Hud: 17
(Is he, then, who is upon a clear proof from his Lord...) which indicates the truth and correctness in whatever he undertakes or abandons. Included in this primarily is Islam, and some have restricted it to that, based on it being appropriate for what follows.
The root of al-bayyinah (the clear proof), as it is said, is a clear indication, whether it be intellectual or sensory, and it is applied to evidence in general. Its 'ha' (at the end) is for intensification or for transition. Even though it is said that it is from bāna (it became clear and manifest), it considers the indication of another and the clarification for him. Some have derived it from the form of intensification, and the tanwin here is for glorification—that is, a clear proof of great status.
What is intended by it is the Qur'an. By consideration of that, or the burhān (demonstration), the pronoun referring back to it is mentioned in His saying: (...and a witness from Him recites it), meaning: follows it. A great witness testifies to it being from Allah, the Exalted is His state, and it is—as al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl said—the inimitability (i‘jāz) in its composition. The meaning of its being a follower is that it is a description of it that does not separate from it until Allah inherits the earth and whoever is upon it. Thus, none of the creation, generation after generation, can oppose it, even if some of them were supporters to others.
Likewise is the pronoun in (minhu) (from Him), which is connected to an omitted component acting as an adjective for the "witness." Its being "from Him" means it is not separate from it. It is permitted that this pronoun refers to the Lord—the Exalted—and its being from the Lord means it originates from His side—the Exalted—for the purpose of testimony. Based on this, it is permitted that "the witness" refers to the miracles appearing at the hand of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for they are among the witnesses following the Qur'an, originating from His side—the Almighty and Majestic—and the matter of subordination in them is manifest.
The intended meaning of the relative pronoun (the one who is upon...) is everyone among the believers who is characterized by that "being."
It is narrated from Abu al-‘Aliyah that it is the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It is not hidden that His saying—the Exalted—that follows, (those), etc., does not suit this unless it is carried upon [the meaning of] glorification. Furthermore, the context—as you will learn, if Allah the Exalted wills—is for the distinction between two groups: the believers and those who desire the life of this world, not between them and the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Abu Muslim and others interpreted al-bayyinah as intellectual evidence, and "the witness" as the Qur'an, with the pronoun in minhu referring to Allah the Exalted—min being for origination—or to the Qur'an—as it was previously mentioned. In the latter case, min is either explanatory or partitive, based on the view that the Qur'an is not all a witness. It is not from the "abstraction" (tajrīd), contrary to what al-Tibi imagined. Thus, there is an indication in the verse to two proofs: intellectual and traditional (textual). The meaning of the second being a follower of the first, as it is said, is that it is in agreement with it and does not oppose it at all. Hence they said: "Correct transmission does not contradict clear reason," and this is why they interpret traditional evidence figuratively if its outward meaning contradicts intellectual evidence.
Perhaps in expressing the first as al-bayyinah—which is used in the speech of the Legislator for two witnesses—and the second as "the witness," there is an allusion that intellectual evidence is stronger in indication than traditional evidence, because the indication of the first is definitive, while the indication of the second is mostly probabilistic due to the well-known possibilities with which certainty cannot be achieved. It is sometimes said: the expression of the second as "the witness" is for the sake of the word talw (following).
It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid, al-Nakha‘i, al-Dahhak, ‘Ikrimah, Abu Salih, and Sa‘id ibn Jubayr that al-bayyinah is the Qur'an, and the witness is Gabriel, peace be upon him, and yatlūhu (recites it) is from recitation, not from following. The pronoun in minhu refers to Allah the Exalted. In a narration from Mujahid, the witness is an angel who guards the Qur'an—not the familiar guarding, for as Ibn Hajar said, that is specific to Gabriel—and the pronoun in minhu is as in the previous case, except that yatlū is from "following," and the pronoun attached is for the bayyinah. It is said it refers to the one who was upon it.
Al-Farra’ narrated that the witness is the Gospel. Yatlūhu and the pronoun in minhu follow the pattern of what was narrated from Mujahid, except that the pronoun in yatlūhu refers to the Qur'an.
Abu al-Shaykh narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah that the witness is the tongue of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him; philologists have mentioned this, and it is likewise one of the meanings of "the angel." Yatlū in this case is from recitation, the attribution is metaphorical, its object is the bayyinah, and the pronoun in minhu refers to the Messenger, peace be upon him, based on him being the one intended by the relative pronoun, and min is partitive. It is said the witness is his form, peace be upon him, and his signs, because every intelligent person who sees him knows he is the Messenger of Allah.
Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Mardawayh narrated from ‘Ali—may Allah honor his countenance—that he said: "There is no man among the Quraysh except that a portion of the Qur'an was revealed regarding him." A man asked him: "What was revealed regarding you?" He said: "Do you not read in Surah Hud: (Is he, then, who is upon a clear proof from his Lord)? The one upon a clear proof from his Lord is the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and I am a witness from him." Al-Minhal narrated the same from ‘Ubadah ibn ‘Abdullah. Ibn Mardawayh narrated in another way from ‘Ali—may Allah honor his countenance—that he said: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: (Is he, then, who is upon a clear proof from his Lord)—I am—(and a witness from Him recites it)—‘Ali."
Al-Tabarsi narrated something similar to this from some of the Household (Ahl al-Bayt), may Allah be pleased with them. Some Shi‘a have clung to this, [arguing] that ‘Ali, may Allah honor his countenance, is the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, because Allah the Exalted named him a witness just as He named His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, likewise in His saying—the Exalted—("Indeed, We have sent you as a witness, and a bringer of good tidings, and a warner"). The intended meaning is "a witness over the nation," just as the conjunction of "bringer of good tidings and a warner" upon it testifies. Thus, his station—may Allah honor his countenance—among the nation should be like his station, peace and blessings be upon him, among them. Since He informed—the Exalted—that he "follows him," i.e., succeeds him and comes after him, it indicates he is his Caliph.
You know that this report is barely sound, and what will come later in the verse—if Allah the Exalted wills—refuses it, and it is falsified by what Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu al-Shaykh, and al-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "I said to my father—may Allah honor his countenance: 'People claim regarding His saying—the Exalted—(and a witness from Him recites it) that it is you who follows.' He said: 'I wish I were he, but it is the tongue of Muhammad, peace be upon him.'" Furthermore, there is weakness and flimsiness in the structure of the inference that reached the ultimate degree, as is not hidden to anyone with the slightest intelligence.
Abu Hayyan related that this witness is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, and in that is what is in it. Regarding the conjunction of yatlūhu, there are two possibilities: First, that it is upon what occurred as an adjective for bayyinah; Second, that it is upon the sentence of kāna and its subject. His saying—the Exalted—(And before it was the Book of Moses) is a conjunction to "a witness," and the genitive pronoun refers to it, with the prepositional phrase situated between them. It is apparent that it is connected to an omitted component acting as a circumstantial qualifier (hāl) for the Book, i.e., "and [the Book of Moses] recites it" in attestation, sent down before it. Its meaning is: "Is he who is upon a clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from Him testifies to its truth, and another witness from before it, which is the Book of Moses?"
It is said: It was mentioned first although it is later in revelation because it is an essential description of it that does not separate from it, and for its deep-rootedness in the description of following. This is based on the assumption that what is intended by the witness is the inimitability, as some researchers have chosen. It is sometimes said: the delay of mentioning the testimony of this witness after the mention of the first witness’s testimony is because it is not as apparent to the nation as the first witness. This applies to the other assumption as well. The specification of the Book of Moses, peace be upon him, with mention is based on not intending the Gospel in what preceded, because the two religions are united upon it being from Allah the Exalted, unlike the Gospel, for the Jews are opposed regarding it, so seeking evidence through what establishes the proof upon both parties was more appropriate.
Some have made (And before it was the Book of Moses) a beginning sentence, not included in the scope of anything preceding it, and this is built upon many of the previous possibilities regarding the witness. Muhammad ibn al-Sa’ib al-Kalbi and others read kitāba (the Book) in the accusative case, as being conjoined to the object of yatlūhu or in the accusative by an implied verb, i.e., "and it follows the Book of Moses." The first is more appropriate because the principle is to avoid implication. Yatlū in this reading is from recitation, the accusative pronoun is for the Qur'an, the genitive for "Him" (the Prophet), and min is partitive, not for abstraction.
The meaning, according to what the Kashshaf requires, is: "Is he who is upon a clear proof" that the Qur'an is true, not fabricated? The intended ones are the People of the Book who knew that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was on the truth and that his Book was the Truth, as they found it in the Torah. "And two witnesses from them recite the Qur'an, and before the Qur'an is the Book of Moses." The intended meaning of this witness is what was intended in His saying—the Exalted—(And a witness from the Children of Israel has testified to the like of it), which is ‘Abdullah ibn Salam, may Allah be pleased with him. Thus, the verse contains praise for the People of the Book, and it singled out from among them the reciter of the two books and their witness for mention, as a sign of his extra merit and an alert that they are companions in following the Truth, even if they did not reach the rank of the [primary] witness.
In His saying—the Exalted—(yatlūhu) (recites/follows it) is a bringing to mind of the state and an indication of the continuity of the recitation, and it is—as is said—in the utmost degree of matching the speech. (An imam), meaning one followed in religion and a guide. In touching upon this description is a clarification of the "following" of the Book, in which is what is not hidden of the glorification of the status of the "recited." The tanwin in it is for glorification, as well as in His saying—the Exalted—(and a mercy), meaning a great blessing for those to whom it was revealed and those after them until the Day of Resurrection, in consideration of its rulings that remain, supported by the Great Qur'an. These two are circumstantial qualifiers from the Book.
(Those), meaning those described with that praiseworthy quality—which is being upon a clear proof—(believe in it), meaning they attest to the Qur'an with true attestation just as those true witnesses—who reveal its veracity—testify to it, and they do not imitate any of the greats of religion; thus the pronoun is for the Qur'an. It is said it is for the Book of Moses, peace be upon him, because it is nearer, though it does not suit what follows, even if it is not devoid of benefit. It is said it is for the Prophet, peace be upon him.
(And whoever disbelieves in it), meaning in the Qur'an, and did not regard those true witnesses and did not believe in them, (from the factions), from the people of Makkah and those who allied themselves against the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him; some said this. ‘Abd al-Razzaq narrated from Qatadah that the factions are the disbelievers in general, for they have allied themselves in disbelief; this was narrated from Ibn Jubayr. In a narration of Abu al-Shaykh from Qatadah, they are the Jews and the Christians. Al-Suddi said: They are the Quraysh. Muqatil said: They are the Banu Umayyah, Banu al-Mughirah ibn ‘Abdullah al-Makhzumi, and the family of Abu Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd Allah.
(The Fire is his appointment), meaning he will surely reach it, just as His saying—the Exalted—spoke: ("There is for them in the Hereafter nothing but the Fire") and other verses. The maw‘id (appointment) is the noun of place for the promise, as in the saying of Hassan: "You brought them to the pools of death in the open; the Fire is their appointment, and death shall meet them." In making the Fire an appointment is an indication that he has within it what cannot be described of the varieties of punishment.
(So do not be in doubt about it), meaning in doubt about the matter of the Qur'an and its being from Allah the Exalted, after what the witnesses have testified to and the merit of those who clung to it has appeared. Or: do not be in doubt that the Fire is their appointment. Some claimed this is the most apparent, but it is not so. However it may be, if the address is general to whomever it befits, the intention is incitement to correct contemplation that removes doubt. If it is to the Prophet, peace be upon him, it is a clarification that he is not a place for doubt, as a reproach to those who doubt in it, and it does not follow from his prohibition—peace be upon him—from it that it occurred or that it was expected from him, peace be upon him.
Al-Sulami, Abu Raja’, Abu al-Khattab al-Sadusi, and al-Hasan read miryah with the mīm dammah, which is the dialect of Asad and Tamim; the kasrah is the dialect of the people of Hijaz. (It is the Truth from your Lord), meaning the One who nurtures you in your religion and your world, (but most of the people do not believe).
By that, either because of the limitation of their insights and the disorder of their thoughts, or because of their arrogance and obstinacy. (And the people), according to what is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, are the people of Makkah. The author of al-Finan said: all the disbelievers.
The hamzah in afaman (is he then...) is said to be for affirmation, and man is a subject with an omitted predicate, i.e., "Is he who is such as he who desires the life of this world and its adornment?" The counterpart of the hamzah is omitted, and similar instances are many. Abu Hayyan chose this, and what the speech of al-Zamakhshari requires—and it is perhaps the most appropriate—is the opposite, where he said: "The meaning is 'Is he who desires the life of this world like he who is upon a clear proof?' i.e., they do not follow them, nor do they approach them in status," to the end of what he said. Its summary, according to the Kashf, is that the fa’ is a conjunction for succession, requiring what it is conjoined to, which is indicated by His saying—the Exalted—(Is he who...). The meaning is "Is he who desires the life of this world—upon it being a relative pronoun—like he who is upon a clear proof from his Lord?" The predicate is omitted due to the indication of the fa’, i.e., "do they follow them or approach them?" The interrogation is for denial, thus benefiting that there is no proximity between the two groups, let alone equality. Therefore, it became more eloquent than the like of His saying—the Exalted—(Is he who was a believer like he who was a disobedient?).
As for it being a conjunction to His saying—the Exalted—(whoever desires the life of this world), there is no basis for it, because it would be a conjunction of the sentence and would not indicate the denial of equality, and there is no meaning for estimating the interrogation in the first, for there is no denial regarding the condition and the response. This is according to one of two schools of the grammarians regarding such matters. It is known from what has been established that the verse is connected to His saying—the Exalted—(whoever desires...), and its flow, according to the Shaykh al-Islam, is for encouragement as well toward what was mentioned of belief in the Qur'an, Tawhid, and Islam. Al-Tabarsi claimed that it is connected to His saying—the Exalted—("Say: Then bring ten surahs like it"), and that the meaning is that if they do not bring that, then say to them: (Is he, then, who is upon a clear proof), while he has no proof for that.
