Tafseer of Those drawn up in Ranks · As-Saaffaat · 37:30
And we had over you no authority, but you were a transgressing people.
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.
wa-mā kāna lanā ʿalaykum min sulṭānin ("and we had no authority over you"): He says: they said: and we had no proof (ḥujja) over you by which we could hold you back from faith (īmān) and by which we could place ourselves between you and the following of the truth. bal kuntum qawman ṭāghīna ("nay, you were an insolent people"): He says: they said to them: nay, you were, O polytheists (mushrikīn), a people insolent against Allah, who transgressed in that which you had no right to transgress, namely disobedience to Allah and going against His command.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (tafsīr) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: the jinn (jinn) said to them bal lam takūnū muʾminīna ("nay, you were not believers") up to qawman ṭāghīna ("an insolent people").
Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His statement wa-mā kāna lanā ʿalaykum min sulṭānin: he said: the proof (ḥujja). And concerning His statement bal kuntum qawman ṭāghīna: he said: erring unbelievers (kuffār).
