Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:52

"And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he recited, Satan cast into his recitation."

The first min is for initiation, and the second is za'idah (extra/emphatic) for the sake of encompassing the genus. The clause initiated by idha (when/if) is in the position of a state (hal) according to Abu Hayyan, though it is said it is in the position of an adjective (sifah). The pronoun is singular because it is interpreted as "every one of them," or by estimating a clause like the one mentioned, as was said regarding the saying of the Exalted: {So Allah and His Messenger have more right that they should please Him}.

The apparent meaning is that idha is conditional, and Al-Hufi stipulated this. However, they have stated that illa (except) in a negative context is either followed by an imperfect verb (mudari’), such as ma Zaydun illa yaf'al (Zayd does nothing but act) and ma ra'aytu Zaydan illa yaf'al, or it is followed by a perfect verb (madi) on the condition that it is preceded by a verb, as in the saying of the Exalted: {And no messenger came to them except they used to...}, or the perfect verb is accompanied by qad, such as ma Zaydun illa qad qama. This verse presents a problem in this regard, as it is followed neither by an imperfect nor a perfect verb, but by a conditional clause.

If what they said is correct, interpretation is required. This was interpreted in al-Bahr by stating that idha was stripped for the purpose of being a circumstantial noun (zarf), and it—along with what it is annexed to—separated between illa and the perfect verb which is alqā (cast), and such separation is permissible. Thus, illa is followed by a perfect verb in the estimation, and the condition is satisfied.

Attaching "prophet" (nabī) to "messenger" (rasūl) indicates a distinction between them, which is the common view. This distinction is also supported by what is narrated: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the prophets and replied, "One hundred and twenty-four thousand." It was said: "How many of them were messengers?" He replied, "Three hundred and thirteen, a vast group." Al-Suyuti mentioned that Ahmad and Ibn Rahwayh extracted this in their Musnads from the hadith of Abu Umamah, and Ibn Hibban extracted it in his Sahih, and Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak from the hadith of Abu Dharr.

Ibn al-Jawzi claimed it is fabricated, but it is not so. Yes, it was said there is weakness in the chain, but it is strengthened by corroborating reports. In one narration, the messengers were "three hundred and fifteen." Scholars have differed here in defining each of them. It is said: The messenger is a free male whom Allah the Exalted sent with a new law (shar') to invite people to it; the prophet includes him as well as one sent to confirm a previous law, like the prophets of the Children of Israel who were between Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them).

It is also said: The messenger is a free male whom Allah sent to a people with a law that is new in relation to them, even if it is not new in itself—like Ishmael (peace be upon him), for he was sent to the Jurhum tribe first—and the prophet includes him and those sent with a law that is not new in that sense. It is also said: The messenger is a free male who is tasked with communication (tablīgh) in a general sense, even if it is merely clarifying and detailing a previous law, whereas the prophet is one who received revelation but was not commanded to communicate it at all, or the prophet is a more general term than the messenger.

It is also said: The messenger is one from among the prophets who, along with the miracle, has a book revealed to him, while the prophet who is not a messenger is one who has no book. It is also said: The messenger is one who has a book or abrogation (naskh) in a general sense, while the prophet is one who has neither book nor abrogation. It is also said: One to whom the Angel (peace be upon him) comes with revelation while awake, while "prophet" is applied to him and to one to whom revelation comes only in a dream. This is the strangest of the views, as it entails that some prophets (peace be upon them) received revelation only in dreams, which is far-fetched, and such a matter is not to be spoken of based on mere opinion.

You know that the famous view is that "prophet" in the terminology of the Law is more general than "messenger." A prophet is one to whom revelation comes, whether commanded to communicate it or not, while a messenger is one to whom revelation comes and who is commanded to communicate it. It is not valid to intend this, because when a general term is contrasted with a specific one, the general term is intended to mean everything except the specific. So, when "prophet" is intended to mean everything except "messenger," it implies those not commanded to communicate. However, once irsāl (sending/mission) is attached, they become commanded to communicate, and thus they become messengers. Consequently, after the attachment of irsāl, there remains neither messenger nor a prophet contrasted against him in the verse. Therefore, to achieve the contrast, "messenger" must mean one sent with a new law, and "prophet" one sent to confirm a preceding law; or "messenger" means one sent with a book, and "prophet" one sent without a book; or similar interpretations that achieve contrast while maintaining the attachment of irsāl to both.

Tamannā (wishing/reciting), according to Abu Muslim, is the limit of determination (taqdīr), and from it comes al-manīyah (death/fate), the time of a person's death which Allah has ordained. Umnīyah (desire/recitation), according to Al-Raghib, is the image formed in the soul from tamannā. Many others have said: tamannā is reading/reciting, as is umnīyah. They cite the verse of Hassan regarding Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them both): "He recited the Book of Allah in the first of the night, as David recited the Psalms in a relaxed manner." In al-Bahr, it is stated that this returns to the root transmitted from Abu Muslim, for the reciter determines the letters and imagines them, then utters them bit by bit. The intended meaning here, according to many, is recitation.

The verse is intended to console the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by showing that the striving to invalidate the signs is a known occurrence, and it is a rejected effort. The meaning is: And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that his condition was that when he recited any of the signs, Satan would cast suspicions and delusions into what he recited to his allies, so they could argue with him using falsehood and reject what he brought, as the Exalted said: {And indeed, the devils inspire their allies to dispute with you}, and the Exalted said: {And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy—devils from mankind and jinn, inspiring to one another decorative speech in deception.}

This is like their saying when they heard the Messenger’s (peace and blessings be upon him) recitation, {Forbidden to you is the dead animal}, that he permits the slaughter of his own soul and forbids the slaughter of Allah's soul. Or their saying, according to some narrations, upon hearing his recitation (peace and blessings be upon him): {Indeed, you and what you worship other than Allah are the firewood of Hell}, arguing that Jesus was worshipped other than Allah, and the angels (peace be upon them) were worshipped other than Allah.

{Then Allah abrogates that which Satan casts}—meaning: Allah nullifies what he casts of those suspicions and removes them, through the success He grants the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in refuting them, or by sending down what refutes them. {Then Allah confirms His signs}—meaning: He brings them confirmed and established, not subject to rejection in any way. {Then} indicates a delay in rank (tarakhī rutbī), for confirmation is of a higher rank than abrogation. The imperfect verb form in both verbs indicates continuous renewal. Expressing the Name of Majesty (Allah) in the place of a pronoun is to increase emphasis and to signal that Divinity is among the causes for the confirming of His signs—the Exalted—that are brilliant. The same is true regarding the expression "Satan" for increased emphasis. {And Allah is Knowing}—exaggerating in the knowledge of everything that is known, among which is that which emanates from Satan and his allies—{Wise} in everything He does, among which is granting Satan the power to cast suspicions, and his allies the power to argue with them, and His—the Exalted's—manifestation of refuting them. The mention here is also for what was mentioned, along with the emphasis it contains regarding the independence of the incidental objection.