Surah Al-Qalam 68:50
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And his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.
Tafsir of Al-Qalam 68:50
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 68:50
{فاجتباه ربه} This is a conjunction to an implied meaning, that is: "Then the grace of his Lord overtook him, and He chose him."
"Chose him" means He selected him by returning the revelation to him and sending him to one hundred thousand or more. It has also been said that He made him a prophet, if it is true that he was not a prophet prior to this event, but was only a messenger to some of the messengers in the land of the Levant.
{فجعله من الصالحين} "And made him of the righteous," meaning those who are perfect in righteousness, by protecting him, Glorified be He, from committing an action for which leaving it would have been more appropriate. The outward wording of some suggests that "making him of the righteous" is an interpretation of the "choosing." It has been said that "the righteous" here is interpreted as "the prophets," which is based on the premise that he was not a prophet before this event.
The verse has been used as evidence for the creation of actions, because He made him righteous by creating righteousness in him, and his creation is among the totality of actions, and no one argues for a distinction. The Mu'tazilah interpret this sometimes as informing of his righteousness, and other times as being gentle with him until he became righteous. However, it is possible that "the righteous" is intended to mean "the prophets," as has been said, in which case the verse would yield nothing more than that Prophethood is a created [status], which is a point upon which both parties agree. So contemplate this.