'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Surah Al-Imran

'In the name of Allah,' the One who is unique in encompassing perfection, 'the Most Gracious,' whose mercy of creation encompasses every creature, and has clarified for those accountable the path of salvation. 'The Most Merciful,' who has chosen the people of monotheism as the place of His intimacy and the gathering of His holiness.

The objectives for which this surah has been revealed are the affirmation of the oneness of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and the declaration that the leadership of the world through wealth, children, and other things that the disbelievers prefer over Islam does not benefit them at all in this world or in the Hereafter. What has been prepared for the righteous from paradise and pleasure is what should be sought after and hastened towards. [And in describing the righteous with faith, supplication, patience, truthfulness, humility, and spending, and seeking forgiveness] many of the various styles of this surah relate to this. This is what first appeared to me.

It is better that we specify the primary aim, which is monotheism, as the main focus in it, for the other two matters return to it. This is because the description of being Sustainer necessitates the establishment of uprightness. The establishment is upon every soul, and uprightness is justice, as He said: 'Standing in justice' [Al-Imran: 18], meaning with the punishment of the disobedient and the reward of the obedient, which necessitates for the successful one to abandon disobedience and adhere to obedience. This perspective is more fitting for the arrangement, for when Al-Fatiha was comprehensive of the religion in general, the details came adjacent to that. Thus, it began with the surah of the Book that encompasses the matter of religion, then with the surah of monotheism, which is the secret of the word of praise [and] the first letters of Al-Fatiha, for monotheism is the matter upon which no structure can stand except upon it. When the path was established and the foundation was firm, what followed called for gathering upon that.

And also, when the matter of the Book was established in Al-Baqarah that it is guidance and the five pillars of Islam were established by it, this surah came to affirm the comprehensive call in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'O mankind, worship your Lord' [Al-Baqarah: 21]. Thus, He affirmed His oneness by negating the divinity of others by affirming that Jesus, peace be upon him, who used to bring the dead to life, is His servant, so others are even more so. When it was established that all are His servants, the surah of An-Nisa called for their turning to Him and gathering upon Him.

And among the indications that the aim of it is monotheism is its naming after the family of Imran. For if it did not express it in this surah, what was expressed by Him, glorified and exalted is He, in it from their news with what it contains of evidence for the complete power that necessitates monotheism, which is not in the degree of faith higher than it, for it is the crown that is the specific attribute of the tangible king, just as monotheism is His rational attribute. Monotheism necessitates the blooming of the one adorned with it, and for this reason, she was named Al-Zahra.

The primary aim is monotheism.

The relevance of this first part to the beginning of what precedes it is that when the last part of Al-Baqarah is, in reality, Ayat Al-Kursi, and what follows it is merely an explanation. This is because it clarifies the matter of religion in such a way that there remains no target for the obstinate, nor astonishment from the condition of those who argue about divinity or dismiss something from the ability, without considering what this verse contains of evidence, despite its clarity. It also indicates the reasoning for resurrection by the matter of the grains, in a form guiding to what is beneficial on the day when the benefit of trade, friendship, and intercession is denied from expenditures. It clarifies some of what relates to that and affirms the matter of His ownership of what is spent from the heavens and the earth. It informs of the faith of the Messenger and his followers in that, and that they do not differentiate between any of the messengers referred to in the surah. It also speaks of their sincerity in supplicating for the lifting of the burdens that were upon those before them from the Children of Israel and others, and for victory over the general disbelievers. Since this is in this manner, this conclusion is most appropriately matched to the beginning of this surah with what faith has been placed in it, glorified and exalted is He, and the desires were directed at the end of that towards Him. It is even better that when His Book was revealed to us, it gathered its objectives in Al-Fatiha in a way that guided to the request for guidance, then began detailing what it gathered in Al-Fatiha. It guided in the beginning of Al-Baqarah that guidance is in this Book, and clarified that with the truth of the meaning and structure as previously mentioned until he concluded Al-Baqarah with the news of His chosen servants believing in what has been revealed with hearing and obedience. He made this clear along with the direction of supplication to the Revealer for Him that He, glorified and exalted is He, has everything and in His hand is victory. He knows that He is One with no partner, Alive and does not die, Sustainer who does not become heedless, and that what He has revealed is the truth. He stated the beginning of this with what He made clear at the end of that, just as the result is stated after the premises that produce it. He said: 'Allah,' meaning the One who does not humiliate those who are loyal to Him nor honor those who oppose Him, for He encompasses all attributes of perfection and complete purity from any blemish of deficiency.

And Al-Harali said, indicating the correct saying regarding the arrangement of the Surahs, that it is by the ijtihad of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, in confirmation of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, for this organization and arrangement of the Surahs in the established text of this book: it is what Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has accepted and confirmed. When Surah Al-Fatiha is comprehensive of all matters of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, regarding what pertains to Him, and what pertains to His servant, and what is between Him and His servant, it became the Mother of the Quran and the Mother of the Book. He made a dual detailing of what pertains to the Book, informing about its position in Al-Fatiha, incorporating Surah Al-Baqarah to what it has announced by the brilliance of the verse of Al-Kursi in it. The position of this Surah from the dual detailing of what pertains to the specific announcement of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, in Al-Fatiha, was that the status of Surah Al-Imran is like that of the crown of the rider, and the status of Surah Al-Baqarah is like that of the hump of the camel. He, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'For everything there is a hump, and the hump of the Quran is Surah Al-Baqarah. For everything there is a crown, and the crown of the Quran is Surah Al-Imran.' This arrangement of the Surah of the Book began because the knowledge of the Book is closer to the addressed than receiving the announcement of the command of Allah. Therefore, in learning Surah Al-Baqarah and acting upon it, there is preparation to receive what Surah Al-Imran contains. This allows for gradual progression and training in receiving the Book, memorizing it, and receiving it through the recitation of the one who revealed the Book with what he has made clear in this Surah. Thus, it becomes clear that the encompassing of 'Alif Lam Meem' revealed at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah is a textual encompassing of what is its establishment and completion, and a connection between its establishment and completion. And that the encompassing of 'Alif Lam Meem' revealed at the beginning of this Surah is a divine encompassing of life-sustaining essence from the hidden greatness of His name 'Allah' to the completion of His evident sustaining essence in the blessedness of what His name has informed about: 'The Ever-Living, the Sustainer.' And what His kindness has connected from the content of His Oneness, informing about it by the word of sincerity in His saying: 'There is no deity except Him.' Therefore, this collection in its position is a literal Quran, a verbal Quran, an essential Quran, and a detailed Quran of what is His greatest name, as previously mentioned from His saying.

The name of [Allah] the Most Great in these two verses: ﴿And your God is one God. There is no deity except Him, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 163] ﴿Alif Lam Meem﴾ ﴿Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence﴾. And just as there was an indication in Surah Al-Baqarah when it was made clear in Surah Al-Imran, likewise, there was in Al-Imran something similar to what was detailed in Surah Al-Baqarah, so that it becomes a single abode by which the content of each surah is clarified by the indication of the other. Therefore, they are two clouds and two shades over their reciters on the Day of Resurrection, as has been mentioned, they do not separate. The greatest of ﴿Alif Lam Meem﴾ is the content of ﴿Alif Lam Meem﴾ with which this surah was opened, and following it in rank is what was opened with [Surah Al-Baqarah, and following it in rank is what was opened with] the surahs of the verses, similar to His saying, glorified and exalted is He ﴿Alif Lam Meem﴾ [Luqman: 1] ﴿These are the verses of the Wise Book﴾ [Luqman: 2]. For the Wise Book has a comprehensive nature, completeness, and connection. (p-202) And for the absolute book, there is likewise a comprehensive nature, and the comprehensiveness of comprehensiveness, and the greatest of greatness is the comprehensiveness of the opening of this surah. Likewise, the Lamim are encompassing with the comprehensiveness of the Ta-seem regarding what the meanings of its letters specialize in, without the comprehensiveness of the letters of the Lamim. And the comprehensiveness of the Ha-mim without the comprehensiveness of the Ta-seem regarding what the meanings of its letters specialize in, without the comprehensiveness of the letters of the Ta-seem, as becomes clear in its arrangement and knowledge for whoever Allah has granted understanding of the status of the Qur'an of the specific letters with which this nation was sent down, unlike other nations, which [is] from the eternal, exalted knowledge. Then he said: And when the greatest comprehensiveness is the comprehensiveness of [the greatness of His name] 'Allah' which is the name of the ninety-nine names, the first of which is 'Ilah', what was understood here at the beginning of understanding is the name of Alif based on the meaning of the comprehensiveness of the letters regarding the comprehensiveness of His name 'Allah' among the names. Thus, this Alif was the name of every Alif just as His name 'Allah', glorified and exalted is He, was the name of every other name, until it became the name of all foreign names which are His names, glorified and exalted is He, in all tongues, along with the Arabic names, names for a named which is this great name (p-203) which is 'Allah' the One, upon whom no polytheism has approached, just as it has approached His names from His name 'Ilah' to the end of His name 'As-Sabur'. And just as the comprehensiveness of this Alif is the greatest literal comprehensiveness and the other Alifs are names for the greatness of His comprehensiveness; likewise, this Meem is the greatest comprehensiveness of Meem that was detailed in it and it had names akin to what the other Alifs are names for the named of this Alif, likewise all the Meems are names for the named of this Meem, just as His name ﴿The Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence﴾ is the greatest completion of every greatness from His names of greatness. And likewise, this Lam is akin to His Alif and Meem, and it is the Lam of divinity whose secrets are subtle in descending to the completeness of His Meem of Sustenance; so whoever does not reach understanding of the meanings of the letters in this opening, the address descends to him regarding what is the clarification of its comprehensiveness in the word and the organized speech in His saying: ﴿Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence﴾. So it is a literal Qur'an detailed by a verbal Qur'an detailed by a speech Qur'an that has ended. So His saying: ﴿Allah﴾ means the One whom the Messenger and his followers believed in due to His comprehensiveness with attributes of perfection. ﴿There is no deity except Him﴾ means He is unique, there is no equal for Him. So your intention towards Him with desire and reliance upon Him in the matter has succeeded. Al-Harali said: What this great name [that is] Allah has declared in this (p-204) opening is what He has made known in His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Say, He is Allah, One﴾ [Al-Ikhlas: 1]. And when the comprehensiveness of greatness is a specific matter because greatness in relation to Allah is only known by the possessor of a secret, it was evident to those who are not of the people of understanding from the ranks of the people of knowledge His name 'Allah As-Samad' which is the one to whom needs and desires are directed, specific to the exaltation and highness, which is said to the believer about: Where is Allah? He says: In the heavens, to the extent of highness that he says: Above the Throne. So that is the Samad whom His name has informed about the deity which has imposed the obligation of sincerity and monotheism since idols were worshipped on earth. Therefore, we combine the monotheism of His name the deity with the uniqueness of a named which is from His great name 'Allah', and he returned to it with the name of the implied which is in the natures of souls and the instincts of hearts, which you find hidden in their depths, so you say about it: He is. So this address began with the great manifest name ending with the implied name, just as the address of ﴿Say, He is Allah, One﴾ [Al-Ikhlas: 1] [began with the implied name ending with the great manifest name, and likewise also the greatest name of Allah in Surah ﴿Say, He is Allah, One﴾ [Al-Ikhlas: 1]] as it is in [this] opening.

And when the creation of My servants has a need for a sustainer, who does not remain for the blink of an eye without His sustainer, the sustainer of the creation is His sign, which is life. As long as it lives, it remains, and when it dies, it perishes and is destroyed; it has ended. And when the one who is unique in sovereignty from the people of this world dies, He said: "The Living," meaning the true life that has no death with it. And when the Living may need a minister for His incapacity to suffice by Himself in all matters, He said: "The Sustainer," indicating that by Him, everything stands, and He is standing over everything. Al-Harali said: Just as life is by a breath from His command, every cohesive thing in its form is alive by His sustenance. It has ended.

And in His description of that, there is an indication that He is capable of aiding His soldiers, honoring His religion, and supporting His ally. And it encourages vigilance in striving against His enemies and continuous submission to Him and humility towards Him. And when it is from the meaning of the Sustainer that He is the planner of interests, the indication connected with it is the revelation of what encompasses that, which is the book mentioned in His saying: "By what has been revealed to him from his Lord" [Al-Baqarah: 285], and the books mentioned at the beginning of Al-Baqarah in His saying: "By what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you" [Al-Baqarah: 4], and at its end [by His saying] "and His books and His messengers" [Al-Baqarah: 285], which among them are the Torah and the Gospel, in which the burdens have been lifted from us. Then He explained after that the matter of formation in the wombs, and that is because interests are of two types: spiritual and bodily. And the noblest of the spiritual interests is knowledge, which is the spirit, like the spirit for the body, for it becomes by it a polished mirror in which the images of realities are reflected. And the noblest of the bodily interests is the adjustment of temperament and the arrangement of the body in the best form. And He prioritized the spiritual, which the book is responsible for, because it is more noble.