Tafsir of Al-Mu'minoon 23:69

"Or have they not recognized their messenger": This is an idrab (discontinuation) and a transition from the rebuke previously mentioned to a rebuke from another angle. The interrogative particle (Hamzah) is for the denial of the occurrence, meaning: "Nay, have they not recognized him—upon him be peace and blessings—for his trustworthiness, truthfulness, good character, and other perfections befitting the prophets—upon them be peace?"

It is authentic that Abu Talib, on the day of the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) marriage, gave a sermon in the presence of the chieftains of Mudar and Quraysh. He said: "Praise be to Allah, who made us of the progeny of Ibrahim and the offspring of Isma'il, the stock of Ma'ad and the essence of Mudar, and made us the custodians of His House and the caretakers of His sanctuary, and granted us a sacred house and a secure precinct, and made us the rulers over the people. Then, this nephew of mine, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, cannot be weighed against any man but that he outweighs him. If he is poor in wealth, wealth is a vanishing shadow and a changing affair; and Muhammad is one whose kinship you know. He has proposed to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and I have given her as much of a dowry, both prompt and deferred, from my wealth as such and such. And by Allah, he has after this a great message and a momentous stature."

In this is clear evidence that they recognized him—may Allah exalt and grant him peace—as possessing the utmost perfection; otherwise, they would have denied what Abu Talib said about him—upon him be peace and blessings.

"So they are deniers of him": The particle fa (so) is causative, denoting that the denial results from the lack of recognition; thus, the sentence is included within the scope of the rebuke. The import of the meaning is: "They recognized him for the perfection befitting the prophets—upon them be peace—so how do they deny him?" The lam (in lahu) is for reinforcement, and the placement of the object before the verb signifies restriction or serves the needs of the rhythmic cadence. The statement implies an elided genitive, meaning: "deniers of his claim or his message—upon him be peace and blessings."

"Or do they say, 'In him is madness'?": This is a transition to another rebuke. The interrogative particle is for the denial of the occurrence, like the first. It means: "Nay, do they say there is madness in him?"—despite the fact that he—upon him be peace and blessings—is the most balanced of people in intellect, the most penetrating in opinion, and the most abundant in sobriety. In these four rebukes—two of which pertain to the Quran and the remaining two to him—upon him be peace and blessings—the progression from the lesser to the greater has been observed, as the Shaykh al-Islam has explained.