Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:52

We have clarified its meanings regarding beliefs, rulings, and admonitions in a detailed manner. The pronoun [in "We have brought them"] refers to the disbelievers collectively; it is also said: to both them and the believers. By "the Book," the generic category is intended, though it is also said: it refers to the contemporaries among the disbelievers, or to them and the believers, and the Book is the Quran. Its indefiniteness [in the Arabic text, referring to the Quran as "a Book"] is for glorification. Someone has organized the types it contains by saying:

Lawful, prohibited, explicit, allegorical, A bringer of glad tidings, a warner, a story, an exhortation, and a parable.

The intention is to signify the absence of any omission, as is not hidden from those of understanding.

"...with knowledge [based] on Our part," concerning the manner of its detail. This is in the position of a state (hal) belonging to the subject of "We have detailed it," and its indefiniteness is for glorification; meaning, We are possessing knowledge of that in the most perfect way, until it came wise and perfected. In this, as has been said, is evidence that He, glory be to Him, possesses knowledge as an attribute additional to the Essence—which is the attribute of knowledge—and that His knowledge, glory be to Him, is not identical to His Essence, as the philosophers and those who resemble them claim. There is room for debate regarding this. It is also permissible for it to be in the position of a state belonging to the object [the Book], meaning: containing abundant knowledge.

Ibn Muhaysin recited it as fad-dalnahu (We have favored it) with a dād (ض). The external view of some is that the prepositional phrase in this recitation is in the position of a state belonging to the subject, and it should not be treated as a state belonging to the object; meaning: We favored it over all other books, knowing that it is deserving of that. Some allowed it to be a state belonging to the object in the manner previously mentioned. It is also said that "upon" ('ala) is for causation, as in His saying, glory be to Him: "And that you may glorify Allah for that which He has guided you to," and it is linked to fad-dalnahu, meaning: We favored it over all other books because of knowledge within it; that is, because it contains knowledge that no other book contains. It is also said that "upon" in both recitations is linked to an omitted term serving as a state for the object of "We have brought them," meaning: We brought them that while they were people of knowledge, capable of understanding what We brought them. So reflect upon this.

"...as guidance and mercy for a people who believe."

It is a state belonging to the object of "We have detailed it." It is also permissible for it to be an object for the sake of which the action was done (maf'ul li-ajlih), or a state belonging to the Book, because of its specification through description. The discussion regarding the occurrence of such [phrases] as a state is well-known. It was also recited in the genitive case as a substitute for "knowledge," and in the nominative case with an implied predicate, meaning: "It is great guidance and likewise mercy for a people who believe," because they are the ones who acquire [light] from its illuminations and benefit from its brilliance.