Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:9
Twisting his neck [in arrogance] to mislead [people] from the way of Allah. For him in the world is disgrace, and We will make him taste on the Day of Resurrection the punishment of the Burning Fire [while it is said],
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted is His mention, says: He disputes about Allah without knowledge — ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ ("turning aside his side").
The exegetes differed over the meaning for which he is described as one who turns his side aside, and what is intended by that description. Some said: he is described thus because of his arrogance and his haughty gait. And it is related from the Arabs that they say: "So-and-so came to me thāniyan ʿiṭfahu" — when someone enters with a haughty gait out of pride.
Mention of those who said that: ʿAlī related to me, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ — he said: "Exalting himself within himself."
Others said: rather its meaning is: turning his neck.
Mention of those who said that: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ — he said: "his neck."
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ — he said: "turning his neck."
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda — the same.
Others said: its meaning is that he turns away from what he is called to and does not hear it.
Mention of those who said that: Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ — he said: "he turns away from My remembrance."
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ : "turning his head, turning away, looking aside, unwilling to hear what is said to him." And he recited: وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا يَسْتَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ لَوَّوْا رُءُوسَهُمْ وَرَأَيْتَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ وَهُمْ مُسْتَكْبِرُونَ — وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا وَلَّى مُسْتَكْبِرًا .
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word ثَانِيَ عِطْفِهِ — he said: "he turns away from the truth."
Abū Jaʿfar says: These three opinions are close to one another in meaning, for whoever is arrogant, his habit is to turn away from that toward which he is arrogant, to turn his neck away and to turn aside.
The correct view concerning this is that Allah described this disputer about Allah without knowledge thus: because of his pride, when he is called to Allah, he turns away from the one who calls him and turns his neck away from him and does not listen to what is said to him, out of arrogance.
And His word لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ("in order to lead astray from the way of Allah") — Allah, exalted is His mention, says: this polytheist disputes about Allah without knowledge, turning away from the truth out of arrogance, in order to divert those who believe in Allah from their religion to which He has guided them and to make them slip away from it. لَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا خِزْيٌ ("For him is disgrace in the worldly life") — Allah, exalted is His praise, says: for this disputer about Allah without knowledge there is disgrace in the worldly life — that is the death penalty (qatl) and the humiliation and the disgrace at the hands of the believers. Allah killed him by their hands on the day of Badr.
As al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning His word فِي الدُّنْيَا خِزْيٌ — he said: "he was killed on the day of Badr."
And His word وَنُذِيقُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ ("And on the Day of Resurrection We will make him taste the punishment of the burning fire") — Allah, exalted is His mention, says: We burn him on the Day of Resurrection in the Fire.
