Tafsir of An-Naml 27:62

"The distressed one" (al-mudtar) is one whom some hardship has overwhelmed and driven to refuge and supplication before Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He). It is a passive participle (ism maf’ul) derived from idtirar, which is the form ifti’al from al-darar (harm). This aligns with Ibn Abbas’s interpretation of it as "the one in strain," and Al-Suddi’s interpretation as "the one who has no means or power."

It has been said that the intent here is the sinner when he seeks forgiveness. The definitive article (al-) here is—according to some—for the genus (al-jins), not for comprehensive coverage (al-istighraq), for if it were comprehensive, it would necessitate that every distressed person must be answered, and how many are the distressed who are not answered! It is permitted, however, to interpret it as comprehensive, but with the response being contingent upon the Will, as occurs in His saying (Exalted is He): "He will remove that which you call upon Him for, if He wills." Nevertheless, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked that a person should say, "O Allah, forgive me if You will," and said (peace and blessings be upon him): "Verily, He—Glory be to Him—has no one who can compel Him." The Mu’tazilah restrict this response to "knowledge of the interest (maslaha)," because they hold it obligatory upon Him (Glorified and Exalted is He) to observe the interests of His creation.

The author of al-Fawa'id stated: "There is no distressed person who calls out except that he is answered, and the benefit of his supplication is returned to him either in this world or the next. This is because supplication is the request for a thing; if he is not given that specific thing, he is given what is greater than it, or if he is not given it at this time, he is given it thereafter." This appears to interpret it as comprehensive without restricting the answer. It is not hidden that if "the answer" is defined as giving the petitioner exactly what he asked for, as he asked for it, without cutting off his plea—whether through that specific granting or otherwise—then what the author mentioned does not stand firm.

The scholar Al-Tayyibi said: The definitive article is for reference to a known entity (al-‘ahd), because the context of the speech regarding the polytheists points to this, as evidenced by His saying (Exalted is He): "And makes you successors." The intent is to alert them that when they were in distress during the calamities of fate and the afflictions of time, they would turn to Allah (Exalted is He) rather than their partners and idols. His saying (Exalted is He): "Is there a god with Allah? Little do you remember" serves as evidence for this reminder. The author of al-Miftah stated: "When a matter afflicted them, they would call upon Allah (Exalted is He) and not their idols." Thus, the meaning is: When a matter or a calamity of time befalls you, to the point that you despair of life, who responds to you by removing it and makes you, after that, walk in the land as successors? "Is there a god with Allah?" Therefore, "the distressed one" is not general, nor is the supplication, for it is specific to a case like that of the ship—as they were answered in that in His saying (Exalted is He): "Until, when you are in the ships and they sail with them..." (to the end of the verse). You know, however, that this is extremely far-fetched. Perhaps the most appropriate is to take it as the genus and restrict it by the Will. He (Glorified be He) does not will except that which wisdom necessitates, and supplication for a thing is one of the ordinary means for it. So understand this.

"And removes the evil" means: He lifts from man the matter that causes him distress. It is said that "removal" (kashf) is more general than "repelling" (daf') or "lifting" (raf'), and coupling this sentence with the previous one is like coupling the general to the specific. It is also said: The meaning is "and He removes his evil," i.e., the evil of the distressed one, or "removes the evil from him," and the coupling is like an exegetical conjunction, for the answering of the distressed is the removal of the evil from him, by reason of which he became distressed. This is as you see.

"And makes you successors of the earth" means: Successors to those before you from the nations upon the earth, in that He caused you to inherit its habitation and the disposal of affairs within it after them. It is said that the intent of "succession" (khilafa) is kingship and authority. Al-Hasan read it as naj'alukum (We make you) with the nun of majesty.

"Is there a god with Allah?"—the One to whom these are His affairs and blessings (Exalted is He).

"Little do you remember" means: You remember only a little, or you remember for a short time. Thus, "little" (qalilan) is in the accusative as an infinitive (masdariyah) or as an adverb of time (zarfiyah), because it is an adjective for a deleted infinitive or an implied adverb. "Little" (ma) is supplementary in both cases to emphasize the meaning of "littleness," by which "nothingness" or what runs in its course of insignificance and lack of utility is intended. The object of "remember" is omitted due to the need for the rhythmic ending (fasilah). It is said: The implied meaning is "you remember His blessings," or "you remember the content of what was mentioned of the speech," or "you remember what has passed for you of trials and joys." Perhaps the most appropriate is "His mentioned blessings." To signal that the One to be remembered is of such extreme clarity that it requires nothing but turning towards Him, the conclusion was brought with the negation of remembrance. Al-Hasan, Al-A’mash, and Abu ‘Amr read it as yadhakkurun (they remember) with the ya of the third person, and Abu Haywah read it as tatadhakkurun with two tas.