Transliteration:( Wa aqsamoo billaahi jahda aimaanihim la'in jaaa'at hum Aayatul la yu'minunna bihaa; qul innamal Aayaatu 'indal laahi wa maa yush'irukum annahaaa izaa jaaa'at laa yu'minoon )
109. And they swear by Allah their utmost earnest oath [235] that if any sign comes to them, they will surely believe in it. Say: "The signs are with Allah" [236], and what will make you perceive that when the signs come, they will not believe in them.
This verse highlights that frequent swearing of oaths is a known habit of disbelievers. Their solemn promises are often insincere and manipulative.
Even Satan swore falsely before Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him), as mentioned:
“And he swore to them both that I am a wellwisher of you both.” (S7:V21)
Such oaths are often deceptive tools, not signs of true faith or sincerity.
The disbelievers of Makkah demanded miracles from the Holy Prophet ﷺ similar to those of Hazrat Moosa, Hazrat Isa, and Hazrat Saleh (peace be upon them).
They requested extraordinary signs such as:
Turning Mount Safa into gold
Resurrection of the dead to testify to his Prophethood
Appearance of angels before them
The Prophet ﷺ asked if they would truly believe if these signs appeared. They swore an oath affirming that they would.
The Prophet ﷺ then intended to make a dua for these miracles. But Hazrat Jibraeel (peace be upon him) came and warned:
“O beloved of Allah! Whatever dua you make will be accepted. But if they still disbelieve after witnessing the signs, they will be destroyed instantly. If left alive, some may later believe.”
On hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ refrained from making the dua. This verse was then revealed, as recorded in Tafseer Khazin and Tafseer Ruhul Bayaan.
109. And they swear their strongest oaths by Allah, that if there came to them a sign, they would surely believe therein. Say: “Signs are but with Allah and what will make you perceive that (even) if it came, they will not believe” 110. And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away, as they refused to believe therein for the first time, and We shall leave them in their trespass to wander blindly.
Allah states that the idolators swore their strongest oaths by Allah,
(that if there came to them a sign…) a miracle or phenomenon,
(they would surely believe therein.) affirming its truth,
(Say: “Signs are but with Allah.”) ﴿6:109﴾ meaning: Say, O Muhammad – to those who ask you for signs out of defiance, disbelief and rebellion, not out of the desire for guidance and knowledge – “The matter of sending signs is for Allah. If He wills, He sends them to you, and if He wills, He ignores your request.” Allah said next,
(And what will make you perceive that (even) if it came, they will not believe) It was said that `you’ in `make you preceive’ refers to the idolators, according to Mujahid. In this case, the Ayah would mean, what makes you — you idolators — preceive that you are truthful in the vows that you swore Therefore, in this recitation, the Ayah means, the idolators will still not believe if the sign that they asked for came. It was also said that `you’ in, `what will make you preceive’, refers to the believers, meaning, what will make you preceive, O believers, that the idolators will still not believe if the signs come. Allah also said,
(“What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you”) ﴿7:12﴾ and,
(And a ban is laid on every town (population) which We have destroyed that they shall not return (to this world again).) ﴿21:95﴾ These Ayat mean: `What made you, O Iblis, refrain from prostrating, although I commanded you to do so, and, in the second Ayah, that village shall not return to this world again. In the Ayah above ﴿6:109﴾, the meaning thus becomes: What makes you perceive, O believers, who wish eagerly for the disbelievers to believe, that if the Ayat came to them they would believe Allah said next,
(And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away, as they refused to believe therein for the first time,) Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said about this Ayah, “When the idolators rejected what Allah sent down, their hearts did not settle on any one thing and they turned away from every matter (of benefit).” Mujahid said that Allah’s statement,
(and We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away, ) means, We prevent them from the faith, and even if every sign came to them, they will not believe, just as We prevented them from faith the first time. Similar was said by `Ikrimah and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam. `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said, “Allah mentions what the servants will say before they say it and what they will do before they do it. Allah said;
(And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.) ﴿35:14﴾ and,
(Lest a person should say, “Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allah.”) ﴿39:56﴾ until,
(“If only I had another chance, then I should indeed be among the doers of good.”) ﴿39:58﴾. So Allah, glory be to Him, states that if they were sent back to life, they would not accept the guidance,
(But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars.) ﴿6:28﴾ Allah said,
(And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance), as they refused to believe therein for the first time,) meaning: `If they were sent back to this life, they would be prevented from embracing the guidance, just as We prevented them from it the first time, when they were in the life of this world.” Allah said,
(and We shall leave them…) and abandon them,
(in their trespass…) meaning, disbelief, according to Ibn `Abbas and As-Suddi. Abu Al-`Aliyah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and Qatadah said that `their trespass’ means, `their misguidance’. m
(to wander blindly) or playfully, according to Al-A`mash. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Ar-Rabi`, Abu Malik and others commented, “to wander in their disbelief.”
(6:109) They swear by Allah with their most solemn oaths that if a sign[74] comes to them, they will certainly believe in it. Say: ‘Signs are in Allah’s power alone.[75] What will make you realize that even if those signs were to come, they would still not believe?[76]
74. ‘Sign’ in this context signifies a tangible miracle which is so impressive that it leaves people with no alternative but to believe in the veracity of the Prophet (peace be on him) and the truth of his claim to have been appointed by God.
75. The Prophet (peace be on him) denies his ability to perform miracles. That power lies with God alone. If God wants a miracle to take place, He has the power; if He does not want miracles to take place, none will.
And so indeed does every Prophet of God – Ed.
76. These words are addressed to the Muslims. Driven by the restless yearning to see people embrace Islam – a yearning which they sometimes expressed in words – they wished some miracle to happen which might lead their erring brethren to the true faith. In response to this wish and longing they are told that their embracing the true faith does not depend upon their observing any miraculous sign.
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