Surah Anfal ayat 23 Tafsir Quran 8:23

﴿وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لَّأَسْمَعَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ﴾
[ الأنفال: 23]

8:23 Had Allah known any good in them, He would have made them hear. And if He had made them hear, they would [still] have turned away, while they were refusing.

For had God known of any good in them any righteousness were they to listen to the truth He would have made them hear in such a way as to understand; and had He made them hear — hypothetically speaking — already knowing that there is no good in them they would have turned away from it averse to accepting it out of obstinacy and in denial.

Had Allah found in them any good He would have opened their hearts ears and their minds eyes and made their prudence get the better of their pride. And if He did, they would have turned away and counselled deaf to the spirit of truth that guides into all truth

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.

(8:23) And had Allah known in them any good He would surely, have made them hear; but (being as they, are) even if He made them hear, they would have surely turned away in aversion. *18

Had Allah known any good in them, meaning

*18).
Such people have neither any love for the truth nor any desire to strive for it.
Hence even if they were enabled by God to go forth to the battlefield.
they would have turned on their heels at the very first sight of danger.
That such people should be a part of the Muslim army might have led to greater harm than good.

 

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.

( Had Allah Known of any good ) felicity ( in them ) i.e. in the Banu ’Abd al-Dar ( He would have made them hear ) He would have honoured them with faith, ( but had He made them hear ) had He honoured them with faith ( they would have turned away ) from faith due to Allah’s foreknowledge about them, ( averse ) they are disbelieving in it.

Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen, and even if He had made them listen, they would but have turned away, averse (to the truth).

Page 179 English transliteration