Tafseer of The Criterion · Al-Furqaan · 25:28
Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend.
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.
And His statement يَا وَيْلَتَى لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلانًا خَلِيلا . The exegetes differed concerning who is meant by His statement الظَّالِمُ and by فُلانًا . Some said: by the "wrongdoer" is meant ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ, because after his conversion to Islam he relapsed into unbelief for the sake of pleasing Ubayy ibn Khalaf; and they said: the "so-and-so" is Ubayy.
* Mention of who said this:
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurāsānī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: Ubayy ibn Khalaf used to come to the Prophet ﷺ, whereupon ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ forbade him from that; whereupon there was sent down: وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلا ... up to His statement خَذُولا . He said: the "wrongdoer" is ʿUqba, and "so-and-so as a friend" is Ubayy ibn Khalaf.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Mughīra, on the authority of al-Shaʿbī, concerning His statement لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلانًا خَلِيلا — he said: ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ was a friend (khalīl) of Umayya ibn Khalaf; ʿUqba converted to Islam, but Umayya said: "My face is forbidden to your face if you follow Muḥammad." Thus he committed unbelief; and he is the one who said: لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلانًا خَلِيلا .
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda and ʿUthmān al-Jazarī, on the authority of Miqsam, concerning His statement وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلا — he said: ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ and Ubayy ibn Khalaf had come together, for they were friends; one of them said to the other: I have heard that you have been with Muḥammad and have listened to him. By Allah, I am not pleased with you until you spit in his face and reject him. But Allah did not give him the power to do that. ʿUqba was killed as a captive on the day of Badr, and Ubayy ibn Khalaf — the Prophet ﷺ killed him with his own hand on the day of Uḥud in the battle. They are the two concerning whom Allah sent down: وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلا .
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 Ibn ʿAbbās — وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ ... up to His statement: فُلانًا خَلِيلا — he said: he is Ubayy ibn Khalaf, who used to attend upon the Prophet ﷺ, but ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ forbade him from 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 Najiḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ — he said: ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ invited a company to a meal, among them the Prophet ﷺ; the Prophet ﷺ refused to eat and said: "I will not eat until you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah." He said: so you will not eat until I testify to that? He said: "Yes." He said: I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. Afterwards he met Umayya ibn Khalaf, who said: "Have you become an apostate?" He said: your brother is as you know, but I had prepared a meal and he refused to eat until I said it, so I said it — but it does not come from my heart.
And others said: by "so-and-so" is meant Satan.
* Mention of who said this:
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 Najiḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — فُلانًا خَلِيلا — he said: Satan.
