Surah Anfal ayat 21 Tafsir Quran 8:21

﴿وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ﴾
[ الأنفال: 21]

8:21 And do not be like those who say, "We have heard," while they do not hear.

And do not be as those who say ‘We hear’ and they hear not in such a way as to reflect and heed admonition — these are either the hypocrites or the idolaters.

Nor permit yourselves to be like those -the hypocrites- who pretended to have listened faithfully to the truth and pretended to abide by it when in fact they counselled deaf and closed their hearts ears to discourses on practical divinity; there is speed in their dumbness

The Command to obey Allah and His Messenger Allah commands His believing servants to obey Him and His Messenger and warns them against defying him and imitating the disbelievers who reject him.
Allah said, وَلاَ تَوَلَّوْاْ عَنْهُ ( and turn not away from him... ), neither refrain from obeying him or following his commands nor indulge in what he forbade, وَأَنتُمْ تَسْمَعُونَ ( while you are hearing. ) after you gained knowledge of his Message, وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ ( And be not like those who say: "We have heard," but they hear not. ) Ibn Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to the hypocrites, who pretend to hear and obey, while in fact they do neither.
Allah declares that these are the most wicked creatures among the Children of Adam, إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ ( Verily, the worst of living creatures with Allah are the deaf ) who do not hear the truth, الْبُكْمُ ( and the dumb ) who cannot comprehend it, الَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ ( who understand not.
) These indeed are the most wicked creatures, for every creature except them abide by the way that Allah created in them.
These people were created to worship Allah, but instead disbelieved.
This is why Allah equated them to animals, when He said, وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَآءً وَنِدَآءً ( And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of him who shouts to those that hear nothing but calls and cries. ) 2:171, and, أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَـفِلُونَ ( They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones. ) 7:179 It was also said that the Ayah ( 8:22 ) refers to some of the pagans of Quraysh from the tribe of Bani `Abd Ad-Dar, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ibn Jarir.
Muhammad bin Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to hypocrites, as we stated.
There is no contradiction here, because both disbelievers and hypocrites are devoid of sound comprehension, in addition to having lost the intention to do good.
Allah states here that such are those who neither have sound understanding nor good intentions, even if they have some type of reason, وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ ( Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen. ) He would have helped them understand.
However, this did not happen because there is no goodness in such people, for Allah knows that, وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ ( even if He had made them listen... ) and allowed them to understand, لَتَوَلَّواْ ( they would but have turned... ), intentionally and out of stubbornness, even after they comprehend, وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ ( with aversion. ), to the truth.

(8:21) And do not be like those who say: 'We hear', though they do not hearken. *16

And do not be like those who meaning

*16).
In the present context, 'hearing' means taking heed with a view to obey'.
The verse alludes to those hypocrites who professed to believe and yet were not willing to carry out the commands of God.

 

The Command to obey Allah and His Messenger Allah commands His believing servants to obey Him and His Messenger and warns them against defying him and imitating the disbelievers who reject him.
Allah said, وَلاَ تَوَلَّوْاْ عَنْهُ ( and turn not away from him... ), neither refrain from obeying him or following his commands nor indulge in what he forbade, وَأَنتُمْ تَسْمَعُونَ ( while you are hearing. ) after you gained knowledge of his Message, وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ ( And be not like those who say: "We have heard," but they hear not. ) Ibn Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to the hypocrites, who pretend to hear and obey, while in fact they do neither.
Allah declares that these are the most wicked creatures among the Children of Adam, إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ ( Verily, the worst of living creatures with Allah are the deaf ) who do not hear the truth, الْبُكْمُ ( and the dumb ) who cannot comprehend it, الَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ ( who understand not.
) These indeed are the most wicked creatures, for every creature except them abide by the way that Allah created in them.
These people were created to worship Allah, but instead disbelieved.
This is why Allah equated them to animals, when He said, وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَآءً وَنِدَآءً ( And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of him who shouts to those that hear nothing but calls and cries. ) 2:171, and, أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَـفِلُونَ ( They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones. ) 7:179 It was also said that the Ayah ( 8:22 ) refers to some of the pagans of Quraysh from the tribe of Bani `Abd Ad-Dar, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ibn Jarir.
Muhammad bin Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to hypocrites, as we stated.
There is no contradiction here, because both disbelievers and hypocrites are devoid of sound comprehension, in addition to having lost the intention to do good.
Allah states here that such are those who neither have sound understanding nor good intentions, even if they have some type of reason, وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ ( Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen. ) He would have helped them understand.
However, this did not happen because there is no goodness in such people, for Allah knows that, وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ ( even if He had made them listen... ) and allowed them to understand, لَتَوَلَّواْ ( they would but have turned... ), intentionally and out of stubbornness, even after they comprehend, وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ ( with aversion. ), to the truth.

( Be not ) in transgression; it is also said that this means: be not in obedience, ( as those who say, We hear ) we obey, the reference here being to the Banu ’Abd al-Dar, al-Nadr Ibn al-Harith and his host, ( and they hear not ) they obey not.

And be not like those who say: "We have heard," but they hear not.

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