ٱلْبَقَرَة : ٦

إِنَّ Indeed
ٱلَّذِينَ those who
كَفَرُواْ disbelieve[d]
سَوَآءٌ (it) is same
عَلَيۡهِمۡ to them
ءَأَنذَرۡتَهُمۡ whether you warn them
أَمۡ or
لَمۡ not
تُنذِرۡهُمۡ you warn them
لَا not
يُؤۡمِنُونَ they believe

Indeed, those who disbelieve¹ - it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them - they will not believe.

Footnotes

¹ - Literally, "cover" or "conceal" (faith or truth).

As for the disbelievers, the likes of Aboo Jahl, Aboo Lahab and such; alike it is for them whether you have warned them or have not warned them, they do not believe, as God knows very well, so do not hope that they will believe (read a-andhartahum pronouncing both hamzas, or by not pronouncing the second, making it an alif instead, and inserting an alif between the one not pronounced and the other one, or leaving [this insertion]; al-indhaar ['warning'] is to give knowledge of something, and simultaneously instil an element of fear).

"Guidance and Success are awarded to the Believers Allah said, أُوْلَـيِكَ They are, refers to those who believe in the Unseen, establish the prayer, spend from what Allah has granted them, believe in what Allah has revealed to the Messenger and the Messengers before him, believe in the Hereafter with certainty, and prepare the necessary requirements for the Hereafter by performing good deeds and avoiding the prohibitions. Allah then said, عَلَى هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ on guidance from their Lord, meaning, they are (following) a light, guidance, and have insight from Allah, وَأُوْلَـيِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ And they are the successful. meaning, in this world and the Hereafter. They shall have what they seek and be saved from the evil that they tried to avoid. Therefore, they will have rewards, eternal life in Paradise, and safety from the torment that Allah has prepared for His enemies. Allah said, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ (Verily, those who disbelieve) meaning, covered the truth and hid it. Since Allah has written that they would do so, it does not matter if you (O Muhammad) warn them or not, they would still have disbelieved in what you were sent with. Similarly, Allah said, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ وَلَوْ جَأءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ ءايَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ Truly, those against whom the Word (wrath) of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment. (10:96-97) About the rebellious People of the Book, Allah said, وَلَيِنْ أَتَيْتَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَـبَ بِكُلِّ ءَايَةٍ مَّا تَبِعُواْ قِبْلَتَكَ And even if you were to bring to the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) all the Ayat, they would not follow your Qiblah (prayer direction). (2:145) These Ayat indicate that whomever Allah has written to be miserable, they shall never find anyone to guide them to happiness, and whomever Allah directs to misguidance, he shall never find anyone to guide him. So do not pity them - O Muhammad - deliver the Message to them. Certainly, whoever among them accepts the Message, then he shall gain the best rewards. As for those who turn away in rejection, do not feel sad for them or concerned about them, for فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ (Your duty is only to convey (the Message) and on Us is the reckoning (13:40), and, إِنَّمَا أَنتَ نَذِيرٌ وَاللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ (But you are only a warner. And Allah is a Wakil (Disposer of affairs, Trustee, Guardian) over all things), (11:12). Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said about Allah's statement, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ (Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you (O Muhammad) warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe), ""That the Messenger of Allah was eager for all the people to believe and follow the guidance he was sent with. Allah informed him that none would believe except for those whom He decreed happiness for in the first place, and none would stray except those who Allah has decreed to do so in the first place."

After affirming the Holy Qur'an as the Book of Guidance and as being beyond all doubt, the first five verses of the present Surah refer to those who derive full benefit from this Book and whom the Holy Qur'an has named as Mu'minun مؤمنون (true Muslims) or Muttaqun مُتَّقون (the God-fearing), and also delineate their characteristic qualities which distinguish them from others. The next fifteen verses speak of those who refuse to accept this guidance, and even oppose it out of sheer spite and blind malice. In the time of the Holy Prophet , ﷺ there were two distinct groups of such people. On the one hand were those who came out in open hostility and rejection, and whom the Holy Qur'an has termed as kafirun کافرون (disbelievers); on the other hand were those who did not, on account of their moral depravity and greed, had even the courage to speak out their minds and to express their disbelief clearly, but adopted the way of deceit and duplicity. They tried to convince the Muslims that they had faith in the Holy Qur'an and its teachings, that they were as good a Muslim as any and would support the Muslims against the disbelievers. But they nursed denial and rejection in their hearts, and would, in the company of disbelievers, assure them that they had nothing to do with Islam, but mixed with Muslims in order to deceive them and to spy on them. The Holy Qur'an has given them the title of Munafiqun مُنافقون (hypocrites). Thus, these fifteen verses deal with those who refuse to believe in the Holy Qur'an - the first two are concerned with open disbelievers, and the other thirteen with hypocrites, their signs and characteristics and their ultimate end. Taking the first twenty verses of this Surah together in all their detail, one can see that the Holy Qur'an has, on the one hand, pointed out to us the source of guidance which is the Book itself, and, on the other, divided mankind into two distinct groups on the basis of their acceptance or rejection of this guidance - on the one side are those who have chosen to follow and to receive guidance, and are hence called Mu'minun (true Muslims) or Muttaqun مُتَّقون (the God-fearing); on the other side are those who reject the guidance or deviate from it, and are hence called Kafirun (disbelievers) or Munafiqun مُنافقون (hypocrites). People of the first kind are those whose path is the object of the prayer at the end of the Surah Al-Fatihah, صِرَ‌اطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ : the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace", and people of the second kind are those against whose path refuge has been sought غَيْرِ‌ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّي Not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray. This teaching of the Holy Qur'an provides us with a fundamental principle. A division of mankind into different groups must, in order to be meaningful, be based on differences in _principle, not on considerations of birth, race, colour, geography or language. The Holy Qur'an has given a clear verdict in this respect: خَلَقَكُمْ فَمِنْكُمْ كَافِرٌ وَّمِنْكُمْ مُّؤْمِنٌ "It was He that created you: yet some of you are disbelievers and some of you are believers" (64:2). As we have said, the first two verses of this Surah speak of those disbelievers who had become so stubborn and obstinate in their denial and disbelief that they were not prepared to hear the truth or to consider a clear argument. In the case of such depraved people, the usual way of Allah has always been, and is, that they are given a certain kind of punishment even in this world - that is to say, their hearts are sealed and their eyes and ears stopped against the truth, and in so far as truth is concerned they become as if they have no mind to think, no eyes to see and no ears to listen. The last phrase of the second verse speaks of the grievous punishment that is reserved for them in the other world. It may be observed that the prediction that: لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ they shall not believe" is specifically related to those disbelievers who refused to listen to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and who, as Allah knew, were going to die as disbelievers. This does not apply to disbelievers in general, for there were many who later accepted Islam. What is Kufr کفر ? (Infidelity) As for the definition of kufr کفر (disbelief), we may point out that lexically the word means to hide, to conceal. Ingratitude is also called kufr کفر ، because it involves the concealing or the covering up of the beneficence shown by someone. In the terminology of the Shari` ah, kufr کفر signifies the denial of any of those things in which it is obligatory to believe. For example, the quintessence of Iman ایمان as well as the very basis of the Islamic creed is the requirement that one should confirm with one's heart and believe with certitude everything that the Holy Prophet tl has brought down to us from Allah and which has been established by definite and conclusive proof; therefore, a man who has the temerity to question or disregard even a single teaching of this kind will be described as a kafir کافر (disbeliever or infidel). The meaning of 'Indhar' انذار (warning) by a Prophet ﷺ In translating the first of these two verses, we have used the English verb to warn' for the Arabic word Indhar. This word actually signifies bringing news which should cause alarm or concern, while Ibshar ابشار signifies bringing good news which should make people rejoice. Moreover, Indhar is not the ordinary kind of warning meant to frighten people, but one which is motivated by compassion and love, just as one warns one's children against fire or snakes or beasts. Hence a thief or a bandit or an aggressor who warns or threatens others cannot be called a Nadhir نذیر (warner). The latter is a title specially reserved for the prophets (علیہم السلام) for they warn people against the pains and punishments of the other world out of their compassion and love for their fellow men. In choosing this title for the prophets, the Holy Qur'an has made the subtle suggestion that for those who go out to reform others it is not enough merely to convey a message, but that they must speak to their listeners with sympathy, understanding and a genuine regard for their good. In order to comfort the Holy Prophet ﷺ the first of these verses tells him that some of the disbelievers are so vain, arrogant and opinionated that they, in spite of recognizing the truth, stubbornly persist in their refusal and are not prepared to hear the truth or to see obvious proofs, so that all the efforts he makes for reforming and converting them will bear no fruit, and for them it is all one whether he tries or not. The next verse explains the reason, that is, Allah has set a seal on their hearts and ears, there is a covering on their eyes, all the avenues of knowing and understanding are thus closed, and now it would be futile to expect any change in them. A thing is sealed so that nothing may enter it from outside; the setting of a seal on their hearts and ears also means that they have altogether lost the capacity for accepting the truth. The Holy Qur'an describes .the condition of these disbelievers in terms of their hearts and ears having been sealed, but in the case of the eyes it refers to a covering. The subtle distinction arises from the fact that an idea can enter the heart from all possible directions and not from one particular direction alone, and so can a sound enter the ears; an idea or a sound can be blocked only by sealing the heart and the ears. On the contrary, the eyes work only in one direction, and can see only the things which lie in front of them; if there is a covering on them, they cease to function. (See Mazhari)

Tafsir Surat Al-Baqarah: 6 Sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir, sama saja bagi mereka, kamu beri peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan, mereka tetap tidak beriman. “Innal ladzina kafaru,” sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir yakni orang-orang yang menutup kebenaran dan menjegalnya telah dipastikan oleh Allah bahwa hal tersebut akan dialami mereka. Yakni sama saja, kamu beri mereka peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan, mereka tetap tidak akan beriman kepada Al-Qur'an yang engkau datangkan kepada mereka. Makna ayat ini mirip dengan ayat lain, yaitu firman-Nya: “Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang telah pasti terhadap mereka kalimat (azab) Tuhanmu tidaklah mereka akan beriman, meskipun datang kepada mereka segala macam keterangan, hingga mereka menyaksikan azab yang pedih” (Yunus: 96-97). Allah ﷻ telah berfirman menceritakan keadaan orang-orang yang ingkar dari kalangan ahli kitab: “Dan sesungguhnya jika kamu mendatangkan kepada orang-orang (Yahudi dan Nasrani) yang diberi Al-Kitab (Taurat dan Injil) semua ayat (keterangan), mereka tetap tidak akan mengikuti kiblatmu” (Al-Baqarah: 145). Seakan-akan makna ayat ini mengatakan bahwa sesungguhnya orang yang telah dipastikan oleh Allah ﷻ beroleh kecelakaan, maka tiada jalan selamat baginya; dan barangsiapa yang disesatkan oleh-Nya, niscaya tiada seorang pun yang dapat memberinya petunjuk. Untuk itu, wahai Muhammad, janganlah dirimu merasa berdukacita dan kecewa terhadap sikap mereka, teruslah menyampaikan risalahmu kepada mereka. Barang siapa yang menerima seruanmu, maka baginya pahala yang berlimpah; dan barangsiapa yang berpaling, maka janganlah kamu berdukacita terhadap mereka, hal tersebut bukanlah urusanmu. Pengertian ini sama dengan apa yang diungkapkan oleh Allah ﷻ melalui firman-Nya dalam ayat lain, yaitu: “Sesungguhnya tugasmu hanya menyampaikan saja, sedangkan Kamilah yang menghisab amalan mereka” (Ar-Ra'd: 40). “Sesungguhnya kamu hanyalah seorang pemberi peringatan, dan Allah pemelihara segala sesuatu” (Hud: 12). Ali ibnu Abu Talhah meriwayatkan dari Ibnu Abbas sehubungan dengan firman-Nya: “Sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir, sama saja bagi mereka, kamu beri peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan, mereka tetap tidak beriman” (Al-Baqarah: 6). Pada mulanya Rasulullah ﷺ sangat menginginkan agar semua orang beriman dan mengikuti petunjuknya, lalu Allah ﷻ memberitahukan kepadanya bahwa tidaklah beriman kecuali orang-orang yang telah ditakdirkan oleh Allah ﷻ sebagai orang yang berbahagia, dan tidaklah tersesat kecuali orang-orang yang telah ditakdirkan oleh Allah ﷻ sebagai orang yang celaka sejak zaman azalinya. Muhammad ibnu Ishaq mengatakan, telah menceritakan kepadaku Muhammad ibnu Abu Muhammad, dari Ikrimah atau Sa'id ibnu Jubair, dari Ibnu Abbas, bahwa makna "sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir" adalah kafir terhadap kitab yang diturunkan kepadamu, sekalipun mereka mengatakan, "Sesungguhnya kami telah beriman kepada kitab yang diturunkan kepada kami sebelummu." Sedangkan kalimat "sama saja, kamu beri mereka peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan, mereka tetap tidak beriman" maknanya adalah bahwa mereka telah kafir terhadap kitab yang ada di tangan mereka yang di dalamnya terdapat sebutan namamu, dan mereka telah ingkar terhadap perjanjian yang telah ditetapkan atas diri mereka. Kesimpulannya mereka kafir terhadap kitab yang diturunkan kepadamu, juga kitab yang diturunkan kepada rasul selainmu buat mereka sebelum kamu; mana mungkin mereka mau mendengar peringatan dan larangan darimu, sedangkan mereka sendiri kafir terhadap kitab mereka sendiri yang di dalamnya terkandung pengetahuan mengenai dirimu. Abu Ja'far Ar-Razi meriwayatkan dari Ar-Rabi' ibnu Anas, dari Abu Aliyah yang mengatakan bahwa kedua ayat tersebut diturunkan berkenaan dengan para pemimpin pasukan golongan yang bersekutu, yaitu mereka yang disebut di dalam firman-Nya: “Tidakkah kamu perhatikan orang-orang yang telah menukar nikmat Allah dengan kekafiran dan menjatuhkan kaumnya ke lembah kebinasaan? Yaitu neraka Jahannam; mereka masuk ke dalamnya” (Ibrahim: 28-29). Makna yang kami sebutkan pertama yaitu yang diriwayatkan dari Ibnu Abbas di dalam riwayat Ali ibnu Thalhah merupakan makna yang lebih jelas, kemudian ayat-ayat berikutnya ditafsirkan dengan makna yang selaras dengannya. Ibnu Abu Hatim meriwayatkan sebuah hadits dalam bab ini. Dia berkata: " telah menceritakan kepada kami ayahku, telah menceritakan kepadaku Yahya ibnu Usman ibnu Saleh Al-Masri, telah menceritakan kepada kami ayahku, telah menceritakan kepada kami Ibnu Abu Luhai'ah, telah menceritakan kepadaku Abdullah ibnul Mughirah, dari Abul Haitsam, dari Abdullah ibnu Amr yang menceritakan bahwa dikatakan kepada Rasulullahﷺ, "Wahai Rasulullah, kami tetap membaca sebagian dari Al-Qur'an dan berharap kami tetap membaca hingga hampir saja kami merasa jenuh." Nabi ﷺ bersabda, "Maukah kalian aku ceritakan " Kemudian beliau ﷺ membacakan firman-Nya: “Sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir, sama saja bagi mereka, kamu beri peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan, mereka tidak juga beriman. (Al-Baqarah: 6). Beliau ﷺ bersabda, "Mereka adalah ahli neraka." Para sahabat berkata, "Mudah-mudahan kami bukan termasuk mereka, wahai Rasulullah." Nabi ﷺ bersabda, "Tentu saja tidak." Firman Allah, "La yu-minuna" berkedudukan sebagai kalimat yang mengukuhkan kalimat sebelumnya, yaitu ﷺa-un 'alaihim a-an dzartahum am lam tundzirhum. Makna yang dimaksud adalah bahwa mereka dalam dua keadaan tersebut tetap bersikap kafir. Karena itu, hal tersebut dikukuhkan dengan firman-Nya, "La yu-minun" (mereka tetap tidak beriman). Akan tetapi, dapat pula dikatakan bahwa lafal la yu-minuna berkedudukan sebagai khabar, karena bentuk lengkapnya adalah innal ladzina kafaru la yu-minuna. Dengan demikian, berarti firman-Nya, "ﷺa-un 'alaihim a-an dzartahum am lam tundzirhum" merupakan jumlah mu'taridah (kalimat sisipan).

Tafsir Surat Al-Baqarah: 6-7 KUFUR ‘“Sesungguhnya, orang-orang yang tidak mau percaya (kafir), sama saja atas mereka, apakah engkau beri peringatan kepada mereka, ataupun tidak engkau beri peringatan, tetapi mereka tidaklah akan percaya." (ayat 6) Di sini, kita melihat arti yang dalam sekali dari kalimat kufur itu. Yakni, bahwa di dalam hati sanubari itu ada kesediaan buat menerima kebenaran atau lebih tegas lagi di dalam hati tiap-tiap manusia itu ada tampang buat mengakui kebenaran. Akan tetapi, oleh si kafir tampang yang bisa tumbuh dengan baik itu ditimbunnya, dikemukakan berbagai alasan kebenaran dengan berbagai cara. Namun bagi mereka sama saja; tidak ada yang mereka terima. Mereka telah mengkafiri suara hati mereka sendiri. Apa sebab orang menjadi kafir? Orang menjadi kafir kadang-kadang ialah karena juhud, yaitu meskipun seruan yang disampaikan kepada mereka itu tidak dapat mereka tolak kebenarannya, tetapi karena mengganggu kedudukan dan perasaan tinggi diri mereka, kebenaran itu mereka tolak. Banyak pemuka Quraisy di Mekah tidak mau menerima peringatan Nabi Muhammad ﷺ melarang mereka menyembah berhala atau memakan riba, karena keduanya itu amat bertali dengan kedudukan mereka. Pemuka-pemuka Yahudi di Madinah pun menolak kebenaran yang dibawa Nabi Muhammad ﷺ bukan karena yang beliau serukan itu tidak benar, melainkan karena hasad atau dengki dan iri hati. Mengapa seorang Arab mengakui diri menjadi rasul Allah, padahal nabi dan rasul itu hendaklah dari Bani Israil? Raja Heraclius di Syam pernah menerima surat dari Rasulullah ﷺ yang mengajaknya memeluk Islam. Karena pandainya utusan yang membawa surat, hatinya menerima, bahkan tidak ada sikapnya yang menentang. Namun, setelah dikajinya lebih mendalam kalau sekiranya dia masuk Islam, artinya kedudukannya sebagai raja akan terancam, karena dibantah keras oleh pendeta dan orang-orang besar kerajaan, dia pun akhirnya menyatakan tidak akan menukar agamanya, hanya berkirim ucapan selamat saja kepada Rasulullah ﷺ Akan tetapi, Kisra Abruiz (Raja Besar) Persia, demi dibacanya surat yang dikirimkan Nabi kepadanya, dengan murka dan kesombongan dia merobek surat itu di hadapan utusan, padahal tingkah laku yang demikian sangat melanggar sopan santun kerajaan. Sebab, dia memandang sangat tidak pantas orang Arab yang hina itu berkirim surat kepadanya sebagai orang yang sama kedudukan, padahal dia raja besar. Itulah beberapa contoh sikap kekafiran yang telah disambutkan orang kepada Rasulullah ﷺ Maka, orang-orang yang seperti demikian sama sajalah bagi mereka, apakah Nabi Muhammad ﷺ menyampaikan peringatan kepada mereka ataupun tidak memberikan peringatan, tetapi mereka tidak hendak percaya. “Telah dicap (di meterai) oleh Allah atas hati Mereka dan atas pendengaran Mereka, dan atas penglihatan Mereka ada penutup." (pangkal ayat 7) Lantaran sikap mereka yang demikian, kesombongan, juhud (menentang), inad (keras kepala) maka hati dan pendengaran mereka telah dicap (dimaterai) oleh Tuhan atau telah disegel. Artinya, kekafiran itu telah menjadi sikap hidup mereka. Tidak bisa diubah lagi. Lantaran bekas cap itu, sudah ada tanda di dalamnya yang tidak dapat dihilangkan lagi. Ibarat kertas yang sudah dicetak padanya huruf maka buat dimasukkan lagi cap yang lain di dalamnya, tidaklah berfaedah lagi. Yang dapat diberi cap atau cetakan hanyalah kertas yang masih kosong. Atau, pengertian segel atau materai, tidak dapat dibuka lagi oleh siapa juga, laksana sebuah rumah yang telah disegel oleh jaksa karena kalah dalam perkara, tidak bisa dibuka lagi. Dan, pada penglihatan mereka sudah ada penutup. Sebab itu, apa pun yang diperlihatkan kepada mereka, tidaklah akan tampak oleh mereka lagi. Pernah juga dikatakan orang bahwa mata itu telah memakai kacamata yang mempunyai warna khusus, misalnya warna hitam. Maka, meskipun barang putih dibawa kepadanya, dia akan melihatnya hitam juga. “Dan bagi Mereka adalah adzab yang besar." (ujung ayat 7)

Join over 4 million Quran learners from more than 180 countries

You have viewed more than 5 of ayahs today.

You Have Accessed Learn Quran Tafsir For Free