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

The Surah of As-Saff, and it is called the Disciples.

Its purpose is to encourage complete striving in gathering upon one heart in the struggle against those whom the test calls to disavow, by leading them to the true religion, or by affirming their right to the utmost truth, purifying the Most High King from associating partners with Him, and safeguarding His most sacred aspect from falsehood, and indicating the truth in disavowing them and harboring enmity towards them. Thus, it is the result of Surah At-Tawbah, and it is more indicative of this purpose than the Surah of As-Saff by reflecting upon its verses and contemplating what it has of great benefit in its beginning and during it [and its end]. Likewise, the Disciples are 'In the name of Allah' the Greatest King, to whom belongs all command, for there is none equal to Him, 'the Most Gracious' who has encompassed with the blessing of expression that which pleases Him from those who oppose Him. Indeed, He has legislated for everyone to either reject or accept it, 'the Most Merciful' who has specifically completed the favor leading to the abode of peace for whomever He wills of His servants, and has prepared and qualified them for that.

* *When the test concluded with the command to purify Him, glorified is He, from taking as allies those who oppose His command by turning away from them and disavowing them, following the people of As-Saff who are detached from all else besides Allah, especially those who, when it was said to them, 'There is no deity but Allah,' were arrogant, the Surah opened with what is like the reason for that, as it said: 'Glory be to Allah.' This means: He established the greatest purification for the Greatest King, to whom belongs 'whatever is in the heavens' of all things, which He does not overlook from their orbits and stars, and other than that from their jewels and attributes in their rising and setting, and their movement in their departure and return, and the creation of clouds and the sending down of waters, and other than that. And when the address was with those other than the pure ones, He emphasized it by saying: 'and whatever is in the earth,' meaning by complying with all that is intended from it, which is like the commanded with respect to the actions of the rational ones, from the descent of waters and the emergence of plants from the stars and trees, and the ripening of grains and fruits - and other than that from the minor and major matters.

And when the compliance of the irrational and the disobedience of the rational might imply a deficiency, He said: 'And He is' meaning alone, with no partner for Him, 'the Mighty' meaning the one of great benefit who prevails over everything and nothing prevails over Him, and it is difficult to reach [Him], 'the Wise' meaning the one who places things in their most perfect places. So, what the rational one has been enabled to do in disobedience is only to manifest the attributes of perfection from knowledge, power, forbearance, generosity, mercy, anger, and other than that. And He, the Exalted, has known by this purification and concluded His verse with these two attributes that He, the Exalted, is purified from what the despair of the mentioned disbelievers entails [that] there is no resurrection and from making for them, glorified is He, a share in the Hereafter, for both the absence of resurrection and the equal treatment between the wrongdoer and the good-doer is a deficiency.

And Imam Abu Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr said: It began with glorification because it was concluded with it in the Surah of Al-Mumtahana from His saying, "Do not take a people as allies whom Allah is angry with" [Al-Mumtahana: 13], and they are the Jews. The indication of what they have deserved by this has already been mentioned, so he followed it with glorification for what has been previously explained. This is from what he has criticized regarding the mention of the crimes committed, and it does not apply in other than that. Then he followed that with the command to the servants to be faithful, which is what He has prescribed for them in Al-Mumtahana, to distance themselves from the state of those deserving of anger by opposing faithfulness and contradicting with hearts [and tongues]. "They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts" [Al-Fath: 11]. "Twisting with their tongues and attacking the religion" [An-Nisa: 46]. "Among those who said, 'We have believed' with their mouths, but their hearts did not believe" [Al-Ma'idah: 41]. "And they say, 'We have believed in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obeyed,' then a group of them turns away" [An-Nur: 47]. With the totality of this, they have gathered the curse and anger. So it was said to the believers: "O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do?" [As-Saff: 2]. Beware that your conditions do not resemble the state of those who have deserved wrath, curse, and anger. Then he followed with good reward for whoever fulfills a saying, a covenant, a tongue, and a conscience, and remains steadfast on [what] he has been commanded. He said: "Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in rows" [As-Saff: 4]. Then he connected what follows. And when the mention of this purpose in the Surah of Al-Mumtahana has come in the manner of advice and the path of counsel and compassion, he followed in Surah As-Saff with explicit reprimand in that and denial, so that it would be after [what] you prepare in the Surah before I engage in rebuke. And contemplate how much there is between His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "O you who have believed, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies" [Al-Mumtahana: 1], and what it contains of kindness, and between His saying: "Why do you say what you do not do?" [As-Saff: 2]. "It is greatly hated by Allah that you say what you do not do" [As-Saff: 3]. - End.