Ghafir (The Forgiver)

83. Then when their Messengers came to them with clear miracles, they were glad with that which they had of the knowledge [failing to acknowledge Prophets’ logical arguments] and that [Divine Wrath] at which they used to mock, surrounded them.

84. Therefore, when they saw Our chastisement, they said: “We believe in Allah Alone and reject that we used to associate with Him as partners.

Divine appointment of Prophets to provide mankind with decisive arguments as to Divine Unity is one of Divine Acts.

It is worthy of note that human sciences and experiments may not substitute Divine teachings and render man needless of Prophets, since being arrogant of one’s knowledge leads to derision of Divine Promises.

There have been people in human history who owing to the sciences which have led to the development of civilizations and accruing worldly possessions or due to their knowledge concerning their ancestors or other peoples imagine that they are needless of Divine Revelation and Prophetic teachings.

Men with small capacities, upon acquisition of limited knowledge or attainment to credentials and positions become arrogant.

According to the Holy Qur’an, there are three types of knowledge:

1. Fruitful knowledge which leads to human spiritual growth, as when Moses (as) said unto Khidr:

“May I follow you so that you teach me something of that knowledge which may lead to my [spiritual] growth”1 .

2. Fruitless knowledge such as knowledge as to the precise number of the people of the Cave:

“[Some] say that they were three, the dog being the fourth among them; and [others] say they were five, the dog being the sixth, guessing at the unseen; [yet others] say they were seven and the dog being the eighth. Say [O Muhammad]: ‘My Lord knows best their number; none knows them but a few.’ So debate not [about their number] except with the clear proof [which We have revealed to you], nor consult any of them about the people of the Cave”2 .

3. Harmful knowledge, e.g. magic and sorcery for separating men from women.

It is said in Verse 83:

“Then when their Messengers came to them with clear miracles.”

The antecedent of the pronoun is apparently the disbelievers entangled with torment the ruins of whose cities were still visible at the time of Revelation of the blessed Verse.

The Verse is saying that such people denied Divinely appointed Messengers and regarded their teachings as false tales. In fact, it was not their knowledge, but absolute ignorance since they were deprived of true knowledge which could lead to their deliverance from error.

They considered their apparent knowledge to be the true one:

(“They know solely the outside appearance of the life of the world and they are heedless of the Hereafter,”3 ).

It is mentioned elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an that

“this is their utmost knowledge,”

i.e. their knowledge is limited to the affairs of this world rather than to those of the Hereafter. They imagined that they possessed knowledge, rejoiced at it, and derided Messengers; as a consequence of which they were surrounded with Divine torment.

According to Verse 84:

“Therefore, when they saw Our chastisement, they said: ‘We believe in Allah Alone and reject that we used to associate with Him as partners.’”

Nevertheless, upon tasting Divine chastisement, their repentance shall be of no avail, since they may not be provided with the opportunity to compensate for their vicious deeds and they are condemned by Allah Almighty to torment in Hell.