Surah Al-Hijr

15

Ibn Marduyah recorded from Ibn Abbas and Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that it was revealed in Makkah. This has also been narrated from Qatadah and Mujahid. In Majma’ al-Bayan, it is stated from al-Hasan that it is Meccan, except for His saying—the Exalted: "And We have certainly given you seven of the oft-repeated [verses] and the great Qur’an," and His saying—the Glorified: "Just as We had revealed to the dividers, who have made the Qur’an into portions." Jalal al-Suyuti mentioned in al-Itqan, on the authority of some scholars, the exception of the first verse only. Then I say: It is appropriate to except His saying—the Exalted: "And We have already known the preceding among you and We have known the later ones," due to what al-Tirmidhi and others recorded regarding the cause of its revelation, that it pertains to the rows of prayer. Based on this, the statement of Abu Hayyan—and a similar one in the Tafsir of al-Khazin—that it is Meccan without dispute, while ignoring the exceptions, is a manifestation of insufficient investigation. It consists of ninety-nine verses. Al-Dani stated: And thus it is according to al-Tabarsi, by consensus. It contains, according to what has been said, five verses abrogated by the Verse of the Sword.

The aspect of its coherence with the preceding surah is that it opens in a manner similar to how the previous surah opened, and it also contains an explanation of the states of the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection and their wish that they had been Muslims, just as the first [surah] contained something similar. Furthermore, the first [surah] mentioned a portion of the states of the criminals in the Hereafter, while here a portion of what befell some of them in this world is mentioned. Also, He—the Glorified—mentioned in each of them what He mentioned regarding the matter of the heavens and the earth, and He—the Glorified—did likewise regarding what pertains to Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Moreover, each of them contains the consolation of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), among other things that cannot be enumerated.

Alif Lam Ra: The discussion regarding this has already preceded.

These: More than one scholar has chosen the view that this is a demonstrative pronoun pointing to the Surah—meaning, these verses of this Surah, which is of magnificent status.

Verses of the Book: The perfect Book, which is worthy of the name "the Book" being applied to it exclusively, as the use of the definite article (al-Kitab) suggests. That is to say, it is a portion of it, translated independently under a specific name. Therefore, what is meant is the entire Quran, or all that had been revealed up to that time.

And a Quran: Of magnificent status, as indicated by the use of the indefinite noun.

Manifest: Making apparent within its folds wisdom and legal rulings, or the path of righteousness and error, or functioning as a separator between truth and falsehood, the lawful and the prohibited. It may also mean that its meanings are apparent, or that its miraculous nature is evident. Thus, "manifest" (mubin) is derived either from the transitive verb (making things clear) or the intransitive (being clear in itself).

In combining the two descriptions—"the Book" and "the Quran"—there is a glorification of the status of the Quran. By the first, it is indicated that it possesses the qualities of perfection belonging to the genus of divine books, as if it were all of them. By the second, it is indicated that it is distinct from others, a unique fabric, original in its class, and beyond the circle of ordinary speech. This is like the opening of Surah An-Naml, except that here, the description of "being a Quran" is placed after the description of "being a Book." This is because pointing to its distinction from other books, after alerting one to the fact that it contains the perfections of those others, is more effective in praise. This prevents the initial misconception that its distinction from others is merely due to its possession of specific, isolated attributes, without containing the perfections of other noble books. The order there (in An-Naml) is reversed, considering the state of the "Quranic" nature preceding the "Book" nature, as some researchers have stated.

It has also been suggested that "the Book" refers to the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz). It was mentioned that its precedence here is in terms of ontological existence, while its delay there (in An-Naml) is in terms of the arrival of our knowledge, for we only know the reality of that through the Quran. This is countered by the fact that the attribution of the "verses" to it makes that interpretation difficult, for there is no precedent for the Preserved Tablet containing "verses."

Al-Zamakhshari held that the reference here is to what the Surah contains, and that "the Book" and what is conjoined to it are expressions for the Surah itself. Elsewhere, he mentioned that "the Book" is either the Preserved Tablet, the Surah, or the Quran, preferring in each place the aspect that fits the context.

It is stated in al-Kashf: Because "the Book," when applied to something other than the Preserved Tablet, is more apparent, and treating it as the Surah is a more emphatic interpretation, as indicated by the style of the Almighty’s saying: "And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth," and so that it corresponds to what is being pointed to—since it is a pointing toward the verses of the Surah. He then said: "The preference is for the interpretation that the conjoined and the conjoining refer to the same thing in reality, for that is the apparent meaning of attributing the verses to it."

Since there is a kind of grandeur in the definite article and another kind in the indefinite noun, and the intent was to combine them, "the Book" was made definite and "the Quran" was made indefinite here—and the reverse was done in An-Naml. The definite term was placed first in both places to increase the level of acclaim. When He, the Almighty, followed it with talk of particulars there, He prioritized its nature as "a Quran," because that is more indicative of the specific nature of what was revealed to Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) regarding its miraculousness.

Countering the interpretation that this refers to the Surah rather than the entire Quran or what had been revealed at the time, it is said that such an understanding is not readily grasped by the intellect; the meaning readily grasped upon an absolute mention is what has been mentioned. Upon that depends the benefit of describing the verses with the attributes of perfection to which they are added, rather than interpreting it as referring to the Surah—for the Surah, in its description, does not possess that level of fame such that one could dispense with stating the description explicitly. Furthermore, since it is an expression for all its verses, one must treat "those" as a pointer to each individual verse, and there is an obvious affectation in that.

Then, Al-Zamakhshari, after interpreting the two conjoined terms as the Surah, pointed to the nature of the difference between them by saying: "It is as if it were said: The Book that gathers both perfection and strangeness in its expression." He hinted that when it was made independent in perfection and strangeness, he intended both, so he conjoined one to the other. Thus, the purpose of mentioning the essence in both places is the two descriptions. This is the benefit of preferring this style, and from this, those who counted it as Tajrid (abstraction) did so, as stated in al-Kashf.

Al-Tibi, after quoting from Al-Baghawi the differentiation between the two conjoined terms—that "the Book" is what is written, and "the Quran" is what is gathered together—said: "If you ask: Does the matter return to 'the Book and a Quran' being two descriptions for one described entity, substituted in its place? If so, what is that described entity and how is it estimated? If you estimate it as definite, then it is raised; and if you consider it indefinite, the word 'the Book' rejects it. I say: I estimate it as definite, and 'a Quran' is in the interpretation of the definite, because its meaning is that which reaches such a degree of strangeness that it is miraculous; hence, it is delimited, even bounded..."—to the end of what he said. This is speech devoid of investigation, as is not hidden from those who understand it.

It has been said: "The Book" refers to the Torah and the Gospel, and "the Quran" refers to the Book revealed to our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace). Ibn Jarir narrated this from Mujahid and Qatadah. The sequence of the conjunction in this view is very apparent, though that view itself is not apparent, and there is also obscurity regarding the object of the pointing in this case. In al-Bahr, it is stated that the pointing in this view is to the verses of the Book, and it is as you see.