Surah Fussilat 41:35
ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ ﲗ
But none is granted it except those who are patient, and none is granted it except one having a great portion [of good].
Tafsir of Fussilat 41:35
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 41:35
{Wa ma yulaqqaha} (Meaning: None shall receive or be granted this noble deed and trait, which is repelling [evil] with that which is better). The pronoun refers to what is understood from the context. It has been permitted that it refers back to "that which is better" (*al-lati hiya ahsan*). It has also been narrated that the pronoun refers to the testimony "There is no god but Allah"—as if he returned it to "that which is better," which was interpreted as the aforementioned testimony; however, this is as you can see [i.e., weak]. It has also been said that the pronoun refers to Paradise, but that is of no consequence. Talha and Ibn Kathir, in one narration, recited it as *wa ma yulaqqaha* (from *mulaqah*—to meet/encounter).
{Illa alladhina sabaru} (Meaning: None shall receive it except those who are patient), i.e., those who possess the nature of patience and whose affair is such.
{Wa ma yulaqqaha illa dhu hazzin 'azim} (Meaning: A person possessing a great share of virtuous traits and perfection of the soul), as has been narrated from Ibn Abbas. Qatadah said: A great share of reward. Others said: The great share is Paradise. According to both of these latter views, it is a promise, while according to the first, it is a praise.
The repetition of {wa ma yulaqqaha} serves to emphasize the praise of that magnificent deed. Salih Efendi, the scribe of the chancery in Aleppo—the only one of his era, of whom time was stingy to produce his like—formulated an expression regarding this verse that adhered to precision, may Allah have mercy on him. It is his saying: "From the first {wa ma yulaqqaha illa alladhina sabaru} and the second {wa ma yulaqqaha illa dhu hazzin 'azim}, one can extract what belongs to the first figure [of syllogism], not the second, due to the agreement in quality. Thus, the most noble [conclusion] is realized after giving the station its due right, so the restrainer (habis—the patient one) realizes he is possessor of fortune (majdud), and thus stops at the defined limit."
He intended—and Allah knows best—that one can extract from the first [clause], i.e., His saying: {Wa ma yulaqqaha illa alladhina sabaru}, and the second, which is His saying: {Wa ma yulaqqaha illa dhu hazzin 'azim}, what constitutes the first of the four types of the first figure [of syllogism]. This is a syllogism composed of two universal affirmatives, resulting in a universal affirmative, by saying: "Every patient person is one who receives it, and everyone who receives it is one who possesses a great share; therefore, every patient person is one who possesses a great share."
A syllogism cannot be extracted from the second figure due to the agreement in quality, and the condition of the second figure is the difference in the two premises, as established in its proper place. Thus, after taking and composing the two premises, the most noble matter is realized, i.e., the conclusion, which is a universal affirmative—the noblest of the four categorical propositions, as it contains affirmation, which is nobler than negation, and universality, which is nobler than particularity, after giving the station its due by making the relative pronoun (al-mawsul) denote totality (as indicated), in order to yield universality. At that point, the restrainer, i.e., the patient one, realizes and knows that he is majdud, i.e., possessing fortune and share, so he stops at the defined limit and does not transgress from patience to anything else. So understand.