(And We have revealed to you the Book)
Meaning: The perfect individual, truly worthy of being called "the Book" in an absolute sense due to its superiority over all other heavenly books, which is the magnificent Quran. Thus, the definite article *al* (in *al-Kitab*) is for reference to a known entity (al-ahd), and the sentence is a conjunction to "We have revealed."
His saying—Exalted is He—(in truth) is a confirmatory state (hal mu’akkidah) of "the Book," meaning: clothed in truth and sincerity. It is also permitted that it be a state of the agent of "We have revealed," or according to others, a state of the pronoun "ka" in "to you" (ilayka).
His saying—Exalted is He—(confirming what came before it of the Book) is a state of "the Book," meaning: in a state of confirming what preceded it. The discussion on the manner of its confirmation of them has already passed. Abu al-Baqa’ claimed that it is not permissible for it to be a state from what was mentioned, arguing that two states cannot belong to one agent. The response is that it is a state from the implied pronoun within the prepositional phrase preceding it.
His saying—Sublime is He—(of the Book) is an explanation for "what" (ma), and the definite article therein is for the genus (al-jins), based on the claim that what is other than the heavenly books is not a book in relation to them. It is also permissible, as more than one has said, that it be for reference (al-ahd), considering that it does not intend the genus of the meaning of the word "Book," but rather a specific type of it which, in relation to the absolute Book, is known regarding its quality of being heavenly. Its limit is that its referential nature is not to the extent of individual specificity, but to a specific type that is more particular than the absolute Book. This is apparent, and it also refers to the Heavenly Book, as it is specified by what follows it, the Quran.
(And as a guardian over it): Al-Khalil and Abu Ubaydah said: Meaning, a watcher over all the other heavenly books which are preserved from alteration, as it testifies to their correctness and firmness, establishes the foundations of their laws, confirms what remains of their branches, and designates their abrogated rulings.
Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, Mujahid, and Qatadah—may Allah be pleased with them—said: Meaning, a witness over it that it is the truth. In this case, the conjunction is for emphasis. Its letter ha is original, and its verb is haymana. It has parallels such as baytara, khaymara, and saytara. Al-Zajjaj added bayqara, and there is no sixth to them. It is said that it is substituted for the hamza, and its root is from security (amn), like haraqa. Al-Mubarrad and Ibn Qutaybah said: The root of muhaymin is mu’min, which is one of His names—Exalted is He—so it was diminished (tasghir) and its hamza was replaced with a ha. Al-Samin and others criticized this, saying it is a mistake, or even disbelief or similar to it, because the names of Allah—Exalted is He—cannot be diminished, as is the case for any name that is religiously exalted. From Ibn Muhaysin and Mujahid, it is narrated that they recited muhaymanan with a fatha on the mim, in the structure of the passive participle (maf'ul). The pronoun "upon it" (alayhi) in this case returns to the first Book, and the meaning is that it was protected from distortion and alteration, and the protector of it is Allah—Exalted is He—as He said—Sublime is He—: "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian."
(So judge between them): Meaning, between the People of the Book, as Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them—said. The fa (so) is for the sequencing of what follows it to what precedes it, for the fact that the magnificent Quran is of that status is a cause for the commanded judgment. That is, if the Quran is as mentioned, then judge between them (by what Allah has revealed): Meaning, by that which He revealed to you, for it is the truth from which there is no escape, and it comprises all the remaining religious rulings in the divine books. Giving precedence to "between them" is for the sake of care in generalizing the judgment to them. Placing the relative pronoun (ma) in place of the pronoun is an alert to what is within the scope of the relative clause concerning the judgment and a warning against opposition. The turning to the mention of the Majestic Name is for reasons mentioned repeatedly.
(And do not follow their desires): Which are deviant. According to Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them—it means what they distorted and altered of the command of stoning.
(Away from the truth that has come to you): From which there is no diversion. "From" ('an) is attached to "do not follow" under the inclusion of the meaning of diverting or similar, as if it were said: Do not divert from the truth that came to you by following their desires. It is also said that it is attached to an implied word occurring as a state of its agent, meaning: Do not follow their desires while diverting from what came to you; or from its object, meaning: Do not follow their desires as they divert from what came to you. This was objected to on the grounds that what occurs as a state must be a general verb; perhaps the one who said it does not accept that. And "from" ('an), as Abu al-Baqa’ said, is attached to an implied word occurring as a state from the subject of "came to you" or from "that" (ma). Placing the relative pronoun in place of the first relative pronoun is to signal, by what is in the scope of the relative clause, that which necessitates complete avoidance of following desires. The prohibition is permissible even for one from whom the prohibited act is not conceivable, so it is not asked: How was he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited from following their desires, while he—peace and blessings be upon him—is infallible from committing anything less than that? It is also said: The address is to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and the intention is the rest of the speech.
(For each [nation] among you, We have made a law and a clear path): This is an inauguration brought to urge the People of the Book who were his contemporaries (peace and blessings be upon him) to comply with his judgment (peace be upon him) by what Allah—Exalted is He—revealed to him of the truth, by explaining that it is he whom they were tasked to act upon, not other than it from what is in their book. Those who were tasked to act upon it are those who passed before the abrogation. The address, as a group of commentators have said, is to all people—the living and the past—by way of generalization (taghlib).
Shir'ah (law)—with a kasra on the shin (and Yahya ibn Wathab recited it with a fatha), the shari'ah—is originally the apparent path that leads to water. The intention by it is religion, and its usage for it is because it is a path leading to what is the cause of eternal life, just as water is the cause of transient life; or because it is a path to the act that cleanses the worker from spiritual filth, just as the shari'ah is a path to water that cleanses its user from physical filth.
Al-Raghib said: Religion is called a shari'ah by analogy to the shari'ah of water, in that whoever enters upon that in truth is quenched and cleansed. By "quenched," I mean what some of the wise said: "I used to drink and not be quenched, but when I knew Allah—Exalted is He—I was quenched without drinking," and by "cleansed," what He—Exalted is He—said: "And He may cleanse you completely."
Minhaj (clear path) is the clear path in religion, from "he followed the path" (nahaja) when it becomes clear. The conjunction is with regard to gathering the descriptions. Al-Mubarrad said: Shir'ah is the beginning of the straight path. It is said they both have the same meaning, which is the path, and the repetition is for emphasis. The conjunction is like that in the saying of al-Hutay’ah: "And Hind, distance and remoteness have come between her and me," and the saying of Antarah: "You were greeted from a ruin whose duration has become long, worn out and deserted after Umm al-Haytham." It is also said: Shir'ah is the path absolutely, whether it is clear or not. It is also said: Minhaj is the guide. It is also said: Shir'ah is the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Minhaj is the Book. It is also said: Shir'ah is the branch rulings, and Minhaj is the belief rulings, but that is nothing.
The preposition "lam" is attached to "We have made," which is transitive to one, and it is a report of a past making, not an initiation. Placing it before it is for restriction. "Among you" (minkum) is attached to an implied word that is a description for what the tanwin in "all" (kull) replaces, meaning: And for every nation existing among you, O remaining and past nations, We have placed a law and a path specific to that nation; no nation can traverse its shir'ah. The nation that was from the mission of Moses to the mission of Jesus—peace be upon them—their shir'ah was what is in the Torah. And that which was from the mission of Jesus—peace be upon him—to the mission of Ahmad—peace and blessings be upon him—their shir'ah was what is in the Gospel. As for you, O existing ones, your shir'ah is only what is in the Furqan, nothing else. So believe in it and act according to what is in it.
Abu al-Baqa’ required that "among you" be attached to an implied "I mean" (a'ni) and did not permit it to be a description, because that would necessitate separating the description from the described by an extraneous element that has no strengthening for the speech, and it also necessitates separating "We have made" from its object, which is "a law." Shaykh al-Islam said: There is no harm in the mediation of "We have made" between the description and the described, as in His saying—Exalted is He—: "Is it other than Allah I should take as a protector, [He is] the Creator of the heavens and the earth," etc. The separation between the verb and its object is necessary in any case. What was mentioned of the address being to the nations is the apparent meaning. It is said it is for the prophets who were pointed to in the verses before, but its remoteness is not hidden. More remote than that is making the address to this Ummah of Muhammad, and neither the preceding nor succeeding context supports it.
The verse was used as evidence by those who hold that we are not tasked with the laws of those before us, because the address, as you have known, covers the nations, and the "lam" is for specialization, so every nation has a religion specific to it. If it were tasked with another law, that specialization would not stand. Allamah al-Taftazani responded, after acknowledging the indication of the "lam" to exclusive specialization, by denying the necessary implication, because it is permissible for us to be tasked with the law of those before us with the addition of specifics in our religion that constitute the specialization. In this, there is no need to indicate the restriction for what was mentioned with the advancement of the attached element. Also, the mentioned specifics do not negate our being tasked with the law of those before us, because those who hold it claim that it is in what is not known to be abrogated and is contrary to our religion, not absolutely, as no one has said that on an absolute basis. For this reason, the investigators reconciled between the likes of this verse, which indicates the difference of the laws, and what opposes it, such as His saying—Exalted is He—: "He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah," etc., and His saying—Exalted is He—: "Those were the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example." They reconciled by saying that every verse indicating the lack of difference is carried on the foundations of religion and the like. The verification in this position is that we are tasked with the rulings of the remaining laws in terms of them being rulings of our shir'ah, not in terms of them being a shir'ah for the predecessors.
(And if Allah had willed, He would have made you one nation): Meaning, a group agreed upon one religion in all eras, or possessing one creed without difference between you at any time in any of the religious rulings, with no abrogation and no change. This was said by Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them. The object of "willed" is implied, relying on the indication of the recompense to it; meaning, if Allah—Exalted is He—willed your gathering upon Islam, He would have compelled you to it. It is narrated from al-Hasan similar to this. Al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi said: The meaning is, if Allah—Exalted is He—had willed, He would not have sent a prophet to you, so you would be tasked with what is in the intellect and you would be one nation.
(But [He intended] to test you): Attached to an implied word that the system requires, meaning: But He did not will that making, but He willed other than it, to treat you—Sublime is He—with the treatment of one who tests you (in what He has given you) of the various rulings. A divine wisdom necessitated by every era: do you know them, submitting to them, believing that in their difference there is what returns its benefit to you in your livelihood and your return; or do you deviate from them, seek desire, and purchase misguidance with guidance? By this, as Shaykh al-Islam said, it is clear that the orbit of the lack of the mentioned will is not merely the test, but the main point in that is what was pointed to concerning the inclusion of the difference in what contains their interest, livelihood, and return, as His saying—Mighty and Majestic is He—indicates: (So race to [all that is] good): Meaning, if the matter is as mentioned, then hasten to what is better for you in both abodes of the true beliefs and righteous deeds included in the Quranic Scripture. And initiate them, taking advantage of the opportunity and securing the virtue of precedence and advancement; for the forerunners, the forerunners, those are the nearest.
His saying—Exalted is He—(To Allah is your return all together): Is an inauguration brought in the context of the cause for racing to good deeds with what it contains of promise and threat. "All together" is a state of the genitive pronoun, and the acting agent in it is either the infinitive noun that is annexed, which dissolves into a verb built for the agent or for what is not named as its agent, or it is the stability implied in the prepositional phrase. It is said—and it has remoteness—that the sentence is the answer to an implied question, as if it were said: How is what is in that of wisdom? So it was answered that you will return to Allah—Exalted is He—and will be gathered to the Abode of Recompense, in which the realities will be revealed and the wisdoms will be clear.
(And He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ): Meaning, He will do to you of the recompense that separates truth from falsehood such that there will not remain for you a shred of doubt regarding what you used to differ over in the world regarding the matter of religion. The "informing" here is a metaphor for the "recompensing," because of the realization of the matter in it.
