Ayah
Word by Word
وَقُلِ
And say
ٱلۡحَمۡدُ
All Praise
لِلَّهِ
(is) for Allah
ٱلَّذِي
the One Who
لَمۡ
has not taken
يَتَّخِذۡ
has not taken
وَلَدٗا
a son
وَلَمۡ
and not
يَكُن
is
لَّهُۥ
for Him
شَرِيكٞ
a partner
فِي
in
ٱلۡمُلۡكِ
the dominion
وَلَمۡ
and not
يَكُن
is
لَّهُۥ
for Him
وَلِيّٞ
any protector
مِّنَ
out of
ٱلذُّلِّۖ
weakness
وَكَبِّرۡهُ
And magnify Him
تَكۡبِيرَۢا
(with all) magnificence
وَقُلِ
And say
ٱلۡحَمۡدُ
All Praise
لِلَّهِ
(is) for Allah
ٱلَّذِي
the One Who
لَمۡ
has not taken
يَتَّخِذۡ
has not taken
وَلَدٗا
a son
وَلَمۡ
and not
يَكُن
is
لَّهُۥ
for Him
شَرِيكٞ
a partner
فِي
in
ٱلۡمُلۡكِ
the dominion
وَلَمۡ
and not
يَكُن
is
لَّهُۥ
for Him
وَلِيّٞ
any protector
مِّنَ
out of
ٱلذُّلِّۖ
weakness
وَكَبِّرۡهُ
And magnify Him
تَكۡبِيرَۢا
(with all) magnificence
Translation
Say: "Praise be to Allah, who begets no son, and has no partner in (His) dominion: Nor (needs) He any to protect Him from humiliation: yea, magnify Him for His greatness and glory!"
Tafsir
And say: 'Praise be to God, Who has neither taken a son, nor has He any partner in sovereignty, in divineness, nor has He [taken] any ally, to assist Him, out of, because of [any], weakness', that is to say, He would never become weak and thus need an assistant. And magnify Him with magnifications [worthy of Him], extol Him with a perfect extolling above that He should have taken a son or a partner, and [above] any weakness and [above] all that does not befit Him. The arrangement whereby 'praise' is [invoked] together with this [statement] is meant to indicate that He is the One worthy of all praise, because of the perfection of His Essence and the fact that He alones possesses those attributes of His. Imam Ahmad [ibn Hanbal] relates in his Musnad [by way of a report] from Mu'aadh al-Juhanee [who heard it] from the Messenger of God may peace and salutation be upon him, who used to say, 'The "glory" verse [in Al-Qur'an] is: Praise be to God, Who has neither taken a son, nor has He any partner in sovereignty . to the end [of the above-mentioned soora, 17:111]', and God, exalted be He, knows best. The author of this [commentary] says, 'This [last commentary] constitutes the end of my complement to the commentary on the Noble Qur'aan composed by the inquisitive scholar, the shaykh, Imam Jalaal al-Deen al- Mahallee al-Shaafi'ee, may God be pleased with him. I have expended every effort in it and reflected throughout it exhaustively, [especially] in those precious things that I have deemed, God willing, to be profitable. I composed it [this commentary] in the same length of time appointed for the one spoken to by God [sc. Moses] and I have made it a means to attaining the Gardens of Bliss. It [this commentary] actually draws on the work which it complements, relying and depending on it for [an understanding of] those allegorical verses. May God have mercy on one who examines it with impartiality, chances upon an error and informs me of it. As I have said: "I praise God, my Lord, for He guided me in what I have expressed despite my incapacity and weakness; for who [other than God] is there to avert me from error and who is there to accept from me even a single letter". In fact, it never occurred to me to embark upon such [a task], knowing that I was incapable of delving into such issues. Perhaps God will make it of ample profit [to others] and through it open sealed hearts, blinded eyes and deaf ears. I have the impression that I am before those [sort of readers] who would prefer works of prolixity, refraining from [referring to] this complementary work, rejecting it outright, tending to obvious obstinacy [regarding it], without addressing its intricacies with any understanding: And whoever is blind in this world shall be blind in the Hereafter [Q. 17:72]. May God thereby provide us with a [way of] guidance to the path of truth, with success, an awareness of the subtle intricacies of His words and with an ascertainment. May He thereby also make us with those to whom God has been gracious from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the righteous - and excellent companions are they! [Q. 4:69]. He [Jalaal al-Deen al-Suyootee] completed the composition of this [work] on Sunday, 10th of Shawwaal, in the year 870 (AH) [1465 AD], having commenced it on the first Wednesday of Ramadaan of the same year. He completed the fair copy [of this work] on Wednesday, 6th of Safar in the year 871 (AH) [1466 AD], and God knows best. Shaykh Shams al-Deen Muhammad ibn Abee Bakr al-Khateeb al-Tookhee said: my friend the erudite shaykh Kamaal al-Deen al-Mahallee, brother of the above-mentioned shaykh of ours, shaykh Jalaal al-Deen al- Mahallee, may God have mercy on both of them, that he ﷺ his brother, the above-mentioned shaykh Jalaal al-Deen, in his dream: before him stood our friend the inquiring erudite scholar shaykh Jalaal al-Deen al-Suyootee, compiler of this complement. He [Mahallee] had this complement in his hand and, perusing it, he was saying to its above-mentioned compiler [Suyootee], 'Which of the two is better, my composition or yours?'. He [Suyootee] said, 'Mine'. He [Mahallee] then said, 'But look at this .', and he showed him parts of it, politely pointing out to him his objections thereto. Each time he [Mahallee] brought something up, the compiler of this complement [Suyootee] would respond to him, while shaykh [Mahallee] would smile and laugh. Our shaykh, the imam, the erudite scholar Jalaal al-Deen 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abee Bakr al-Suyootee, compiler of this complement said: What I believe, and what I am absolutely certain of, is that the part composed by shaykh Jalaal al-Deen al-Mahallee, may God have mercy on him, in his section [of the commentary] is actually better than mine by far. How [could it be otherwise], when most of what I have written here draws on his work and relies on it? I have no doubt about this. As regards what was seen in the above-mentioned dream, then perhaps it is the case that the shaykh meant to point out those few places in which I disagreed with what he had written on account of some little comment [that I had made therein]. But these [instances] are very few and I do not think that they add up to more than ten such instances. Among these is where shaykh [al-Mahallee] comments in soorat Saad: 'The Spirit is a delicate organism (jism lateef) that gives life to a human being by permeating it'. I followed this [opinion] at first, but then I remembered the restriction [made by God] while [working on the commentary] at soorat al-Hijr; and so I erased it because of where God says, And they will question you concerning the Spirit. Say, 'The Spirit is of the command of my Lord. And of knowledge you have not been given except a little [.]' [to the end of] the verse [Q. 15:85]. For, it is explicit, or almost explicit, in stating that the [true nature of the] Spirit is of God's knowledge [only], exalted be He - we do not know it. Thus, it is better that we should refrain from trying to define it. For this reason also, shaykh Taaj al-Deen ibn al-Subkee says in [his work] Jam' al-jawaami' (The compendium of compendiums'): 'As for the spirit, Muhammad may peace and salutation be upon him never spoke about it and we should [also] therefore refrain [from speaking about it].' Another [instance] is where the shaykh says in [his commentary to] soorat al-Hajj [Q. 22:17], 'The Sabaeans (al-saabi'oon) are a Jewish sect'. I mention this in [my commentary to] soorat al-Baqara [Q. 2:62], where I added the following [gloss] 'or [they are] a Christian [sect]', in order to point out a variant opinion, generally acknowledged, particularly by our colleagues, the [Shaafi'ee] jurists, and [also acknowledged] by the Minhaaj ('The Method [.]'), where it is stated that the Samaritans opposed the Jews and the Sabaeans [opposed] the Christians [respectively] over the fundamentals of their religion. In his [Mahallee's] Sharh ('Commentary'), al-Shaafi'ee, may God be pleased with him, is reported to have said that the Sabaeans were a Christian sect. At this moment, I cannot recall a third instance [of Mahallee's objections]. Perhaps these are the sort of examples which the Shaykh, may God have mercy on him, was pointing out [in the dream]. And God knows best what is correct, and to Him is the return and the [final] resort.
"The Revelation of the Qur'an in Stages
Allah tells:
وَبِالۡحَقِّ أَنزَلۡنَاهُ
And with truth We have sent it down,
Allah tells us that His Book, the Glorious Qur'an, has been sent with truth, i.e., it contains the truth, as Allah says:
لَّـكِنِ اللَّهُ يَشۡهَدُ بِمَأ أَنزَلَ إِلَيۡكَ أَنزَلَهُ بِعِلۡمِهِ وَالۡمَلَـيِكَةُ يَشۡهَدُونَ
But Allah bears witness to that which He has sent down unto you; He has sent it down with His knowledge, and the angels bear witness. (4:166)
meaning, it contains the knowledge which Allah wanted to teach to you, with His rulings, commands and prohibitions.
وَبِالۡحَقِّ نَزَلَ
and with truth it has descended.
means, ""It has been sent down to you, O Muhammad, preserved and protected, not contaminated or mixed with anything else, with nothing added or taken away. It has come to you with the truth, brought down by one mighty in power, trustworthy and strong, one who is obeyed by the higher group (angels).'
وَمَا أَرۡسَلۡنَاكَ
And We have sent you, (O Muhammad),
إِلاَّ مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
as nothing but a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.
a bearer of glad tidings for the believers who obey you and a warner to the disbelievers who disobey you
وَقُرۡاناً فَرَقۡنَاهُ
And (it is) a Qur'an which We have divided,
The word translated here as ""We have divided"" may be read in two ways.
If it is read as ""Faraqnahu"", with no Shaddah, the meaning is:
`We have made it depart from Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz to Bayt Al-`Izzah in the lowest heaven, then it was revealed in stages to the Messenger of Allah, according to events, over a period of twenty-three years.'
This was narrated by Ikrimah from Ibn Abbas.
It was also narrated that Ibn Abbas read it as ""Farraqnahu"", with a Shaddah,
meaning, `We revealed it Ayah by Ayah, and have explained it and made it clear.'
Hence Allah says:
لِتَقۡرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ
in order that you might recite it to men,
meaning, convey it to the people and recite it to them,
عَلَى مُكۡثٍ
at intervals.
meaning slowly.
وَنَزَّلۡنَاهُ تَنزِيلً
And We have revealed it by stages.
means, little by little
Those Who were given Knowledge before truly admit the Qur'an
Allah says to His Prophet Muhammad:
قُلۡ
Say,
O Muhammad to these disbelievers concerning what you have brought to them of this Glorious Qur'an:
امِنُواۡ بِهِ أَوۡ لَا تُوۡمِنُواۡ
""Believe in it (the Qur'an) or do not believe (in it).
meaning, it is all the same whether you believe in it or not, for it is true in and of itself. It was revealed by Allah, Who mentioned it previously in the Books that He revealed to other Messengers.
Hence He says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواۡ الۡعِلۡمَ مِن قَبۡلِهِ
Verily, those who were given knowledge before it,
meaning righteous people among the People of the Book, who adhered to their Books and appreciated them without distorting them.
إِذَا يُتۡلَى عَلَيۡهِمۡ
when it is recited to them,
means, when this Qur'an is recited to them,
يَخِرُّونَ لِلَذۡقَانِ سُجَّدًا
fall down on their chins (faces) in humble prostration.
means, to Allah, in gratitude for the blessing He has bestowed on them by considering them fit to live until they met this Messenger to whom this Book was revealed.
Hence
وَيَقُولُونَ سُبۡحَانَ رَبِّنَا
And they say:Glory be to our Lord!,
meaning, they extol and glorify their Lord for His perfect power and for not delaying the fulfillment of the promise which He made through His earlier Prophets, that He would send Muhammad. Hence they said:
سُبۡحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِن كَانَ وَعۡدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفۡعُولاً
Glory be to our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord must be fulfilled
وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلَذۡقَانِ يَبۡكُونَ
And they fall down on their chins (faces) weeping,
means, in submission to Allah, may He be glorified, and in expression of their belief and faith in His Book and His Messenger.
وَيَزِيدُهُمۡ خُشُوعًا
and it increases their humility.
means, it increases them in faith and submission.
As Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ اهۡتَدَوۡاۡ زَادَهُمۡ هُدًى وَءَاتَـهُمۡ تَقُوَاهُمۡ
While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their Taqwa. (47:17)
وَيَخِرُّونَ
(And they fall down),
is a description rather than an action (i.e., this is a further description of their humility as referred to in Ayah 107; it does not imply that they prostrate twice)
To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names
Allah says:
قُلِ
Say,
O Muhammad, to these idolators who deny that Allah possesses the attribute of mercy and refuse to call Him Ar-Rahman,
ادۡعُواۡ اللّهَ أَوِ ادۡعُواۡ الرَّحۡمَـنَ أَيًّا مَّا تَدۡعُواۡ فَلَهُ الَاسۡمَاء الۡحُسۡنَى
""Invoke Allah or invoke Ar-Rahman (the Most Gracious), by whatever name you invoke Him (it is the same), for to Him belong the Best Names.
meaning, there is no difference between calling on Him as Allah or calling on Him as Ar-Rahman, because He has the Most Beautiful Names, as He says:
هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِى لَا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ عَالِمُ الۡغَيۡبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ هُوَ الرَّحۡمَـنُ الرَّحِيمُ
He is Allah, beside Whom none has the right to be worshipped but He the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. (59:22) Until His saying;
لَهُ الاٌّسۡمَأءُ الۡحُسۡنَى يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرۡضِ
To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. (59:24)
Makhul reported that;
one of the idolators heard the Prophet saying when he was prostrating:""O Most Gracious, O Most Merciful.""
The idolator said, he claims to pray to One, but he is praying to two!
Then Allah revealed this Ayah.
This was also narrated from Ibn Abbas, and by Ibn Jarir.
The Command to recite neither loudly nor softly
Allah says:
وَلَا تَجۡهَرۡ بِصَلَتِكَ
And offer your Salah neither aloud,
Imam Ahmad reported that Ibn Abbas said:
""This Ayah was revealed when the Messenger of Allah was preaching underground in Makkah.""
وَلَا تَجۡهَرۡ بِصَلَتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتۡ بِهَا
And offer your Salah neither aloud nor in a low voice,
Ibn Abbas said:
""When he prayed with his Companions, he would recite Qur'an loudly, and when the idolators heard that, they insulted the Qur'an, and the One Who had revealed it and the one who had brought it. So Allah said to His Prophet:
وَلَا تَجۡهَرۡ بِصَلَتِكَ
(And offer your Salah (prayer) neither aloud), means, do not recite it aloud, lest the idolators hear you and insult the Qur'an,
وَلَا تُخَافِتۡ بِهَا
(nor in a low voice), means, nor recite it so quietly that your companions cannot hear the Qur'an and learn it from you.
وَابۡتَغِ بَيۡنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلً
but follow a way between.""
This was also reported in the Two Sahihs.
Ad-Dahhak also narrated something similar from Ibn Abbas, and added:
""When he migrated to Al-Madinah, this no longer applied, and he recited as he wished.""
Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Ibn Abbas said,
""When the Messenger of Allah recited Qur'an quietly while he was praying, the (idolators) would disperse and refuse to listen to him; if one of them wanted to hear some of what he was reciting in his prayer, he would try to listen without anyone seeing him, because he was afraid of them. If he realized that anybody knew he was listening, he would go away lest they harm him, so he would stop listening. If the Prophet lowered his voice, those who wanted to listen to his recitation could not hear anything, so Allah revealed,
وَلَا تَجۡهَرۡ بِصَلَتِكَ
(And offer your Salah neither aloud) meaning, do not recite aloud, lest those who want to listen disperse for fear of attracting unwelcome attention,
وَلَا تُخَافِتۡ بِهَا
(nor in a low voice), but do not make your voice so soft that the one who is trying to listen without being seen cannot hear anything at all. Perhaps he will pay attention to some of what he hears and benefit from it.
وَابۡتَغِ بَيۡنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلً
(but follow a way between).""
This was the view of Ikrimah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Qatadah that;
this Ayah was revealed concerning recitation in prayer.
It was narrated from Ibn Mas`ud:
""Do not make it so soft that no one can hear it except yourself.""
Declaration of Tawhid
Allah says
وَقُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدًا
And say:""All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son...""
because Allah has stated that the Most Beautiful Names belong to Him, and has declared Himself to be above having any faults or defects.
وَقُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدًا وَلَم يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الۡمُلۡكِ
And say:""All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son, and Who has no partner in (His) dominion...""
indeed, He is Allah, (the) One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Who begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.
وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلَّ
nor He is low to have a supporter.
means, He is not so humble or weak that He needs to have a helper or supporter or adviser, rather He Alone, with no partner or associate, may He be exalted, is the Creator of all things and is the One Who is running and controlling them by His will, with no partner or associate.
Mujahid said:
He does not form an alliance with anyone, nor does He seek the support or help of anyone.
وَكَبِّرۡهُ تَكۡبِيرًا
And magnify Him with all magnificence.
means, glorify and extol Him far above whatever the transgressors and aggressors say.
Ibn Jarir recorded that Al-Qurazi used to say about this Ayah,
وَقُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدًا
(And say:""All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son..."") that the Jews and Christians said that Allah has taken a son; the Arabs said, ""At Your service, You have no partner except the partner You have, and You possess him and whatever he owns;"" and the Sabians and Magians said, ""If it were not for the supporters of Allah, He would be weak."" Then Allah revealed this Ayah:
وَقُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدًا وَلَم يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الۡمُلۡكِ وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلَّ وَكَبِّرۡهُ تَكۡبِيرًا
And say:""All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son, and Who has no partner in (His) dominion, nor is He low to have a supporter. And magnify Him with all magnificence.""
This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Isra'. All praise is due to Allah, He is for us, the most excellent."
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