(And a messenger to the Children of Israel)
(And a messenger to the Children of Israel) is in the accusative case by an implied verb that the meaning gravitates toward, coordinated with (We shall teach him); that is, "And We shall make him a messenger." This is what Abu Hayyan preferred. It is also said: It is in the accusative governed by an implied verb, coordinated with (We shall teach him), meaning: And Jesus will say, "I have been sent as a messenger." It is not hidden that coordinating this statement with (We shall teach him)—if it is considered as starting a new sentence—has no significant flaw. However, as for the estimation of coordinating it with (He gives you glad tidings) or (He creates), the distinguished scholar al-Taftazani has criticized it, arguing that the estimation would be: "Allah gives you glad tidings" or "Allah creates what He wills, and Jesus says such and such," which involves coordinating a statement onto a report with no connection between them except through immense straining. In al-Bahr, it is stated: This view is absolutely weak because it requires implying two things: the verb of speaking and its object, whereas one could dispense with them by using a noun in the accusative case serving as a confirmatory state (hal). Some have chosen to coordinate it with the preceding states (ahwal), implying the meaning of "speaking." Thus, it does not matter that they are in the third person while this is in the first person, for the meaning would be: "In the state of being distinguished, (and as a messenger) speaking thus..."
"Messenger" in all these estimations is a descriptor like shakur (very grateful) and sabur (very patient), and the form fa‘ul here is in the sense of muf‘al (the one sent). The possibility that it is an infinitive (masdar), as Abu al-Baqa’ mentioned, is similar to the poet’s saying: "Inform Abu Salma (messenger/a sending) that he may frighten him." It is also argued that it is coordinated with (The Scripture), meaning "And He shall teach him the message," but this is far-fetched in both phrasing and meaning. As for the first, because the primary understanding is that of a descriptor, not an infinitive. As for the second, because "teaching the message" is something hardly found in their speech.
The prepositional phrase (to the Children of Israel) is either linked to "messenger" or to an omitted element that acts as an adjective for it; that is, "a messenger who is to the Children of Israel"—meaning all of them. It is said: Specifying them by mention is to signal the specificity of his mission or to refute those among the Jews who claimed that he was sent to others.
I have hesitation regarding attributing this claim to some Jews, as it is not found in well-known books. What we have seen in them is that they are two groups regarding the Jesus whose affair God has recounted to us: A group that accuses him—God forbid—of the most heinous things they accused his mother and their prophet of; they are the majority of the Jews. And a group called the 'Ananiyya, followers of 'Anan ibn Da'ud, the Exilarch, who believe him in his sermons and gestures and say: He did not oppose the Torah at all, but rather confirmed it and called people to it, and that he was one of the responders to Moses, peace be upon him, and one of the worshiping Children of Israel, but not a messenger or a prophet. They say: The rest of the Jews wronged him by disbelieving him initially, and they did not recognize his claim, and they killed him later and did not recognize his intent or goal. Yes, there is a group of Jews called the 'Isawiyya, followers of Abu 'Isa Ishaq ibn Ya'qub al-Isfahani—whom some call 'Arqid al-Wahim—who claim that God will send a messenger after Moses, peace be upon him, called the Messiah, only he has not come yet. They claim he has five messengers who come before him, one after another, and their leader is one of his messengers. All these accounts are far removed from what the claimant of this view alleged, and perhaps he found something that agrees with his claim; he who remembers is an authority over he who does not.
Furthermore, there is a difference of opinion regarding the time of his prophethood. It is said: In his childhood, at age three. In al-Bahr: The revelation came to him after puberty, when he was thirty years old, and his prophethood lasted three years. It is said: Three months and three days, then he was raised to the heaven, which is the famous view. It is stated therein that the first of the prophets of the Children of Israel was Joseph, and it is said: Moses, and the last of them was Jesus, upon them all be the best of prayers and the most complete peace.
Al-Yazidi read "Messenger" in the genitive case, as coordinated with "a word," meaning: "He gives you glad tidings of a word and of a messenger."
"(That I have come to you)" is governed by "messenger" because it carries the meaning of speech. Abu al-Baqa' permitted it to be governed by an omitted element acting as an adjective for "messenger," meaning: "a messenger speaking or informing that I..." or that it is a substitution for "messenger" if you treat it as an infinitive—meaning "And We shall teach him [the fact] that I have come to you"—or as an omitted predicate under the estimation of the infinitive, i.e., "It is that I..." So, the structured clause is in the position of genitive, accusative, or nominative.
And the Most High's saying: (With a sign) is in the position of a state (hal), meaning: "arguing" or "clothed with a sign." Or it is linked to "I have come to you," and the ba is for accompaniment or for transitivity, and the nunation is for exaltation, not for singularity, due to the presence of what contradicts that. It has been read as "with signs."
(From your Lord) is linked to an omitted element acting as an adjective for "sign." It is also permitted to link it to "I have come." (From) in both estimations is for the beginning of the goal figuratively. Addressing the title of Lordship while adding it to the pronoun of those addressed serves to emphasize the obligation of obedience to the commands that follow, or because the description of Lordship suits the state of sending [a messenger] to them.
And the Most High's saying: (That I create for you out of clay the likeness of a bird) is a substitution for His saying: (That I have come to you), or for (a sign), or it is in the accusative as the object of an omitted verb—i.e., "I mean"—or in the nominative as the predicate for an implied subject, i.e., "It is that I..." etc. Nafi' read "Inni" with a kasra on the hamza, as an initiation. What is meant by "creation" is fashioning and bringing forth to a specific measure, not bringing into existence from nothing, as indicated by the mention of the material. "Form" (hay'a) is an infinitive in the sense of the fashioned object, just as "creation" (khalq) is in the sense of the created thing (makhluq). It is said: It is the name of the state of the thing, not an infinitive; rather, the infinitive is "fashioning" (hay') and "becoming fashioned" (tahayyu'). According to the first, it is a substance, and according to the second, it is an accident. They interpreted it as the quality obtained from the surrounding of the boundary or boundaries of the body. The meaning is: "I estimate, for the sake of obtaining your faith and repelling your denial of me, something out of clay like the fashioned bird, or a form that exists as a likeness." The kaf (as/like) is either a noun—as Abu al-Hasan held—in the accusative as the object of "create," or an adjective for an omitted object thereof. Or it is a particle, as the majority hold, in which case it links to an omitted element that also acts as an adjective for what it was an adjective for, under the assumption of it being a noun.
Yazid and Hamza read "like the form" (ka-hay'ati) with a shadda on the ya'. Ibn al-Qasim used to say: It reached me that Khalaf says: Hamza leaves the hamza and moves the ya' with its vowel. The people of Medina, Ya'qub, and Nafi' read "the bird" (at-ta'ir), and similarly in al-Ma'ida.
(Then I breathe into it) The pronoun [in "it" (fi-hi)] refers to the "form" implied in the flow of speech, but in the sense of the "fashioned object," not in the sense of the accident established in it, since it is not valid for an accident to be a receptacle for breathing. Mentioning the pronoun here is in consideration of the meaning, just as it was feminized in al-Ma'ida in consideration of the wording. It is said: This is valid because there is no confusion. It appeared in the speech of more than one that the pronoun refers to the kaf (like/as), based on it being a noun, and that effectively returns to the pronoun returning to the word described by it. Ibn Hisham objected to this, saying that if it were as they claimed, one would hear in speech "I passed by you [like] the lion." Others objected that the return of the pronoun to it is not customary.
In it [the reading of al-Ma'ida], it is read: "and it becomes a bird"—alive and flying like all other birds. Mufaddal read "and it becomes" (fatakunu) with a ta' for the feminine. Ya'qub, Abu Ja'far, and Nafi' read "a bird" (ta'iran).
(By the permission of Allah) is linked to "becomes" or to "bird." The meaning is: "By the command of Allah." He pointed out by this that its animation is from Allah the Almighty, but via the breathing, and that is not due to a peculiarity in Jesus, peace be upon him—that is, his own creation from the breathing of Gabriel, who is pure spirit, as it is said. Rather, if Allah the Almighty willed animation by the breathing of any person whatsoever, it would have been without failure or refusal. It is said: In this miracle, there is a connection to his creation without a father. There is a difference of opinion as to whether this was upon request and urging or not. The majority went to the former; they said: The Children of Israel requested of him—by way of stubbornness, following their habit with their prophets—that he create for them a bat. When he did, they said: "A sorcerer." They only requested this species and not others because it is the most complete bird in creation and the most eloquent in pointing to [Divine] power, for it has canines and teeth, it menstruates, gives birth, flies without feathers, has ears, breasts, and udders, milk comes from it, and it is seen laughing as humans laugh. It does not see in the light of day nor in the darkness of the night, but only sees for two hours: one hour after sunset and one hour after dawn before the sky becomes very clear. The famous view is that he created nothing other than the bat. Abu al-Shaykh extracted from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: Wahb said: It would fly as long as people were watching it, then when it disappeared from their eyes, it would fall down dead, to distinguish it from the creation of Allah the Almighty without an intermediary. It is also said: He created various kinds of birds.
Some went to the latter. Ibn Jarir extracted from Ibn Ishaq that Jesus, peace be upon him, was sitting one day with boys from the school and took clay and said: "Shall I make for you from this clay a bird?" They said: "Are you capable of that?" He said: "Yes, by the permission of my Lord." Then he fashioned it until he made it in the form of a bird, then breathed into it and said: "Be a bird, by the permission of Allah the Almighty." So it came out flying from between his palms. The boys went out and told of his affair, so they mentioned it to their teacher and spread it among the people.
(And I cure the blind) is coordinated with (create), so it is included within (that I). The "blind" (al-akmah) is one who was born blind. Ibn Jarir extracted it via al-Dahhak from Ibn 'Abbas. Ibn Abi Hatim extracted via 'Ata from him that it is the one whose eyes are smooth, whose sight was not split, and for whom no pupil was created. It is said: There was no one in the early days of this nation who was akmah in this sense except Qatada ibn Di'ama al-Sadusi, the master of interpretation. From Mujahid: It is one who sees during the day and does not see at night. From 'Ikrima: It is the one with bleary eyes. That is, I free the akmah from blindness.
(And the leper) is he who has the well-known white spots. Specifying these two things [is because] they are intractable conditions that baffled physicians, who were at the height of proficiency despite their abundance in his time. For this reason, Allah the Almighty showed them the miracle from the genus of medicine, just as He showed the people of Moses, peace be upon him, the miracle with the staff and the white hand—since magic was prevalent among them—and showed the Arabs the miracle with the Quran—since eloquence was prevalent among them in the era of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Limiting it to these two things does not imply the negation of others; it has been narrated that he, peace be upon him, also healed others. It is narrated from Wahb that sometimes fifty thousand sick people would gather around Jesus, peace be upon him. Whoever among them could reach him, reached him, and whoever among them could not, Jesus, peace be upon him, would come to him and walk to him. He would treat them with supplication to Allah, upon the condition of faith. His supplication, with which he used to pray for the sick, the invalid, the blind, the insane, and others, was: "O Allah, You are the God of those in the heaven and the God of those in the earth; there is no god in them besides You. And You are the Compeller of those in the heaven and the Compeller of those in the earth; there is no compeller in them besides You. And You are the King of those in the heaven and the King of those in the earth; there is no king in them besides You. Your power in the earth is like Your power in the heaven, and Your authority in the earth is like Your authority in the heaven. I ask You by Your noble Name, Your luminous Face, and Your ancient Kingdom, that You are capable of all things." Among the properties of this supplication, as Wahb said, is that if it is recited over someone frightened or insane, or written for him and he drinks from it, it will benefit, if Allah the Almighty wills.
(And I give life to the dead by the permission of Allah) is coordinated with the predicate of (that I). He restricted giving life to the permission [of Allah], just as he did in the first [instance], because it is a great matter that one might mistakenly perceive as the divinity of the doer, as it is not of the genus of human actions. His giving life was through supplication, and his supplication was: "O Living, O Sustainer." It is reported that when he wanted to give life to the dead, he would pray two units of prayer, reciting in the first Tabarak al-ladhi bi-yadihi al-mulk (Blessed is He in whose hand is the kingdom) and in the second Tanzil as-Sajda (The revelation of the prostration). When he finished, he would praise Allah the Almighty and extol Him, then pray with seven names: "O Ancient, O Hidden, O Eternal, O Single, O Odd, O One, O Eternal Refuge." Al-Bayhaqi said: It is not strong. It is said: When he wanted to give life to a dead person, he would strike the dead body, the grave, or the skull with his staff, and it would come to life by the permission of Allah the Almighty and speak to him, then die quickly.
Muhyi al-Sunna extracted from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: He, peace be upon him, gave life to four people: 'Azir, the son of the old woman, the daughter of the tithe-collector, and Sam ibn Nuh. As for 'Azir, he was a friend of his, and his sister sent to Jesus: "Your brother 'Azir has died," and there was a three-day journey between him and 'Azir. He came to him with his companions and found that he had been dead for three days. He said to his sister: "Lead us to his grave," and she led them to his grave. Jesus supplicated to Allah the Almighty, and 'Azir stood up, his sweat dripping; he came out of his grave, remained for a time, and had children.
As for the son of the old woman, a funeral procession passed by Jesus, peace be upon him, carrying [a body] on a bier. Jesus supplicated to Allah the Almighty, and [the boy] sat up on his bier, climbed down from the shoulders of the men, put on his clothes, carried the bier on his shoulder, and returned to his family; he remained for a time and had children. As for the daughter of the tithe-collector, her father was a man who collected tithes; his daughter died yesterday. He supplicated to Allah, gave her life, and she remained for a time and had children.
As for Sam ibn Nuh, Jesus, peace be upon him, came to his grave and supplicated with the Greatest Name of Allah. He came out of his grave, and half of his hair had turned gray out of fear of the arrival of the Hour, and they did not go gray in that time. He said: "Has the Hour arrived?" He said: "No, but I called you by the Greatest Name of Allah." Then he said to him: "Die." He said: "On the condition that Allah the Almighty protects me from the agonies of death." He supplicated to Allah for him, and He did so. In some accounts, his revival occurred after they said to him, "You only revive those who are recently dead; perhaps they did not die but suffered a coma. Revive for us Sam ibn Nuh." He revived him, and between him and his death were more than four thousand years. He said to the people: "Believe him, for he is a prophet." Some of them believed him and others denied him, saying: "This is magic. Show us a sign." So he informed them of what they were eating and what they were storing. It has also been reported that he, peace be upon him, revived the son of a king so that he would succeed him, in a long story, and revived a fawn, a sheep, and a cow. The term "the dead" covers all of that.
(And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses). "What" (ma) in both instances is a relative pronoun or an indefinite noun qualified by an adjective, and the referent is omitted, i.e., "what you eat of it and what you store of it." The prepositional phrase is linked to "I inform you," and it is not a case of mutual governance (tanaaza'). Storing (iddikhar) is hiding. The root of "you store" (taddakhirun) is tazdakhirun, with a dhal, then the ta' was changed to dhal, then the dhal was changed to dal, and it was assimilated. Some Arabs turn the ta' into dal and assimilate. This informing took place after prophethood and his revival of the dead, according to some reports. It is said: Before that. Ibn 'Asakir extracted from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As that he said: Jesus, peace be upon him, used to play with the boys when he was a young boy, and he would say to one of them: "Do you want me to tell you what your mother hid for you?" He would say: "Yes." He would say: "She hid for you such and such." The boy would go to his mother and say to her: "Feed me what you hid for me." She would say: "And what did I hide for you?" He would say: "Such and such." She would say: "Who told you?" He would say: "Jesus son of Mary." They said: "By Allah, if you leave these boys with Jesus, he will corrupt them." They gathered them in a house and locked them in. Jesus went out looking for them and did not find them until he heard their clamor in a house. He asked about them, and it was said: "Are these those boys?" He said: "No, these are monkeys and pigs." He said: "O Allah, make them monkeys and pigs," and they became so. Some went to the view that this was after the descent of the Table (al-Ma'ida), supported by what 'Abd al-Razzaq and others extracted from 'Ammar ibn Yasir, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding the verse; he said: "(And I inform you of what you eat) from the Table (and what you store) from it." It was taken from them regarding the Table when it descended that they should eat and not store, but they stored and betrayed, so they were turned into monkeys and pigs. It is possible to say that all of this occurred.
According to all the estimations, what is meant is to inform of the specificity of these two matters, as the literal meaning indicates. It is said: The intent is to inform of the unseen, but he limited it to mentioning two things from it. Perhaps the reason for specializing the informing of their conditions is because they were certain of them, so no doubt would remain for them. The secret in mentioning these two things specifically is that the most of man's striving and the focus of his mind is directed to obtaining food—by which his strength persists—and storing—by which most hearts feel secure and most souls find rest.
It is read as "taddakhirun" with the dhal and lightened.
(Indeed in that) —that is, what was mentioned of the four great miracles—this is from the speech of Jesus, peace be upon him, which Allah the Almighty related from him. It is said: It is from the speech of Allah the Almighty, brought for reproach. (Is a sign) —that is, of its kind. It is read as "signs" (li-ayat). (For you) —indicating the correctness of the message, a clear indication, as it was not through the intervention of tools or the mediation of ordinary causes as physicians and astrologers do.
From here, it is known that the science of Jafr, astronomy, and the like, since they are accompanied by principles and regulations, one should never say about them that they are "knowledge of the Unseen," for the condition of knowledge of the Unseen is that it be devoid of material [substances] and cosmic intermediaries, and these sciences are not so, because they are arranged upon rules known to their experts; without them, those sciences would not be known. This is not like knowledge by revelation, for it is not acquired; rather, Allah the Almighty singles out whom He wills for it. Likewise, knowledge by inspiration, for it has no material other than the Divine gift and the eternal bestowal. Furthermore, some hold that those sciences do not result in knowledge that opposes conjecture, but at most result in strong probability, and between it and the knowledge of the Unseen is a vast distance. There will be more on this, if Allah wills.
(If you are believers) contains a figurative sense of the [implied] "reaching the goal," meaning: "if you are granted success to have faith." It is also possible that the meaning is: "if you are [true] believers." The response to the condition, in both estimations, is omitted; that is, "then you would have benefited from that."
