Tafsir of Az-Zumar 39:23

"Allah has revealed the best of statements": This is the Noble Quran. Its being a hadith (statement) refers to it being a speech that has been communicated, not that it is a counterpart to the "Eternal" (Qadim). Those among the Ash'arites—who hold the view of the createdness of verbal speech—who claim an inseparable connection between the two, have assigned the attributes indicating createdness to that specific speech. It is also permissible that the application of hadith to the Quran here is by way of mushakalah (co-referential stylistic equivalence). It is reported from Ibn Abbas that some companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell us beautiful stories and news of the ages," and so this verse was revealed. From Ibn Mas'ud, it is reported that the Companions grew weary of boredom and said to him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), "Tell us [something]," and so it was revealed—that is, as a guidance to them toward that which removes their boredom, which is the recitation of the Quran, and listening to it from him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while it was fresh and vibrant.

Placing the name of Allah, the Exalted, as the subject (mubtada') and building the verb "revealed" (nazzala) upon it serves to exalt the "best of statements," testifies to its excellence, and confirms its derivation from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and that it is impossible for anyone else—glory be to Him—to speak anything like it. As for the exaltation, it is like saying "The Caliph is at so-and-so's house." As for the testimony to its excellence, it is because it comes from One than whom no one can be more perfect; indeed, nothing else possesses any perfection compared to Him in any way. As for the confirmation of its derivation from the Exalted, it is a matter of taqwa (piety). As for the fact that no one else can speak its like, it is due to proportionality, for the most perfect speech must necessarily come from the most perfect Speaker. It is the school of al-Zamakhshari that such a construction implies exclusivity (hasr), and that there is no contradiction between it and piety—if gathered—so understand this.

"A Book": This is a substitute (badal) for "the best of statements," or a state (hal) from it, as al-Zamakhshari said. It is not based on the claim that the addition (idafah) of the superlative degree (af'al at-tafdil) provides definiteness, as Abu Hayyan supposed; for simple addition is sufficient for the correctness of it being a state, as is not hidden from anyone with the slightest familiarity with Arabic. Its occurrence as a state, despite being a noun and not an adjective, is either due to its being described by the Exalted’s words, "resembling/consistent" (mutashabihan), or because it carries the strength of being "written."

The intent of its being mutashabihan here is its consistency in soundness, precision, being built upon truth and honesty, the bringing about of benefits for the creation in the Hereafter and the worldly life, the harmony of its expressions in eloquence, the responsiveness of its structure in inimitability, and the like. This is comparable to the Arabs saying of a face perfect in beauty, "a face mutanasif"—as if parts of it are in balance with others in terms of beauty.

"Mathani" (often recited/repeated): This is another adjective for "a Book," or another state from it. It is the plural of mathna, with a damma on the mim and a fatha on the shadda of the nun, contrary to the rule, for the rule would be mathniyat—meaning something returned and repeated, because its rulings, exhortations, and stories have been repeated and doubled. It is also said: because it is repeated in recitation.

It is permitted that it is a plural of mathna with a fatha, lightened from tathniyah, meaning repetition and iteration, just as the verse, "Then return your gaze twice (karratayn)," means one time after another. Likewise is "Labbayk" and "Sa'dayk." The intent is that it is a collective for the meaning of repetition and iteration, just as what was mentioned was doubled for that reason. However, the usage of mathna for this meaning is more frequent, as it is the first level of repetition. It is possible that mathna means repetition and iteration just as the explicit mathna is used in such a way in phrases like karratayn, then it was pluralized for emphasis. It is also said: it is a plural due to its verses containing praise (thana') for Allah, or because they are doubled in their eloquence and inimitability upon the speaker of them. It is not hidden that observing the proportionality with mutashabihan makes this less preferred, though it is sound if taken as praise in consideration of inimitability. In al-Kashf, it is measured according to the wording that mathani is derived from thana' (praise) or thani (bending/doubling); a plural of mathna—the maf'al of them—either meaning the verbal noun, pluralized because it became an adjective, or originally a noun shifted to an adjective for emphasis, like ard ma'sadah (land of lions). For the place of praise occurs metaphorically upon the praised, and likewise the place of the doubling. And its occurrence as an adjective for "a Book" is in consideration of its details, and the details of a thing are its totality, nothing else. Do you not see that you say: "The Quran is sevenths, fifths, surahs, and verses"? Thus you say: "It is rulings, exhortations, and stories, mathani." The parallel is your saying: "Man is veins, bones, and nerves," except that you leave the qualified word for the adjective; the original is "a Book, consistent, [composed of] chapters, repeated." It is also possible that it is a tamyiz (specifier) shifted from the subject, the origin being "its parts are repeated (mutashabihan mathanihi)," then it was shifted and made indefinite because the indefinite is more frequent, as in your saying, "I saw a man fine in traits." Hisham and Abu Bishr read mathani with a quiescent ya, which could be the predicate of a deleted subject, or in the accusative case, with the ya made quiescent according to the dialect of those who quiesce it in all states due to the kasra preceding it, finding movement upon it burdensome.

"The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it": It is said to be an adjective for "a Book," or a state from it, due to its specification by the adjective. Some say: the most apparent [view] is that it is a new beginning (isti'naf) meant to explain its manifest effects upon those who hear it, after explaining its attributes in itself, and to confirm its being the best of statements. Iqshi'rar is contraction. It is said, "The skin shivered," if it contracted intensely. Its construction is from qasha', which is dried skin, with the ra added to make it a quadrilateral [root] indicating an added meaning. It is said: "his skin shivered" and "his hair stood up" if a severe fear from a terrifying matter that suddenly befell him occurred to him. The intent is to depict their fear by mentioning its sensory requirements; it is termed tamthil (representation), even if it is a form of metonymy.

It is also said: It is a depiction of fear by mentioning its effects, and a comparison of a state with a state, so it is a tamthil in reality. The first is better, because comparing a story to a story by way of metaphor here is not free from artificiality. It is considered most likely that the intent is to explain the attainment of that state and its occurrence for them by way of verification. The meaning is that when they hear the Quran and the shattering verses of its warning, they are struck by awe and fear from which their skins shiver; and when they remember the mercy of Allah, the Exalted, upon hearing the verses of His promise and His kindnesses, their fear turns to hope, and their awe turns to desire. That is the saying of the Exalted, "then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of Allah"—meaning they are calm and reassured by the remembrance of His mercy, the Exalted. The reason He did not explicitly state "mercy" is to signal that it is the first thing that crosses the mind upon His remembrance due to its primacy, as pointed out by the report, "My mercy has preceded My wrath." And He mentioned hearts because of the precedence of fear, which is of their accidents. Perhaps the reason they were not mentioned there in the same manner as they are mentioned here is that hearts are not described as shivering, but they are described as softening. There is nothing in the verse more than describing His allies by the shivering of their skins from the Quran, and then their calming down to the mercy of Allah, the Exalted. There is no description of them fainting, experiencing "wajd" (ecstatic state), or clapping, as some people do. Sa'id ibn Mansur, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn 'Asakir reported from Abdullah ibn 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr: "I said to my grandmother Asma', 'How did the companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) behave when they recited the Quran?' She said: 'They were as Allah, the Exalted, described them; their eyes would shed tears and their skins would shiver.' I said: 'There are people here who, when they hear that, are seized by a faint.' She said: 'I seek refuge in Allah, the Exalted, from the Shaytan.'"

Az-Zubayr ibn Bakkar reported in al-Muwaffaqiyat from 'Amir from Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr: "I came to my mother and said, 'I found people the like of whom I have never seen, remembering Allah, the Exalted, until one of them trembles until he faints from fear of Allah.' She said: 'Do not sit with them.' Then she said: 'I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reciting the Quran, and I saw Abu Bakr and Umar reciting the Quran, and this did not befall them. Do you think they were more fearful than Abu Bakr and Umar?'" Ibn Umar, having seen someone fall down from hearing the Quran, said, "We fear Allah, the Exalted, and we do not fall. These are people into whom the Shaytan enters."

'Abd al-Razzaq, 'Abd ibn Humayd, and Ibn al-Mundhir reported from Qatadah that he said regarding this verse: "This is the description of the allies of Allah, the Exalted. He said: their skins shiver, their eyes weep, and their hearts find peace in the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted. Allah, the Exalted, did not describe them as losing their senses or fainting; this is only among the people of innovation, and it is from the Shaytan." Ibn Abi Shaybah reported from Ibn Jubayr: "The faint is from the Shaytan." Ibn Sirin said: "Between us and these people who collapse when reading the Quran is that one of them should be leaned against a wall, legs outstretched, then recite the entire Quran to them; if he throws himself, he is truthful." These reports condemn the fainting, ecstatic states, and head-banging of some Sufis when hearing the Quran. Their masters say: "That is due to the weakness of the hearts to bear the inspiration." The ones doing this are not in perfection like the Companions, the people of the first generation, in strength of endurance. So it is nothing but a proof of deficiency, by the evidence that when the traveler becomes perfect, he is established and his heart strengthens, and nothing of that sort proceeds from him. They say: "There is nothing in the verse more than the confirmation of shivering and softening, and there is no negation in it that another state might befall them; rather, there is an indication in the verse that what is mentioned is the state of the established and the perfect, as the Exalted said: 'those who fear their Lord.' He expressed it with the relative pronoun (alladhina), and the requirement of the 'connected' state is that they have an establishment in fear until they are known by it. So it does not necessarily follow, from the fact that their state is what is mentioned—and nothing else, assuming it implies exclusivity—that the state of others is the same." Then, whenever the matter is involuntary, like sneezing, there is no blame on one who is characterized by it. In the speech of Ibn Sirin is what supports that. This is the limit in this field, and we ask Allah, the Exalted, to favor us with what He favored the companions of His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

"That is the guidance of Allah": The indication is to the Book whose states He explained. "He guides by it whom He wills": That is, whom Allah wills to guide by granting him success in contemplating the evidence of truthfulness contained therein and the proofs of its being from Him, the Exalted. It is also possible that the pronoun in "wills" refers to "who." The meaning is: Allah, the Exalted, guides whom He wills to the guidance of Allah, the Exalted; but that is not as strong.

"And whomsoever Allah sends astray"—that is, He creates within him straying due to his turning away from what guides him to the truth, because of his poor disposition—"for him there is no guide" to save him from the quagmire of misguidance. It is also said: The indication is to what was mentioned of shivering and softening, and the meaning is: That which was mentioned of fear and hope is an effect of His guidance, the Exalted. He guides by that effect whom He wills of His servants. And whomsoever He sends astray—that is, whom He has not affected because of the hardness of his heart and his persistence in his wickedness—"for him there is no guide," meaning there is no one to affect him with anything at all. And it is as you see.