Tafsir of Yunus 10:61

Tafsir of Surah Yunus (10:61)

Verse 61: And you are not engaged in any affair, nor do you recite any portion of the Qur'an, nor do you perform any deed, except that We are witnesses over you when you are engaged therein.

Issue 1: Purpose of the Discourse

After the Prophet (PBUH) was extensively commanded to present proofs against the disbelief of the polytheists, answer their doubts, endure their harm, and treat them gently, this statement is mentioned to bring complete solace and joy to the obedient believers, and complete fear and dread to the sinners.

This is because Allah (SWT) is fully aware of everyone's actions and the motives and deterrents within their hearts. A person might outwardly display piety, obedience, asceticism, and devotion, while their inner self is filled with malice. Conversely, the opposite might be true. Since the Truth (Allah) knows what is concealed in the inner selves, this knowledge is the greatest source of joy for the obedient and the greatest warning for the sinful.

Issue 2: Specific and General Address

Allah (SWT) specifically addresses the Prophet (PBUH) in the first part of the verse concerning two matters, and then follows this by generalizing the address to all accountable persons regarding one matter.

The two specific matters addressed to the Prophet (PBUH):

1. {And you are not engaged in any affair} (وما تكون في شأن):
   • The particle mā (ما) here denotes negation (juhd). Sha'n (affair/matter) means concern or business; its plural is shu'ūn. Arabs say, "What is the sha'n of so-and-so?" meaning, what is his condition? Al-Akhfash said, "What is your sha'ntu (action) of his sha'n (action)?"
   • There are two interpretations: Ibn Abbas said it means, "O Muhammad, in any matter of righteous deeds." Al-Hasan said it refers to "any affair of worldly matters and your needs therein."

2. {nor do you recite any portion of the Qur'an} (وما تتلوا منه من قرءان):
   • There are three views regarding the pronoun hu (منه - "from it"):
     • First View: It refers back to al-sha'n (the affair). Reciting the Qur'an is an affair of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), indeed, it is the greatest of his affairs. If this is the case, it is already included in {And you are not engaged in any affair}, but it was singled out for mention to indicate its high status, similar to the verse: {and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael} (Al-Baqarah: 98), and {And [mention] when We took from the prophets their covenant, and from you, and from Noah and Abraham} (Al-Ahzab: 7).
     • Second View: The pronoun refers to the Qur'an itself. The meaning is: "And you do not recite any part of the Qur'an." Just as al-Qur'an is a name for the whole, it is also a name for every part of it. Mentioning the pronoun before the noun (al-iḍmār qabla al-dhikr) indicates veneration.
     • Third View: The meaning is: "And you do not recite any Qur'an that has descended from Allah."

These two points are specific to the Prophet (PBUH).

The generalized matter:

• {nor do you perform any deed} (ولا تعملون من عمل): This is an address to the Prophet (PBUH) and the entire community.

Reason for the structure (Specific then General):

Although the first two clauses appear to be addressed exclusively to the Prophet (PBUH), the community is included and intended, because when the leader of a people is addressed, the people are understood to be included in that address. Evidence for this is His saying: {O Prophet, when you divorce women} (At-Talaq: 1), where the command is directed to the Prophet, but applies to all Muslims regarding divorce.

After singling out the Prophet (PBUH) with those two addresses, Allah generalized the address to everyone with the third statement: {nor do you perform any deed}, which indicates that they are included in the first two addresses as well.

The Consequence:

• {except that We are witnesses over you when you are engaged therein} (إلا كنا عليكم شهودا إذ تفيضون فيه): This is because Allah (SWT) is a Witness over everything and Knower of everything.

• According to the People of the Sunnah and the Community (Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā'ah): This is clear, as no creator or bringer-into-existence exists except Allah (SWT). Every action of the servants, whether apparent or hidden, comes into existence through Allah's creation and origination. The Originator of a thing must necessarily know it; thus, Allah must know all knowable things.
  • According to the Mu'tazila: They state that Allah is living, and every living being is capable of knowing all knowable things. The necessity for this knowledge stems from His Essence. The relation of His Essence to necessitating knowledge of some things is the same as its relation to necessitating knowledge of all other things. Since His Essence necessitated knowledge of some things, it must necessitate knowledge of all things, thus establishing His knowledge of all knowable things.

Regarding {when you are engaged therein} (إذ تفيضون فيه):

• Iḍāfah (الإفاضة) here means entering into the action with pouring forth, which is being expansive in the action. Arabs say, "The people afāḍū in speech" if they plunged into it, and "They afāḍū from Arafah" if they departed from it in large numbers and dispersed.

Addressing a potential objection:

• Objection: If idh (إذ) here means when (time), the meaning becomes: "Except that We are witnesses over you when you are engaged therein." Since Allah's testimony is synonymous with His knowledge, this implies that Allah only knew things upon their occurrence, which is false.
• Reply: This objection is based on the premise that Allah's testimony is synonymous with His knowledge, which is debatable. Testimony only occurs upon the existence of the attested event. Knowledge, however, can precede the event. The proof is that if the Messenger (PBUH) informed us that Zayd would eat breakfast tomorrow, we would know this before the event occurs, but we would not be described as witnessing it.

The essence of these statements is that nothing escapes the knowledge of Allah.

Allah (SWT) further emphasizes this point:

• {And not even the weight of an atom escapes your Lord in the earth or in the heaven, nor anything smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear record.} (وما يعزب عن ربك من مثقال ذرة في الارض ولا فى السماء ولا أصغر من ذالك ولا أكبر إلا فى كتاب مبين)

Issue 1: The Root of ‘Azūb (يعزب)

• ‘Azūb originates from distance. They say, kalā‘ ‘āzib (distant fodder) if it is far to reach. A man ‘azaba his camels if he sends them far from the dwelling. A man is called ‘azab (bachelor) due to his distance from family. ‘Azaba al-shay’ ‘an ‘ilmī means the thing became distant from my knowledge.

Issue 2: Recitations of Ya‘zubu

• Al-Kisā’ī recited it with a kasra on the zāy (يعزب), while the rest recited it with a ḍammah (يعزب). There are two linguistic forms: ‘azaba ya‘zubu and ‘azuba ya‘zubu.

Issue 3: Meaning of Weight and Atom

• {the weight of an atom} (مثقال ذرة): Mithqāl means what equals something in weight. Dharrah (atom) is the smallest ant, and they are extremely light in weight.
• {in the earth or in the heaven} (في الارض ولا فى السماء): The meaning is clear.

Addressing a potential inconsistency:

• Objection: Why did Allah mention the Earth before the Heaven here, when in Surah Saba' He said: {Knower of the unseen, not an atom's weight escapes Him in the heavens or on the earth} (Saba': 3) (where Heaven is mentioned first)?
• Reply: Heaven ought to be mentioned before Earth. However, since this verse discusses His testimony over the conditions and deeds of the people of the Earth, and this is immediately followed by the statement that nothing escapes Him, it was appropriate to mention the Earth first in this context.

Issue 4: Readings of {nor anything smaller nor greater}

• There are two readings for {nor anything smaller than that or greater} (ولا أصغر من ذالك ولا أكبر):
  • Hamzah read them both with raf‘ (nominative case).
  • The rest read them with naṣb (accusative case).

Grammatical Analysis of the Sentence Structure:

The structure of {And not even the weight of an atom escapes your Lord...} (وما يعزب عن ربك من مثقال ذرة) implies that mithqāl (weight) is grammatically in the genitive case due to the preceding min (من), but it is in the nominative case in meaning (as it is the subject of ya‘zubu).

1. If the conjunction (و) connects to the apparent grammatical form (genitive): Then aṣghar and akbar should be in the genitive case. However, aṣghar and akbar are diptotes (non-triptotes) and thus take a fatḥa (accusative ending) instead of a kasra.
2. If the conjunction connects to the implied grammatical position (nominative): Then aṣghar and akbar must be in the nominative case. This is analogous to: mā atānī min aḥadin ‘āqilun wa ‘āqilun (No intelligent person came to me, and [no] intelligent one [came]). It is also like: {You have no deity other than Him} (Al-A'rāf: 59), and the poet's line: Falasnā bi-l-jibāli wa lā al-hadīdā (We are neither mountains nor iron).

Critique by Al-Kashshāf's Author:

If this conjunction were valid, the verse's meaning would become: "And nothing escapes your Lord in the earth or in the heaven, except [it is] in a clear record." This would imply that the thing mentioned in the record is outside the knowledge of Allah, which is false.

Two Rebuttals by Scholars:

First View: We established that ‘azūb means absolute distance. Created things are of two types:

1. Those created directly by Allah without intermediary (e.g., angels, heavens, earth).
2. Those created by means of the first group (e.g., contingent events in the world of generation and corruption). This second category can become distant in the chain of causality from the rank of Necessary Existence (Wājib al-Wujūd). Therefore, the meaning is: "Not even the weight of an atom in the earth or in the heaven, nor anything smaller or greater than that, is distant from the rank of His existence, except that it is in a clear record." This record is a book Allah wrote, establishing the forms of those knowable things within it. If this is the case, He is necessarily aware of them and encompasses their conditions. The purpose is to refute those who claim Allah is not aware of particulars, which is the meaning of {Indeed, We used to copy down what you used to do} (Al-Jāthiyah: 29).

Second View (by Abū ‘Alī al-Jurjānī): The word illā (إلا) in {except that it is in a clear record} is a disjunctive exception (istithnā’ munqaṭi‘), meaning "rather, it is in a clear record." He noted that Arabs often use illā in place of the conjunction wāw (and) to signify a new beginning, as in {The messengers will not fear in My presence, except those who wronged} (An-Naml: 10), meaning "and those who wronged." This view is considered highly forced.

Fourth View (by Al-Kashshāf's Author): The problem only arises if we conjoin {nor anything smaller nor greater} to {the weight of an atom...} either grammatically or positionally. We do not do this. Instead, the explanation for the naṣb (accusative) reading of {nor anything smaller...} is that it is conjoined to the negation of the genus (nafī al-jins). The explanation for the raf‘ (nominative) reading is that it is a new beginning, and its predicate is {in a clear record}. This view is preferred by Al-Zajjāj.

Verse 62: Verily, the allies of Allah—no fear will come upon them, nor will they grieve.

Verse 63: Those who believed and were conscious of Allah.

Verse 64: For them is good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. There is no alteration to the words of Allah. That is the great attainment.

Explanation:

• The Allies of Allah (أولياء الله): These are those who are close to Him through obedience and sincerity.
• No Fear nor Grief: They will have no fear concerning the future (the Hereafter) nor grief concerning the past (what they missed in this world or their past sins, which Allah has forgiven).
• The Description: They are those who believed (آمنوا) and were conscious of Allah (كانوا يتقون), meaning they maintained piety consistently.
• Good Tidings (لهم البشرى): This good news is realized in two stages:
  1. In the worldly life: This includes tranquility, acceptance of their deeds, the love of Allah for them, and good dreams.
  2. In the Hereafter: This is the ultimate reward, paradise, and the vision of Allah.
• No Alteration to the Words of Allah (لا تبديل لكلمات الله): Allah’s promises are immutable and certain.
• That is the Great Attainment (ذالك هو الفوز العظيم): This realization of security, joy, and eternal reward is the supreme success.