Taha: (41) "And I have fashioned you for Myself."

His saying, Exalted is He, "And I have fashioned you for Myself," is a reminder of His saying, "And I have chosen you," and a preparation for his mission—peace be upon him—to Pharaoh, supported by his brother as he had requested. This comes after reminding him of the previous favors, to reinforce his confidence—peace be upon him—in the attainment of subsequent similar ones. The Imam has organized this into the series of recounted favors, and the inclusion of the call [in the preceding verse] supports what has been mentioned.

Istina' (fashioning) is of the form ifti'al from san' (making), in the sense of a sani'ah (favor), which is kindness. Thus, the meaning of istana'ahu (he fashioned him) is: he made him a locus for his favor and kindness. Al-Qaffal said: It is said, "So-and-so fashioned so-and-so," when he treats him well to the extent that he is attributed to him, such that it is said: "This is the protégé of so-and-so and his product."

The meaning of "for Myself" is, as narrated from Ibn Abbas, "for My revelation and My message." It has also been said: "for My love," expressed as "the Self" because it is the thing most specific to Him. Al-Zajjaj said: The intended meaning is "I have chosen you to establish My argument and have placed you between Me and My creation, until you attained in conveying from Me the status that I would hold were I to address them directly and manifest Myself to them."

Many of the verifying scholars have said: This is a metaphor for what the Almighty has bestowed upon him by making him a noble prophet, one who speaks with Him, and one favored with the choicest of blessings, similar to a king drawing near one whom he deems worthy of closeness, fashioning him with honor and preference, and making him among the intimates of his own self and his courtiers. The beauty of this metaphor is not hidden, and it is most consistent with the speech of the Almighty. The phrase "for Myself" is explicit regarding this.

The gist of the meaning is: I have made you one of My elite, and I have singled you out with My message and My speech. The shift away from the pronoun of majesty (the royal 'We')—which appeared in His saying, "And We tested you," and its two predecessors—is a preparation for the singular pronoun of the Self, which is befitting the situation; for it is more profound in realizing the meaning of istina' (fashioning) and istikhlas (choosing exclusively for oneself).