Al-Ahzab: (38) "There is not upon the Prophet..."

"There is not upon the Prophet any hardship"—that is, it is not sound nor is it consistent with wisdom that there should be any hardship for him "in that which Allah has ordained for him"—meaning that which He has apportioned and decreed for him, peace be upon him. This is derived from their saying, "So much was ordained for him in the register," from which also comes the term furood (allowances) for soldiers, denoting what the Sultan assigns and prescribes for them. Qatadah said: It means in that which He has made lawful for him. Al-Hasan said: In that which He singled him out with, such as the validity of marriage without a dower. Ad-Dahhak said: In exceeding the number of four.

"The Sunnah of Allah"—meaning Allah, the Exalted, has established this as a Sunnah. It is an infinitive (masdar) made accusative by an implied verb derived from its own root, and the sentence serves as a confirmation of the negation of hardship that preceded it. Az-Zamakhshari held that it is a noun placed in the position of an infinitive, like their saying "dust and stones," meaning humiliation, contempt, and failure, as if the status of it being an infinitive was not established in his view. It is also said that it is in the accusative because of an implied "adhere to" or similar.

Ibn Atiyyah said: It is permissible for it to be in the accusative as an act of incitement (ighra), as if it were said: "Adhere to the Sunnah of Allah." Abu Hayyan countered this, stating it is not sound because the agent of the noun in ighra cannot be omitted. Furthermore, the construction "adhere to the Sunnah of Allah" with a third-person pronoun is not permissible, as one does not incite a third person. Their saying "Take such-and-such a man" is interpreted differently, and even then, it is rare. It was objected that his statement—"because the agent of the noun in ighra cannot be omitted"—is denied and is contrary to what is understood from the books of grammar. Also, that which he mentioned regarding the inciting of a third person is accepted, but it could be explained here, as is not hidden. Then it was said: The apparent meaning of Ibn Atiyyah's words suggests that the accusative by the implication of "adhere to" is a category separate from the accusative of ighra, but it is not so; rather, it is a sub-category of it. Reflect on this.

"Among those who passed away"—meaning those who preceded "before"—that is, before you, among the Prophets, peace and blessings be upon them. For the Majestic in His Glory did not impose any hardship upon them in their pursuing what He had made lawful for them, and He expanded the matter for them regarding marriage and other things. Under them were free women and concubines. David, peace be upon him, had one hundred wives and three hundred concubines, and Solomon, peace be upon him, had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines.

Ibn Sa'd reported from Muhammad bin Ka'b al-Qurazi that he, peace be upon him, had one thousand wives. The apparent meaning is that he meant by "wife" that which is opposed to a "concubine," though it is possible he meant the general term, in which case it agrees with what preceded it. It is narrated that the Jews—may Allah the Exalted fight them—criticized him (and he is far above criticism, may the Exalted bless him and grant him peace) for his many marriages and numerous wives. So Allah, the Exalted, replied to them saying: "The Sunnah of Allah..." to the end of the verse.

It is said that He, the Majestic, alluded by this to what occurred to David, peace be upon him, regarding his marriage to the wife of Uriah. Ibn al-Mundhir and at-Tabarani reported this from Ibn Jurayj, and the name of that woman according to him was al-Yasiyah. This is something that should not be given any attention, and among those who investigate, the story has no basis.

"And the command of Allah is a destiny ordained"—meaning of destiny or possessing destiny. Describing it as "ordained" (maqdura) is like describing shade as "shady" (zill zalil) and night as "night-like" (layl alil) in their saying zill zalil and layl alil, intending emphasis.

The intent of "destiny" (qadar) according to a group is the well-known meaning of the Decree (al-Qada), which is the eternal Will relating to things as they are. It is also permissible for it to be in the well-known meaning of Qadar, which is the bringing of things into existence according to a specific measure and a defined quantity from the aspects of wisdom and others. The first meaning is more apparent, and both al-Qada and al-Qadar are used to mean one another. "The command" (al-amr) is interpreted similarly to how it was interpreted previously. It is also permissible that it means "the command" which is one of the commandments without figurative interpretation, meaning that following the command of Allah, which was sent down to His Prophets, and acting in accordance with its requirements is necessary, ordained in itself, or it is like that which is ordained in the necessity of following it; the forced nature of this interpretation is not hidden.

The apparent words of the Imam suggest the choice that "the command" is one of the affairs, and he distinguished between al-Qada and al-Qadar with a distinction we have not found for anyone else. He said, in summary: Al-Qada is what is intended by Him, the Exalted, in the origin, and al-Qadar is what is consequential. All good is by al-Qada, and whatever harm is in the world is by al-Qadar, such as adultery and murder. Then he built upon this a subtle point: When He, the Exalted, said: "We have married her to you," He followed it with "an ordained command" because it was an original intention and an ordained good. And when He, the Majestic, said: "The Sunnah of Allah regarding those who passed away," pointing to the story of David, peace be upon him, where he was tested by the wife of Uriah, He, the Exalted, said: "a destiny ordained" because the temptation was an evil not originally intended by the creation of the accountable person. In this, there is what there is. The sentence is an interruption inserted between the two related clauses that function as one, for the sake of rushing to confirm the negation of hardship and to establish it.