Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:10

His saying, Exalted is He, "We have certainly sent down to you a Book" is an inaugural statement driven to establish the truth of the Great Quran, which was mentioned at the beginning of the noble Surah—regarding the people's turning away from the signs that come to them, their mockery, and their confusion concerning it—and to clarify its high rank following the verification of the message of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by clarifying that he is like all the noble Messengers, peace be upon them. It begins with an emphatic oath to manifest extreme concern for its content and to signal that the addressees are in the utmost states of denial. The address is to Quraysh, though it is permissible that it refers to all Arabs. The nunation in "a Book" (kitaban) is for glorification and exaltation, meaning: a Book of great status and luminous proof.

His saying, Mighty and Majestic is He, "in which is your mention" (dhikrukum), is an attribute of it that confirms what the glorifying indefinite article conveyed regarding it being of magnificent value, in that it is beautiful in its effects and draws great benefits for them. The intent of "the mention" (al-dhikr)—as al-Bayhaqi extracted in Shu'ab al-Iman, Ibn al-Mundhir, and others from Ibn Abbas—is honor and nobility metaphorically; meaning: in it is what necessitates honor for you, because it is in your tongue and revealed to a Prophet from among you; you are honored by his honor and become famous by his fame, because you are its carriers and the ones to whom one refers for resolving its intricacies. Making this the source within it is an exaggeration of its being a cause for that. From Sufyan, it is narrated that it refers to noble character and virtuous deeds, meaning: in it is what brings about "mention," i.e., good praise and a good reputation, through noble character and virtuous deeds, by applying the name of the result to the cause; it is a metaphor for that as well.

More than one has extracted from al-Hasan that the meaning is: in it is what you need regarding your religious affairs—and some added: and your worldly affairs. It has also been said that "dhikr" is in the sense of "reminding" (tadhkir), added to the object, and the meaning is: in it is your admonition. This was deemed more likely, as it is the most appropriate for the context of the noble structure and its flow, for His saying, Exalted is He, "Do you then not reason?" is a reproachful denial, containing an incitement for them to contemplate the matter of the Book and to contemplate what is within its folds of various types of admonitions and warnings, among which are the preceding and succeeding crushing blows.

The author of al-Tahrir said: What the context of the verses requires is that the meaning is "in it is the mention of your ugly deeds and your flaws, and how you treated the Prophets of Allah, the Exalted, peace be upon them, in denial and stubbornness." And His saying, Exalted is He, "Do you then not reason?" is a denial against them for their lack of reflection, which leads to awakening from the slumber of heedlessness. This view, however, is far-fetched. The "fa" (then) is for conjunction to an implied meaning that the speech extends over, i.e., will you not reflect, so you do not reason that the matter is as such? Or: do you not reason anything at all, among which is what has been mentioned?