Commentary
'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: ﴿Say, 'I do not say to you that I have the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I follow only what is revealed to me.' Say, 'Are the blind and the seeing equal? Will you not then reflect?'﴾ ﴿And warn by it those who fear that they will be gathered to their Lord; they will have no protector or intercessor besides Him, so perhaps they will be conscious of Him.﴾ This is a response to those who say: 'Why has a sign not been sent down to him?' and to those who demand that an angel be sent down, or that he have a garden, or more than that, or something like this. The meaning is: 'I do not possess these attributes; therefore, I am not obliged to respond to your requests.' And His saying: ﴿I do not say to you that I have the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen﴾; it has two possible meanings. The more apparent one is that he means he is a human; he has nothing of the treasures of Allah, the Exalted; nor of His power; and he does not know anything of what has been concealed from him. The other is that he is not a deity; as if he said: 'I do not say to you that I possess the attributes of a deity; that I have His treasures; and that I know the unseen.' This is the saying of al-Tabari. The strength of the wording in this verse indicates that the angel is better than the human; and this is not necessarily implied by this context. Rather, what is necessary from it is that the angel holds a greater status in their souls and is closer to Allah, the Exalted. The preference is given to him as a hidden gift; and this is evident from other verses; and it is a matter of disagreement. And 'what is revealed' means: 'the Qur'an'; and all that the angel brings; that is, in that are lessons and signs for those who reflect and observe. And His saying, the Exalted, ﴿'Say,
The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And Al-Tabari said: It is said: "They fear" here means: "They know"; and this is not necessary. And His saying: ﴿Those who fear that they will be gathered to their Lord﴾; encompasses by the very wording every believer in resurrection; whether Muslim, Jew, or Christian.
And His saying: ﴿They will have no protector or intercessor besides Him﴾; has two possible meanings; if we consider it as part of the fear, it would be in the position of a noun indicating a state; meaning: "They fear that they will be gathered in a state where they have no protector or intercessor"; this is specific to the believing Muslims; because the Jews and Christians claim that they have intercessors; and that they are the children of Allah, glorified and exalted is He; and similar to this is from the falsehoods.
And if we consider His saying: ﴿They will have no protector or intercessor besides Him﴾; as a statement from Allah, glorified and exalted is He, about the state on that day; it would be general for the Muslims and the People of the Book; and "Perhaps they may become righteous"; is a hope; according to what people see; and what their vision gives them.
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