Tafseer of The Cattle · Al-An'aam · 6:47
Say, "Have you considered: if the punishment of Allah should come to you unexpectedly or manifestly, will any be destroyed but the wrongdoing 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.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement: قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ بَغْتَةً أَوْ جَهْرَةً هَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلا الْقَوْمُ الظَّالِمُونَ (47) ("Say: What do you think — if Allah's punishment comes upon you unexpectedly or openly, will any be destroyed except the wrongdoing people?") (6:47)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, says to His Prophet Muḥammad — may Allah's blessing and peace be upon him: Say, O Muḥammad, to these people who set up idols as equals to their Lord and who deny that you have been sent by Me to them: Inform me — "if Allah's punishment comes upon you," and His retribution for the partners you ascribe to Him in the form of idols and equals, and for your denial of me after the proof you have witnessed concerning the truth of my word — "unexpectedly," He says: suddenly, by surprise, without your being aware of it — "or openly," He says: or Allah's punishment comes upon you while you witness it and look upon it — "will any be destroyed except the wrongdoing people?" — He says: will Allah destroy of us and of you any other than the one who worshipped someone other than Him who, in our view, deserves worship, and who neglected the worship of Him who, in our view, deserves worship?
And we have already expounded the meaning of "openly" (al-jahra) in another place in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary, namely that it is derived from al-ijhār, which is the making of something visible to the eye, as in:
13249 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "openly" — he said: while they are looking on.
13250 - al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "Say: What do you think — if Allah's punishment comes upon you unexpectedly" — suddenly, while they deem themselves safe — "or openly," while they are looking on.
