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

Tafsir of Surah Al-Imran

This surah is Madani by consensus, as far as I know. Al-Naqqash mentioned that the name of this surah in the Torah is Tayyibah.

His saying, exalted is He:

﴿Alif Lam Meem﴾ ﴿Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence﴾ ﴿He has sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel﴾ ﴿before, as guidance for the people. And He sent down the Criterion. Indeed, those who disbelieve in the verses of Allah will have a severe punishment, and Allah is Exalted in Might, Owner of Retribution﴾

The mention of the disagreement among the scholars regarding the letters at the beginning of the surahs has already been discussed in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah. As for what has come in this surah, ﴿Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence﴾ is a complete statement in itself. Thus, all those sayings can be imagined regarding: 'Alif Lam Meem' in this surah. Al-Jurjani went in his arrangement to say that the best of the sayings here is that 'Alif Lam Meem' refers to the letters of the alphabet, as if he is saying: 'These letters are your Book' or something like that. His saying, ﴿Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence﴾ ﴿He has sent down to you the Book﴾ indicates what he has left unmentioned regarding the letters. He said: And that in his arrangement is similar to His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Is one whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so he is upon a light from his Lord﴾ [Az-Zumar: 22] and leaving the answer for the indication of His saying: ﴿So woe to those whose hearts are hardened from the remembrance of Allah﴾ [Az-Zumar: 22] is understood as: like one whose heart has hardened.

And from it is the saying of the poet:

Do not bury me, for my burial is forbidden to you, but leave me for the one who is called: 'Khamiri Umm Amir'.

The understanding is: But leave me for the one who is called: 'Khamiri Umm Amir'.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

It is appropriate in this saying that "He revealed" is the news of His saying "Allah" so that the speech connects to this meaning. And what the judge al-Jurjani mentioned in this has some consideration, because such a thing is not a correct analogy to the meaning he inclined towards. What he said regarding the verse is possible, but the more eloquent in the arrangement of the verse is that "Alif Lam Mim" does not include what follows it into itself in meaning. And that "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer" is a statement that is certainly an independent sentence responding to the Christians of Najran who came to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and argued with him about Jesus, son of Mary, saying: He is Allah. This is because Ibn Ishaq and al-Rabi' and others who mentioned the biographies narrated that "the delegation of Najran came to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him: sixty Christians riding, among them were fourteen of their nobles, and among the fourteen were three men to whom their affair returned: the chief, the leader of the people and their advisor, whose name was Abd al-Masih, and the lord Thimal, who was their companion and whose name was al-Ayham, and Abu Harithah ibn Alqamah, one of the Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il, their bishop and scholar. They entered upon the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in the mosque after the Asr prayer, wearing cloaks and garments. The companions of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: We have not seen a delegation like them in beauty and majesty. And when their prayer time came, they stood and prayed in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, towards the east. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Leave them." Then they remained in Medina for days debating with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, about Jesus and claiming that he is Allah, among other ugly and conflicting statements, while the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, responded to them with clear proofs and they could not see. And the beginning of this Surah was revealed concerning them, up to eighty verses, until their affair ended with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, calling them to invoke Allah together." And the explanation of that will come.

And the seven reciters read "Alam Allah" with a fathah on the mim and the alif omitted. It was narrated from Asim that he made the mim silent and then cut off the alif. The first was narrated by Hafs, who is like the majority, and the second was narrated by Abu Bakr, and al-Farra' mentioned it from Asim. Abu Ja'far al-Ruhasi and Abu Haywah read "Alami" with a kasrah on the mim for the meeting, and that is poor because the ya' prevents that. The correct reading is the fathah, which is the reading of the majority of the people. Abu Ali said: The letters of the alphabet are based on stopping, so the mim is silent and the lam is silent. The mim was moved with a fathah as the nun is moved in your saying: "from Allah" and "from the Muslims" and so on.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And whoever said that the movement of the hamzah was placed on the mim, that is weak due to their consensus that the alif al-mawsulah in the definite article is omitted in connection, so what is omitted does not have its movement placed upon it, as Abu Ali said.

The interpretation of His saying: "The Ever-Living, the Sustainer" in the Ayat al-Kursi has already been mentioned. The verse here is a report to all people, and it has been repeated here as a report for the arguments of these Christians, and to respond to them that these attributes cannot be claimed for 'Isa, peace be upon him. Because when they say that he was crucified, that is death in their belief without a doubt, as it is evident that he is not a Sustainer.

The majority of the reciters read "the Sustainer" with the weight of Fa'il. Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, and Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, and Alqamah ibn Qais read "the Sustainer" with the weight of Fay'al. It has also been narrated from Alqamah that he read "the Sustainer" with the weight of Fa'il. All of this is from: he stood by the matter, he sustains it if he undertakes its preservation and all that is needed for its existence. So Allah, the Exalted, is the Sustainer of everything in the manner that befits Him or in it or upon it.

The sending down of the Book by Allah is through the angel Jibril, peace be upon him. And "the Book" in this context is the Qur'an, by agreement of the interpreters. The majority of the people read "He sent down to you" with emphasis on the zay of "the Book" with the ba being in the accusative case. Ibrahim al-Nakha'i read "The Book has been sent down to you" with the zay being lightened and the ba in the nominative case. This verse necessitates that His saying: "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer" is an independent and distinct statement.

And His saying "with the truth" carries two meanings: one of them is that the meaning is among the truths of His goodness, His commands, His prohibitions, and His admonitions. The ba is in its original sense in His saying: "A book came to me with the news of such and such," meaning that news is contained in it. The second is that the meaning is that He sent down the Book with the right to be sent down for what is in it of comprehensive benefit, and this does not mean that it is obligatory upon Allah, the Exalted, to do so, but it is right for Him to do so. The ba in this meaning is in its original sense in His saying, recounting about 'Isa, peace be upon him: "Glorified are You! It is not for me to say what is not right for me" [Al-Ma'idah: 116]. Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr said: The meaning of His saying "with the truth" is that it is from what the people of the Book have differed in and what these incoming Christians have been confused about, and this falls under the first meaning.

And "confirming" is a confirming state, and it is a non-transferable state because it is not possible for him to be other than one who confirms what is before him from the Book of Allah. It is like the saying of Ibn Darah: I am Ibn Darah, known by it is my lineage ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ And is there any disgrace for the people in Darah?

And "what is before him" refers to the Torah, the Gospel, and other Books of Allah that have been received from our Shari'ah, such as the Psalms and the Scrolls. And what is "before the hand" in these incidents is what has preceded in time.

'The Torah and the Gospel' are two names whose origin is Hebrew. However, grammarians and the people of language have derived them based on Arabic roots. They said regarding the Torah: that it is from 'wariyā' (to ignite) when its fire is kindled and appears. It is said: 'Awraytuhu fa-wariyā.' From this is the saying of Allah, the Most High: 'The kindlers' and His saying: 'Have you seen the fire that you kindle?' [Al-Waqi'a: 71]. Abu Ali said: As for their saying: 'Wariyat bi-ka zindī' in the form of fa'ila, Abu Uthman claimed that this was only used in this context and did not extend beyond it. The Torah, according to Al-Khalil, Sibawayh, and the other Basri grammarians, is a form of fa'ala, like 'hawqala.' Its root is 'wuriya,' where the first waw is changed to a ta, just as it is changed in 'tawlaja,' whose root is 'wawlaja' from 'wajahat.' Al-Zajjaj narrated from some of the Kufans that the Torah's origin is 'tafa'ala' with a fatḥa on the 'ayn, from 'wariyat bi-ka zindī.' Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It should be from 'awrayta,' thus it is 'tawriya.' Some of them said: It is valid for it to be 'tafa'ila' with a kasra on the 'ayn, like 'tawsiya,' then it was reverted to 'tafa'ala' with a fatḥa on the 'ayn. Al-Zajjaj said, and it seems he permits in 'tawsiya' the form 'tawsi'a,' and that is not commonly heard. In any case, since the yā' became opened before it and it moved, it turned into an alif, thus it is said: 'Torah.' Abu Ali favored the opinion of the Basri grammarians and others weakened it. Ibn Kathir, Ibn Amir, and Asim read 'the Torah' with an open 'rā.' Hamza and Nafi' pronounced the 'rā' between the two pronunciations of opening and breaking. Likewise, he did so in his saying: 'with the righteous' and 'from the wicked' and 'from a resting place' when the preceding letter is softened. Al-Musayyibi narrated from Nafi' the opening of the 'rā' in 'the Torah,' and Warsh narrated from him the breaking of it. Abu Amr and Al-Kisai broke the 'rā' in 'the Torah' and inclined 'from the righteous' and others more than the inclination of Hamza and Nafi'. They said regarding the Gospel: that it is if'īl from 'najl,' which is the water that flows from the earth. Al-Khalil said: 'The earth became 'stanjalat' when water came out of it. 'Najl' also means offspring and progeny, as stated by Al-Khalil and others. 'Najlahu abūhu' means 'he fathered him.' From this is the saying of Al-A'sha: 'He fathered during the days of his parents when they fathered him, so blessed is what he fathered.' Ibn Sidah said about Abu Ali: The meaning of his saying: 'during the days of his parents' is like saying: 'I am by Allah and by you.' Abu Al-Fath said: The meaning of the verse is: 'His parents fathered him during the days when they fathered him,' it is like saying: 'at that time' and 'on that day,' but it is a state of the doer between the added which is 'days' and the added to it which is 'when.' This verse is also narrated as: 'He fathered during the days of his parents.' 'Najl' means throwing something, and that is also from the meaning of appearance and parting from something piece by piece. Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zajjaji narrated in his anecdotes that the father is called 'najl,' and that the term is among the opposites. As for the verse of Zuhayr, the correct narration in it is: 'And every male has offspring.'

O noble child and offspring. Al-Asma'i narrated in what was reported "about him" "and every branch of his is a descendant," and this can only be understood as the naming of the father as a descendant. Al-Zajjaj said: The Gospel is derived from [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN:najl] which is the origin, so this leans towards what Abu al-Qasim reported. Abu al-Fath said: The Torah is from [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN:wara] the firebrand when its flame appears, and the Gospel is from [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN:najal] when its offspring appears, or from the appearance of water from the earth. It is extracted either from the Preserved Tablet or from the Torah. And "the Criterion" is from the distinction between truth and falsehood. Its letters are different, and the meaning is close to one another, as all of them mean: the appearance of truth, the clarification of the law, and its separation from other falsehoods. Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan read "the Gospel" - with the hamzah opened - and that does not align with the speech of the Arabs, but it is protected by the status of Al-Hasan in eloquence, and that he does not read except with what he narrated. I see that he inclined towards the foreign names. And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿before﴾ means before the Quran. And His saying: "a guidance for the people" means a call, and the people are the Children of Israel in this context, for they are the ones being called by it and no one else. If he intended that they are guidance in themselves, called to Pharaoh and others, it is designated for whoever is guided by it. The people is general for anyone who wishes at that time to gain insight. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And here He said "for the people," and in the Quran He said: "a guidance for the righteous." And that is, in my view, because this is a mere report, and His saying: "a guidance for the righteous" is a report associated with the call and the turning towards faith. Thus, the description is appropriate, so that the listener may feel energized and hasten. He mentioned the guidance which is the establishment of guidance in the heart, and here he only mentioned the guidance which is the call, and the guidance which is in itself prepared for the people to be guided by it, so it was named guidance for that reason. Ibn Furak said: The intended meaning here is: a guidance for the righteous among the people, and this generality refers back to that specificity, and there is consideration in this.

And Al-Furqan is the Quran. It was named so because it distinguishes between truth and falsehood. Muhammad ibn Ja'far said: It distinguishes between truth and falsehood in the matter of Jesus, peace be upon him, about which the delegation argued. Qatadah, Al-Rabi', and others said: It distinguishes between truth and falsehood in the rulings of the laws, and in what is lawful and unlawful, and similar matters. Al-Furqan encompasses all of this. Some of the interpreters said: Al-Furqan here refers to every matter that distinguishes between truth and falsehood, in what has come before and what is new. This includes the flood of Noah, the parting of the sea for the drowning of Pharaoh, the Day of Badr, and all of Allah's actions that distinguish between truth and falsehood. It is as if He, glorified and exalted is He, mentioned the glorious book, then the Torah and the Gospel, and then all of His actions and creations that have distinguished between truth and falsehood, just as these books did. Then He threatened the disbelievers generally with severe punishment, which includes the punishment of this world by the sword and dominance, and the punishment of the Hereafter by fire. The reference in this threat is to the Christians of Najran. Al-Naqqash said it refers to the Jews, such as Ka'b ibn Al-Ashraf, Ka'b ibn Asad, and the sons of Al-Akhtab and others.

And 'Aziz means: dominant. Everything has humbled itself before Him. And punishment and vengeance refer to the punishment of the sinner with severity in that.