وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكُوا وَمَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ ﴿۱۰۷﴾ وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿۱۰۸﴾ وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ لَئِنْ جَاءَتْهُمْ آيَةٌ لَيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْآيَاتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إِذَا جَاءَتْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿۱۰۹﴾ وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴿۱۱۰﴾

﴾107﴿ Wa law shaaa'al laahu maaa ashrakoo; wa maa ja'alnaaka 'alaihim hafeezanw wa maaa anta 'alaihim biwakeel
﴾108﴿ Wa laa tasubbul lazeena yad'oona min doonil laahi fa yasubbul laaha 'adwam bighairi 'ilm; kazaalika zaiyannaa likulli ummatin 'amalahum summa ilaa Rabbihim marji'uhum fa yunabbi'uhum bimaa kaanoo ya'maloon
﴾109﴿ 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
﴾110﴿ Wa nuqallibu af'idatahum wa absaarahum kamaa lam yu'minoo biheee awwala marratinw wa nazaruhum fee tughyaanihim ya'mahoon

﴾107﴿ And if Allah the Almighty willed, they would not have committed polythism and we did not make you as their guardian and you are not responsible for them
﴾108﴿ And do not insult those who call these other than Allah the Exalted So they will curse Allah Almighty because of enmity without knowledge This is how we decorated their actions in the eyes of every nation then their coming is to their Lord, so let him know about the deeds they used to do
﴾109﴿ And they swore strong oaths to Allah, the Most High, that if a miracle of any kind came with them, indeed they would believe in it, say (authority) miracles are with Allah the Exalted, and what will happen to you if these miracles come and they do not believe
﴾110﴿ (Because) We will turn their hearts and their eyes (from the truth) as they did not believe in it the first time And we leave them wandering in their rebellion

[107] These reasons for turning away are of three types: as a form of comfort for the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), and for those who convey the message of monotheism. Your responsibility is only to convey the message; granting or withholding guidance is in the hands of Allah the Exalted. So after delivering the message, be unconcerned with them. Allah the Exalted has neither made you their guardian nor are you responsible for them. (بِوَكِيلٍ) refers to someone upon whom responsibility and authority have been placed by the one who appointed him.
[108] This is another etiquette of calling to the truth: (وَلَا تَسُبُّوا) – “Do not insult.” Sab means to mention the flaws of something in a way that includes belittling or degrading it. Therefore, it is not permissible to insult false deities. However, saying that they are not worthy of worship, do not possess control, cannot bring benefit or harm, and cannot fulfill needs or relieve hardships – this is not sab (insult), but rather a necessary clarification.
(وَلَا تَسُبُّوا) – The Noble Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) never insulted their deities. The purpose here is to teach proper etiquette. There are two types of sab: one includes insult and falsehood – this is prohibited in and of itself; the other is permissible, where real flaws are mentioned – this is permissible by itself. However, if it becomes a means to something forbidden, such as leading to insults against Allah the Exalted, then that means becomes forbidden too.
Therefore, in this verse is the principle of sadd al-dharā’iʿ (blocking the means to harm). So when something permissible becomes a cause for forbidden things – whether in words or actions – it must be avoided.
(فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ) – Question: The polytheists acknowledged Allah the Exalted and believed in His greatness, so why would they insult Him?
Answer: Imam Raghib said that what is meant here is their argument about monotheism using false methods.
(بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ) – This is either the cause of their hostility or the reason why they would insult Allah.
(لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ) – This is general, whether referring to a nation of believers or disbelievers and people of innovation.
[109] This is the answer to a question—if someone assumes that the reason they insult Allah the Exalted is not due to their own unworthy nature, but because the miraculous signs they demand are not being sent—then the response is given: (وَأَقْسَمُوا) – They swore, indicating that the polytheists would occasionally swear by Allah the Exalted, acknowledging His greatness.
(جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ) – Qurtubi said that the polytheists used to swear by things other than Allah, but they also swore by Allah the Exalted, considering oaths by Him to be stronger. However, the ignorant people of this time consider swearing by others besides Allah to be even more dangerous than swearing by Allah Himself—thus, they are more misguided than the ancient polytheists.
(آيَةٌ) – What is meant by it are miracles, which they demanded out of their worldly desires and ignorance.
(وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ) – “Yushʿirukum” and shuʿūr mean “to know,” and mā is for negation or rhetorical denial. The address is to the believers: that is, the believers wanted these signs to be sent for the polytheists, thinking they would then believe.
[110] This is the reason and explanation for (لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ) – “they will not believe.” The wāw here indicates causation, and the kāf in (كَمَا) also serves as a causal particle. The sequence is as follows: first, they did not believe, and as a result, their hearts and eyes turned away from the truth. Because of this, even when miracles were shown, they were deprived of faith. Therefore, they remained in transgression forever.
Question: Why is “hearing” (samāʿ) not mentioned here?
Answer: Because this discussion is about tangible miracles, which they demanded. For such miracles, the eye and heart are used for reflection and understanding; the ear is not involved in this context.