[2] A Great Benefit Regarding Repetition of Truth

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imam al-Qurṭubī — may Allah have mercy upon him — said:

As for the repetition (in the Shura)

قُلْ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ

Say (O Muḥammad): “O disbelievers (of all categories);

it has been stated that it is for emphasis to completely crush their hopes [that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, will agree with them]. This is similar to saying:

“By Allah, I will not do such-and-such” and then saying (again), “By Allah, I will not do it”.

Most of the expert scholars in the field related to the meanings (of the Qur’an) said:

The Qur’an was revealed in the language of the Arabs, and from their styles of speech is repetition intended as emphasis and making (something clearly) understood, clear, just as from their style of speech is brevity intended to lighten and shorten (the speech). This is because the transition of a public speaker and a speaker in general from one thing to another is more appropriate than restricting himself to a single matter within a given context. Allah, The Most High, said:

فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

So which of the blessings (and powers) of your Lord—(O jinn and men)—will you both deny? [Ar-Rahman 13]

Allah, The Most High, said:

وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Woe, that Day, (of ruin and destruction) to the deniers (of this Qurʾān and its message). [Al-Mursalat 15]

كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ

ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ

No (the affair is not as they presume in their denial of resurrection)! They will soon come to know (of its reality when they have been resurrected)! No again (the affair is not as they presume it to be)! They will soon come to know. [An Naba 4-5]

فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

Then verily, with the hardship (of patiently calling to truth and repelling transgression) there is ease (in this life and Paradise in the next). Verily, with (that same) hardship there is (additional) ease. [Ash-Sharh 5-6]

All of this is for the purpose of emphasis.

Tafsir al-Qurṭubi 20/226.