Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is that to which you invite them
كبر على المشركين ما تدعوهم إليه
Kbra: means it became great and severe upon them
upon the polytheists
على المشركين
meaning by Allah
that to which you invite them
ما تدعوهم إليه
of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), because for the polytheist, what becomes great upon him is tawhid (the oneness of Allah); the greatest thing for him is tawhid (the oneness of Allah), meaning the greatest thing that is difficult for him is tawhid (the oneness of Allah). For this reason, they said regarding the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
(5) Has he made the gods [only] one God? Indeed, this is a curious thing." (6) And the eminent among them went forth, [saying], "Continue, and be patient over [the defense of] your gods. Indeed, this is a thing intended.
أجعل الإلهة إلها واحدا إن هذا لشيء عجاب وانطلق الملأ منهم أن امشوا واصبروا على آلهتكم إن هذا لشيء يراد
They resolved themselves to persist in shirk (associating partners with Allah), and may Allah protect us from that. And they said regarding tawhid (the oneness of Allah):
If this is anything but a great thing
إن هذا لشيء عجاب
meaning it is very strange. So what is the truly strange thing? It is their shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whom they acknowledge as their Creator and that there is no Creator other than Him. From here we understand that tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is great upon the polytheists. And I tell you: if tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is great upon them, they must do every cause that prevents this tawhid (the oneness of Allah) from being established and spreading, is that not so? Whatever is great upon you, you must defend against it. So they are now at war with tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and its people. For this reason, you hear now of the plans of the Christians regarding the deviation and contradiction of reason and sense in the religion they are upon; you find them broadcasting on powerful radio stations that have no interference, and that come at suitable times to call to the religion they are upon. I do not say to the religion of Christ, for Christ is innocent of them, but to the religion they are upon. You find some of the people of innovation (ahl al-bid'ah) for whom it is very great when someone calls to the Sunnah, and they fight those who call to the Sunnah and tarnish its reputation, because it is great upon them. So here he says:
Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is that to which you invite them. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him].
كبر على المشركين ما تدعوهم إليه الله يجتبي إليه من يشاء ويهدي إليه من ينيب
.
He says:
Allah chooses for Himself
الله يجتبي إليه
Yajtabi means He selects and chooses. And his saying:
to Him
إليه
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) returned the pronoun to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), but there is a stronger possibility than what he said, which is that the pronoun returns to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), meaning Allah selects for Himself (Mighty and Majestic) whomever He wills, and guides to Himself whoever turns back. This is better than what the author followed. So Allah the Exalted selects for Himself whomever He wills. We ask Allah to make us and you among those He has selected for Himself. And He rejects others. So the former He guides to His straight path, and the latter He misguides, because they are the ones who did the cause.
Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills
الله يجتبي إليه من يشآء
But it has passed us very recently that everything Allah has linked to His will is accompanied by wisdom. He does not will anything, whether bringing it into existence, destroying it, or changing it, except for a wisdom.
and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him].
ويهدي إليه من ينيب
meaning whoever turns to His obedience. The commentator says:
"turns to His obedience" So Allah guides him to it. And it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in what he narrated from his Lord that Allah the Exalted says:
And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him
ما تقرب إلي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضت عليه meaning the obligatory acts are more beloved to Allah than the voluntary ones:
and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks
ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها , and likewise He said (Blessed and Exalted is He) in the Qudsi Hadith:
When he draws near Me by the span of his hand. I draw near him by the length of a cubit and when he draws near Me by the length of a cubit. I draw near him by the length of a fathom and when he draws near Me walking I draw close to him hurriedly.
من تقرب إلي شبرا تقربت إليه ذراعا ومن تقرب إلي ذراعا تقربت إليه باعا ومن أتاني يمشي أتيته هرولة So whoever turns back to Allah, Allah guides him to it, helps him, and makes him correct. Clear, good.
