Tafsir of Al-Jinn 72:3

There is a difference in reading regarding this anna (that) and those that follow it, up to the words: {And that there are some among us...} (v. 11). Abu Ja‘far agreed with the readers in the three instances found here: {And that He—exalted is the Majesty of our Lord...}, {And that he used to say...}, and {And that there were men...}. The rest of the readers read with a kasra (i.e., inna) in all of them. They unanimously agreed upon the fatha (i.e., anna) in {that it has been revealed that a company of the Jinn listened} (v. 1) and {that the mosques belong to Allah} (v. 18), because it is not correct for these to be the words of the Jinn; rather, they are what was revealed, unlike the others, for it is correct for them to be their words and part of what was revealed.

There is a difference regarding {that when he stood up} (v. 19); Nafi‘ and Abu Bakr read it with a kasra on the hamza, while the rest read it with a fatha. This is how some of the leading scholars have classified it, and it is the reliable view.

The reasoning for the kasra in this instance and those that follow, up to {And that there are some among us who have submitted} (v. 14), is clear, similar to the kasra in {We have heard a wondrous Recitation} (v. 1), due to the coordination of clauses onto the reported speech following a verb of saying, and the clear inclusion of them under it.

As for the reasoning for the fatha, it is subtle, and hence there is a difference of opinion. Al-Farra’, al-Zajjaj, and al-Zamakhshari said: It is an elision coordinated with the position of the prepositional phrase in {we have believed in Him} (v. 2), as if it were said: "We believed in Him and we believed that the Majesty of our Lord is exalted, and that our foolish one used to say," and so on for the rest. It is sufficient for the manifestation of the [grammatical] position that it be manifested alongside the synonymous phrase. It is not a case of coordination onto the pronominal object of a preposition without repeating the preposition, which is prohibited by the Basrans—though some argue it is permitted here based on the doctrine of the Kufans. If it were said that it is based on the assumption of a preposition—due to the frequency of its omission before an and anna—it would be sound, as stated in al-Kashf.

Makki weakened the coordination onto the contents of {we have believed}, saying that it is far-fetched in meaning, as they did not report that they believed "that there were men," but rather that Allah reported that they said this while informing their peers about themselves. Those who adopt the view have responded that faith and belief are appropriate in some of those coordinated clauses without doubt; thus, it continues through the rest and is interpreted according to the meaning, following the pattern of the poet’s saying: "And they decorated the eyebrows and the eyes," which is interpreted in the same way its counterparts are interpreted. Thus, the verb "we believed" is interpreted in a way that encompasses everything, or a suitable verb is implied for each.

Abu Hatim said: It is coordinated with the deputy-subject of "was revealed" (uhiya), meaning: {that it has been revealed that a company of the Jinn listened}, just as in {the mosques belong to Allah}. This is on the basis that the thing revealed is the very wording of the Jinn by way of narration, as if it were said: "Say: It has been revealed to me such and such, and these words." This is countered by the fact that narrating their words requires the anna in their speech to have a fatha on the hamza, which is not apparent unless there is something in their speech that necessitates the fatha, such as "Listen!" or "Know!" or "We inform you!"—but this was omitted at the time of narration, and there is no apparent reason for its omission. Even if it were apparent, the fatha would not be for the sake of coordination, for the deputy-subject is the totality of each clause with the intention of the literal wording, not the clause condensed from anna and what follows it. Otherwise, it would not be correct to say, "The revealed thing is such and such and these words." If those [words] were with a kasra in their original speech, and the claim holds that the narration necessitated its fatha while allowing the intent of these words to accompany it, then so be it; otherwise, the matter is as you see. Understand and reflect.

Al-Jadd is greatness and majesty. It is said, "He became jadd in my eyes," meaning he became great and majestic. That is: We believed that the affair of our Lord is high in greatness and majesty—that is, His greatness, Exalted is He, is immense. It contains a level of hyperbole that is not hidden. Abu ‘Ubaydah and al-Akhfash said: It means kingdom and authority. It is also said to mean wealth, which is narrated from Anas and al-Hasan regarding this verse. The former is narrated from the majority. Al-Jadd in all these interpretations is a metaphor derived from the jadd which means good fortune.

His saying, Exalted is He: {He hath not taken a spouse, nor a son} is an explanation of the clause and a clarification of its ruling; hence, it is not coordinated with it. The meaning is to describe Him, Exalted is He, as being far above having a spouse or a son due to His greatness, or His authority, or His wealth, Glorified and Exalted is He. It is as if they heard from the Qur’an that which alerted them to the error of what the disbelievers among the Jinn believed—that He, Glorified be He, resembles His creation in taking a spouse and a son—so they declared Him great and exalted Him above that.

Humayd ibn Qays read judd with a damma on the jim. He said in al-Bahr: Its meaning is "the Great." Sibawayh narrated this, and its genitive construction with rabbina is the construction of an adjective with the noun it qualifies; the meaning is "Exalted is our Lord, the Great." ‘Ikrimah read jaddun with tanwin in the nominative, with rabbuna in the nominative. It is interpreted as jadd also meaning "the Great," and rabbuna is the predicate of an omitted subject—i.e., "He is our Lord"—or it is a substitute for jadd. He also read jaddan with tanwin in the accusative as a specifier (tamyiz) transformed from the subject. He and Qatadah also read jiddan with a kasra on the jim, with tanwin and the accusative, while rabbuna is in the nominative. Ibn ‘Atiyyah said the accusative jiddan is a circumstantial qualifier (hal), the meaning being: "Our Lord is exalted in reality and essentially." Others said it is an adjective for an omitted verbal noun: "He is exalted a great exaltation." Ibn al-Sumayfa‘ read jaddun rabbuna, meaning His majesty and His favor—Glorified be He—as the intent behind that was wealth, so do not be heedless.