Surah Fussilat 41:4
ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ
As a giver of good tidings and a warner; but most of them turn away, so they do not hear.
Tafsir of Fussilat 41:4
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 41:4
( بشيرا ونذيرا ) And its described noun, which is (قرآنا - a Quran), based on it being an adjective connected to its relative clause. It (the phrase) (لقوم - for a people) is—according to the estimation of it being connected to *tanzīl* (revelation) or *fuṣṣilat* (has been detailed)—separated from its relative clause by the adjective. That is to say, [the separation between] *tanzīl* or *fuṣṣilat* and *li-qawm* [is done for] the sake of emphasis, similar to your saying to someone who differentiates between two brothers: "Do not do so, for differentiating between the two brothers is blameworthy." Or, it was intended so that the two relative clauses would not be separated in ruling when there is no cause for separation, which is that (من الرحمن - from the Most Merciful) should be connected to its relative clause, while (لقوم - for a people) is not. Likewise [it was intended] between the two adjectives, which is (عربيا - Arabic) being connected to its described noun, while (بشيرا - a bearer of glad tidings) is not. The gathering [of these clauses] is for that reason as well.
Abu Hayyan chose the view that the prepositional phrase is connected to (فصلت - has been detailed). He said: "It is remote for it to be connected to tanzīl (revelation), because it would be an adjective taken before its connection is established, if (من الرحمن - from the Most Merciful) is in the position of an adjective, or is a substitution (badal) for it, [or if] it is a book, or [if] it is a predicate of tanzīl. Thus, in that [scenario], there would be the substitution of the relative [clause] or reporting about it before its connection is established, which is impermissible." However, perhaps that is not unanimously agreed upon.
That (بشيرا - a bearer of glad tidings) is an adjective for (قرآنا - a Quran) is the well-known position. It is permissible that what is conjoined to it is a state (ḥāl) of (كتاب - a Book) or of (آياته - its verses). Zayd ibn Ali read (بشير - bashīrun) and (نذير - nadhīrun) in the nominative case; it is a rare narration from Nafi’ as an adjective for "Book," or as a predicate for an omitted subject—that is, "He is a bearer of glad tidings for the people of obedience, and a warner for the people of disobedience."
( فأعرض أكثرهم - But most of them turned away ) From pondering it and accepting it. The pronoun refers to "the people" (*al-qawm*) according to the first meaning of (يعلمون - they know), and to the mentioned disbelievers according to the second meaning. It is also permissible that it refers to the people in the former case, by intending thereby those whose nature it is to know and observe.
( فهم لا يسمعون - so they do not hear ) That is: they do not accept and do not obey, from your saying: "I interceded with so-and-so, but he did not hear my words." He truly heard him, but because he did not accept it according to its requirements, it is as if he did not hear it; it is a well-known metaphor.
In al-Kashf, it is stated that His saying—Exalted is He—(فأعرض - turned away) is in contrast to His saying—Exalted is He—(لقوم يعلمون - for a people who know), and His saying—Glorified is He—(فهم لا يسمعون - so they do not hear) is in contrast to His saying—Majestic is His affair—(بشيرا ونذيرا - a bearer of glad tidings and a warner). This means they rejected its inimitability and submission to it despite their knowledge, and they did not accept its glad tidings or its warnings, due to [the absence of] contemplation.