Tafsir of Ad-Dhuha 93:5

Concerning His saying, "And surely your Lord will give you, and you will be satisfied," it has been said that its function is to emphasize the content of the sentence, and that there is a deleted subject thereafter—that is, "And you, surely [He] will give you," and so on.

An objection was raised against this, stating that emphasis requires careful attention (i'tina'), whereas deletion contradicts it. For this reason, Ibn al-Hajib stated that a subject emphasized with the lam (the prefix lām) cannot be deleted, and that the lām attached to a subject is like qad attached to a verb, and anna attached to a noun; just as the verb and the noun are not deleted while leaving the particle behind, the subject is not deleted while leaving the lām behind. Furthermore, it necessitates an estimation, and the original principle is the absence thereof. Also, the lām is meant to restrict the imperfect verb within its scope to the present tense—like the emphasis of the sentence’s content—and here it is paired with a particle of futurity (ta’khir), thus necessitating a contradiction.

The reply is that it is the sentence that is emphasized, not the subject alone, such that its emphasis would contradict its deletion. Ibn al-Hajib’s position is not an argument against al-Farisi and his peers, for the noun is often deleted along with the particle, as the grammarians have mentioned. Likewise, the verb is sometimes deleted after it, as in the poet’s saying: "Departure has approached, though our mounts have not yet left our camping grounds, and it was as if..." even though, if granted, one might distinguish—as al-Tayyibi said—between anna and qad and this lām, in that the former two influence the word they enter upon along with the emphasis, unlike this lām, for its requirement is only to emphasize the content of the sentence, and that remains even if the subject is deleted. Thus, the analogy is an analogy with a difference. Grammarians often perform estimations in speech; they estimated the subject in cases like qumtu wa asukku 'aynahu ("I stood, and I poke his eye") for the sake of grammatical structure, not meaning, just as in the present case.

We do not concede that the emphasizing lām is for restricting the imperfect verb to the present tense; rather, it is for absolute emphasis only, and the present tense is understood alongside it through context because it is more appropriate for emphasis. Even if we concede that it is for restricting it to the present, it is permissible to say that it has been stripped for emphasis here, based on the context of sawfa (a particle of futurity) mentioned after it. The intent is to emphasize the delayed action—that is, the giving—not the delay itself. The meaning is that the giving shall surely come to pass, even if it is delayed for a wisdom.

If it is conceded that it serves both purposes and is not stripped, it may be said that the future event—the giving followed by satisfaction—is treated as if it were a present reality, due to the certainty of its occurrence. This is similar to what was said regarding His saying: "Indeed, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection." It is said that this fits perfectly in our current context for those who hold that the giving had already commenced at the time the verse was revealed, based on one of the aspects we shall mention later, God willing.

Some have gone so far as to say that the first lām is for swearing, and likewise this lām. Many have affirmed its swearing nature, in which case the waw (in wa-sawfa) is for conjunction; thus, both promises are included in that which is sworn upon, and God Almighty has sworn to four things: two negated and two affirmed, which is excellent in my view.

An objection was raised that the lām of swearing does not enter upon an imperfect verb unless accompanied by the emphatic nūn; if it were for swearing, it would have been said, "La-sawfa ya'tannaka rabbuka" (Surely your Lord will give you [with the emphatic nūn]). It is not hidden that this is one of two schools of thought among grammarians. The other is that what is paired with a particle of futurity—as is the case here—is an exception. It is stated in al-Mughni that the lām is mandatory and the nūn is prohibited in such cases, as in the saying: "By my Lord, surely He will reward the person who has sent forth evil or good." The same applies when a complement separates the lām and the verb, such as: "And if you die or are killed, surely unto God you will be gathered." And when the verb is for the present tense, such as "La-uqsimu" (I swear). Sometimes both are prohibited, such as with a negated verb, like: "By God, you do not cease..." And sometimes both are mandatory in the remaining cases, such as: "By God, I will surely plot against your idols." Based on this, the objection is not valid, especially since the prohibition without the nūn applies to the answer of the oath, not the conjoined element, as is the case here; for what is forgiven in a follower is not forgiven in what is followed. The lām was mentioned to emphasize the oath and as a reminder of it. In short, this view is less problematic than the previous one and does not require reconciling the lām with sawfa, since no scholar of the Arabic language has stated that the oath-taking lām restricts the imperfect verb to the present tense, as is not hidden to those who have researched the matter.

The apparent view of al-Fadil al-Kalanbawi is that both lāms are placed to signify the present. The way to reconcile them, assuming it is an oath in the verse, is that the lām is taken in its literal meaning and sawfa is taken to emphasize the decree; for this reason, it took the place of one of the nūns according to Abu Ali al-Farisi. He—may God have mercy on him—spoke at length regarding this station and, with his abundant excellence, presented arguments that would be unlikely to originate from someone like him.

'Isam al-Din's view is that the sentence "Your Lord has not forsaken you" is a circumstantial clause (haliyya), meaning: "Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He hated you," while the Hereafter is better for you than the first life, and you choose it over it. Whoever is in such a state, his Lord does not forsake him. Thus, it contains guidance for the believers toward that which is the basis of a servant’s closeness to the Lord, and a rebuke to the polytheists for their commitment to the affairs of the world and their turning away from the Hereafter. In that case, the meaning of His saying, "And surely your Lord will give you," is that He will surely give you the Hereafter. It is not hidden, then, how perfectly the sentences are intertwined.

However, the entry of the lām upon it, along with its entry upon the sentence after it, and their being preceded by an oath, makes the circumstantial interpretation very unlikely. Furthermore, the meaning he attributed to it under that interpretation is not apparent from the verse; he would have needed "while" (idhan) instead of "for you" (laka), as is not hidden to you.

There is disagreement regarding His saying, "And surely your Lord will give you..." Some said it is a noble promise encompassing what God Almighty gave him in this world regarding the perfection of the soul, the knowledge of the ancients and the moderns, the manifestation of the command, the exaltation of the religion through the conquests that occurred in his time and the days of his Caliphs and other Islamic kings, and the spread of the call and Islam to the east and west of the earth. And it encompasses what the Almighty stored for him in the Hereafter of dignities that none knows but He. It is a promise regarding what He gave him in the world, such as the conquest of Mecca and others.

The majority hold that it is an eschatological promise. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from al-Hasan that he said: "It is the intercession (shafa'a)." Something similar was narrated from some of the Household (Ahl al-Bayt). Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardawayh, and Abu Nu'aym recorded in al-Hilya from the path of Harb ibn Shurayh, who said: I said to Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn: "What do you say about this intercession that the people of Iraq speak of? Is it true?" He said: "Yes, by God! Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah related to me from Ali—may God honor his face—that the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) said: 'I will intercede for my nation until my Lord calls out: "Are you satisfied, O Muhammad?" And I will say: "Yes, my Lord, I am satisfied."'" Then he turned to me and said: "You, O people of Iraq, say that the most hopeful verse in the Book of God is: 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of God; indeed, God forgives all sins.'" I said: "Indeed, we say that." He said: "But we, the Household, say that the most hopeful verse in the Book of God is: 'And surely your Lord will give you, and you will be satisfied.'" And he said: "It is the intercession."

It is also said that it is more general than intercession and other things. This is pointed to by what al-'Askari recorded in al-Mawa'iz, and Ibn Mardawayh and Ibn al-Najjar from Jabir ibn Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) entered upon Fatima while she was grinding with a hand mill, wearing a cloak of camel hide. When he looked at her, he said: "O Fatima, hasten the bitterness of the world for the bliss of the Hereafter tomorrow." Then God Almighty revealed: "And surely your Lord will give you, and you will be satisfied."

Abu Hayyan said: "It is for generality, encompassing both the world and the Hereafter in their various types." The mentioned report, even if its authenticity were conceded, does not contradict that. Yes, the gifts of the Hereafter are far greater than the gifts of the world. Indeed, al-Hakim and others recorded—and authenticated it—from Ibn Abbas that he said: "God gave him in Paradise a thousand palaces of pearls, their soil being musk, and in every palace is what befits him of spouses and servants." Ibn Jarir recorded from him that he said regarding the verse: "Part of Muhammad's (may God bless him and grant him peace) satisfaction is that no one from his Household shall enter the Fire." Al-Bayhaqi recorded in Shu'ab al-Iman from him that he said: "His satisfaction—may God bless him and grant him peace—is that all of his nation enters Paradise." In another narration by al-Khatib in Talkhis al-Mutashabih from another path, he said: "Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) will not be satisfied while anyone of his nation is in the Fire." This is what his immense compassion—may God bless him and grant him peace—toward his nation necessitates, for he (may God bless him and grant him peace) was eager for them, compassionate and merciful to them, and concerned for their affairs.

Muslim recorded, as stated in al-Durr al-Manthur, from Ibn Umar that he (may God bless him and grant him peace) recited God's saying regarding Abraham: "So whoever follows me, then he is of me," and His saying regarding Jesus: "If You punish them, then indeed they are Your servants..." The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) raised his hands and said: "O God, my nation!" and he wept. Then God Almighty said: "O Gabriel, go to Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace)," and he told him: "We will surely satisfy you concerning your nation and we will not displease you." In the repetition of the name of the Lord with its attribution to his pronoun—may God bless him and grant him peace—there is also what is not hidden of kindness toward him, may God bless him and grant him peace.