Tafsir of Ibraheem 14:52

(This is a notification), meaning what has been mentioned from His saying, Exalted is He, (And do not think that Allah is unaware) up to this point. It is permitted that the reference is to the Qur’an, which is narrated on the authority of Ibn Zayd, or to the Surah. The masculine pronoun is used in consideration of the predicate, which is (a notification). The statement regarding the first interpretation is more eloquent; it is as if it were said: This which has just been mentioned is sufficient in greatness and reminder, without needing what the noble Surah—or the entire glorious Qur’an—contains of various exhortations and warnings. The origin of al-balagh is a verbal noun meaning "the conveying," and thus al-Raghib interpreted it in the verse, while mentioning its occurrence in the sense of "sufficiency" in another verse.

(For the people), meaning the disbelievers specifically, upon the assumption that the warning is restricted to them in His saying, Exalted is He: (And warn the people), or for them and the believers altogether, upon the assumption of their inclusion as well, even if what was explained is specific to the wrongdoers, as has been said.

(That they may be warned by it) is a conjunction to an elided phrase; that is, "that they may be advised, or that they may be warned by it, or the like." Thus, the lam is linked to the "notification." It is also permissible for it to be linked to an elided phrase, the estimate being: "It was sent down or recited so that they may be warned by it." Al-Mawardi said: The waw is redundant. According to al-Mubarrad, it is a conjunction of a single word to a single word; that is: "This is a notification and a warning." Perhaps this is an interpretation of the meaning, not of the grammar. Ibn ‘Atiyyah said: "Meaning, this is a notification for the people, and it is so that they may be warned by it," making that the predicate of an elided "it is." It is said that the lam is the lam of command. Some have said: This is sound, were it not for His saying, Exalted is He: (and that they may remember), for it is in the accusative case, and nothing else. Abu Hayyan approved of this and said: What has been mentioned does not invalidate it, for there is no necessity to conjoin (that they may remember) to the command; rather, it is permissible to assume for it a verb to which it relates. It is not hidden that this is an affectation.

Yahya bin ‘Umarah al-Dhir’a, from his father, and Ahmad bin Yazid al-Sulami read (and that they may nadhara) with the ya and dhal opened (vowel a), the imperfect of nadhar (to vow/note) something, meaning he knew of it and prepared for it. They said: nadhar in the sense of "he knew" is not known to have a verbal noun; it is like ‘asa (to hope) and other verbs that have no verbal nouns. It is said: They sufficed with an and the verb instead of the explicit verbal noun. In the Qamus: "He nadhar with the thing, like fariha, meaning he knew it, became cautious of it, and warned him of the affair, indharan, nadhran, and nadhiran."

Mujahid and Humayd read with a damma-vowelled ta and a kasra-vowelled dhal (and that they may know) through contemplation and reflection, by what it contains of clear proofs—which are the destruction of nations, the settling of others in their dwellings, and others of what is contained in what is indicated by (that He is one God), having no partner at all. The warning is mentioned first because it is a call to reflection, which results in the aforementioned knowledge.

(And that those of understanding may remember), meaning that they may call to mind the affairs of Allah the Exalted, His dealings with His servants, and the like, so they may be deterred from the attributes that cause ruin, which the disbelievers possess, and shield themselves with what grants them His favor, Mighty and Majestic is He, of true beliefs and righteous deeds. In specifying the "remembering" to those of understanding, there is an elevation of their status.

It is also in the guidance of the sound intellect that this contains an allusion to the restriction of "knowledge" to the disbelievers, and an indication that the reference here is to these warnings driven for their sake, not the entire Surah, which includes matters for the believers as well, for it contains what provides them with a new benefit. There is room for discussion here. It is also said that since the Tawhid (Monotheism) provided by the notification and the rulings resulting from it are—in relation to the disbelievers—a new matter, and in relation to those of understanding, a persistence in that, the first was expressed as "knowledge" and the second as "remembering," observing the order of existence along with what is in it of concluding with the best.

Judge Baydawi—may Allah the Exalted lighten the brilliance of his states—mentioned that for this notification, He has three benefits: the goal, the wisdom in sending down books, the perfection of the Messengers (peace be upon them) for the people—indicated by "warning"—the completion of their theoretical strength, the ultimate perfection of which is what relates to the knowledge of Allah—indicated by "knowing"—and the reform of the practical strength, which is donning the garment of piety—indicated by "remembering."

The manifest meaning is that "those of understanding" refers to those whose intellects are pure from the impurities of illusion, absolutely. It does not invalidate this what was said: that the verse was revealed concerning Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. The conclusion of this Surah has been made to correspond with its beginning, and this has occurred frequently in the Surahs of the Qur’an, to the point that some assumed His saying, Exalted is He (that they may be warned by it) is conjoined to His saying, Exalted is He (to bring the people out), which is very far-fetched. We ask Him, Mighty and Majestic, to favor us with the downpours of pardon and forgiveness.

(And when Abraham said, "My Lord, make this city secure"): Ibn ‘Ata said: He (peace be upon him) intended that the Exalted One make his heart secure from separation and veiling. It is said: "Make the city of my heart possess security through You, from You."

(And keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols): from the base desires and sensory appetites. Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him, said: He (peace be upon him) meant, "Do not return me to the witnessing of the state of Khulla (intimate friendship with God), and do not return my children to the witnessing of Prophethood." It is narrated from him that he said: "The idols of Khulla are the flashes of heedlessness and the moments of love." In another narration, it is that he (peace be upon him) was secure from the worship of idols in his old age, and he had broken them in his youth; but he knew that the desire of every human is his idol, so he sought refuge from that.

Al-Junayd, may his secret be sanctified, said: Meaning, "Prevent me and my sons from seeing for ourselves any means to You other than destitution." It is said: Everything the Gnostic stops at other than the Truth, Exalted is He, is his idol, and the soul’s desire is the greatest idol.

(My Lord, indeed they have led astray many of the people): by attachment to them, attraction toward them, and being veiled by them from You, O You who are beyond all imperfections.

(So whoever follows me): in the path of striving and intimate friendship by sacrificing the spirit before You, (then he is of me): his clay is of my clay, his heart is of my heart, his spirit is of my spirit, and his secret is of my secret; his source in the intimate friendship is my source.

(And whoever disobeys me): and does what necessitates a veil from You, (then indeed You are Forgiving, Merciful): so I do not invoke evil against him, and I entrust his affair to You. It is said: This from him (peace be upon him) is an invocation for the sinner, covering his darkness with the Light of the Exalted One, and His Mercy, Glorified is His Majesty, by bestowing perfection upon him after forgiveness. And from the words of our Prophet (peace be upon him): "O Allah, guide my people, for they do not know."

In the Asrar al-Ta’wil (Secrets of Interpretation), it is mentioned that he (peace be upon him) indicated by his saying (And whoever disobeys me) the station of Jam’ (Union), and for this reason, he did not say: "Whoever disobeys You." It is also permissible to say: He attributed their disobedience to himself because the disobedience of creation toward the Creator is not possible; for "there is no moving creature but that He has hold of its forelock." They are, in all their states, responders to the caller of the tongues of His will, Exalted is He, and His eternal decree.

‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Makki was asked: Why did the Khalil (Abraham) not say "Whoever disobeys You"? He said: Because he magnified his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and revered Him too much to establish that anyone would dare to disobey Him, Exalted is He. Likewise, he revered Him, Exalted is He, too much for anyone to reach the station befitting His status, Exalted is His status, of obedience, as he said: (So whoever follows me).

(My Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in a valley of no cultivation, by Your sacred House): It is said: It is the custom of Allah, the Exalted, to test His Khalil (friend) with grave matters so as to detach him from himself and from all creation, so that there remains no veil between him and Him of worldly things. Therefore, He, Glorified is His Majesty, ordered this Khalil to settle his descendants in the valley of the Sanctuary without water or provision, so that he would be cut off unto Him and rely upon none but Him, Mighty and Majestic. He called upon Him by the name of "Lord," in the hope of the upbringing of his family and kin through His gentleness, and providing them shelter in the vicinity of His generosity.

(My Lord, that they may establish prayer): through which the servant reaches You and becomes a mirror of Your manifestation.

(So make hearts among the people incline toward them): lean toward them with the description of will and love, to lead them unto You and point them toward You. Ibn ‘Ata said: Whoever is cut off from creation entirely, Allah, the Exalted, turns the faces of creation toward him and places his affection in their chests and his love in their hearts. This is from the prayer of the Khalil (peace be upon him). When he cut his family off from the creation and the causes, he said: (So make hearts among the people incline toward them, and provide for them from the fruits). It is said: Meaning, the fruits of Your obedience, which are the exalted stations and the noble degrees.

Al-Wasiti said: The fruits of the hearts, which are the types of wisdom; and the chief of wisdom is seeing the favor and the incapacity to thank for the blessing, which is the true gratitude. For this reason, he said: (That they may be grateful), meaning: they may know that it is not possible for anyone to perform Your gratitude. The fruit of wisdom removes diseases from the hearts, just as the fruit of trees removes the diseases of the souls. It is also said: Meaning, provide them with children who are prophets and righteous ones. In this is an allusion to his prayer for the Master of Messengers (peace be upon him), for he is the one meant by His saying: (My Lord, and raise among them a messenger). What fruits are more desirable than the purest of the pure, the most pious of the pious, the best of the people of the earth and the heavens, and the beloved of the Possessor of Greatness and Pride? He (peace and blessings be upon him) is the fruit of the Abrahamic tree and the flower of the gardens of the Khalili call. Nay, he (peace and blessings be upon him) is the fruit of the tree of existence, the light of the garden of generosity and bounty, and the light of the pupil of every existent thing.

(My Lord, indeed You know what we conceal and what we declare): Al-Khawwas said: What we conceal of Your love and what we declare of our gratitude. Ibn ‘Ata said: What we conceal of the states and what we declare of the etiquette. It is said: What we conceal of the supplication in Your worship and what we declare of the outward obedience in Your law. Also: what we conceal of the secrets of Your gnosis and what we declare of the duties of Your worship. Also: what we conceal of the realities of longing for You in our hearts, and what we declare in the overwhelming of our ecstatic states by letting tears flow and heaving sighs.

(And nothing is hidden from Allah on the earth or in the heaven): So He knows what is hidden and what is declared.

(And do not think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare in horror): It is said: The wrongdoer is he who exceeds his bounds and struts on the carpet of selfishness, claiming that he has drunk deeply from the water of Zamzam of love and is drowned in the depths of the sea of Fana’ (annihilation). Allah, the Exalted, threatened him by delaying his exposure until the day when the eyes of the intoxicated of Gnosis and Tawhid stare in horror. It is the day of the Great Unveiling, when the lights of the manifestations of Might appear, so they become drowned in His Greatness such that they are unable to turn to anything else. There, the truthful is distinguished from the liar.

His saying, Exalted is He: (Racing ahead, their heads raised up, their glance does not return to them, and their hearts are void) is an explanation of the states of the owners of staring eyes; they are the intoxicated of love, in truth. Ibn ‘Ata said regarding (and their hearts are void): This is a description of the hearts of the people of Truth, attached to Allah, the Exalted, finding no rest except with Him, Exalted is He, and finding no peace except in Him; there is no place in them for other than Him.

(And warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them and those who did wrong will say, "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers."): They sought to rectify what had passed, and that is through the refinement of the inward and outward, and aligning themselves in the behavior of the truthful. But alas, and alas! Then they were answered with what crushes the spine and breaks the joints of the eyes, which is His saying, Exalted is He: (Had you not sworn before...) the verse. (The Day the earth will be replaced by another earth and the heavens [as well], and they will come out before Allah, the One, the Prevailing). This is at the time of the unveiling of the lights of the Reality of Existence, so the destruction of everything appears, except His Face.

It is said: The allusion in the verse is to the changing of the earth of the hearts of the Gnostics from the attributes of humanity to the holy spiritual attributes by the light of witnessing the beauty of the Truth, and the changing of the heavens of the spirits from the incapacity of the attributes of origination and their weakness before the lights of Greatness by the bestowing of the True Attributes. It is also said: The changing of the earth of nature to the earth of the soul upon reaching the station of the heart, and the heaven of the heart to the heaven of the secret. Likewise, the changing of the earth of the soul to the earth of the heart, and the heaven of the secret to the heaven of the spirit. Similarly, every station the wayfarer crosses, what is above it and what is below it changes, like the changing of the heaven of reliance in the Tawhid of actions to the heaven of contentment in the Tawhid of attributes, then the heaven of contentment to the heaven of Tawhid upon the unveiling of the Essence.

(And you will see the criminals that Day bound together in chains): with the chains of desires. (Their garments will be of liquid pitch): and that is the pitch of their foul deeds. (And the Fire will cover): will veil (their faces): in the Hell of deprivation, the blaze of humiliation, and the veiling from the Lord of Lords.

This is a notification for the people, and that they may be warned by it, and that they may know that He is one God, and that those of understanding may remember—and they are the scholars of Reality, the pillars of Gnosis, the lovers of the Divine Presence, and the trustees of the treasures of the Kingdom. May Allah, the Exalted, make us and you among those who were reminded and remembered, and attained realization in the abode of Tawhid, and were firmly established by His grace and generosity.