Tafsir of Surah Ta-Ha - Verse 114

The Qur'an was revealed so that the People would have Taqwa and reflect

After Allah, the Exalted, mentions that on the Day of Judgement both the good and the evil will be recompensed and there is no avoiding it, He then explains that the Qur'an was revealed as a bringer of glad tidings and a warner in the clear and eloquent Arabic language. There is no confusion or deficiency in it.

وَصَرَّفْنَا فِيهِ مِنَ الْوَعِيدِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

(And thus We have sent it down as a Qur'an in Arabic, and have explained therein in detail the warnings, in order that they may have Taqwa of,) This means: so that they will leave off sins, forbidden things and lewd abominations.

أَوْ يُحْدِثُ لَهُمْ ذِكْراً

(or that it may cause them to have a lesson from it.) This means: to produce acts of obedience and deeds that will bring one closer to Allah.

فَتَعَـلَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ

(Then High above all be Allah, the True King.) This means: Most Holy and Majestic is He, the True King, Who is Himself the Truth and His promise is true. Likewise, His threat is true, His Messengers are true, the Paradise is true, the Hellfire is true and everything from Him is true. His justice is that He does not punish anyone before warning them, sending Messengers to them and granting excuses to His creatures, so that no one will have any argument or doubt (on Judgment Day).

The Command to the Prophet to listen to the Qur'an when it is revealed without making haste

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَلاَ تَعْجَلْ بِالْقُرْءانِ مِن قَبْلِ إَن يُقْضَى إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُ

(And be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation is completed to you,) This is similar to Allah's statement,

لاَ تُحَرِّكْ بِهِ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِ - إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْءَانَهُ - فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَـهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْءَانَهُ - ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُ

(Move not your tongue to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to give you the ability to recite it. And when We have recited it to you, then follow its recital. Then it is for Us to made it clear (to you).) 75:16-19 It is confirmed in the Sahih on the authority of Ibn `Abbas, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to go through great pains to retain the revelation. In doing so he used to move his tongue rapidly with its recital. Then, Allah revealed this Ayah. This means that whenever Jibril would say an Ayah, the Prophet would say it with him due to his eagerness to memorize it. Then, Allah guided him to that which was easier and lighter in this matter, to relieve him of this difficulty. Allah said,

لاَ تُحَرِّكْ بِهِ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِ - إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْءَانَهُ

(Move not your tongue to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to give you the ability to recite it.) 75:16-17 Meaning, "We will gather it in your chest, then you will recite it to the people without forgetting anything of it."

فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَـهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْءَانَهُ - ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُ

(And when We have recited it to you, then follow its recital. Then it is for Us to made it clear (to you).) 75:18-19 And He said in this Ayah,

وَلاَ تَعْجَلْ بِالْقُرْءانِ مِن قَبْلِ إَن يُقْضَى إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُ

(And be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation is completed to you,) This is a command to the Prophet to listen quietly: `Then, when the angel (Jibril) completes reciting to you, you recite it after him.'

وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْماً

(and say: "My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.") meaning, "Give me more knowledge from You." Ibn `Uyaynah said, "The Prophet did not cease increasing (in knowledge) until Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, took him (i.e. he died)."

وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِالْقُرْ‌آنِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُ (And do not hasten with (reciting) the Qur'an before its revelation is concluded - 20: 114.) It has been stated in Sahih Hadith on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that in the early days of revelation when angel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) brought a Qur’ anic verse and recited it to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، the latter would try to repeat it after him, lest it escapes from his memory. He had, thus, to make a double effort, i.e. to listen to and understand the meaning of the Qur'anic verses while they were being recited by Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) and also to repeat them in order to commit them to memory. In this verse as well as in the verse لَا تُحَرِّ‌كْ بِهِ لِسَانَكَ occurring in Surah قِیَامۃ (75:16) Allah lightened this burden from the Holy Prophet ﷺ by assuring him that he need not worry himself about memorizing the Qur'anic verses which were revealed to him because He (Allah) would make it possible for him to remember them without any effort on his part. All that he was directed to do was that he should keep praying, رَّ‌بِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا (My Lord, improve me in knowledge). This comprehensive prayer includes a plea for memorizing that portion of the Qur'an which had already been revealed to him and a desire for what remained of it and for the ability to understand its true meaning.

A dayee should have two major aims: to bring about a psychological revolution in his addressees so that they may become God-fearing or at least he should be able to raise questions in his hearers about his call. During the Dawah campaign in Makkah, the addressees were raising all sorts of questions, creating problems for the Prophet. The Prophet naturally wanted that the intervals between the revelations could be reduced, so that he could receive God’s guidance more frequently. This would have enabled him to deal more promptly and effectively with the questions and problems which arose daily during his dawah work in Makkah. He was told that the process of revelation was in accordance with a divine, pre-ordained plan. It would continue as the occasion warranted, and would reach its completion in due course. He was asked not to desire the revelation of future parts of the Quran before their divinely appointed time. However, he was advised to pray to God to increase his understanding of the vast wisdom enshrined in the verses of the Quran. Instead of wishing for an early revelation of Quranic verses, he was expected to have the desire to understand the reason for their being revealed gradually, on a pre-planned scale of priority.