Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:54

"And so that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord."

The pronoun in "that it is" refers to the Qur’an. It has been said that there is no need for such specificity, and that the pronoun refers to the enabling of Satan to cast [his promptings]—meaning: so that the scholars may know that such enabling is the truth, encompassing profound wisdom, for it is part of what has been established in the habit of Allah, Exalted is He, regarding the human species since the time of Adam, peace be upon him.

The pronouns in "in it" and "to Him" in His saying, "so they may believe in it, and so their hearts may submit to it," refer to the Qur’an specifically, or to the Lord in a general sense. Regarding them as referring to the enabling of Satan—especially the latter—is groundless.

Ibn Atiyyah’s view is preferred, as the aspect of causation in it is more evident: Allah, Exalted is He, abrogates what Satan casts and repels it, so that by means of this rejection and the emergence of the corruption of relying upon it, He may make it a torment for the hypocrites and the disbelievers—that is, a cause for their torment, as they persisted in it despite the clarity of its corruption—or as a test for them, to see if they will turn back from it. And so that those who have been given knowledge may know that the Qur’an is the truth, as the doubts cast upon it were rendered void, while the Qur’an itself was not. A similar argument may be made regarding the position of al-Hawfi.

It is not unlikely that His saying, "so that He may make," is connected to an implied verb, meaning: He did that so that He might make... The reference is to the abrogation and the firm judgments. "So that He may make" is the cause for the abrogation, and "so that... may know" is the cause for the act of bringing forth the verses in a firm manner. It is also permissible for the reference to be to the enabling understood from the preceding context, along with the abrogation and firm establishment; thus, "so that He may make" becomes the cause for the act of enabling, and what follows is the cause for what follows it. It is also permissible for the pronouns in "that it is," "in it," and "to Him" to refer to the revelation which every messenger and prophet, peace be upon them, recites—an implication drawn from the discourse—thus rendering specificity unnecessary. In any case, His saying: "And indeed, Allah is the Guide of those who have believed to a straight path."

This is a parenthetical statement confirming what preceded it. The intent by "those who have believed" is the believers of this nation, if we adopt the specific interpretation, or believers in an absolute sense, if we adopt the general interpretation. By "the straight path" is meant correct reasoning that leads to manifest truth—that is, indeed He, Exalted is He, is the Guide of the believers in religious matters, especially regarding the pitfalls and complex issues, among which is the refutation of the doubts of the devils concerning the verses of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Abu Haywah and Ibn Abi Ablah recited "le-hadin" (a guide) with nunation.