Surah Al-An'aam · سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْعَامِ · Juz 8
Q 6:111
۞ وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ وَكَلَّمَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَحَشَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ قُبُلًا مَّا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَجْهَلُونَ
Translations
And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the message] and the dead spoke to them [of it] and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allah should will. But most of them, [of that], are ignorant.Et si Nous faisions descendre les Anges vers eux, [comme ils l'avaient proposé] si les morts leur parlaient, et si Nous rassemblions toute chose devant eux, ils ne croiraient que si Allah veut. Mais la plupart d'entre eux ignorent.Tafsir
If I had responded to them by bringing what they requested – by sending down the angels for them to see, and made the dead speak to them about the truth of what you brought, and gathered everything they asked for before their eyes – they still would not have believed in what you brought, unless Allah willed for them to be guided. However, most of them are ignorant of this and do not turn to Allah to grant them guidance.
Read Ibn Kathir (Ibn Kathir (abridged, English))
And even if We had sent down unto them angels, and the dead had spoken unto them, and We had gathered together all things before them, they would not have believed, unless Allah willed, but most of them behave ignorantly (111)
Allah says: 'Had We accepted what the disbelievers asked for,' that is – those who swore their strongest oaths by Allah that if a miracle came to them they would believe in it – 'had We sent down angels, ' to convey to them Allah's Message, in order to support the truth of the Messengers, as they asked, when they said,
أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ قَبِيلًا
(or you bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face.)[17:92]
قَالُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ حَتَّىٰ نُؤْتَىٰ مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ رُسُلُ اللَّهِ
(They said: "We shall not believe until we receive the like of that which the Messengers of Allah had received.")[6:124] and,
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَىٰ رَبَّنَا لَقَدِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْا عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا
(And those who expect not a meeting with Us said: "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord" Indeed they think too highly of themselves, and are scornful with great pride.)[25:21] Allah said,
وَكَلَّمَهُمُ الْمَوْتَىٰ
(and the dead had spoken unto them,) This is, to inform them of the truth of what the Messengers brought them;
وَحَشَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ قُبُلًا
(and We had gathered together all things before them,) before their eyes, as 'Ali bin Abi Talhah and Al-'Awfi reported from Ibn 'Abbas. This is the view of Qatadah and 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam. This Ayah means, if all nations were gathered before them, one after the other, and each one testifies to the truth of what the Messengers came with,
مَّا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ
(they would not have believed, unless Allah willed,) for guidance is with Allah not with them. Certainly, Allah guides whom He wills and misguides whom He wills, and He does what He wills,
لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ
(He cannot be questioned about what He does, while they will be questioned.)[21:23],
This is due to His knowledge, wisdom, power, supreme authority and irresistibility. Similarly, Allah said,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلَوْ جَاءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ آيَةٍ حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ
(Truly, those, against whom the Word (wrath) of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment.)[10:96-97]
Arabic text: Tanzil (Uthmani). Translations: Sahih International (en), Muhammad Hamidullah (fr). tanzil.net