepted his call, their administrative government, and the splendor of this world and the world hereafter would be all theirs. The verse says:

“Therefore, declare openly what you are bidden and turn you away from the polytheists.”

However, they decided to be engaged in ridiculing and mocking that Divine Prophet and went to Abū-Talib , the uncle of the Prophet (S), to present their complaint. They complained that Muhammad was seducing their youths. If Muhammad was after wealth, wife and high position, they were ready to provide him with them all. The Prophet (S) told his uncle:

“Dear uncle! My words are the Divine messages and I shall never give up preaching.”

The pagans requested Abu-Talib to surrender Muhammad to them, but he did not condescend to the request. ⁵ Anyway, Allah issues a decisive decree to the Prophet (S) in this noble verse, implying: you are here by instruction not only to stop letting any weakness, fear and numbness overtake you when facing the fuss and ado of the pagans, but you are also advised to openly declare your mission and what you are up to do, revealing the facts of the religion explicitly and turn away from the polytheists and remain headless with regard to them.

Afterwards, to provide reinforcement for the heart of the Prophet (S), Allah reassures him that He will back him up as against those who ridicule him. Allah implies: We shall remove the evil of those who ridicule you and We shall perish them. The verse says:

“Verily We will suffice you against the scoffers,”

Allah then describes /mustahzi’in/ (those who ridicule), as: They are the ones who designate counterparts for Allah, but they will soon face the consequence of their evil behavior. The verse says:

“Those who set up another god with Allah, so they will soon know (the truth).”

It may be that this meaning alludes to the fact that these are the ones whose thoughts and deeds are ridiculous by themselves, for they are so ignorant that they create god-like figures out of stones and wood as against Allah Who is the Creator of the world of existence, despite all of which they want to make an object of ridicule out of you.

Footnotes

1. 5. Tafsir-Kanz-ud-Daqayiq