Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:164

This is an account of the angels’ admission of servitude, serving as a rebuttal to those who claim otherwise regarding them. It is from the words of Allah, the Exalted, yet narrated in their own language. The original structure is: "And there is none among them except..." meaning, there is no one among us but has a known station in worship and in the fulfillment of Allah’s command regarding the governance of the world, limited to him, which he neither exceeds nor is able to deviate from, out of submission to His greatness—Exalted be He—humility before His awe, and modesty toward His majesty.

As narrated, some are bowing, never straightening their backs, and some are prostrating, never lifting their heads. Al-Tirmidhi (who classified it as Hasan), Ibn Majah, and Ibn Marduyah recorded from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The heaven has creaked, and it has the right to creak; there is not a space of four fingers therein except that there is an angel placing his forehead in prostration to Allah." Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu al-Shaykh, and Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi in Kitab al-Salah recorded from Aisha that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There is not a spot in the heaven the size of a foot but there is an angel upon it, either prostrating or standing." This is the meaning of the angels’ words: {And there is none of us but has a known station. And indeed, we are the ones who range ourselves in ranks.}

According to al-Suddi, the "known station" refers to proximity and witnessing. Some have categorized this as the speech of the angels—referred to as "the Jinn" previously—connected to what preceded it of their speech, starting from His saying: {Exalted is Allah above what they describe} to {the ones who exalt Allah}. After interpreting "the Jinn" as the angels, he said: {Exalted is Allah above what they describe} is an account of the angels’ declaration of His transcendence above what the polytheists described Him with, following their rejection of the polytheists' claims. This assumes an implied "saying" linked to {You knew}. And {except the chosen servants of Allah} is their testimony to the innocence of the chosen ones from describing Him with such things, which implies their own innocence by virtue of their inclusion in the ranks of the chosen ones, in the most eloquent and emphatic manner. It is a disjointed exception from the "wa" (the plural pronoun) in {they describe}, as if it were said: "The angels knew that the polytheists are to be punished for saying that, and they said, 'Exalted is Allah above what they describe,' but the servants of Allah—of whom we are a part—are innocent of that description."

The phrase {For you...} is an explanation and confirmation of the chosen ones' innocence from what was mentioned, stating their inability to seduce or misguide them. The shift to direct address (the second person) is to show the utmost care in establishing the content of the speech. {And what you worship} refers to the devils who misled them; it contains a notice of their dissociation from them and their worship, similar to their saying: {Rather, they used to worship the Jinn}. Their saying {And there is none of us but has a known station} is an exposition of the clarity of their situation and the designation of their place in the position of servitude after what was mentioned of the disbelievers' falsification of what they said, the declaration of Allah’s transcendence, the acquittal of the chosen ones, and the manifestation of their own limited status.

Making the interpretation of "the Jinn" as the angels is the correct approach, as the coherence of the verses and their direction necessitate it. There is some substance in the reasoning provided. Indeed, this verse strengthens the opinion of those who say that "the Jinn" in the preceding context refers to the angels (peace be upon them) with a very clear strengthening, and the connection mentioned is of the utmost beauty.

It is also said: It is the speech of the Messenger (peace be upon him), meaning: "There is none of the Muslims but has a known station according to his deeds on the Day of Resurrection." This is connected to the command {Then ask them}. It is as if it were said: "Ask them, and say, 'There is none of us but...'" meaning: "Rebuke them with this, criticize their ingratitude, and count the qualities you and your companions possess, which are the opposites of theirs." If you wish, you may not imply "say" after you know that the meaning leads to it, but it is far-fetched; so understand. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

"Mina" (among us) is a predicate placed at the beginning, and the subject is omitted due to the sufficiency of its descriptor; the sentence {He has a known station} is the predicate. That is: "There is none among us except that he has a known station." The omission of the described noun with a sentence or a quasi-sentence, when it is part of what preceded it governed by "min" or "fi," is regular. This is the choice of al-Zamakhshari.

Abu Hayyan said: "Mina" is an adjective for an omitted subject, and the mentioned sentence is the predicate—meaning: "There is no one existing among us except that he has a known station." He refuted what passed by saying that the speech "There is no one among us" does not form a complete sentence, and His saying—Exalted be He—{except he has a known station} is the focal point of the benefit, so it is the predicate. Even if one imagines that "illa" (except) is in the meaning of "ghayr" (other than) and is an adjective, it is invalid because it is not permissible to omit its described noun. It differs from "ghayr" when "ghayr" is an adjective, due to the established nature of "ghayr" in being an adjective and the weak nature of "illa" in that regard.

Others have said: It also contains "tafrigh" (emptying/assignment) in adjectives, which they prohibited. This is countered by the fact that it forms a useful sentence appropriate to the context, as its meaning is: "There is no one among us characterized by any of the attributes except by the attribute of having a known station that he does not exceed." The restriction is intended for emphasis. Or, it is said that it is an adjective for an omitted substitute, meaning: "There is no one among us except someone who has a known station," as Ibn Malik said regarding its parallel. This implies an admission that the intended benefit is that sentence, which necessitates that it be the predicate. What was mentioned regarding the possibility of it being an adjective for an omitted substitute is invalid, because it contains the omission of both the substitute and the original, and there is no parallel for it. In short, what Abu Hayyan mentioned is safer from dispute. Indeed, it has been said: It is permissible to say that the intention here is not to convey the content of the predicate, but to respond to the disbelievers. Thus, the prepositional phrase was made the predicate and placed at the beginning. The meaning is: "There is no one among us who exceeds the station of servitude to another," unlike you, for from you has proceeded what has removed you from the rank of obedience. But there is a critique of this.