Tafsir for verse: 17:110
قُلِ ٱدۡعُواْ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدۡعُواْ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنَۖ أَيّٗا مَّا تَدۡعُواْ فَلَهُ ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ وَلَا تَجۡهَرۡ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتۡ بِهَا وَٱبۡتَغِ بَيۡنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلٗا ١١٠ ﴿110
110Say, “Call (Him by the name of) Allah or Ar-RaHmān, in whichever way you call, His are the Best Names.” Do not be (too) loud in your Salāh, nor be (too) low in it, and seek a way in between.
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Commentary

And when the faith of the people of knowledge in Him is established; and their submission to Him; and their abandonment of their religions; which they took from the prophets who came to them with the books for His sake; after the establishment of the conclusive evidence that it is from Allah; it necessitates that everyone who has the slightest humanity should believe in Him; and turn to Him; and call upon the One who revealed it; without others; always; not only in times of hardship; "And when distress touches you at sea, lost are those whom you call upon except Him"; and the times of response are more deserving of supplication than others; and the state of prostration; especially with weeping; and humility; is the best of them: "The closest that a servant is to his Lord is when he is prostrating"; the adversaries among the Arabs seemed to say - because this is their affair; and their right; after the evidence was established -: We believe; so teach us how to call; and by what name we should invoke; and when the Majestic is the name that encompasses all meanings of the Most Beautiful Names; and it has been mentioned in "An-Nahl"; with the mention of it in a way that has not been mentioned in others; due to the previous secrets; although it counted among them blessings that were not counted in others; and among them is teaching man eloquence; and that is more appropriate for the name of the Most Merciful: "The Most Merciful taught the Quran"; the verses; and the mercy - worldly and otherworldly - from the Creator; and from the created beings; has been repeated in this Surah eight times: "Perhaps your Lord will have mercy on you"; "The wing of humility from the mercy"; "And say, My Lord, have mercy upon them both"; "Seeking mercy from your Lord"; "Your Lord knows best about you; if He wills, He will have mercy upon you"; "Indeed, He has always been merciful to you"; "Except for a mercy from your Lord"; "The treasures of my Lord's mercy"; and this was evident in the intention of its universality; so the name of the Most Merciful was more appropriate; the answer was with His saying (Exalted is He): "Say, Call upon Allah"; meaning: the Greatest King; the Possessor of Glory and Honor; in the essence of His encompassing; "Or call upon the Most Merciful"; in the meaning of His encompassing with mercy; meaning: invoke - that is: make your supplication while naming - your Lord whom you glorified in prostration; by any name you wish; from what He has permitted; so call upon this name indicative of majesty; and the right to invoke it for its essence; or by this name indicative of beauty; and the right to invoke it for His blessings absolutely; and in the state of prostration; "Whichever you call upon"; meaning: by it from His names; you have achieved your intention with it; for the named is one; even if His names indicating honor are many; and when there is in the Most Merciful an evident beauty; within it is a majesty; because the universality of mercy is for some blessings; and for some it is a trial and punishment; so it was thus comprehensive of all the Most Beautiful Names; and the highest attributes; it caused by mentioning each of the two names the comprehensive knowledge; and the description that occurs in its place; His saying: "So to Him"; meaning: the one named by these two names alone; and He is the One, the Unique; "The Most Beautiful Names"; these two names (and others) that have been reported from the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -; and it indicates praise; and glorification; and sanctification; and exaltation; so this pronoun is a usage; and this saying implies that the meaning of the name the Most Merciful is more comprehensive than the name the Most Compassionate; even if the structure of each of them is for exaggeration; Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Harali - may Allah have mercy on him - said in his explanation of the Most Beautiful Names -: The mercy of the Most Merciful is the encompassing of creation with mercy in their creation; and the mercy of the Most Compassionate is the conduct of creation according to what aligns with their senses; and suits their creation; and their character; and the intention of their hearts; so if that is specific to some, it is the Most Compassionate; and if it is encompassing, it is the Most Merciful; and for the encompassing meaning of the name the Most Merciful, the existence of creation was not necessary for the completeness of its meaning; so it does not impose a right upon any of them; rather, there exists in them a specific share of its meaning; it is governed by the name the Most Compassionate; not the name the Most Merciful; and for this reason, the name the Most Merciful was linked in the meaning of its encompassing with the name of Allah in the essence of His encompassing; so He said (Exalted is He): "Say, Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful"; so when the heart realizes its specificity with Allah in knowledge; it becomes a basis for the utterance of it in speech; so you know that there is no Most Merciful except Allah; just as there is no deity except Allah; and it is linked to the name of the deity; thus, the completeness of its meaning in creation has been known; just as the original knowledge of consideration has been lost from its meaning in the name "Deity"; and the oneness in the name the Most Merciful is obligatory; it is linked to the obligation in the oneness of the deity; and for this reason, the name of Allah has been mentioned in its instances in the books; and in this enumeration; that is: the instances mentioned in the hadith of al-Tirmidhi; and al-Bazzar; and others; from the Most Beautiful Names of Allah; from Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him -; it has ended.

And it has passed in the end of 'Al-Hijr' what is beneficial here.

And when he mentioned prostration and followed it with supplication, he indicated that it is good in every situation; and in prayer, it is more appropriate and better. After he mentioned the five daily prayers, it may have been understood from his words: "Indeed, the recitation of the Qur'an at dawn is witnessed" [Al-Isra: 78] and from his words: "When it is recited to them" [Al-Isra: 107] the strength of reciting it aloud. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said: "And do not raise your voice in your prayer"; meaning: in your recitation in it; or he named the recitation prayer because it is a condition in it. It is a strong recitation so that the polytheists can hear it; for the opponents are known for their stubbornness; and it is not safe from their abuse of the Qur'an; and of the One who revealed it; and of the one who brought it. Rather, they would do that and engage in frivolous talk; and they would sometimes clap and whistle to confuse the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - and mix up his recitation. "And do not whisper"; meaning: keep it secret; "with it"; with a profound secrecy; as if you are debating it with another, such that you do not make those behind you hear it, so they can take it from you. "And seek"; meaning: strive with all your effort; "between that"; meaning: the loud recitation and the whispering; which the tool of distance has made clear the greatness of their status. "A way"; meaning: a middle path. Al-Bukhari narrated in the tafsir from Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with them both - regarding this verse, he said: "It was revealed while the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - was hiding in Mecca; when he prayed with his companions, he raised his voice with the Qur'an. When the polytheists heard him, they would curse the Qur'an and the One who revealed it and the one who brought it. So Allah, exalted and majestic, said to His Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - 'And do not raise your voice in your prayer'; meaning: in your recitation, so that the polytheists hear it and curse the Qur'an; 'And do not whisper with it'; from your companions; so do not make them hear it.'" End.

Here, he has named the whole after the part, indicating that the intended meaning is prayer; and previously, the name of the part was mentioned for the whole, because the greatest intended meaning there is the recitation at dawn. Al-Bukhari narrated from Aisha - may Allah be pleased with her - that this verse was revealed regarding supplication; and it has been mentioned more than once that it is not unusual for there to be many causes for a thing.

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