Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:3

This is an address to all those who are subject to religious obligations. The term referred to by the relative pronoun ("what") is the Book sent down to him—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as is narrated from Qatada, except that the explicit noun was placed in the position of the pronoun and described as "sent down to you" to emphasize the obligation of following it.

It is also said: The intended meaning encompasses both the Book and the Sunnah, so it is not a case of an explicit noun replacing a pronoun; rather, its choice serves the benefit of generalization, evoking the style of the Anmari saying, "They are like a ring with no ends." It serves to perfect the expansion of the breast (of the Prophet), for when he was encouraged to command everyone to follow everything prescribed, it was more conducive to the expansion of his breast—peace and blessings be upon him—and the broadening of his disposition. It is not hidden that this interpretation is far-fetched. Yes, it encompasses the Sunnah in all its categories by way of indication, not by way of explicit expression.

"From" (min) is connected to "sent down" (unzila) as indicating the beginning of the end-point metaphorically, or it is connected to an elided term that serves as a state (hal) for the relative pronoun or its pronoun within the relative clause. In the mention of the title of Lordship (Rububiyyah) along with the attribution to the pronoun of the addressees, there is added kindness toward them, an incentive to comply with what they were commanded, and an affirmation of its obligation following affirmation.

The genitive pronoun refers back to "your Lord," and the prepositional phrase is connected to an elided term that functions as a state for the subject of the prohibitory verb—that is: "Do not follow, while transgressing against your Lord who sent down to you what guides you to the Truth, allies from among the devils and soothsayers, by accepting from them the falsehoods they cast to you in order to lead you astray from the Truth after it has come to you, and to incite you toward innovations and deviant desires."

It is also permissible for the prepositional phrase to be connected to an elided term that functions as a state for "allies," having been placed before it because it is an indefinite noun—that is: "Allies existing other than Him, the Exalted." It may also be connected to the verb preceding it—that is: "Do not deviate from Him—Glory be to Him—to another." Since following what He—the Exalted and Most High—has sent down is a form of following Him—the Almighty—the command was followed by this prohibition.

It is said: The pronoun refers to "what was sent down," with an elided genitive in "allies"—meaning: "Do not follow, instead of what was sent down, the falsehoods of allies." It is as if it were said: "Do not follow, instead of the religion of your Lord, the religion of allies." That is the estimation, because it is not appropriate to describe what was sent down as being "instead of them." It is also permitted that the pronoun refers to the verbal noun—meaning: "Do not follow allies in a way that is instead of your following what was sent down to you," though this is far-fetched.

Mujahid read tabtaghu (to seek) with the dotted 'ghayn'.

Meaning: A little bit of remembrance, or a short time of remembering; you do not remember much, as you are not affected by it, nor do you act according to it, but rather you abandon the Truth and follow other than it. Thus, "little" is an adjective for an elided verbal noun or time that has been set in its place, and its accusative case is due to the verb following it, having been fronted for the purpose of restriction (qasr). The "ma" is additive to emphasize the paucity, as it provides this in expressions like "I ate, quite a bit of eating" (akaltu aklan ma). Hence, it is a paucity upon a paucity here.

The outward meaning of "paucity" is its literal meaning. It is permitted that it implies non-existence, as in His saying: "Little is what they believe." It is also permitted that "little" is an adjective for the verbal noun of "do not follow," meaning: "Do not follow in a little way." It is said: This is weakened by the fact that there would be no meaning then to His saying: "You remember." As for the prohibition of "little following," it causes no harm, because the rest is understood from it by way of demonstration. It may also be a state for the subject of "do not follow," and "ma" (whether as a verbal particle or a relative pronoun) is the subject of it, as has been said regarding the verse: "They used to sleep but a little of the night." The prohibition is directed toward the restriction and the restricted alike. This was objected to on the grounds that there is no benefit in its meaning, even if it were directed.

It may be that "ma" (whether verbal or relative) is the subject, and "little"—in the sense of "a short time"—is its predicate. It is said: "ma" is a negation, and "little" is governed by what comes after it. The Kufans allow the governance of what is after a negative "ma" upon what is before it. The meaning would be: "You do not remember even a little, so how could you remember much?" This is not substantial.

Hamza, Al-Kisa'i, and Hafs read tadhakkarun by eliding one of the two ta's and with a light dhal. Ibn Amir read yatadhakkarun with a ya at the beginning, a ta in the middle, and a light dhal; and in a rare transmission from him, with two ta's. The rest read it with a ta at the beginning and a heavy, emphasized dhal, by assimilating the voiceless ta into the voiced dhal. The sentence, as stated by more than one, is an interruptive concluding clause intended to revile the state of the addressees. The shift (in person/tense) in the famous reading from Ibn Amir is to indicate that the wretchedness of their state in failing to comply with the command and prohibition necessitates the turning away of the address from them and the recounting of their crimes to others by way of distancing. There is no argument in the verse for those who deny analogy (qiyas), as is not hidden.