Outrageous declarations not uncommon from some with significant political power and wealth

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Outrageous or absurd declarations not uncommon – throughout history -from some of those with significant political power and wealth

Allah [The Most High] said:

قَدۡ مَڪَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَأَتَى ٱللَّهُ بُنۡيَـٰنَهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيۡہِمُ ٱلسَّقۡفُ مِن فَوۡقِهِمۡ وَأَتَٮٰهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَشۡعُرُونَ
ثُمَّ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ يُخۡزِيهِمۡ وَيَقُولُ أَيۡنَ شُرَڪَآءِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ كُنتُمۡ تُشَـٰٓقُّونَ فِيہِمۡ‌ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ إِنَّ ٱلۡخِزۡىَ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ وَٱلسُّوٓءَ عَلَى ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ

Those before them indeed plotted, but Allah struck at the foundation of their building, and then the roof fell down upon them, from above them, and the torment overtook them from directions they did not perceive. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, He will disgrace them and will say: “Where are My (so called) ‘partners’ concerning whom you used to disagree and dispute (with the believers, by defying and disobeying Allah)?” Those who have been given the knowledge (about the Torment of Allah for the disbelievers) will say: “Verily! Disgrace this Day and misery are upon the disbelievers. [An-Nahl. 26-27]

[قَدۡ مَڪَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ – Those before them indeed plotted]: The Mufassiroon say that this refers to Namrud who built a tall tower in order to climb – as he claimed – the heavens and fight its inhabitants.

[فَأَتَى ٱللَّهُ بُنۡيَـٰنَهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيۡہِمُ ٱلسَّقۡفُ مِن فَوۡقِهِمۡ – but Allah struck at the foundation of their building, and then the roof fell down upon them, from above them]: The Mufassiroon say: Allaah sent a wind which flung the top of the tower to the sea and the rest was destroyed. [وَأَتَٮٰهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَشۡعُرُونَ – and the torment overtook them from directions they did not perceive]: Meaning, from where they thought they were safe. [ثُمَّ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ يُخۡزِيهِمۡ – Then, on the Day of Resurrection, He will disgrace]: Meaning, disgraced with punishment. [1]

[قَدۡ مَڪَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ – Those before them indeed plotted]: Meaning plotted against their Messengers, employed various types of tricks in order to reject that which the messengers brought and established gigantic safeguards [by way of arguments, views etc] on their plots. [فَأَتَى ٱللَّهُ بُنۡيَـٰنَهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡقَوَاعِدِ – but Allah struck at the foundation of their building]– Meaning, an affair came to them from its basis and foundation [فَخَرَّ عَلَيۡہِمُ ٱلسَّقۡفُ مِن فَوۡقِهِمۡ – and then the roof fell down upon them, from above them] -Meaning, so what they built became a punishment for them. [وَأَتَٮٰهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَشۡعُرُونَ – and the torment overtook them from directions they did not perceive]: Meaning, that is because they thought that such a building will benefit and protect them from punishment, but their punishment occurred from that which they built and established.

This is one the best of parables regarding how Allah nullifies the plots of his enemies, for indeed they pondered and reflected on that which the Messengers brought when they belied them, made up principles and rules for it based on falsehood, referred back to them to reject that which the Messengers came with, employed tricks to bring discomfort to the Messengers and inflict harm on them and those who followed them, but their plot became a source of evil against them, so their plan became their destruction, because their plot was evil as Allah said: [ وَلَا يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهْلِهِ – But the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it]. [Fatir. 43]

This is in this worldly life and the punishment in the afterlife would be more disgraceful, and due to this Allah said: [ثُمَّ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ يُخۡزِيهِمۡ – Then, on the Day of Resurrection, He will disgrace them]. [2]

[وَقَدۡ مَكَرُواْ مَڪۡرَهُمۡ – Indeed, they planned their plot, and their plot was with Allah]: There are four statements of the scholars regarding the above: That it was Namrud when he debated with Ibrahim about his Lord. That it was about Bakhtanasar. That it is about the nations of the past and their plotting which necessitates Shirk. That it is about those who plotted against the Messenger when they desired to kill him.

And regarding the statement: [وَعِندَ ٱللَّهِ مَڪۡرُهُمۡ – and their plot was with Allah]– meaning: Their plot is recorded so that Allah will recompense them.

[وَإِن كَانَ مَڪۡرُهُمۡ لِتَزُولَ مِنۡهُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ – though their plot was a great (one, still) it would never be able to remove the mountains]. Az-Zujaaj said, “Even if they plot reached the severity where it could move a mountain, they will still not be able to bring the affair of Islam to an end”. [3] Even if their plot were to reach a stage where it could move a mountain, Allah will still aid the religion He has ordained. [4]

Al-Awfee said reported from Ibn Abbas who said, “Their plot cannot move mountains”. Ibn Jareer  said, “This deed they commit is against themselves, such as associating partners to Allah and disbelief in Him cannot bring any harm to the mountains nor anything, rather it will haunt them”. [5] The verses (signs, revelations) of Allah, His divine laws and His manifest miracles at the hands of the Messengers are like mountains in robustness and firmness. So the intent is to belittle their plot and that it cannot remove the signs and Messenger ships. [6]

Allah [The Exalted] said:
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ ۖ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

Have you not seen (contemplated with your heart) him who disputed with Ibrahim (Abraham) about his Lord (Allah), because Allah had given him the kingdom? When Ibrahim (Abraham) said (to him): “My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death.” He said, “I give life and cause death.” Ibrahim (Abraham) said, “Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; then cause it you to rise from the west.” So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allah guides not the people, who are Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.). [Al-Baqarah. 258]

Imam Al-Baghawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

There is a difference of opinion among (the Mufassiroon) regarding the timing of this debate. Muqatil, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that after Ibrahim, peace be upon him, broke the idols, Namrud imprisoned him and later brought him out to be burned. Namrud asked, “Who is the Lord you urge us to worship?” Ibrahim, peace be upon him, replied, “My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death.” Others say that this (occurred) after Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, during a time of drought when people sought food from Namrud. If someone approached him for food, he would inquire, “Who is your Lord?” If the person responded, “You are my Lord,” he would then offer to sell them food. [6]

أَلَمۡ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبۡرَٲهِـۧمَ فِى رَبِّهِۦۤ

“Have you seen (contemplated with your heart and eyes) him who disputed with Ibrahim (Abraham) about his Lord (Allah)”……Meaning, his insolence, ignorant attitude and obstinacy, and arguing about that which there is no doubt! Nothing led him to this behaviour except because” Allah had given him the kingdom”, thus, he transgressed and rebelled, and considered himself as one in control of those under his authority, which led him to argue with Prophet Ibrahim about Allah’s Lordship and claimed that he can do the same thing as Allah does.

Prophet Ibrahim said to him, “My Lord is He Who gives life and death” – Meaning, “Allah alone is in absolute control of everything”. Then Ibrahim mentioned two specific things – life and death. This is because they the greatest things in Allah’s absolute control. Life is the beginning of the worldly life and death is the beginning of what is to occur in the afterlife.

Then the one (the king) who sought to ague against Ibrahim said, “I give life and cause death”, but he never said, “I am the One Who gives life and death, because could not claim that he is not in need of anyone to interfere in the matter; instead, he only claimed that he could do what Allah does by killing someone and sparing someone’s life. Prophet Ibrahim saw the fallacy in his argument and utterence of speech that is not even worthy of being a Shubhah (i.e. an ambiguity portrayed as wholesome truth) let alone a proof, so he said to him, “Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east”.

Ibrahim mentioned something that can be clearly seen and affirmed by everyone including this disbeliever. “Then cause it you to rise from the West”. This compelled him to bring proof if he is truthful in his claim.

When Ibrahim uttered this to him, about which he neither had the ability to present an ambiguity to make Ibrahim’s proof look confusing nor could he find something to disparage it, he was utterly defeated – lost for an answer, his proof cut off and his ambiguous statement toppled. [7]

He Who brings life and death (Allah) has absolute control over the existence and creates everything in it, including absolute control of its celestial bodies and their movements. The sun rises everyday from the east, thus, if you were god, as you claim, who gives life and cause death, make the sun rise from the west. [8]

This is the situation of an obstinate falsifier who wants to confront truth and overcome it, because he will be defeated and subdued. This is why Allah said:

وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَہۡدِى ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

And Allah guides not the people, who are Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.)]; instead He abandons them to their disbelief and misguidance. [9]

Allah, said: [وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ – Fir’aun (Pharaoh) said] – Meaning, with haughtiness and tyranny, whilst deluding his foolish people; [ذَرُونِي أَقْتُلْ مُوسَىٰ وَلْيَدْعُ رَبَّهُ – Leave me to kill Musa (Moses), and let him call his Lord (to stop me from killing him)!]

This was his claim that had it not been for his consideration of the wishes of his people, he would have killed Musa and that (Musa’s) supplication to his Lord would not have prevented him from that. Fir’awn then mentioned what made him want to kill Musa and that he is a sincere adviser to his people, and that he wished to remove mischief from the land. Allah stated that Fir’awn said: [إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يُبَدِّلَ دِينَكُمْ أَوْ أَنْ يُظْهِرَ فِي الْأَرْضِ الْفَسَادَ – I fear that he (Musa) may change your religion, or that he may cause mischief to appear in the land!” [Ghaafir 26]

This is the most amazing the affair can be! The most evil one among the creation gives advice to the people against the best among the creation. This is (nothing but) disguised falsehood and propaganda, which cannot seize except the intellects of those (people) about whom Allah stated: [فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ – Thus he Fir’aun (Pharaoh)] befooled and misled his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were ever a people who were Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).] [Az-Zukhruf. 54] [10]

Allah [The Exalted] said: [يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمۡتُ لَڪُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرِى – O chiefs! I know not that you have an ilah (a god) other than me].

Just look at what Fir’awn said! He did not say. “You do not have a god besides me”, rather he said: “I know not that you have a god other than me’’. This is because they considered him to be a virtuous scholar and that whatever he said has to be the truth, and whatever he commands has to be followed. And after he made this statement, he then tried to prove that what he has stated is true. Allah [The Most High] said that Fir’awn said to Haamaan:

[فَأَوۡقِدۡ لِى يَـٰهَـٰمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلطِّينِ فَٱجۡعَل لِّى صَرۡحً۬ا لَّعَلِّىٓ أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَـٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّى لَأَظُنُّهُ ۥ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰذِبِينَ – so kindle for me (a fire), O Haman, to bake (bricks out of) clay, and set up for me a Sarhan (a lofty tower, or palace, etc.) in order that I may look at (or look for) the Ilah (God) of Musa (Moses); and verily, I think that he [Musa (Moses)] is one of the liars]- Meaning: We think that Musa is lying, but we are going to ascertain the affair and prove that he is a liar.

Look at Fir’awn’s extreme sinful boldness! He belied Musa, peace be upon him, claimed that he was a God, claimed that he is not aware of a true object of worship and asked Haamaan to build him a tower in order that he can see the god of Musa! These claims were nothing else but propaganda; however what is really amazing is the affair of those chiefs who considered themselves as the elders of the Kingdom, for how did they allow Fir’awn to play about with their intellects and deceive them? Indeed, that was due to their extremely sinful behaviour, which corrupted their religion and then their intellects. We ask Allah to keep us firm upon Iman and that our hearts do not become deviated after we have been guided. [11]

Allah said:
فَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَقَالُوا۟ مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَهُمْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَكَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ

As for ‘Ad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said: “Who is mightier than us in strength?” See they not that Allah, Who created them was mightier in strength than them. And they used to deny Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.)![Fussilat 15]

Allah stated that Prophet Hud, peace be upon him, said to his people: [وَإِذَا بَطَشۡتُم بَطَشۡتُمۡ جَبَّارِينَ – And when you seize, seize you as tyrants]– Meaning, when you want to attack with a whip or sword, you attack like tyrants, completely overpowering and being savagely violent – neither compassionate nor aim to discipline (within justice as commanded by Allah), nor contemplating on the consequences. [12]Allah gave them great strength and it was obligated to them to use this strength in obedience to Allah, but they became boastful and haughty, and they said: [مَنۡ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً‌ۖ – Who is mightier than us in strength? (Fussilat. 15], and they utilised their strength in disobedience to Allah, fruitlessly and foolishly, thus, their Prophet forbade them from that. [13]Their Prophet forbade them from that because it was done out of oppression. [14]

[1] An Excerpt from ‘Zad Al-Nasir By Imaam Ibn Al-Jawzi
[2: An Excerpt from Tafseer as-Sadi
[3] Fat-hul Qadeer. 3/160]
[4] Fat-hul Qadeer. 3/160
[5] Ruh Al-Ma’aanee 8/362
[6] An Excerpt from Tafsir Al-Baghawi
[7 ] An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi.
[8] Tafseer Ibn Katheer
[9] An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi
[10] An Excerpt from ‘Taysir As-Sadi
[11] An Excerpt from ‘Taysir As-Sadi
[12] Ruh Al-Ma’aanee 11/165
[13] Tafsir As-Sadi.
[14] Zadul Al-Maseer