Surah Shuara ayat 3 Tafsir Quran 26:3

﴿لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾
[ الشعراء: 3]

26:3 Perhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.

Perhaps O Muhammad (s) you might kill yourself out of distress for the reason that they namely the people of Mecca will not become believers la‘alla here expresses sympathy in other words what is meant is ‘have pity on it your self by alleviating the burden of this distress’.

Seemingly, O Muhammad you are betaking yourself in pursuit of their -the infidels- train of thought with distress, constant regret and discontent and torturing yourself lest they should refuse credit to this divine message

Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Qur'an and the Disbelievers turning away; They could be compelled to believe if Allah so willed At the beginning of the explanation of Surat Al-Baqarah we discussed the letters which appear at the beginning of some Surahs.
Allah's saying: تِلْكَ ءايَاتُ الْكِتَـبِ الْمُبِينِ ( These are the Ayat of the Book Mubin. ) means, these are the verses of the Clear Qur'an, i.e.
the clear and unambiguous Book which distinguishes between truth and falsehood, misguidance and guidance. لَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ ( It may be that you are going Bakhi` yourself, ) means, destroy yourself -- because of your keenness that they should be guided and your grief for them. أَلاَّ يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ( that they do not become believers. ) Here Allah is consoling His Messenger for the lack of faith of those among the disbelievers who do not believe in him.
This is like the Ayat: فَلاَ تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَتٍ ( So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them ) ( 35:8 ). فَلَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُواْ بِهَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفاً ( Perhaps, you would Bakhi` yourself, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration ) ( 18:6 ).
Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Qatadah, `Atiyyah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan and others said that: لَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ ( It may be that you are going Bakhi` yourself, ) means, `kill yourself.' Then Allah says: إِن نَّشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ ءَايَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَـقُهُمْ لَهَا خَـضِعِينَ ( If We will, We could send down to them from the heaven a sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility. ) meaning, `if We so willed, We could send down a sign that would force them to believe, but We will not do that because We do not want anyone to believe except by choice.' Allah says: وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لآمَنَ مَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ( And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together.
So, will you then compel mankind, until they become believers. ) ( 10:99 ) وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ( And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely, have made mankind one Ummah... ) ( 11:118 ) But Allah's will has acted, His decree has come to pass, and His proof has been conveyed to mankind by mission of Messengers and the revelation of Books to them.
Then Allah says: وَمَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ مُحْدَثٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ عَنْهُ مُعْرِضِينَ ( And never comes there unto them a Reminder as a recent revelation from the Most Gracious, but they turn away therefrom. ) meaning, every time a Scripture comes from heaven to them, most of the people turn away from it.
As Allah says: وَمَآ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ( And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly. ) ( 12:103 ) يحَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him. ) ( 36:30 ) ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَى كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ ( Then We sent Our Messengers in succession.
Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him... ) ( 23:44 ).
Allah says here: فَقَدْ كَذَّبُواْ فَسَيَأْتِيهِمْ أَنبَـؤُا مَا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( So, they have indeed denied, then the news of what they mocked at will come to them. ) meaning, they denied the truth that came to them, so they will come to know the news of the consequences of this denial after a while. وَسَيَعْلَمْ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ أَىَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ ( And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned ) ( 26:227 ).
Then Allah tells those who dared to oppose His Messenger and disbelieve in His Book, that He is the Subduer, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, Who created the earth and caused every good kind of crop, fruit and animal to grow therein.
Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated from a man from Ash-Sha`bi that people are a product of the earth.
So whoever enters Paradise is good and noble, and whoever enters Hell is base and vile. إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لآيَةً ( Verily, in this is an Ayah, ) meaning an evidence of the power of the Creator of all things.
He spread out the earth and raised the canopy of the heavens, yet despite that the majority of people do not believe, rather they deny Him, His Messengers, and His Books, and they go against His commands doing the things He had prohibited.
His saying: وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ ( And verily your Lord, He is truly the All-Mighty, ) means, the One Who has power over all things, to subdue and control them, الرَّحِيمِ ( the Most Merciful.
) means, towards His creation, for He does not hasten to punish the one who sins, but He gives him time to repent, and if he does not, then He seizes him with a mighty punishment.
Abu Al-`Aliyah, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and Ibn Ishaq said: "He is Almighty in His punishment of those who went against His commands and worshipped others besides Him." Sa`id bin Jubayr said: "He is Most Merciful towards those who repent to Him and turn to Him."

(26:3) O Muhammad, you will perhaps consume yourself with grief because these people do not believe. *2

Perhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself meaning

*2) The words bakhi'un-nafsaka literally mean: " You would kill yourself. " The verse in fact describes the extreme anguish, anxiety and grief of the Holy Prophet over the Makkan disbelievers' ways of deviation, moral degradation, and obduracy and opposition to his message of reform.
Sometimes it seemed as if his grief and mental suffering for their sake would cause his death.
This state of the Holy Prophet has been referred to at other places in the Qur'an as well, for instance in AI-Kahf: 6, thus: " Well, O Muhammad, it may be that you will consume your life for their sake out of sorrow if they do not believe in this message.
And in Al-Fatir: 8, thus: " ....Iet not your life be consumed in grief for their sake."
 

Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Qur'an and the Disbelievers turning away; They could be compelled to believe if Allah so willed At the beginning of the explanation of Surat Al-Baqarah we discussed the letters which appear at the beginning of some Surahs.
Allah's saying: تِلْكَ ءايَاتُ الْكِتَـبِ الْمُبِينِ ( These are the Ayat of the Book Mubin. ) means, these are the verses of the Clear Qur'an, i.e.
the clear and unambiguous Book which distinguishes between truth and falsehood, misguidance and guidance. لَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ ( It may be that you are going Bakhi` yourself, ) means, destroy yourself -- because of your keenness that they should be guided and your grief for them. أَلاَّ يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ( that they do not become believers. ) Here Allah is consoling His Messenger for the lack of faith of those among the disbelievers who do not believe in him.
This is like the Ayat: فَلاَ تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَتٍ ( So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them ) ( 35:8 ). فَلَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُواْ بِهَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفاً ( Perhaps, you would Bakhi` yourself, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration ) ( 18:6 ).
Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Qatadah, `Atiyyah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan and others said that: لَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ ( It may be that you are going Bakhi` yourself, ) means, `kill yourself.' Then Allah says: إِن نَّشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ ءَايَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَـقُهُمْ لَهَا خَـضِعِينَ ( If We will, We could send down to them from the heaven a sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility. ) meaning, `if We so willed, We could send down a sign that would force them to believe, but We will not do that because We do not want anyone to believe except by choice.' Allah says: وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لآمَنَ مَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ( And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together.
So, will you then compel mankind, until they become believers. ) ( 10:99 ) وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ( And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely, have made mankind one Ummah... ) ( 11:118 ) But Allah's will has acted, His decree has come to pass, and His proof has been conveyed to mankind by mission of Messengers and the revelation of Books to them.
Then Allah says: وَمَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ مُحْدَثٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ عَنْهُ مُعْرِضِينَ ( And never comes there unto them a Reminder as a recent revelation from the Most Gracious, but they turn away therefrom. ) meaning, every time a Scripture comes from heaven to them, most of the people turn away from it.
As Allah says: وَمَآ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ( And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly. ) ( 12:103 ) يحَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him. ) ( 36:30 ) ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَى كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ ( Then We sent Our Messengers in succession.
Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him... ) ( 23:44 ).
Allah says here: فَقَدْ كَذَّبُواْ فَسَيَأْتِيهِمْ أَنبَـؤُا مَا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( So, they have indeed denied, then the news of what they mocked at will come to them. ) meaning, they denied the truth that came to them, so they will come to know the news of the consequences of this denial after a while. وَسَيَعْلَمْ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ أَىَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ ( And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned ) ( 26:227 ).
Then Allah tells those who dared to oppose His Messenger and disbelieve in His Book, that He is the Subduer, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, Who created the earth and caused every good kind of crop, fruit and animal to grow therein.
Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated from a man from Ash-Sha`bi that people are a product of the earth.
So whoever enters Paradise is good and noble, and whoever enters Hell is base and vile. إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لآيَةً ( Verily, in this is an Ayah, ) meaning an evidence of the power of the Creator of all things.
He spread out the earth and raised the canopy of the heavens, yet despite that the majority of people do not believe, rather they deny Him, His Messengers, and His Books, and they go against His commands doing the things He had prohibited.
His saying: وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ ( And verily your Lord, He is truly the All-Mighty, ) means, the One Who has power over all things, to subdue and control them, الرَّحِيمِ ( the Most Merciful.
) means, towards His creation, for He does not hasten to punish the one who sins, but He gives him time to repent, and if he does not, then He seizes him with a mighty punishment.
Abu Al-`Aliyah, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and Ibn Ishaq said: "He is Almighty in His punishment of those who went against His commands and worshipped others besides Him." Sa`id bin Jubayr said: "He is Most Merciful towards those who repent to Him and turn to Him."

( It may be that thou tormentest thyself ) it may be that you kill yourself with grief over them ( because they believe not ) because the Quraysh do not want to become believers. This is because he was very keen for them to become believers.

It may be that you (O Muhammad SAW) are going to kill yourself with grief, that they do not become believers [in your Risalah (Messengership) and in your Message of Islamic Monotheism].

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