Translation of the meanings Ayah 35 Surah Al-An‘ām - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 35

وَإِن كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيۡكَ إِعۡرَاضُهُمۡ فَإِنِ ٱسۡتَطَعۡتَ أَن تَبۡتَغِيَ نَفَقٗا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَوۡ سُلَّمٗا فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتَأۡتِيَهُم بِـَٔايَةٖۚ وَلَوۡ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَجَمَعَهُمۡ عَلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰۚ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِينَ

(35) ^[1345]If their aversion is too hard on you, then if you can seek out a tunnel in the ground or ladder to the sky, so that you may bring them a Sign ˹then do it˺; ˹but˺ if Allah so wished He would have banded them all together around guidance, so be not among the ignorant.

[1345] In the face of this fierce onslaught, the Prophet (ﷺ) is told that he can do none of the sort of actions mentioned, whether digging a tunnel or climbing up a ladder to the sky, in response to his foes’ preposterous demands. Had God wished, He would have made them all willingly embrace his call. So he need not feel anguish on account of this (cf. al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, Ṭanṭāwī, al-Tafsīr al-Wasīṭ): “Had your Lord ˹O Muhammad˺ so willed, all ˹people˺ on Earth would have certainly Believed, every single one of them! Would you then force people to become Believers?” (10: 99).