Tafseer of The Prostration · As-Sajda · 32:22
And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord; then he turns away from them? Indeed We, from the criminals, will take retribution.
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.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذُكِّرَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنْتَقِمُونَ (22) (And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the signs of his Lord and then turns away from them? Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon the criminals.) (22)
He, exalted is His mention, says: And who among the people is more unjust toward himself than he who has been admonished by Allah with His proofs, the signs of His Book, and His messengers, and who then turns away from all of that, so that he does not let himself be admonished by His admonitions, but rather, out of arrogance, considers himself too great for that.
And His statement: Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon the criminals (al-mujrimīn) says: Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon those who have acquired sins and committed evil deeds.
And some of them said: by "the criminals" in this place are meant: the adherents of the doctrine of free will (ahl al-qadar).
* Mention of who said that:
Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Marwān ibn Muʿāwiya related to us, saying: Wāʾil ibn Dāwūd informed us, on the authority of Marwān ibn Sufayḥ, on the authority of Yazīd ibn Rufayʿ, who said: Indeed, the statement of Allah in the Qurʾān Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon the criminals — they are the adherents of qadar. Then he recited: Indeed, the criminals are in error and madness ... up to His statement: We have created it by a fixed measure (qadar).
Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿArafa related to us, saying: Marwān related to us, saying: Wāʾil ibn Dāwūd informed us, on the authority of Ibn Sufayḥ, on the authority of Yazīd ibn Rufayʿ, in a similar manner, except that in his narration he said: Then Wāʾil ibn Dāwūd recited these verses: Indeed, the criminals are in error and madness ... up to the end of the verses.
And others said concerning this that which ʿImrān ibn Bakkār al-Kalāʿī related to me, saying: Muḥammad ibn al-Mubārak related to us, saying: Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿUbayd Allāh related to us, on the authority of ʿUbāda ibn Nusayy, on the authority of Junāda ibn Abī Umayya, on the authority of Muʿādh ibn Jabal, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: "Three things — whoever does them has truly committed a crime: whoever raises a banner for an unjust cause, or whoever is disobedient to his parents, or whoever walks alongside a wrongdoer to assist him, he has truly committed a crime. Allah says: Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon the criminals."
