Tafseer of The Evidence · Al-Bayyina · 98:1
Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence -
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 interpretation of His statement, exalted be His praise and sanctified be His names:
لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنْفَكِّينَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ (The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the polytheists would not cease until the clear proof came to them) (98:1)
The scholars of interpretation differed concerning the explanation of His statement: لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنْفَكِّينَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ (The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the polytheists would not cease until the clear proof came to them). Some of them said: the meaning of it is: these unbelievers (kāfir) among the people of the Torah and the Gospel, and the polytheists (mushrikīn) among the idol-worshippers, would not (munfakkīn) — that is to say: would not cease — until this Qurʾān came to them.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the scholars of interpretation spoke.
* Mention of who said 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 Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the statement of Allah: (munfakkīn) — he said: they would not cease until the truth became clear to them.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement (munfakkīn) — he said: ceasing from that which they were in.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement (munfakkīn ḥattā taʾtiyahum al-bayyina) — that is to say: this Qurʾān.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning the statement of Allah: (wa-l-mushrikīn munfakkīn) — he said: they would not cease until it came to them; that is what they would detach themselves from.
And others said: no, the meaning of it is that the People of the Book — and they are the polytheists — would not let go of the description of Muḥammad ﷺ in their Book, until he was sent; and when he was sent, they became divided concerning him.
And the correct view concerning this is that one says: the meaning of it is: the unbelievers among the People of the Book and the polytheists would not be divided concerning the matter of Muḥammad ﷺ, until the clear proof came to them, and that is Allah's sending of him as a messenger to His creatures, a messenger from Allah. And His statement (munfakkīn) in this place, in my judgment, is derived from the detaching (infikāk) of two things, the one from the other, and for that reason it was correct without a predicate (khabar); and if it had the meaning of "it did not cease" (mā zāla), then it would have needed a predicate to complete it. And His statement (rasūlun mina-llāh) (a messenger from Allah) is begun anew: it is indefinite, relating to al-bayyina (the clear proof), while the latter is definite, just as it has been said: ذُو الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِيدُ * فَعَّالٌ (Possessor of the Throne, the Glorious * Doer). Thus He said: until there comes to them the clarification of the matter of Muḥammad ﷺ, that he is the messenger of Allah, through Allah's sending of him to them; then He elaborated further on the clear proof and said: that clear proof
