Taha: (135) Say, "Everyone is waiting..."

Say to those rebellious disbelievers, "Everyone"—that is, every one of us and you—"is waiting"—that is, expecting what will be the outcome of our affair and yours. This is the predicate of "everyone," and its singular form is used by taking into account its literal word. "So wait" (or, according to another reading, "So enjoy"). "For you shall know"—soon—"who are the companions of the level path"—that is, the straight one. Abu Mijlaz and Imran ibn Hudair read it as al-sawa’, meaning the middle, by which is intended the good.

Al-Jahdari and Ibn Ya’mar read it as al-su’a, with a damma and qasr (shortening), following the pattern of fu’la, which is the feminine of al-aswa. It is feminine because al-sirat (the path) is a word that can be used as both masculine and feminine. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) read it as al-su’ with an opening fatha, a sukun, and an ending hamza, meaning "evil." It is also read as al-suwa with a damma on the sin, a fatha on the waw, and a shadda on the ya’, which is the diminutive of su’ with an opening fatha. It is also said to be the diminutive of su’ with a damma. Abu Hayyan said: The better view is that it is a diminutive of sawa’, just as they say ‘atay for ‘ata’, because if it were a diminutive of dalk (the former), its hamza would remain. It is also said to be su’wa, but this is contested by stating that substituting such a hamza with a ya’ is permissible.

From al-Jahdari and Ibn Ya’mar, it is reported that they read al-suwa with a damma, qasr, and a shadda on the waw. It has been chosen in explaining this reading that its origin is al-suwa’a as in the first report, then the hamza was lightened by changing it into a waw and assimilating the waw into the waw. In most of these readings, consideration has been given to the correspondence between what has passed and the words of the Exalted, "and whoever is guided"—that is, from misguidance. This is not observed in the reading of the majority, whereas the first is among the irregular readings.

"Whoever" (man) in both instances is interrogative, in the nominative position as an initial subject, and the predicate is what follows. The conjunction is a conjunction of sentences, and the sum of the two conjoined sentences fills the place of the two objects of "know," or its one object if it is in the sense of cognition. It is permissible that the second "who" is a relative pronoun, thus being conjoined to the position of the first interrogative sentence upon which the verb "know" is suspended, provided that "know" is in the sense of cognition that takes one object. Were it otherwise, the relative pronoun (via the conjunction) would be one of the two objects, and the other object would be omitted due to brevity, which is not permissible.

It is also permitted that it be conjoined to "companions," thus being within the scope of the interrogative "who"—that is, "And who is he who is guided?" Or it may be conjoined to "the path," thus being within the scope of "companions"—that is, "And who are the companions of him who is guided," meaning the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). If the "level path" is also attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then the conjunction is of the type of joining attributes to attributes while the subject remains one.

Al-Farra’ permitted that the first "who" be a relative pronoun meaning "those," and it is in the accusative position as an object of "know" in the sense of cognition, and "companions" is the predicate of an omitted subject which is the referent (pronoun)—that is, "those who are the companions of the path." This is permissible according to the school of the Kufans, for they permit the omission of such a referent whether the relative clause is long or short, and whether the relative pronoun is ayya or otherwise, unlike the Basrans. How profound is the relevance of this conclusion to the opening! Al-Tayyibi has mentioned that it is a noble conclusion looking toward the opening, and that when it becomes clear that the Quran was sent down to bear the burden of communication—"Do not overexert yourself"—then once you have conveyed and exerted your effort, no blame falls upon you. You must turn to your worship according to your capacity, and command your family—who are your followers—to that effect. Leave those upon whom warning has no effect, for it is a reminder to those who fear, and the dissenter will regret when regret will not avail him. End of quote.

[Points of Indication in the Verses]

"And Moses felt a fear in his soul": It is said that he (peace be upon him) saw that Allah Almighty had clothed the sorcery of the magicians with the mantle of compulsion, and he feared the compulsion because "none feels secure from the plan of Allah except the losing people."

Ibn ‘Ata was asked about this and said: He (peace be upon him) did not fear for himself; he only feared for his people, lest they miss their portion from Allah Almighty. We said, "Do not fear, for you are the superior one"—that is, you are preserved by the eyes of care and the guard of gentleness, or you are of lofty station, prevailing over them with a complete victory such that they, by reason of it, become your followers and thus do not miss their portion from Allah Almighty.

"And the magicians fell down in prostration"—to the end of their story—contains an indication that Allah Almighty bestows upon whom He wills the success and arrival to Him, may He be glorified, in the shortest time. Thus, the attainment of perfection for one who has repented and followed a perfector at the hands of a perfect person in a short period should not be deemed unlikely. Many ignorant people deny the perfection and the flooding of grace upon those who are recent in their repentance from committing sins and parting from faults. They say, "How can they attain that, when they were yesterday so and so?"

Their words, "We will not prefer you" and so on, are speech issued from the greatness of ambition that is obtained by the soul through the strength of certainty. For when that is obtained by the soul, it does not care for worldly happiness, bodily wretchedness, fleeting urgent pleasures, or sensory pains, alongside the happiness of the Hereafter and the lasting spiritual pleasure.

"And We inspired to Moses, 'Travel by night with My servants'": It contains an indication of the desirability of parting from others and abandoning the company of the wicked.

"And do not transgress": It counts as transgression the utilization of it (the provision) while being heedless of Allah Almighty and lacking the intention of fearing Him through it.

"And what made you hasten from your people, O Moses?": The indication here is that a leader should observe what is most beneficial for those he leads, and a master should not do what might cause the student to have an ill opinion, especially if he has no firmness at all. He said, "Indeed, We have tested your people after you."

Ibn ‘Ata said: Allah Almighty said to Moses (peace be upon him) after He informed him of that: "Do you know from where you were brought?" He said, "No, my Lord." He said, "From your saying to Aaron, 'Take my place among my people,' and your lack of entrusting the affair to Me and relying on Me for the succession."

Some mentioned that the secret of Allah informing him of what He mentioned was to cheer him up and keep him occupied with His company rather than the company of the opposites. And it is as you see.

"And the Samiri led them astray": He became the cause of their misguidance by what he did. Some of the interpreters said: Allah Almighty only tested them as He did so that the one prepared and receptive to perfection through detachment might be distinguished from the one lacking preparation, immersed in materials, who perceives only the sensory and is not awakened to the abstract intelligible. That is why they said, "We did not break our promise to you by our own will"—that is, by our own judgment. For they are slaves by nature; they have no judgment or power of choice. They are not free; they have no path except imitation and work, not verification and knowledge. The Samiri enslaved them with the talisman poured from the ornaments because of the rooted love of gold in their souls, for it is base, attracted to the bodily nature. The golden nature adorned itself, and that specific form was embellished within it due to natural affinity. This was a matter of mixing the celestial forces—which is the effect of the universal celestial animal soul referred to as hayzum and the horse of life, which is the vehicle of Gabriel (peace be upon him), the agent referred to as the active intellect—with the earthly forces. That is why he said, "I perceived what they did not perceive"—that is, from the natural and mathematical sciences upon which the science of talismans and simiya (alchemy) is built.

He said, "Go, and for you in this life is to say, 'No contact.'" He (peace be upon him) said this in anger at the Samiri and driving him away. Everyone with whom the prophets and the saints (for they are manifestations of the attributes of the True One, may He be exalted) are angry falls into His compulsion, may He be glorified, and is wretched in this world and the Hereafter. The form of the punishment of this outcast was to avoid contact, a result of his distance from the Truth in inviting to falsehood, and an effect of the curse of Moses (peace be upon him) upon him when he invalidated his ruse and removed his trickery.

"And they ask you about the mountains; say, 'My Lord will blow them away with a blast.'" The people of Unity said: That is, they ask you about the entities of things. Say, "My Lord will blow them away with the winds of divine breezes arising from the mine of Oneness." He will leave them on the Great Resurrection as a level plain, a singular existence in which you see no crookedness or unevenness, duality or otherness. On that day, they will follow the Caller, who is the Truth, may He be glorified. There is no crookedness in Him, for He, the Exalted, takes them by their forelocks, and He is on a straight path. The voices will be humbled before the Most Merciful, for there is no action for any other than Him, the Exalted. "And you will hear nothing but a faint sound"—a hidden matter in relation to the manifestations. End of quote.

Others may have such interpretations, and Allah Almighty is the Protector.

"On that day, no intercession will benefit except from whom the Most Merciful has given permission and has accepted his word." It is said: This is he who has corrected his action and his creed and has not attributed anything to himself, nor did he see for it any deed. "And they cannot encompass Him in knowledge" due to the perfection of His holiness, transcendence, and majesty, may He be glorified and exalted. Far be it for the gnat of thought to fly in the atmosphere of the heaven of Omnipotence! And from where would the bee of the rational soul graze the flowers of the gardens of the desert of Divinity? Yes, the creation varies in the knowledge of His attributes, may He be glorified, according to the variation of their preparations. This is the knowledge referred to by the words of the Exalted, "And say, 'My Lord, increase me in knowledge.'"

It is also said: This is an indication of inspired knowledge. The indication in the story of Adam (peace be upon him) is that a human being should have increased caution against falling into disobedience. May Allah reward the one who said:

O observer who looks with the eyes of the sleeper, And a witness of the affair who does not witness, You have doomed your soul to error, and permitted it ways of hope While they are not the straight paths. You heap sins upon sins, and hope for the degrees of Paradise And the success of the worshipper through them, And you have forgotten that Allah brought Adam out of it to the world For a single sin.

Al-Dahhak narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: While Adam (peace be upon him) was weeping, Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him. Adam wept, and Gabriel wept for his weeping (peace be upon them both). He said, "O Adam, what is this weeping?" He said, "O Gabriel, how can I not weep, when my Lord has transformed me from heaven to earth, and from the house of bounty to the house of misery?" Gabriel (peace be upon him) departed with the saying of Adam, and Allah Almighty said, "O Gabriel, go to him and say to him: 'O Adam, your Lord says to you: Did I not create you with My hands? Did I not breathe into you from My spirit? Did I not make My angels prostrate to you? Did I not lodge you in My Paradise? Did I not command you, yet you disobeyed Me? By My Might and My Majesty, if the earth were filled with men like you and then they disobeyed Me, I would have cast them into the places of the disobedient. However, O Adam, My mercy has preceded My wrath, and I have heard your supplication, and I have had mercy on your weeping, and I have forgiven your slip.'"

"And whoever turns away from My remembrance"—that is, by turning to the lower world—"Indeed, he will have a depressed life," due to the prevalence of his avarice and the intensity of his stinginess. For he who turns away from the presence of the True One, may He be glorified, his soul is attracted to worldly ornaments and material possessions due to their affinity with him, and his greed and hunger for them intensify because of their commonality and sharing in darkness and the inclination toward the lower side. Thus, he becomes stingy with them, toward himself and others. The more he accumulates of them, the more his greed for them and his stinginess with them increase. That is the "depressed life."

For this reason, some said: No one turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, may He be glorified, except that his time becomes dark for him and his provision becomes confused, unlike the one who remembers, turning to Him, may He be exalted; for he has certainty from Him, the Exalted, and reliance upon Him, the Exalted, in the abundance of his life and luxury. He spends what he finds and is content for the sake of his Lord, may He be glorified, with what he lacks.

"And the outcome is for the righteous"—that is, the outcome that is considered and deserves to be called an outcome is for the people of strength, those who have stripped themselves of psychic vices and adorned themselves with spiritual virtues. We ask Allah Almighty to bestow upon us a good outcome and the purity of life from disturbance. We praise Him, may He be glorified, for His favors, and we send blessings and peace upon the best of His prophets, and upon his family, the best of families, as long as a star rises and a flash shines.

The sixteenth part is completed, and it will be followed, if Allah Almighty wills, by the seventeenth part, the beginning of which is Surah Al-Anbiya.