Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:14

It is objected to this [the interpretation of "I am Allah"] that the saying of the Exalted, "I am Allah, there is no god but Me," is a substitute (badal) for "what is revealed" (ma yuha), and there is no doubt that his selection, peace be upon him, was not for this alone. The connection to "We have chosen you," however it may be, necessitates it. It is answered that this is a case of explicitly stating what is most important and the fundamental origin. It is also said: it is a saif khatib (a disconnected utterance), so it has no connection, just as in "to you" (lakum) in the phrase "to you" (fi radf). "What" (ma) is a conjunctive noun (mawsula), and it is permissible for it to be an infinitive (masdariyah), meaning: "listen to that which is revealed to you," or "to the revelation."

In commanding him, peace be upon him, to listen, there is an indication of the greatness of that [matter] and that it requires preparation for it. Abu al-Fadl al-Jawhari said: When Moses, peace be upon him, was told, "Listen to that which is revealed," he stood upon a stone, leaned against a stone, placed his right hand upon his left, cast his chin upon his chest, and humbled himself with all his being.

Wahb said: The etiquette of listening is the stillness of the limbs, lowering the gaze, listening attentively, the presence of the intellect, and the resolve to act; that is listening to what Allah the Exalted loves. The agent in "is revealed" (yuha) is omitted because it is known, and its being a rhyme (fasilah) makes it elegant; for if it were in the active voice, it would not be a rhyme. The fa in the saying of the Exalted, "So worship Me," is for ordering the commanded act upon what preceded it; for the exclusivity of divinity to Him, His state be exalted, is among the causes for the exclusivity of worship to Him, Mighty and Majestic is He. By this [worship], it is intended the utmost submissiveness and compliance to Him, the Exalted, in everything He commissions him with. It is said: what is meant by it here is monotheism, as in His saying, the Sublime, "I have not created the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me." The first view is superior.

"And establish prayer"—prayer was specified by mention and singled out for the command, despite being included in the command of worship, due to its excellence and superiority over all other acts of worship through what it is attached to: the mention of the Worshipped, and the engagement of the heart and tongue in His remembrance. Allah the Exalted has named it "faith" in His saying, the Sublime, "And never would Allah have let your faith be lost."

Scholars have differed concerning the disbelief of the one who abandons it out of laziness, as has been detailed in its place.

The saying of the Exalted, "for My remembrance," is apparently connected to "establish"—meaning: establish prayer to remember Me within it, as it contains remembrances. This is narrated from Mujahid. Similar to this is what was said: meaning, to be a rememberer of Me, not forgetful, doing the act of the sincere in keeping the remembrance of their Lord in mind, and committing their aspirations and thoughts to Him. A distinction is made between them in that the intent of "establishment" in the first is the straightening of the pillars [of prayer], and in the second, it is the continuity. Prayer was placed in the first as a place for remembrance, its dwelling, and its cause; and in the second, the establishment of prayer—that is, its continuity—was placed as a cause for the continuity of remembrance, as if it were said: Continue the prayer to seek aid through it for the immersion of your thought and aspiration in remembrance, like His saying, the Exalted, "And seek help through patience and prayer."

It is also permissible for it to be connected to "worship Me" or to "establish" as a case of "actions," meaning: so that you may be one who remembers Me through worship and the establishment of prayer. If remembrance is generalized to include that of the heart and the physical, it is permissible to consider the case of "actions" in the first as well, though this is contrary to the apparent meaning.

It is also said: the intent is "establish the prayer for My remembrance" exclusively—do not show off in it, and do not taint it with the remembrance of other than Me; or [it means] for the sincerity of My remembrance and the seeking of My countenance; and do not intend by it another purpose, like His saying, the Exalted, "So pray to your Lord." Or, [it may mean] so that I may remember you with praise—meaning, so that I may praise you and reward you for it; and My mentioning it in the divine books and My commanding it. Or, it refers to the times of My remembrance, which are the prayer times; the lam is for time, meaning "at," like the lam in His saying, the Exalted, "Oh, I wish I had sent forth for my life," and your saying: "that happened for five nights having passed."

Some people have interpreted "remembrance" as the remembrance of prayer after forgetting it, and this is narrated from Abu Ja'far; the lam in this case is for time or causality, and the intent is: establish the prayer upon remembering it or for the sake of remembering it. The speech is upon the estimation of a possessive (mudaf), and the origin is "for the remembrance of My prayer." Or it is said: that the remembrance of prayer is a cause for the remembrance of Allah the Exalted, so the caused is named by the cause; or that the pronoun of Allah the Exalted replaced the pronoun of the prayer due to its nobility; or that the intent is the remembrance obtained from Me, so the remembrance is attributed to Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, for this connection. What led the speaker to this interpretation is that it is established in the Sahih from the hadith of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) slept through the morning prayer, and when he performed it later, he said: "Whoever forgets a prayer, let him perform it when he remembers it, for Allah the Exalted said: 'Establish the prayer for My remembrance.'" This speaker thought that if this interpretation were not made, the causal link would not be correct, but this is some degree of conjecture, for the causal link, as in al-Kashf, is correct, and remembrance—according to the explanation in the first view—means that he, peace be upon him, intended that when one remembers the prayer, he transitions from the remembrance of it to the remembrance of that for which it was legislated, which is the remembrance of Allah the Exalted, so he performs it. Some researchers said: when the primary intended goal of prayer was made the remembrance of Allah the Exalted, and it is a desired attainment at every time, when the limited time for it arrives, one should hasten to it as much as possible; so this is from the indication of the text (isharat al-nass), not from its explicit wording (mantuq), that it should need to be contrived. So understand.

The attribution of "remembrance" to the pronoun admits the possibility of being the attribution of the verbal noun (masdar) to its object, and being the attribution of the verbal noun to its subject, according to the variation in interpretation.

Al-Sulami, al-Nakha'i, and Abu Raja' read "for the remembrance" (lil-dhikra) with the definite article lam and the feminine alif. A group read "for remembrance" (li-dhikra) with the feminine alif without the definite article lam, and another [read] "for the remembrance" (lil-dhikr) with the definite article and the masculine form.