Tafsir of An-Najm 53:4

"It is not but a revelation revealed" (i.e., that which he utters of this [message], or the Quran—both of which are understood from the context—is nothing but a revelation from Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, which He, Glory be to Him, reveals to him. The sentence is an emphatic description of the revelation, removing the possibility of figurative speech and indicating continuous renewal.

It has been said: The pronoun in "utters" refers to the Quran, making the verse similar to His saying, "This, Our record, speaks about you in truth," though this contradicts the apparent meaning.

It has also been said: The intended meaning is that whatever emanates from his speech, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is absolutely not from caprice, and the pronoun refers to whatever he utters, absolutely. Those who do not believe that he, peace and blessings be upon him, practiced ijtihad (independent legal reasoning)—such as Abu Ali al-Jubba’i and his son Abu Hashim—used this verse as evidence. The basis of their argument is that Allah, the Exalted, informed us that everything he utters is revelation, and whatever is via ijtihad is not revelation; therefore, it is not part of what he utters.

This was answered by stating that when Allah, the Exalted, permitted him, peace and blessings be upon him, to practice ijtihad, then that which is attributed to him is revelation and not speech stemming from caprice; the result is a denial of the major premise of the analogy. An objection was raised to this, stating that it would necessitate that the rulings derived by jurists through analogy would also be revelation. The response was that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was inspired to practice ijtihad, unlike other jurists.

Al-Qadi al-Baydawi said: "It is then [considered] by revelation, not [direct] revelation." The author of al-Kashf critiqued this, saying it is not damaging, for it is as if Allah, the Exalted, said to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Whenever you form an opinion about such-and-such, it is My ruling"—meaning whatever He casts into your heart is My intent, thus it is revelation in reality.

The apparent meaning is that the verse pertains specifically to the matter of the revelation (the Quran), even if the Hadith Qudsi are similar in nature. Using it as evidence that he, peace and blessings be upon him, is not bound by revelation necessitates committing to what is contrary to the apparent meaning and forced explanations to refute the view of al-Baydawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, as is not hidden from the fair-minded.

It is not far-fetched, in my view, to carry His saying, "And he does not speak from caprice," as a generalization. For those who acknowledge ijtihad for him, peace and blessings be upon him—such as Imam Ahmad and Abu Yusuf, may Allah have mercy upon them—do not say that what he utters, may Allah bless and grant him peace, regarding what his ijtihad led him to, stems from the caprice and desire of the soul; far be the station of the Prophethood from that! They merely hold that it is an intermediate state between that and revelation. They make the pronoun in His saying, "It is not but a revelation revealed," refer to the Quran, such that the speech is a response to an implied question: as if it were said, "If his affair, peace and blessings be upon him, is that he does not speak from caprice, then what is this Quran he has brought, through which he has contradicted his people, won over the hearts of many people, and concerning which many sayings have proliferated?" It was said: "It is nothing but a revelation that Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, reveals to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." So reflect upon this.

In al-Kashf, it is noted that His saying, "He does not speak" (in the present tense), along with His sayings, "He has not strayed" and "He has not erred," indicates that he, peace and blessings be upon him, having had no prior history of error or misguidance from the time of his discernment, before his maturity and his prophethood, never spoke from caprice. How could he, when he reached maturity and was given prophethood? In this, there is an urge for them to observe his wise speech.