The repetition of the call to them: a summons from them to renew their insight at every addressed speech, and to enhance their listening to every ruling that descends, and to motivate them so that they do not become lazy and neglectful of their contemplation and what they have taken upon themselves when attending the assembly of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, from the etiquette that maintaining it returns to them with great benefit in their religion. This is because in honoring the possessor of the law is the honoring of what has been brought by him. The one who greatly respects the truth does not allow his respect to prevent him from acting according to what urges him towards it, and from refraining from what deters him from it, and from reaching every good. The meaning of His saying: 'Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet' is that when he speaks and you speak, you should not exceed the limit that his voice reaches. You should lower your voices so that his words are higher than your words, and his loudness is more striking than your loudness, so that his superiority over you is evident, and his precedence is clear, and his distinction from the majority of you is as the coat of a piebald horse, which is not hidden, not that you drown out his voice with your noise and overwhelm his speech with your clamor.

And by His saying: 'And do not raise your voices to him in speech': it means that when you speak to him while he is silent, beware of deviating from what you have been forbidden regarding raising your voice. Rather, you should not reach the loudness that circulates among you, and you should deliberately address him with gentle words close to whispering that oppose loudness, just as one would address a revered and honored figure, acting upon His saying, exalted is His name: 'And you should honor him and respect him.' It has been said that the meaning of 'And do not raise your voices to him in speech like some of you raise their voices to others' is that you should not say to him: 'O Muhammad, O Ahmad,' but address him by his prophethood. Ibn Abbas said: When this verse was revealed, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: 'O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I will not speak to you except in whispers or as a whisperer until I meet Allah.'

O Messenger of Allah, I have vowed not to speak to you except as a brother in secrecy until I meet Allah." This was narrated by Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Madkhal from the hadith of Abu Huraira. He said, "When the verse was revealed, 'Indeed, those who lower their voices before the Messenger of Allah...' Abu Bakr said, 'By the One who revealed the Book to you, O Messenger of Allah, I will not speak to you except as a brother in secrecy until I meet Allah, the Exalted.'" He said, "This is authentic according to the conditions of Muslim." And from Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he used to speak to the Prophet ﷺ as a brother in secrecy, not allowing anyone to hear him until he sought clarification. This was narrated by Al-Bukhari from the hadith of Abu Al-Zubair. He said, "When the verse was revealed, 'O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet...' Umar, after that, when he spoke to the Prophet ﷺ, spoke to him as a brother in secrecy. He did not allow anyone to hear him until he sought clarification." And when Abu Bakr would come to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a delegation, he would send to them someone to teach them how to greet and command them to be calm and respectful in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. [I did not find this.] And the purpose is not to raise one's voice or to speak loudly: it is not intended to show disrespect or disdain, for that is disbelief, and the addressees are believers. Rather, the purpose is that the voice itself and what is heard from its tone is not suitable for the respect due to the great ones and the honor due to the dignitaries. Therefore, one must lower it to a level that aligns with what is required of respect and honor. The prohibition does not also include raising one's voice that does not harm the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, such as what was done in war or in argument with a stubborn opponent or in frightening an enemy or similar situations. In the hadith, it is said that he, blessings and peace be upon him, said to Al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib when the people were defeated on the day of Hunayn: "Shout to the people [I did not find this, and it has been mentioned that this was on the day of Hunayn, and Al-Abbas did not witness Uhud.]" And Al-Abbas was the loudest of people [I did not find this.] It is narrated that one day they were attacked, and Al-Abbas shouted, 'O morning!' and the pregnant women fell due to the intensity of his voice [I did not find this.] In it, Nabigha ibn Jadh'a says: 'The father of Uruwah would scare the beasts if... he feared they would mix with the sheep.' [The explanation of this evidence has been provided in this section, page 38, so refer to it if you wish, O corrector.] The narrators claimed that he would scare the beasts away from the sheep, and the beast's gall bladder would burst in its belly [I did not find this.] And in the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: 'Do not raise your voices,' and the 'ba' is added, which is omitted in accordance with the emphasis in the saying of Al-A'lam Al-Hudhali: 'I raised my eyes to the people of the virtues.' [Al-A'lam Al-Hudhali says: I looked while I was in Hijaz at those who are in the virtues. And there is a great distance between these two places, and this is due to the intensity of longing for those in the virtues.] And the meaning in this reading is not that they were prohibited from raising their voices too much, thinking that anything less than that would be permissible for them, but the meaning is a prohibition against the commotion they were in and their loudness in what they were doing. And from Ibn Abbas: It was revealed concerning Thabit ibn Qais ibn Shamas, who had a hearing impairment and was loud in voice. When he spoke, he would raise his voice, and sometimes he would speak to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Prophet would be harmed by his voice [I did not find this.] And from Anas, when this verse was revealed: Thabit was lost, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ inquired about him and was informed about his situation. He called him and asked him, saying: 'O Messenger of Allah, this verse has been revealed to you, and I am a loud-voiced man. I fear that my deeds may be nullified.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him:

You are not there. You live well and die well, and you are among the people of Paradise. This is agreed upon from the hadith of Anas, without his saying 'You are not there.' Ahmad and Al-Tabarani added in it: Anas said: So we used to see him walking among us, and we knew that he was among the people of Paradise. As for what is narrated from Al-Hasan: it was revealed regarding those who raised their voices above the voice of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. Its implication and address are to the believers: that the believers should be forbidden so that the hypocrites fall under the prohibition, making the matter more severe and difficult for them. It was said that the hypocrites raised their voices to show their lack of concern, so that the weak among the Muslims would imitate them. The 'kaf' of comparison is in the accusative case, meaning: do not raise your voices to him in a manner like the way some of you raise your voices to one another. In this, they were not forbidden from raising their voices absolutely, so that it would not be permissible for them to speak to him except in whispers and soft speech. Rather, they were forbidden from a specific type of raising of voices, namely: the raising of voices that resembles what they were accustomed to among themselves, which is devoid of consideration for the dignity of Prophethood and its great status, and the lowering of all other ranks, even if they are elevated from their rank. 'So that your deeds may be nullified' is in the accusative case, as it is an object for it. In its relation, there are two opinions. One is that it relates to the meaning of the prohibition, so the meaning is: stop what you have been forbidden for the nullification of your deeds, meaning: out of fear of their nullification, assuming the omission of the added phrase, like His saying: 'Allah clarifies to you lest you go astray.' The second is that it relates to the action itself, and the meaning is: they were forbidden from the action they did because of the nullification, because when it was on the verge of leading to nullification, it was made as if it was done for it, and it was as if it was the cause and reason for its existence as an example, like His saying: 'So that he may be an enemy for them.'

If you say: Summarize the difference between the two faces. I say: Its summary is that the action in the second is considered as being attached to the reason for the action, as if they are one thing. [Mahamud said: "It is a reason for the action and its relation is either the meaning of the prohibition, as if he said: 'Stop due to the dislike of your deeds being nullified' with an omitted addition, like His saying: 'Allah clarifies to you that you may go astray.' As for the action itself, it is what is prohibited, in the sense of the descent of the prohibition of the loud voice leading to nullification. It is like making nullification a reason for the loud voice, as in the verse: 'So that he may be an enemy and a source of sorrow for them.' He said: And the summary of the difference between them is that in the second, the attachment of the reason for the action to the first action is considered..." Ahmad said: He hovers around the law and the environment of 'Beware.' Its arrival is that he believes that anything less than disbelief, even one major sin, nullifies the action and necessitates eternal punishment, and removes the believer from the name and description of faith. May Allah protect us from this belief. You should adhere to the creed of the people of the Sunnah, which is established in places of this collection. Renew your covenant with it: it is the belief that the believer will not remain in the Fire forever, and that Paradise is promised to him by Allah, certainly, even if his sins are less than associating partners with Allah or what leads to it, like the foam of the sea. And no good deed is nullified by any bad deed that occurs, except for associating partners with Allah. Al-Zamakhshari took advantage of the opportunity in the apparent meaning of this verse and interpreted it according to his belief, claiming that raising one's voice in front of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, is a sin that does not reach disbelief. Allah has frightened His servants from nullifying their deeds by it. If nullification were definitively denied, the fear of it would not be valid. How could he hope to achieve his aspirations from that? The structure of the words rejects it in his view. We say: The intended meaning in the verse is the prohibition of raising one's voice in general. It is known that the ruling of prohibition is to be cautious of what is expected from it in terms of harming the Prophet, peace be upon him. The chosen principle is that harming him, peace be upon him, reaches the level of disbelief that nullifies deeds by consensus. Therefore, the prohibition was issued regarding what is likely to harm the Prophet, peace be upon him, whether this meaning exists or not, as a protection for the means and a prevention of the cause. Then, since what is prohibited, which is raising one's voice, is divided into what reaches that level and what does not, and there is no evidence to distinguish one category from the other, it is necessary for the obligated person to refrain from it absolutely. The fear of falling into either of them nullifies the action, as it reaches the level of harm, since there is no clear evidence to distinguish it. Even if there were, distinguishing it does not often occur. The reference to the confusion of one category with the other is indicated by His saying: 'So that your deeds may be nullified while you do not perceive it.' Otherwise, if the matter were as Al-Zamakhshari believes, there would be no place for His saying: 'while you do not perceive it,' since the matter is either that raising one's voice is harmful and thus constitutes disbelief that nullifies, or that it is not harmful and thus constitutes a major sin that nullifies, according to his view. Therefore, in both cases, nullification is established. Thus, there is no place for the support of the statement regarding lack of perception, even though nullification is established absolutely. And Allah knows best. This report that I mentioned revolves around two premises, both of which are correct. One is that raising one's voice is of the kind that causes harm, and this is something that is witnessed by transmission and observation now, to the extent that the teacher is harmed by the student raising his voice in front of him. So how about the rank of Prophethood and what it deserves of reverence and respect? The other premise is that harming the Prophet, peace be upon him, is disbelief. This is a matter that our imams have established and have issued a fatwa to kill anyone who exposes himself to that as disbelief, and his repentance is not accepted. What he has done is greater and more significant in the sight of Allah. And Allah is the grantor of success.

I said: In the second opinion among the Basri scholars, it is understood as being implied in the first, like His saying, 'Bring me a molten brass' (Qur'an 34:12). Conversely, according to the Kufan scholars, whichever it may be, the essence of the meaning is that both raising and proclaiming are explicitly stated to lead to the nullification of deeds. The reading of Ibn Mas'ud, 'So your deeds will be nullified,' is more explicit in this regard, because what follows the conjunction 'fa' (so) can only be a consequence of what precedes it. Thus, the nullification from proclaiming is akin to the descent of wrath from tyranny in His saying, 'So My wrath will descend upon you' (Qur'an 7:155). And the nullification from 'habbata' (to nullify) is when camels eat the greens and their bellies swell, and they may perish. From it is His saying, blessings and peace be upon him, 'And indeed, among what the spring brings forth is something that kills by nullification or by being stunted.' [Narrated by Muslim and others.] And among its related terms is 'habajat' (to swell) when camels eat 'urfaj' (a type of plant). [The term 'urfaj' in the dictionaries refers to a tree that grows in the plain; the singular is 'urfajah.' (Note)] So it affects them. And 'ahbabda' (to nullify) his deed is like 'ahbat' (to nullify it). The nullification of a wound and 'hibr' (to forgive) is when it is turned back and thrown into corruption: making the bad deed harmful to the good deed like a disease and a stunted growth. [The phrase 'like a disease and a stunted growth' means corruption. This is clarified in the dictionaries.] May Allah protect us from the nullification of deeds and the disappointment of hopes. The verse indicates two tremendous matters: the first is that among what a believer commits of sins, there are those that nullify his deeds. The second is that among his sins, there are those that he does not know are nullifying, and perhaps they are so in the sight of Allah. Thus, the believer should be in his piety like one walking on a thorny path, always cautious, avoiding, and being careful.