Tafseer of The letter Qaaf · Qaaf · 50:28
[Allah] will say, "Do not dispute before Me, while I had already presented to you the warning.
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 word ( لا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ ) "Do not dispute in My presence" — the Exalted — praised be His mention — says: Allah said to these polytheists (mushrikīn), whose qualities He has described, along with the qualities of their companions among the devils (shayāṭīn): ( لا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ ) "Do not dispute in My presence" — today — ( وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ ) "while I have already conveyed to you the threat beforehand" — in the worldly life, before this disputing of yours — with the threat against whoever denied Me, disobeyed Me, and transgressed My command and My prohibition in My books and through the mouths of My messengers.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the scholars of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Ziyād related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Bakr related to us, saying: Jaʿfar related to us, saying: I heard Abū ʿImrān saying concerning His word ( وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ ), he said: with the Qurʾān.
ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word ( لا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ ), he said: they offered an excuse with an invalid excuse, whereupon Allah nullified their argumentation and rejected their word.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word ( لا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ ), he said: He says: I have already commanded you and forbidden you. He said: these are the son of Ādam and his companion from the jinn.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, he said: I said to Abū al-ʿĀliya ( لا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ ). Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṭabarī said: I think he said: they are the people of polytheism (ahl al-shirk). And He said in another verse ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ("Then indeed, on the Day of Resurrection, you will dispute with one another before your Lord") — those are the people of the qibla (ahl al-qibla, the Muslims).
