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

Tafsir of Surah Az-Zumar

This surah is Makki by consensus, except for three verses that were revealed regarding the killer of Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him. These are: "Say, O My servants who have believed, do not despair of the mercy of Allah" [Az-Zumar: 53]. A group said that rather the end of the surah is Madani, and it was said that there are seven verses in it that are Madani.

His saying, exalted is He:

"The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted, the Wise". "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book in truth, so worship Allah, making religion sincere for Him". "Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him (say), 'We only worship them so that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position.' Indeed, Allah will judge between them concerning that in which they used to differ".

"The revelation" is a subject raised, and the news is His saying: "from Allah". A group said: "The revelation" is a news of a subject, its meaning being: This is a revelation, and it refers to the Noble Qur'an. Ibn Abi Abla read: "revelation" with the lam in the accusative.

And "the Book" in His saying: "The revelation of the Book" is the Noble Qur'an. It appears to me that it is a general name for all that has been revealed from Allah of the Books, as if He informed in a general statement that the guiding and legislating Books are indeed revealed from Allah. He made this statement an introduction and a prelude to His saying: "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book". And "the Exalted" refers to His power, and "the Wise" refers to His innovation. And "the Book" here is the Qur'an, which cannot mean anything else. And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "in truth" has two meanings: One of them is that it means: containing the truth, that is, with the truth in it and in its rulings and news. The second is that it means: with the truth in the sense of deserving and obligation and encompassing benefit for the worlds in their guidance and their calling to Allah.

And His saying, exalted is He: "So worship Allah" may imply that the 'fa' is a conjunction linking a sentence to another sentence, and it may imply that it is like a response; because His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book in truth" is a sentence, as if it were a subject and a news, as if He said: The Book is revealed. In the sentences that are a subject and a news, there is ambiguity that resembles a reward, so the 'fa' came as a response, just as you say: Zayd is standing, so honor him. And similar to this is the saying of the poet:

And a woman said, 'Marry her people.'

The meaning is: These are the people of Khawlan. And "sincere" is a state. And "the religion" is in the accusative, and the meaning of the verse is the command to realize the intention for Allah in every action, and "the religion" here encompasses beliefs and the actions of the limbs. And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion" means: from His rights and from His obligations, He does not accept anything else. This is like His saying: "To Allah belongs all praise", that is, it is obligatory and deserved. Qatadah said: "The pure religion" is: There is no deity but Allah.

'And His saying, the Most High: "And those who have taken" is a subject raised by beginning, and its predicate is in the omitted estimation, its estimation being: "They say: We do not worship them." And in the Mus'haf of Ibn Mas'ud: [They said: We do not worship them], and this is the reading of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Ibn Jubair. And "awliya" means: those worshipped. This is a common saying among the Arabs, many of them would say in the pre-Islamic period: "The angels are the daughters of Allah, and we worship them to bring us closer." A group of them said this regarding their idols and statues. Mujahid said: A group of the Jews said this about Uzair, and a group of the Christians about Jesus. And in the Mus'haf of Ubayy ibn Ka'b: [We worship you] with the letter kaf, [to bring us closer] with the letter ta. And "zulfa" means: closeness and means of approach, as if he said: to bring us closer to Allah with a closeness. It seems that all these groups saw themselves as lesser than to connect directly with Allah, so they thought to connect with His creatures. And "zulfa" - according to Sibawayh - is a source in the position of the حال (state), as if it were placed in the position of: those seeking closeness, and the operative in it is "to bring us closer." This is the doctrine of Sibawayh and there is disagreement about it. The rest of the verse is a warning in this world and the Hereafter.