Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:3

Similarly, the intended meaning—as narrated from Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas’ud, and others regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And those who recite the reminder,"—is the angels, upon them be peace. The word dhikran (reminder) is in the accusative case as a direct object, and its tanwin (nunation) is for magnification. It carries the meaning of "that which is mentioned and recited," and it has been interpreted as the Book of Allah the Almighty.

Abu Salih said: They are the angels who bring the Book and the Quran from Allah the Almighty to the people; thus, the intention of the "recitation" is its recitation to others. Some have interpreted it as the divine verses and knowledge, which the angels recite to the prophets and the saints. We will address later, if Allah the Exalted wills, in the chapter of al-isharah (allusion/sign), matters related to the angels' recitation to the saints—may Allah the Exalted sanctify their secrets.

Others said: It means those who recite the verses of Allah the Exalted, His books revealed to the prophets—upon them be peace—and other forms of glorification (tasbih), sanctification (taqdis), praising (tahmid), and exaltation (tamjid). Perhaps "recitation" in this context is more general than recitation to others. It is also said that dhikran is in the accusative as a cognate infinitive (masdar mu’akkad) following the phonetic structure, so that all the accusative terms are in one pattern.

Qatadah said: "Those who recite the reminder" are the children of Adam, reciting the Book of Allah the Exalted which was revealed, as well as His glorification and exaltation.

It is also permissible that Allah the Exalted has sworn by the souls of the practicing scholars—who arrange themselves in rows for congregational prayer, or stand in them—those who deter others with admonitions and advice, and those who recite the verses of Allah and study His laws and decrees. Or [it refers to] the factions of the commanders of the mujahideen in the path of Allah, who arrange the rows in the battlefields, drive the horses for jihad, or pursue the enemy in combat, while reciting the verses of Allah the Almighty, His remembrance, and His glorification throughout those acts.

It is further permitted that He, the Exalted, swore by the groups of celestial bodies arranged like tightly constructed rows, one above the other; or the souls that govern those bodies through motion and the like; or the holy essences immersed in the oceans of holiness, who glorify Him night and day and do not falter—those being the Cherubim and their like. However, this is far removed from the school of the righteous predecessors, and indeed from the school of the Sunnis entirely, as is evident.

The fa (the connective particle) preceding the attributes can denote the sequential ordering of their descriptive meanings in external existence if the entity described is one, as in the saying: "Woe to the wolf for the one who hunts, the one who swims, the one who gains, then the one who returns," meaning the one who went out in the morning, gained booty, then returned. Or it may denote the ordering of their meanings in rank, even if the entity is one, as in saying: "Intellect is perfected in you when you are a youth, then a man of middle age."

Or it may denote the ordering of the objects being described in existence, as in your saying: "I have endowed such and such to my children, the stomach [first], then the [next] stomach." Or in rank, such as: "May Allah have mercy on those who shave [the hair completely], then those who shorten it." Both [examples] involve a plurality of the described.

Ranking by order is either in terms of ascending or descending progression. If the entity described by these attributes is one—the angels, upon them be peace, in their entirety—it is possible that it is for ranking by ascending progression: "The [rowers]" are in the first rank because it is a self-contained action; "the deterring ones" are higher because there is a benefit to others; and "the reciters" are the highest because they contain the benefit of the elect, which extends to the benefit of the commonality, containing the welfare of both the worldly life and the Hereafter.

Alternatively, it may be for external ordering in terms of the existence of the entities possessing these attributes: the "row" exists first, as it is a perfection for the angels in themselves; then the "deterrence" exists for the sake of others, as it is a completion for others—the person is not qualified to complete another until they are qualified in themselves; then "recitation" exists, based on the fact that it is a bestowal upon the other who is prepared for it, and this cannot be realized except after obtaining the readiness that is a consequence of the "deterrence."

If the entity described by these attributes consists of different groups of angels—meaning one category is this, and another is that—then the appearance is that it is for ranking by ascending progression, as in the first instance: the "rowing" groups are perfect, the "deterring" groups are more perfect than them, and the "reciting" groups are the most perfect, as is known from what preceded.

It is also said that it may be the reverse: "The rowing" refers to groups of angels arranged around the Throne, standing in the station of servitude; they are the Cherubim, those brought near, or other angels. It is said, as the Great Sheikh—may his secret be sanctified—mentioned, that they are the "Bewildered" (al-Muhayyamun), immersed in the love of the Exalted, such that one of them does not know that Allah the Almighty created anyone else. He mentioned that they were not commanded to prostrate to Adam, upon him be peace, because of their lack of perception due to their total immersion in the Exalted, and that they are those meant by the "Most High" in His saying: "Are you arrogant or were you among the Most High?"

By "the deterring ones," [it means] other groups commanded to subjugate the celestial and terrestrial realms and govern them for that which they were created for; they are superior in virtue due to the benefit they provide to the servants, compared to the "rowers." And by "the reciters of the reminder," [it means] other groups commanded to recite knowledge to the elect of creation, and they are [superior] due to the specificity of their benefit compared to the "deterrers."

Alternatively, "the deterring ones" refers to those who deter people from the ugly through inspiring the aspects of its ugliness and what turns one away from committing it; and "the reciters of the reminder" are those who inspire the good and the aspects that attract one to it. Because repelling harm is a priority over bringing benefit, and warding off corruption is more important than achieving interests—which is why it is said, "Clearing [of bad] (takhliyah) takes precedence over adorning [with good] (tahliyah)"—the "reciting ones" are [therefore] lesser than the "deterring ones."

The state of the fa regarding all the previous opinions on the attributes is evident to anyone with the slightest reflection. It is also permissible in my view—and Allah the Exalted knows best—that "the rowing ones" refers to those who are aligned in worship, such as prayer or fighting the disbelievers, whether they are angels, humans, or others. "The deterring ones" refers to those who restrain others from committing sins through their words or deeds, whoever they may be. And "the reciters of the reminder" refers to those who recite the verses of Allah the Exalted to others for the purpose of teaching or the like.

There is no contradiction between these attributes; they can be combined in certain individuals. Perhaps the ordering is by way of ascending progression in terms of the attributes themselves: alignment for worship is a perfection, deterring from committing sins is more perfect, and reciting the verses of Allah for the purpose of teaching—because it encompasses ordering the performance of good deeds, forbidding sins, clearing away vices, and adorning with knowledge, among other things—is the most perfect of all.

Attributing these descriptions to a single subject from among the angels—as mentioned, that some groups among them are "rowing" in the sense of aligning themselves in the line of rows by standing in their known stations, or standing in rows for worship, and are "reciting a reminder" in the sense of reciting the verses by way of revelation to the prophets—is problematic if the angels who recite the revelation are many, regardless of whether they are a distinct class or not. Indeed, it is mentioned by more than one that the one entrusted with the revelation, who recites the reminder to the prophets, is Gabriel—upon him be peace—and no one else. Yes, some of the verses are revealed while accompanied by a gathering of angels, upon them be peace, and the Noble Book speaks of their stationing during the revelation. But this is one matter, and the recitation to the prophets—upon them be peace—is another; so contemplate all of that. Regarding the intended meaning of the coordinated attributes, there are possibilities other than what has been mentioned, so do not be heedless.

As for what [the oath] is, it is an oath by those groups themselves. There is no restriction upon Allah the Almighty; He, the Exalted, may swear by whatever He wishes. Therefore, there is no need to say that the speech is based on the omission of a genitive noun, such as "And by the Lord of the rowers," for instance. The verse is clear in its indication according to the school of Sibawayh and Al-Khalil regarding such examples as "By the night as it covers, and the day as it brightens," that the second waw and those following it are for conjunction, contrary to the school of others who consider them [separate] oaths due to the occurrence of the fa in them in the position of the waw, except that it provides sequence.

Ibn Mas’ud, Masruq, Al-A’mash, Abu Amr, and Hamzah assimilated the three ta’s into what follows them due to their proximity, as they are from the tip of the tongue and the roots of the incisors.