Surah Al-Anbiya' 21:25
ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ
And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."
Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:25
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 21:25
(25) And We did not send before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that there is no god except Me, so worship Me.
This is a resumption confirming what preceded it regarding the verses of monotheism. It may be said that it contains a generalization following a specification, if what is meant by "those before me" are the three [previous] scriptures. Since "any messenger" is general in meaning—and thus there is both a wording and a meaning—it was singularized according to the wording in "We reveal to him" (nuhi ilayhi), then pluralized according to the meaning in "so worship Me" (fa‘budun). The structure "so worship Me" (fa‘buduni) was not used. This is based on the assumption that "so worship Me" is included in what was revealed. It is also permissible that it is not included, being an imperative directed at the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) and his nation.
Most of the seven [canonical reciters] read "it is revealed" (yuha) in the third-person passive form. Regardless, the present tense form is used to narrate a past state, in order to evoke the image of the revelation.