Tafseer: They denied the Quraan It’s Rights: Listening, Understanding and Acting upon It

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Allaah, the Most High, says;

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِهَذَا الْقُرْآنِ وَالْغَوْا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ

"And those who disbelieve say: 'Listen not to this Qur'an, and make noise in the midst of it so (recitation) that you may overcome it.'" [Surah Fussilat 41:26]

Imaam Abu Ja'far at-Tabaree [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said in his Tafseer about this Ayaah;

Those who disbelieve in Allaah and the His Messenger from the Mushrikeen from the Quraysh would say to their friends, "Do not listen to the person reciting the Quraan when he recites, do not pay attention to it and do not act upon it".

Ibn 'Abbaas said about this Aayah, "This is what the Mushrikeen used to do and they would say, 'Do not follow the Quraan and when it is recited make noise and distract yourself from it.'"

As for the statement of Allaah, the Most High;

"…make noise in the midst of it…"

Meaning, overcome it and cover it with your false speech. So if you hear the Quraan being recited then don’t listen to it, don’t try to understand it.

Mujaahid said this Aayah refers to making "noise and whistling over it and that we should try to confuse the person who is reciting by mixing up their words. This is what the Quraysh used to do."

Qataadah said about this Aayah, "It means striving against the Quraan, rejecting it and having enmity towards it."

Ma'mar said that, "Some of them interpreted the Aayah as meaning to talk over the Quraan so that you can't hear it."

"…so that you may overcome it."

Meaning it is as if the Mushrikeen believed that by doing the above one can prevent others who want to listen to the Quraan from listening. If they are prevented from listening to it, then they will be prevented from understanding it. If they can't understand it then they will be unable to follow it. By doing all of this, you will have overcome what Muhammad does.

[Tafseer at-Tabaree 21/460-461]

Imaam Aboo Abdullah Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Qurtubee [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said about this Aayah:

When Allaah, the Most High, told us about the nations before such as the nation of Hood, Saaleh and others, He then tells us about the Mushriks of Quraysh. They denied the Quraan as well and they would say things like, 'Do not listen to the Quraan' meaning don’t listen to the Quraan and don’t follow it.

Ibn 'Abbaas said, "Aboo Jahl would say when the Prophet would recite the Quraan whilst turning his face away, 'I don’t understand what he is saying'."

It is also narrated from him, Ibn 'Abbaas, as well as Aboo 'Aaliyah, that they said about this Aayah, "Meaning, strive against it and try to find mistakes and errors in it."

[Jaami' Ahkaam al-Quraan wa Lama Tuddaman min as-Sunnah wa Ahkaam al-Furqaan (15/317-318)]