Al-A'raf: (157) Those who follow the Messenger...
(Those who follow the Messenger): The one whom Allah the Exalted sent to communicate the rulings. The Prophet: meaning the one who informs creation about Allah the Exalted. Regarding the first, the attribution to Allah the Exalted is considered; regarding the second, the attribution to creation is considered. The first is mentioned before the second due to its nobility, and because Allah’s sending of him precedes his communication. Some have leaned towards this, implying that "Messenger" and "Prophet" here are intended by their linguistic meanings, as they are applied to the same entity, just as they are in His saying: "And he was a messenger, a prophet."
In Al-Kashshaf, the "Messenger" is interpreted as the one to whom a book is revealed, and the "Prophet" as one who possesses a miracle. It points to the difference between a messenger and a prophet, suggesting that a messenger is one who has a specific book, while a prophet is more general. This was contested in Al-Kashf by noting that most messengers were not possessors of an independent book, such as Ismail, Lot, and Elias, peace be upon them, and many others. He then stated: The verification is that the Prophet is one who informs about His Essence, His attributes, and what intellects cannot independently grasp initially without human mediation. The Messenger is one who, in addition to that, is commanded to reform the species. Thus, prophecy regards the informing from Allah the Exalted, while the message regards those to whom one is sent. Although the latter is more specific in existence, they are distinct concepts; hence, it is not said "a messenger [is a] prophet" just as one says "a human [is an] animal."
Therein is a clear contradiction to what was mentioned first. There is no restriction in consideration. Indeed, what they mentioned is refuted by the fact that the aforementioned distinction, along with the variance of the two concepts in any case, is based on the convention of the Sharia and usage. As for their linguistic definition and reality, they are general, and both usages have appeared in the Quran, so there is no conflict between them. It does not hold that mentioning the general (Prophet) after the specific (Messenger) is useless; what is known in such cases is the opposite.
It is not hidden that the intention of this "Messenger, the Prophet" is our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Ummi (the Unlettered): meaning the one who neither writes nor reads. According to Al-Zajjaj, this is attributed to the Arab nation, as that was their prevalent state. The two Shaykhs and others narrated from Ibn Umar that he said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "We are an unlettered nation; we do not write nor calculate." Or it is attributed to "Umm al-Qura" (Makkah), as its people were as such; this was attributed to Al-Baqir, may Allah be pleased with him. Or it is attributed to his mother, as if he were in the state in which his mother gave birth to him. Describing him, peace and blessings be upon him, with this serves as an alert that the perfection of his knowledge, despite his state, is one of his miracles, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Thus, for him—may my father and mother be sacrificed for him—it is a term of praise. As for others, it is not, just as the attribute of "arrogance" is a term of praise for Allah the Almighty and a term of blame for others.
There is a difference of opinion as to whether he, peace and blessings be upon him, ever wrote anything at any time. It is said: Yes, it happened during the year of Hudaybiyyah, where he wrote the peace treaty, and that is also his miracle, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; the apparent meaning of the hadith necessitates this. It is also said: Nothing was written by him at all, and it was attributed to him in the hadith metaphorically. It came from some of the Household, may Allah be pleased with them, that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would have written letters speak to him when he looked at them. I have not seen a chain for that to rely upon, and he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is above that. Yes, Abu al-Shaykh extracted through the path of Mujahid, who said: Awn bin Abdullah bin Utbah told me from his father, who said: "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not die until he read and wrote." I mentioned this hadith to Al-Sha'bi, and he said: "He spoke the truth; I heard our companions saying that."
It is also said that "Ummi" is attributed to "Al-Umm" (meaning the aim/goal), as he is the intended one, and the damma on the hamza is a change in the attribution. This is supported by the recitation of Ya'qub: Al-Ummi with the fatha, though it may also be a change in attribution. The relative pronoun is in a genitive position as a substitute (badal) for the first relative pronoun, either a substitute for the whole—meaning these known ones—or a substitute for part, meaning it is general, and "of them" is implied. It is permitted for it to be an adjective (na't) for him. It is possible it is in an accusative position based on cutting (qat') and implying an accusative agent, or in a nominative position as the predicate of an omitted subject. It is also said to be a subject whose predicate is the sentence “He commands them” or “Those are the successful ones.” Both are contrary to what is standard in the structure.
(Whom they find written): with his name and noble qualities such that they do not doubt it is he; hence, it was avoided to say "they find his name or description written." (With them): a prepositional phrase for "written," which is in an accusative state (hal), or for "find." It is mentioned for the sake of emphasis that his affair, peace and blessings be upon him, is present with them and never absent from them. (In the Torah and the Gospel): which the Children of Israel rely upon, formerly and subsequently. It is as if for this meaning he limited it to these two; otherwise, he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is written in the Psalms as well.
Ibn Sa'd, Al-Darimi in his Musnad, Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Dala'il, and Ibn Asakir extracted from Abdullah bin Salam, who said: The description of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the Torah is: "O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good tidings, a warner, and a protector for the unlettered. You are My servant and My messenger; I have named you 'Al-Mutawakkil' (the Relying). You are neither harsh nor rough, nor loud in the marketplaces. You do not repay evil with evil, but forgive and pardon. Allah will not take his soul until He straightens the crooked nation through him, so that they say 'There is no god but Allah,' opening blind eyes, deaf ears, and veiled hearts." A similar [report] is from the narration of Al-Bukhari and others from Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas.
A report came that Al-Bayhaqi extracted in Al-Dala'il from Wahb bin Munabbih, who said: "Allah the Exalted revealed in the Psalms: 'O David, there will come after you a Prophet named Ahmad and Muhammad; I will never be angry with him, nor will he ever disobey Me. I have forgiven his past and future sins before he even disobeyed Me. His nation is treated with mercy; I have given them voluntary deeds like those I gave the Prophets, and I have made obligatory upon them the duties I made obligatory upon the Prophets and Messengers, until they come to Me on the Day of Resurrection, their light being like the light of the Prophets. This is because I made it obligatory upon them to perform ablution for every prayer as I made it obligatory upon the Prophets before them, and I commanded them to bathe after impurity (janaba) as I commanded the Prophets before them... [etc.]."
(He commands them to do good and forbids them from evil): An inaugural statement. It is said that it includes the detailing of some of the rulings of the "mercy" which was promised previously to be written in summary, since the conjunctions point to the effects of the vast mercy. It is permitted to be in an accusative position as a predicted state for the object of "they find" or for the Prophet, or for the pronoun hidden in "written." It is also said that it explains "written," i.e., what was written.
"Al-Ma'ruf" (the good) is interpreted by some as faith, and by others as what is known in the Sharia. "Al-Munkar" (the evil) is its opposite. (And he makes lawful for them the good things and makes unlawful for them the impure things): The first is interpreted as things that the nature finds good, such as fat; the second as things that the nature finds repulsive, such as blood. Thus, the verse indicates that the default rule for everything the soul finds good and the nature delights in is lawfulness, and for everything the soul finds repulsive and the nature dislikes is unlawfulness, except by an external proof.
Some interpreted the "good" as what is good according to the judgment of the Sharia, and the "impure" as what is impure therein, like usury and bribery. This was contested by saying that in this case, the speech means "He makes lawful what He judges lawful, and makes unlawful what He judges unlawful," which provides no benefit. They countered that it does provide a benefit—and what a benefit—for its meaning is that lawfulness and unlawfulness are by the judgment of the Sharia, not by intellect or opinion.
Some permitted that "the impure" means what is repulsive by nature or what is made impure by the Sharia, and he mentioned things like blood or usury. He gave fat as an example for the "good," making this based on the requirement that the analytical ruling (tahlil) precedes the prohibitive ruling (tahrim), and fat was forbidden to the Children of Israel; and on the requirement that the prohibitive ruling precedes the analytical one, and he made blood and its like among those forbidden based on this, because the default state of things is lawfulness. It does not negate the verse: "Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury," because it is a rebuttal to their saying: "Trade is just like usury," or because the intention is to maintain it in its lawfulness to counter the prohibition of usury. By this, the illusion of there being no benefit is repelled.
(And he relieves them of their burden and the shackles that were upon them): Meaning he lightens the heavy obligations they were burdened with, such as cutting off the place of impurity from a garment or from the body, burning the spoils, the prohibition of the Sabbath, the amputation of sinful limbs, and the mandatory nature of retaliation (qisas) in both intentional and unintentional cases without the legitimacy of blood money (diyyah)—for even if that was not commanded in the tablets, it was legislated afterwards as a hardship upon them, as it is said. The root of "Al-Isr" is the weight that restrains its bearer from movement. "Al-Aghlal" is the plural of "ghull," which is originally, as Ibn al-Athir said, the iron that gathers the prisoner's hand to his neck; it is also called a "jami'ah." Perhaps non-iron objects that gather a hand to a neck are also called such. What is intended by both here is what you have learned, and this is what is narrated from many of the predecessors. The metaphor in the verse is not hidden.
It is permitted that there is a representation here. According to Ata, when the Children of Israel would stand to pray, they would wear haircloth, shackle their hands to their necks, and perhaps a man would pierce his collarbone, insert the end of a chain into it, and tie it to a pillar to constrain himself to worship. Based on this, it is possible for "the shackles" to have a literal meaning.
(So those who believe in him): meaning they confirmed his message and prophecy. (And honor him): meaning they magnified him and revered him, as Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said. Al-Raghib said: "Ta'zir" (honoring/supporting) is support accompanied by magnification. The "Ta'zir" which is less than the prescribed punishment (hadd) returns to this, because it is discipline, and discipline is support—for evil character traits are enemies. Hence, it is said in the hadith: "Support your brother, whether he is an oppressor or oppressed." It was asked, "How do I support him if he is an oppressor?" He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "By restraining him from oppression." Its root, according to more than one, is "prevention," and the intention is that they prevented [enemies] from him so that no enemy could overpower him.
(And support him): against his enemies in religion. Connecting this to what precedes it is apparent according to what was narrated from the Scholar (Ibn Abbas), and likewise according to what the group said, as the first [part] is of the category of repelling harms, and this is of the category of bringing benefits. Whoever interpreted the first as magnification with strengthening, taking it from the words of Al-Raghib, said here: "They supported him for Allah," meaning they intended by his support the face of Allah and the exaltation of His word, so there is no repetition, contrary to what some imagined. (And follow the light which was sent down with him): which is the Quran. It is described as light because of its manifestation in itself through its inimitability, its manifesting other rulings for others, and the truthfulness of the claim; it is the thing most like light—manifesting itself and manifesting others. Rather, it is light upon light.
(Those are the successful ones): meaning they are the winners of the sought-after goal, not those characterized by the opposites of their qualities. The indication [in the demonstrative pronoun] points to the causality of those qualities for the ruling, and the far-reaching "kāf" signifies the high station and the loftiness of their degree in virtue and honor. The relative pronoun intended here, according to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, is the Jews who believed in the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is also said that it covers them and others from his nation, peace be upon him, who are characterized by the title of connection until the Day of Resurrection. Being characterized by that does not depend on witnessing him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as is not hidden, and that is what I prefer.
