Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:5

"And they said: Tales of the ancients..."

After they labeled the truth—from which there is no turning away—a falsehood fabricated with the aid of human beings, they explained, according to their corrupt claim, the manner of that aid. The discussion regarding Asatir (tales) has already preceded. It is the predicate of an omitted subject; that is, "These—or he, or it—are the tales of the ancients." His saying—the Exalted—"He wrote them down" (iktatabaha) is a second predicate. It has also been said that it is a circumstantial qualifier (hal), assuming an implied qad (indeed); this was objected to on the grounds that when the operator of the circumstantial qualifier is abstract, it is not permissible to omit it, as stated in al-Mughni. However, this is not undisputed, as noted in its commentary.

It is also permitted that "tales" be the subject and the sentence "he wrote them down" be the predicate. Their intent is that "he wrote them for himself," and the attribution is metaphorical, as in "The prince built the city," meaning he ordered its construction. Or, it may be said that iktataba literally means he ordered the writing; the form ifta'ala has become common in this sense, such as ihtajama and iftasada when one orders cupping or phlebotomy. It is also said that they stated this due to their belief that he actually wrote, or purely out of fabrication against him—upon him be prayer and peace—based on their knowledge that he—upon him be prayer and peace—did not write. It is also said that their intent was "he gathered them," from the root kataba (to gather something). The majority hold the first view.

Talha recited it as uktutibat (it was written down), in the passive voice. The origin is iktataba-ha lahu katib (a scribe wrote them down for him). Then the lam was omitted, and the verb proceeded to the pronoun, becoming iktatabaha iyyahu katib. Then the agent was omitted because the scientific intent did not depend on the specific identity of the scribe, so the verb was placed in the passive, and it was attributed to the pronoun; thus, it became a hidden nominative after having been an explicit accusative. This is based on the permissibility of having an indirect object stand in for the agent while a direct object is present, which in this case is the pronoun of "the tales." This is the view preferred by al-Radi and others, while the majority of the Basrans do not permit this and hold that the direct object must stand in for the agent. According to them, it should be said iktutibat (they were written). This is supported by the verse of al-Farazdaq: "And among us is he whom the men chose [ikhtiyra] for generosity and bounty, when the violent winds blow." By placing al-rijal (men) in the accusative. According to the first view, the construction would have been ukhtiyira al-rijalu (the men chose him) in the nominative, for the origin is ikhtara-hu min al-rijal mukhtar (a chooser chose him from among the men). It is evident that if what preceded acts upon it, it arrives at what was mentioned.

"So they are dictated to him..."

That is, those tales are recited to him after their transcription so that he may memorize them from the mouths of those who dictate them—from that which was written down—because he is unlettered and cannot receive them by reading. Thus, "dictation" here is "conveying for memorization after writing." It is a metaphor, not "conveying for the purpose of writing," as is commonly known, lest one say that the outward meaning is the reverse—that it should be said, "I dictated to him and he wrote them down." Or, the meaning is: "He requested their transcription, so they were dictated to him"—meaning to him personally or to his scribe. In that case, "dictation" remains upon its outward meaning. Talha and ‘Isa recited it as tutla (are recited), with a ta instead of the mim.

"...morning and evening."

That is, always, or before people scatter and when they come to their dwellings. By this, they meant that they are dictated to him secretly so that people might not discover the reality of the situation. This is a great audacity on their part—may Allah slay them; how are they deluded? According to al-Hasan, the phrase "He wrote them down..." is from the speech of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, refuting them. It only holds if the hamza in "He wrote them down" (iktataba) is for interrogation, which in this context conveys a meaning of denial. Its manner is like the saying of Hadrami ibn ‘Amir, who went out speaking in his people’s assembly while in two garments. Jaz’ ibn Sinan ibn Mu’allah said: "By Allah, Hadrami is joyous at the death of his brother if he inherits from him: 'Shall I rejoice that I am afflicted by the loss of the noble, and that I inherit [from them]...?'"