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

Tafsir of Surah Fussilat

This surah is Meccan by consensus of the commentators. It is narrated that 'Utbah ibn Rabiah went to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, to clarify to him the matter of his opposition to his people. He intended to argue with him about what was between him and them, and to refute what he brought. When 'Utbah spoke, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, recited: "Ha-Mim" and continued through the beginning of this surah until he reached the saying of Allah, the Exalted: ﴿But if they turn away, then say, 'I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of 'Aad and Thamud'﴾ [Fussilat: 13]. The elder trembled, and the hair on his body stood on end. He held the mouth of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, with his hand and implored him by the ties of kinship to stop. He said when he parted from him: "By Allah, I have heard something that is neither poetry nor magic nor divination, and I thought that the thunderbolt of punishment was upon my head."

The saying of the Exalted: ﴿Ha-Mim﴾ ﴿A revelation from the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful﴾ ﴿A Book whose verses have been detailed, an Arabic Qur'an for a people who know﴾ ﴿A bearer of good news and a warner. But most of them turned away, so they do not hear﴾ ﴿And they said, 'Our hearts are in coverings from what you call us to, and in our ears is deafness, and between us and you is a barrier. So work; indeed, we are working.'﴾ ﴿Say, 'Indeed, I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your God is one God. So remain steadfast to Him and seek forgiveness from Him. And woe to the polytheists﴾ ﴿Who do not give zakah, and they, in the Hereafter, are disbelievers."

The previous discussion has been mentioned regarding the beginnings of the surahs that pertain to the Ha-Mim. Al-A'mash inclined to read "Ha-Mim" in all of them. And "A revelation" is the news of the beginning, either on the basis that the beginning is estimated in "Ha-Mim" according to what some sayings indicate regarding it, if it is made a name for the surah or for the Qur'an, or an indication of the letters of the alphabet. Or it could be that the estimation is: This is a revelation. It is also possible that "A revelation" is the beginning and its news is in the saying of the Exalted: ﴿A Book whose verses have been detailed﴾, meaning: it is one that has a revelation. And ﴿the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful﴾ are attributes of hope and mercy for Allah, glorified and exalted is He. And "detailed" means, as Al-Suddi said: Its verses have been clarified, meaning its meanings have been explained, so it distinguishes between what is lawful and what is unlawful, its prohibitions and commands, its promises and warnings. It has also been said: It was detailed in the revelation, meaning it was revealed in stages, and it did not descend all at once. It has also been said: It was detailed by the positions and types of the endings of the verses, and it did not return to a rhyme or similar to poetry and prose. And "Qur'an" is in the accusative case as an adverb according to some, and it is emphasized that this adverb does not change. A group has said: It is in the accusative case as a source. Another group has said: "Qur'an" is a preparatory term for the adverb, and "Arabic" is an adverb. And another group has said: "Qur'an" is in the accusative case as praise, and this is a weak saying.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿For a people who know﴾, a group said: Its meaning is: they know things and understand the signs and look upon the path of observation. It is as if the Qur'an's verses were detailed for these people, as they are the ones who can benefit from them. Thus, they were specifically mentioned as an honor. And whoever does not benefit from the details, it is as if it was not detailed for him. Another group said: ﴿"They know"﴾ is connected in meaning to His saying, exalted is He: ﴿"In Arabic"﴾, meaning: We made it in the speech of the Arabs for a people who understand its words and realize that nothing in it is outside the speech of the Arabs. It is as if the verse is a response to those who claimed that there is in the Book of Allah, exalted is He, something that is not in the speech of the Arabs. Knowledge - according to this interpretation - is more specific than the knowledge in the first interpretation, and the first is a more honorable meaning. It is clear that there is nothing in the Qur'an except what is from the speech of the Arabs, either according to the original of their language, or it was Arabized from the language of others, then it was mentioned in the Qur'an and it is Arabized and used.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Bringer of good tidings and a warner﴾ is a description of the Qur'an, meaning it gives good tidings to those who believe of Paradise and warns those who disbelieve of the Fire. The pronoun in ﴿"Most of them"﴾ refers back to the mentioned people. And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿So they do not hear﴾ is a negation of their beneficial hearing, which is considered as hearing. Then it was narrated from them their statement in which they distanced themselves from all distance, and they intended to discourage him from accepting their religion, which is: ﴿Our hearts are in coverings from what you call us to﴾. And "coverings" is the plural of "kinan", which is a form of "fa'al" and "af'ilah", and "kinan" is what gathers a thing and encloses it and prevents it from others. From it is "kin", and from it is "kinanah" of arrows, and with it Mujahid explained this verse. And "from" in their saying: ﴿From what you call us to﴾ indicates the beginning of the goal. Likewise, it is in their saying: ﴿And between us and you is a barrier﴾ confirming the beginning of the goal. And "the heaviness" is the weight in the ear that prevents hearing. Ibn Masrif read: "a weight" with a kasrah on the waw. And "the barrier" they referred to is their opposition to him and his call to Allah, exalted is He, without their idols, meaning: this is a matter that prevents us from you.

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

And this statement may carry with it an indication of seriousness in the conversation and involves distancing, and it may carry with it an indication of jest and mockery. Likewise, their saying: ﴿So work, indeed we are working﴾ may indicate a threat, and it may be a mere avoidance. The majority read: "Say, indeed" as a command to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. And Yahya ibn Thab, and Al-A'mash read: "Say, indeed" as a continuation and news about him. And this is the declaration of the oneness and the message.

'And His saying, the Most High: "Indeed, I am only a human like you," Al-Hasan said: Allah, the Most High, taught him humility. And "Indeed" in His saying, the Most High: "Indeed, your God is..." [Taha: 98] is a raising of the object whose doer has not been named. And His saying: "So be steadfast" means to be on the path of guidance and the way of the Shari'ah and Tawhid. This meaning is implied in His saying: "to Him." And "Woe" is sadness and destruction. Al-Tabari and others explained this verse by the ugliness of the people of the Fire and what flows from them. And His saying, the Most High: "Those who do not give zakah" Al-Hasan, Qatadah, and others said: it is the zakah of wealth. It has been narrated that zakah is the bridge of Islam; whoever cuts it has succeeded, and whoever avoids it has perished. This interpretation is supported by the words of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding zakah at the time of the apostasy. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, and the majority said: the zakah in this verse is "There is no god but Allah," which is Tawhid, as Musa, peace be upon him, said to Fir'aun: "Do you wish to purify yourself?" [An-Nazi'at: 18]. This interpretation is favored because the verse is from the early Meccan period, while the zakah of wealth was revealed in Medina. This is rather the zakah of the heart and body, meaning purifying them from shirk and sins. This was said by Mujahid and Al-Rabi'. And Al-Dahhak and Muqatil said: the meaning of zakah here is spending in acts of obedience. And the pronoun in His saying, the Most High: "they are disbelievers" is repeated for emphasis.