Tafsir of Maryam 19:64

(And we descend not except by the command of your Lord): This is a narration of the speech of Gabriel—may the blessings of Allah Most High and His peace be upon him. It has been narrated that he was delayed from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) for some days when the Prophet was asked about the story of the People of the Cave, Dhu al-Qarnayn, and the Soul (al-Ruh). The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not know how to answer, until he felt sorrow and this became difficult for him. The polytheists said, "His Lord has bid him farewell and abandoned him." The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) later said to him, "O Gabriel, you were delayed from me until I harbored ill thoughts and yearned for you." Gabriel said, "I was more yearning, but I am a commanded servant; when I am sent, I descend, and when I am held back, I am held back." Then Allah Most High revealed this verse and the Surah of al-Duha. This was stated by more than one [scholar].

This is a case of one story being connected to another, according to what al-Khafaji stated. In al-Kashf, the aspect of it being placed in this position is that when Allah Most High finished the stories of the prophets—peace be upon them—as a means of steadfastness for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and concluded with what the succeeding generations brought about after them, made exception for the righteous among them, and mentioned the reward of both groups, He followed it up with the story of Gabriel’s descent and what the polytheists alleged regarding his Lord abandoning him, as an increase in consolation, and that the matter is not as these succeeding generations claimed. He integrated into it the suitability to the discourse of the "pious" by indicating that they [the angels] are commanded in their movements and stillness, obedient and resigned, as a kindness to him and his nation (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Therefore, He followed it up by stating: “So worship Him and be patient in His worship.” This implies that you should not pay heed to what the opponents say until you meet your Lord in a state of happiness. He followed this with the disbelievers’ statement to clarify the disparity between the two statements, and the state of the infallible angel versus the ignorant, oppressive human. It is a digression similar to an interjection, well-placed.

And it does not contradict what preceded regarding the descent, which is what Ahmad, al-Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and a group [of scholars] narrated regarding its cause from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to Gabriel—peace be upon him—: "What prevents you from visiting us more than you visit us?" And so, “And we descend not except by the command of your Lord” was revealed. It is possible that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said this during the previous dialogue as well, and each narration restricted itself to a portion of what occurred in the dialogue. It is also said that the descent was frequent. Yes, what was mentioned in the interpretation is only sound according to some of the previous narrations regarding the intent of the "succeeding generations" who neglected prayer and followed desires.

Some said that the estimation is: "And Gabriel said: 'And we descend not...' etc." Through this, the beauty and logic of the connection become apparent. This was countered by saying it has no basis. Al-Naqqash narrated from a group that the verse is connected to what Gabriel—peace be upon him—said earlier: “I am only a messenger of your Lord to give you a pure boy.” This is a statement that descends very far from the degree of acceptance.

Tanzul (descending) is descending slowly, for it is the mutawa (intransitive) of nazzala; it is said, "I brought it down (nazzaltuhu), so it descended (tanazzala)." It is sometimes used in the sense of descent absolutely, just as nazala is used in the sense of anzala (to cause to descend). To that effect is the verse: "I am not human, but an angel who descends from the expanse of the sky," for there is no effect of gradation intended by the poet. The meaning is: We do not descend time after time except by the command of Allah Most High, according to what His wisdom—Glory be to Him—requires. Al-A'raj recited wa ma tanzilu (in the third person feminine), and the pronoun refers to the One who reveals [the revelation], by the context of the situation and the cause of revelation, and the speech is from Gabriel: "except by the command of your Lord," saying: “To Him belongs what is between our hands”—meaning what is ahead of us in the future time—“and what is behind us”—the past time—“and what is between that”—the mentioned present time. So we do not descend at any time except by His command and His will—Exalted is His Majesty.

Ibn Jurayj said: "What is between the hands" is the time that has passed before creation; "what is behind" is what is after their death until the continuation of the Hereafter; and "what is between that" is the duration of life. Abu al-Aliyah said: "What is between the hands" is the entire world until the first Trumpet blast; "what is behind that" is the Hereafter from the time of resurrection; and "what is between that" is the interval between the two Trumpet blasts, which is forty years. In the book al-Tahrir wa al-Tahbir, it is stated: "Between the hands" is the Hereafter, and "behind" is the world. This was narrated by al-Awfi from Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Jubayr, Qatadah, Muqatil, and Sufyan said the same. Al-Akhfash said: "Between the hands" is what is before creation, and "behind" is what is after annihilation, and "what is between that" is between the world and the Hereafter. Thus, all these opinions refer to time.

The author of al-Faynan said: "Between our hands" is the sky, "behind us" is the earth, and "what is between that" is what is between the earth and the sky. It is also said: "Between the hands" is the earth, and "behind" is the sky. It is also said: "Between the hands" is the place they are moving to, "behind" is the place they are moving from, and "what is between that" is the place they are currently in. Thus, all refer to places. Some chose to interpret them in a way that encompasses both time and place, and the intent is that He—Exalted is He—is the possessor of all that, so we do not move from a place to a place, nor do we descend at a time rather than another, except by His permission—Exalted is His Majesty.

Al-Baghawi said: The meaning is, "To Him is the knowledge of what is between our hands..." etc., meaning we do not proceed with anything that is not in accordance with His wisdom—Exalted is His Majesty. Some chose the generalization, meaning that to Him—Exalted is He—belongs all of that, in terms of ownership and knowledge.

“And your Lord was never forgetful”—meaning never abandoning His prophets—peace be upon them. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is included in this primarily, meaning the lack of descent was not due to the lack of command for it, nor was it due to Allah Most High abandoning you or bidding you farewell as the disbelievers claimed; rather, it was for a profound wisdom. It is also said that "forgetfulness" is taken literally, meaning that He—Glory be to Him—due to the encompassing nature of His knowledge and sovereignty, is not subject to negligence or forgetfulness such that He would neglect you or [neglect] revealing to you; rather, the delay in revelation was for a wisdom He—Magnified is His Majesty—knows. The first [view] was chosen because the latter meaning [literal forgetfulness] is not permissible for Him—Exalted is He—so there is no need to negate it from Him, along with the fact that the first [view] is more consistent with the cause of revelation.

The second [view] was preferred as being more consistent with the form of the intensive noun (nasiy), for it is with regard to the multitude of those who are assumed to be attached to Him. It is more complete according to the second [view], along with the preservation of the word in its literal sense. Often, the Quran negates what is not permissible for Allah Most High, and there is a view on this. Yes, there is no doubt that the second is the more immediate interpretation, and the matter of consistency with the cause of revelation is easy. In repeating the name of the "Lord"—which expresses the upbringing to the appropriate perfection—added to the pronoun of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), there is an honor for him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and an indication of the cause of the ruling, which is not hidden.

Abu Muslim and Ibn Bahr said: The beginning of the verse up to “and what is between that” is the speech of the pious when they enter Paradise. The "descending" here is from descending in a place, and the meaning is: "And we do not enter Paradise and take it as a dwelling except by the command of your Lord, Exalted is He, and His kindness." He—Glory be to Him—is the possessor of all affairs, their past, their future, and their present, so what we have found and what we will find is of His kindness and bounty. His statement—Glory be to Him—“And your Lord was never forgetful” is an affirmation from His side—Exalted is He—to their statement, meaning: He was never—Exalted is He—one to abandon the reward of the workers, or forgetful of their deeds and rewarding them as He promised—Glorified and Exalted is He. The [issue] with this is that interpreting "descending" as mentioned is contrary to the apparent meaning. Also, its requirement would be "by the command of our Lord," because the address to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), as in the first interpretation, is not apparent unless Allah Most High narrated it based on the meaning, because their Lord and his Lord are one. If it were narrated according to their wording, it would be said "our Lord," but it was narrated in this way to make it a preparation for what follows. That this is an address from a group of the pious to one of them is far-fetched, as is "And your Lord was never forgetful," for it did not say "their Lord." Furthermore, this does not agree with the cause of revelation in any way. The speaker only chose it to make the discourse consistent with what preceded it and to make its connection to it apparent, and we have already realized that we have no need to resort to this for this purpose.