Tafsir of Surah Az-Zukhruf - Verse 1

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

حـم - تَنزِيلُ الْكِتَـبِ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

(Ha-Mim. By the manifest Book.) means, plain and clear in both wording and meaning, because it was revealed in the language of the Arabs, which is the most eloquent language for communication among people. Allah says:

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَـهُ

(Verily, We have made it) meaning, revealed it,

قُرْءَاناً عَرَبِيّاً

(a Qur'an in Arabic) meaning, in the language of the Arabs, eloquent and clear;

لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

(that you may be able to understand.) means, that you may understand it and ponder its meanings. This is like the Ayah:

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِىٍّ مُّبِينٍ

(In the plain Arabic language.) (26:195)

وَإِنَّهُ فِى أُمِّ الْكِتَـبِ لَدَيْنَا لَعَلِىٌّ حَكِيمٌ

(And verily, it is in the Mother of the Book with Us, indeed exalted, full of wisdom.) This explains the high status of the Qur'an among the hosts on high (the angels), so that the people of earth will respect it, venerate it and obey it.

وَأَنَّهُ

(And verily, it) means, the Qur'an,

فِى أُمِّ الْكِتَـبِ

(is in the Mother of the Book) meaning, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet). This was the view of Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid.

لَدَيْنَآ

(with Us,) means, in Our presence. This was the view of Qatadah and others.

لَّعَلِّى

(indeed exalted) means, occupying a position of honor and virtue. This was the view of Qatadah.

حَكِيمٌ

(full of wisdom.) means, clear, with no confusion or deviation. All of this indicates its noble status and virtue, as Allah says elsewhere:

إِنَّهُ لَقُرْءَانٌ كَرِيمٌ - فِى كِتَـبٍ مَّكْنُونٍ - لاَّ يَمَسُّهُ إِلاَّ الْمُطَهَّرُونَ - تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

(That (this) is indeed an honorable recitation. In a Book well-guarded. Which none can touch but the pure. A revelation from the Lord of the all that exists.) (56:77-80)

كَلاَّ إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُ فَى صُحُفٍ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ مَّرْفُوعَةٍ مُّطَهَّرَةٍ بِأَيْدِى سَفَرَةٍ كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ

(Nay, indeed it is an admonition. So whoever wills, let him pay attention to it. (It is) in Records held (greatly) in honor, exalted, purified, in the hands of scribes (angels), honorable and obedient.) (80:11-16)

أَفَنَضْرِبُ عَنكُمُ الذِّكْرَ صَفْحاً أَن كُنتُمْ قَوْماً مُّسْرِفِينَ

(Shall We then take away the Reminder (this Qur'an) from you, because you are a people excessive.) means, `do you think that We will forgive you and not punish you, when you do not do as you have been commanded' This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Abu Salih, Mujahid and As-Suddi, and was the view favored by Ibn Jarir.

أَفَنَضْرِبُ عَنكُمُ الذِّكْرَ صَفْحاً

(Shall We then take away the Reminder (this Qur'an) from you,) Qatadah said, "By Allah, if this Qur'an had been taken away when the first generations of this Ummah rejected it, they would have been doomed, but Allah by His mercy persisted in sending it and calling them to it for twenty years, or for as long as He willed." What Qatadah said is very good, and his point is that Allah, by His grace and mercy towards His creation, did not stop calling them to the truth and to the wise Reminder, i.e., the Qur'an, even though they were heedless and turned away from it. Indeed, He sent it so that those who were decreed to be guided might be guided by it, and so that proof might be established against those who were decreed to be.

(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.)

Consolation to the Prophet for the Disbelief of Quraysh

Then Allah consoles His Prophet for the disbelief of his people, and commands him to bear it with patience.

وَكَمْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن نَّبِيٍّ فِى الاٌّوَّلِينَ

(And how many a Prophet have We sent amongst the men of old.) meaning, among the sects (communities) of old.

وَمَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّنْ نَّبِىٍّ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ

(And never came there a Prophet to them but they used to mock at him.) means, they disbelieved him and mock at him.

فَأَهْلَكْنَآ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُم بَطْشاً

(Then We destroyed men stronger than these) means, `We destroyed those who disbelieved in the Messengers, and they were stronger in power than these who disbelieve in you, O Muhammad.' This is like the Ayah:

أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُواْ أَكْـثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً

(Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them They were more in number than them and mightier in strength) (40:82). And there are many similar Ayat.

وَمَضَى مَثَلُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ

(and the example of the ancients has passed away. ) Mujahid said, "The way of their life." Qatadah said, "Their punishment." Others said, "Their lesson," i.e., `We made them a lesson for those disbelievers who came after them, that they would suffer the same end as them,' as in the Ayah at the end of this Surah:

فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ سَلَفاً وَمَثَلاً لِّلاٌّخِرِينَ

(And We made them a precedent, and an example to later generations.) (43:56);

سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِى قَدْ خَلَتْ فِى عِبَادِهِ

(this has been the way of Allah in dealing with His servants) (40:85).

وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلاً

(and you will not find any change in the way of Allah.) (33:62)

مَا كُنتَ تَدْرِ‌ي مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلَا الْإِيمَانُ وَلَـٰكِن (You did not know earlier what is the Book or what is "Iman', but We have made it a light with which We guide whomsoever we will from among Our slaves - 42:52). This verse is a complement of the subject of the first verse. The gist is that in this world, nobody has ever seen, nor can ever see and converse face to face with Allah Ta’ ala. However, Allah Ta’ ala does send ` wahy' to His chosen bondsmen in three ways described in the first verse. And in accordance with Allah Ta’ ala's practice, ` wahy' is sent to the Holy Prophet ﷺ as well. The demand of Jews that Allah Ta’ ala should speak to him face to face is simply a display of ignorance and hostility. That is why Allah Ta’ ala has stated that whatever knowledge a man obtains, even a prophet for that matter, is all a grant of Allah Ta’ ala. Until Allah Ta’ ala tells them through ` wahy', they would neither be aware of any Book nor would they know the details of faith. Unawareness of the Book before ` wahy' is quite obvious; absence of knowledge of faith means that its details, rules and regulations, and its exalted place become known to a prophet after ` wahy', not before it, otherwise it is proved with consensus of the ummah that whomever Allah chooses to make His Messenger or Prophet, He gives him faith and belief right from the beginning of his birth; his faith is engraved in his nature. These chosen people are firm believers, even before prophethood and before ` wahy' is sent to them. Principles of belief become a part of their nature and behaviour. That is why all the prophets were opposed by their people and they piled up all sorts of allegations against them, but no one had ever accused a prophet of idolatry, even before he was appointed as a prophet. Qurtubi, in his Tafsir, and Qadi ` Ayad in Shifa' have dealt with this subject in full detail.

Alhamdulillah

the commentary on

Surah Shura

ends here.

The Original Book, or the Mother of Book (ummul kitab), refers to the preserved tablet (lawh mahfuz), which is with God. On this tablet, God Almighty has an imprint of the true religion, which He requires human beings to follow. This true religion, revealed to numerous prophets in various languages, was revealed to the Last of the Prophets in Arabic. Today, it is only this Arabic Quran which represents the true religion of God. It is now the responsibility of the bearers of the Quran to have it translated into every language and make it available to all the nations of the world, so that this religion may be understood by all other people, as it was understood by the Arabs. These sublime scriptures, being full of wisdom, are in themselves proof of their being the Book of God. The language of the Quran and its contents do justice to the Majesty of God with the utmost exactitude. Had the Quran been couched in the words of human beings, it would not have possessed the extraordinary glory which it possesses till today.