Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:102

"Say: The Holy Spirit has brought it down..." (i.e., the Quran, which is indicated by the verse). Al-Tabarsi stated: Meaning the abrogating [verse] indicated by what preceded it. "...the Holy Spirit" (meaning Gabriel, peace be upon him). He was designated as such because he descends with holiness from Allah—that is, with that which purifies souls, consisting of the Quran, wisdom, and divine overflow. It is also said: [he is so named] because of his purity from human impurities. The genitive construction (idafa), according to some, is for specification, as in "Lord of Might" (Rabb al-'Izzah). Some scholars of verification have classified it as an attribution of a described entity to its attribute, treating "the Holy" (al-Quds) as the essence itself for the sake of hyperbole, similar to "bad news" (khabar su') or "a man of integrity" (rajul sidq), according to the view approved by Al-Radi; examples of this include "Hatim of generosity" and "Sahban of eloquence." Al-Khafaji dissented from this in Al-Kashf, choosing the view that it is for specification.

It is not hidden that the taf'il form (nazzalahu - "brought it down"), based on the opinion that it denotes gradualness, is appropriate for the context, as it points to the fact that it was revealed in installments according to [evolving] interests.

"...from your Lord": The attribution of "Lord" to the pronoun of the Prophet (peace be upon him) contains a verification of the overflow of the effects of Lordship upon him—a connotation not present in attributing it to the speaker [Allah], which would imply mere dictation, as stated in Irshad al-'Aql al-Salim. It is as if, out of concern for this specific implication, He did not say "from your Lord" [referring to the plural "you" (kum)]. Moreover, omitting the address to them (the disbelievers) serves to diminish their status. The "from" (min) indicates the starting point of the trajectory, metaphorically.

"...with the truth": That is, accompanied by the wisdom that requires it, such that it never departs from it, whether it is an abrogating or an abrogated [verse].

"...to strengthen those who believe": That is, to strengthen them in the faith they are obligated to hold due to the definitive arguments and brilliant proofs it contains, or to strengthen their belief that it is truly the speech of Allah—so understand this. When they heard the abrogating [verse] and pondered the consideration of interests contained therein, their convictions became firmly rooted and their hearts found tranquility. Some interpreted the verse in this light by saying: "to manifest their steadfastness." This was challenged by the argument that there is no need for such an interpretation if the "strengthening" occurred after the abrogation and not before it. However, if one considers faith in the absolute sense, it is valid. It has also been recited as li-yathbuta (that they may remain firm), an intransitive verb.

"...and as a guidance and good tidings for the Muslims"

This is a conjunction on the location of li-yathbuta according to Al-Zamakhshari and his followers. It is parallel to [the phrase] "I visited you to speak to you and to honor you"—that is, for strengthening, for guidance, and for glad tidings. This has been challenged on the basis that if all of them are considered the action of the One who sent [the Quran] based on metaphorical ascription, there is no apparent reason for the distinction of including the preposition lam in some and omitting it in others. The same applies if one considers it the action of Allah—as it is in reality. If one considers some [parts] to be the action of the one who brought it down [the angel] so that the agent of the verbal noun (masdar) and the agent of the verb for which the cause is given are the same (thus omitting the lam), and other parts to be the action of Allah so that the agent differs (thus including the lam), there is no clear reason for this specification, and the elegance of the structure is lost.

Al-Khafaji stated that the omission of the lam in the conjunction, while it is present in the conjoined [phrase] despite the condition for omission existing in both, is justified by the fact that the derived verbal noun is definite according to the established rules of Arabic, and a direct maf'ul lahu (object of cause)—even if not mandatorily indefinite—is rarely seen as definite, as attributed to Al-Riyashi. Thus, the difference between them is for the sake of stylistic variety and adherence to the most eloquent usage. The point here is that "strengthening" is an emergent state after the existence of that which is strengthened; thus, the form indicating occurrence was chosen with the mention of the Agent, signaling that it is an act of Allah specific to Him. This is unlike guidance and glad tidings, which occur through mediation. It is also said that the existence of the condition is a permit, not an obligation, and the choice [of structure] is a preference, along with the benefit of demonstrating the permissibility of both forms. However, this is not a sound position upon scrutiny.

Abu Hayyan objected here in a manner similar to his previous objection regarding the verse: "To clarify to them that wherein they differ, and as a guidance and mercy." He mentioned that it is not impossible for the conjunction to be on the implied verbal noun (masdar), because it is in the genitive case, thus hudan and bushra would be in the genitive. Abu al-Baqa' permitted them to be in the nominative as predicates of an elided subject—that is, "And it is guidance and good tidings"—and the sentence is in the state of being a circumstantial clause (hal) related to the pronoun in nazzalahu.

The intended meaning of "the Muslims" is "those who believe." The shift from the pronoun [of the believers] to this noun is to praise them with both titles. Some interpreted Islam in its linguistic sense, saying this is to provide benefit after having directed them to faith. The apparent [meaning] is that "for the Muslims" is a restriction on guidance and good tidings. I have not seen anyone address the possibility of it being a restriction on "good tidings" only, as was addressed in [the commentary on] the verse: "As a guidance, a mercy, and good tidings for the Muslims," as you heard there.

In this verse, they say, there is an allusion to the attainment of the opposites of these mentioned matters for those other than the believers—namely, the disbelievers. This is because the saying "Say: It was brought down..." is a response to their saying, "You are only a fabricator." Therefore, "Say: The Holy Spirit brought it down" would have sufficed; thus, the addition is for the sake of the allusion. Al-Tibi said that "The Holy Spirit brought it down" serves as a substitute for "Allah brought it down," providing a more vivid illustration in the response. The saying "with the truth" was added to alert one to the repulsion of their slander in the most subtle of ways. Then, He censured their ugly actions by saying, "to strengthen [the believers]..." alluding to the fact that they (the disbelievers) are unstable, misguided, rebuked, and warned of disgrace, punishment, and curses in this world and the hereafter. And [the fact] that their punishment is in the opposite state is to increase their rage and fury. In the speech, there is something close to the "wise style" (uslub hakim). Reflect upon this.