Verse. 1130

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (and had we willed we could have raised him by their means) we could have raised him by means of the greatest name to heaven and made him sovereign over the people of this world, (but he clung to the earth) he inclined to the wealth of this world (and followed his own lust) the lust of leadership; it is also said that this means: the lust of his ego by engaging in evil things. (therefore his likeness) the likeness of bal'am; and it is said: the likeness of umayyah ibn al-salt (is as the likeness of a dog; if thou attackest him) and drive him away from you (he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him) and do not drive him away (he panteth with his tongue out) such is the case with bal'am and umayyah, when they were admonished they did not take any heed and when they were left alone, they did not understand anything. (such is the likeness of the people who deny our revelations) muhammad (pbuh) and the qur'an. these people are the jews. (narrate unto them the history (of the men of old)) recite to them the qur'an, (that haply they may take thought) that haply they may reflect on the similes of the qur'an.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : and had we willed, we would have raised him up, to the ranks of the scholars, thereby, by facilitating his way to [good] deeds; but he was disposed to, at peace [in], the earth — that is, this world — and inclined to it, and followed his whims, by calling [others] to them, and so we abased him. therefore his likeness, his description, is as the likeness of a dog: if you attack it, by driving it away or curbing it, it lolls its tongue out, and if you leave it, it lolls its tongue out, and no other animal is like it in this way (both conditional sentences constitute a circumstantial qualifier, that is to say, it has its tongue lolling out despicably in all circumstances. the purpose here is to point out the similarity [between the one who follows his whims and a dog] in terms of condition and vileness, judging by the [contextualising] fā’ [of fa-mathaluhu, ‘therefore his likeness’], which relates what comes after it to what came before it in the way of ‘inclining towards this world and following whims’, and judging by god’s saying: that, likeness, is the likeness of those people who deny our signs. so recount the tale, to the jews, that they might reflect, upon it and so believe.

Sahl al-Tustari

تفسير : had we willed, we would have raised him up [with our signs]…this refers to balʿam b. bāʿūrāʾ. but he was disposed to the earth and followed his [lower] desires. he turned away [from god’s signs] due to his following his [base] desire (hawā). god, exalted is he, distributed desire among the bodily members such that each bodily member has a portionof it. if one of the bodily members inclines towards that desire, its harm will return to the heart. know that the self has a secret which did not manifest itself except with pharaoh when he said: ‘i am your lord most high’ [79:24].then [sahl] was asked, ‘how can we be preserved from [base] desire (hawā)?’ he replied:whoever keeps himself in propriety (adab) will be preserved from it, for whoever subdues his lower self through propriety serves god, mighty and majestic is he, with true sincerity (ikhlāṣ).he also said:the self (nafs) has seven heavenly veils and seven earthly veils. the more the servant buries his [lower] self in the earth the higher will his heart soar heavenwards. furthermore, if he [completely] buries his lower self beneath the earth his heart will reach the throne. he also said about kahmas that he used to pray a thousand rakʿas (cycles of prayer) during the course of the day and night. he would make the closing greetings of peace (salāms) between each pair of rakʿas then say to his lower self, ‘get up o refuge of evil, i am not satisfied with you.’his words, exalted is he: