Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:162

(But those who are firmly rooted in knowledge among them) is a istidrak (rectification/exception) from His statement, Glorious is He: "And We have prepared..." and so forth, serving as a clarification that some of them are in a different state, both immediately and in the afterlife. "Among them" is in the place of a hal (state), meaning: but those who are steadfast and proficient among them in knowledge, those with insight into it who do not follow conjecture like those ignorant ones. The intent by them is Abdullah bin Salam, Usayd, Tha’labah, and their peers; it is concerning these mentioned individuals that the verse was revealed, as Al-Bayhaqi extracted in al-Dala'il from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them.

(And the believers) – meaning, among them, to which Qatadah’s statement points. They have been described as believers after being described with what necessitates that [belief]—namely, the rootedness in knowledge—by way of conjunction based on differentiation between the two conjoined subjects, treating the difference in title as equivalent to a difference in essence, as previously mentioned. And His statement, Glorious is He: (believe in what was revealed to you) from the Quran (and what was revealed before you) of the Scriptures to the Prophets and Messengers, is a hal (state) of "the believers," clarifying the nature of their belief. It is also said that it is a parenthetical clause, reinforcing what precedes it.

Regarding His statement, Exalted is He: (and those who establish prayer)—Sibawayh and all the Basrans said: [it is] in the accusative case (nasb) as a form of praise (madh). Al-Kisa’i challenged this, arguing that the accusative for praise only occurs after the completion of speech, and here that is not the case because the predicate [of the main subject] has yet to come. It was replied that there is no evidence suggesting it is impermissible to place a parenthetical clause between the subject (mubtada) and its predicate. Ibn Atiyyah recounted from some that they forbade its accusative marking by way of disconnection (qat’) because of the conjunction particle, for disconnection does not occur with conjunction, but only with adjectives. Those who claim this is a case of disconnection within a conjunction rely on what Sibawayh cited for disconnection with a conjunction particle in the verse: "And he dwells with women, disheveled and disarrayed, breastfeeding like demons."

Al-Kisa’i said: It is in the genitive case (jarr) by conjunction to "what was revealed to you," on the basis that the intent by them is the Prophets—upon them be peace. It is said: The intent by "establishing prayer" in this reading is not the performance of it, but rather making it manifest among the people and legislating it, so that it becomes a specific descriptor. It is also said: The intent by "those who establish" are the angels, because of His statement: "They glorify night and day and do not slacken." It is also said: The Muslims, with an implicit genitive addition, meaning: "and among those who establish." A group said it is conjoined to the pronoun in "among them," others said to the pronoun in "to you," and others said to the pronoun in "before you." The Basrans do not permit these three views because they involve conjoining to a genitive pronoun without repeating the preposition, and discussion regarding this has already passed.

Some late scholars claimed that the most likely case is that it is accusative by way of estimation (tawahum), because the preceding lakinna (heavy) was placed in the position of lakin (light), though the weakness in this is apparent. In sum, no attention is paid to those who claimed this is a grammatical error in the Quran and that the correct reading is "the establishers of prayer" (al-muqimun) with a waw, as in the codex of Abdullah and [the readings of] Malik bin Dinar, al-Jahdari, and Isa al-Thaqafi, for there is no discourse regarding the transmission of the text via tawatur; thus, grammatical error is absolutely impermissible therein.

As for what was narrated—that when he finished the codex, it was brought to Uthman—may Allah be pleased with him—and he said: "You have done well and beautified, but I see some grammatical errors that the Arabs will rectify with their tongues. Had the dictator been from Hudhayl and the scribe from Quraysh, this would not have been found"—al-Sakhawi said: It is weak, and the chain of transmission has confusion and disconnection. For Uthman—may Allah be pleased with him—appointed for the people an Imam [the Quran] for them to follow, so how could he see an error in it and leave it for the Arabs to rectify? He wrote several codices, and there is no disagreement in them at all except in what pertains to the modes of recitation. If he and those who undertook the collection did not rectify it, who else would? Others interpreted the "error" in his statement, assuming its authenticity, to mean symbolism and allusion, as in the statement: "Eloquent speech, and sometimes it errors; the best of speech is that which is 'erroneous'." That is, the intent is symbolism by omitting some letters in writing, like the alif in "those who are patient" (al-sabirin), which the reciters recognize, as well as the addition of some letters. We have provided you with what is beneficial here, so remember it.

Then, the apparent meaning is that "the establishers" in the nominative reading is conjoined to what precedes it, and the difference in title is likewise treated as a difference in essence. Conjunction to the pronoun of "they believe" is of no substance. The same is the case in His statement: (and the givers of zakah and the believers in Allah and the Last Day). The intent by all is the believers from the People of the Book. They were described, first, as being firmly rooted in the knowledge of the Book, such that doubt does not obstruct them nor do suspicions shake them—a signaling that this is what necessitates belief, and that those other than them remained insistent due to their lack of rootedness therein; rather, they are like a feather in the wasteland of misguidance, tossed about by the gusts of doubts and illusions. Then, [they are described] by their belief in everything revealed of the Book to the Prophets—upon them be peace—and then by their acting upon the rulings therein. Sufficing from among them is the mention of establishing prayer and giving zakah, which entail all other physical and financial acts of worship. And since establishing prayer in its proper form is a standing before the Truth—Glorious is His Majesty—and a severance from all else and an orientation toward the Lord, those who establish it were adorned with the garment of the accusative to make the "burden" (nasb) light upon them, and to mark their severance from subordination. How beautiful is a severance that points to the connection with the highest ranks!

Then, He described them as being of the Beginning and the End, confirming their acquisition of belief in both directions and their encompassing of it from both ends, and an insinuation that those among the People of the Book who are other than them are not believers in either one truly, because they have mixed honey with poison and have become blind and deaf to following the pure Truth. (Those) is a reference to those described with the aforementioned lofty, firmly-founded attributes; it is a subject (mubtada). His statement: (We will give them a great reward) is its predicate. The sentence is the predicate for the subject, which is "those firmly rooted." The particle sin is for the confirmation of the promise, as we have mentioned, and the indefiniteness of "reward" is for aggrandizement, as passed more than once. The complete suitability between the two sides of the istidrak is not hidden, where the former were threatened with a painful punishment and the latter promised a great reward.

More than one exegete allowed that the predicate of the first subject is the sentence "they believe," and they interpreted "the believers" as the companions of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—other than the People of the Book; the suitability according to this is not complete. Some went to the view that the istidrak is from His statement: "The People of the Book ask you..." as if it were said: But these do not ask you what those ignorant ones ask you regarding the sending down of a book from the sky, because they have already known the truthfulness of your word in what they read from the Books revealed to the Prophets—upon them be peace—and the obligation to follow you. Thus, there is no need for them to ask you for another miracle, for they have known regarding your affair through the knowledge firmly rooted in their hearts what suffices them of that. This was narrated from Qatadah, and the correspondence of the two sides of the istidrak according to this is more complete than it is according to the view of the majority.

Hamzah read "He will give them" (sayuti-him) with a ya, in accordance with the apparent wording of His statement: "The believers in Allah and the Last Day."