Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder): (43) And those who disbelieve say...

Know that the Almighty has recounted that the people denied his status as a Messenger from God.

Then, the Almighty provided two proofs against them:

1. The testimony of God regarding his prophethood. This testimony means that God manifested miracles indicating his truthfulness in claiming prophethood. This is the highest level of testimony, as testimony (shahāda) is a statement that yields a strong presumption (ghalabat al-ẓann). However, a miracle is a specific act that necessitates certainty (qaṭʿ) that he is a Messenger from God. Thus, manifesting the miracle is a greater form of testimony.
2. His saying: {And he who has knowledge of the Book} (Wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu al-Kitāb).

There are two readings for this phrase:

1. The famous reading: {Wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu al-Kitāb} (And he who has knowledge of the Book). This means the one who possesses the knowledge of the Book.
2. The second reading: {Wa-man ʿinda-hu ʿilmu al-Kitāb} (And from him [God] is the knowledge of the Book). Here, the preposition min (from) indicates the origin (ibtida’ al-ghāyah), meaning the knowledge of the Book originates from God.

First Opinion: It refers to the testimony of the People of the Book who believed in the Messenger of God (PBUH), such as Abdullah ibn Salam, Salman al-Fārisī, and Tamīm al-Dārī. It is narrated that Sa'īd ibn Jubayr rejected this view, arguing that since the Sūrah is Meccan, it cannot refer to Ibn Salām and his companions, as they believed in Medina after the Hijra.

• Rebuttal: It is answered that although the Sūrah is Meccan, this specific verse might be Medinan. Furthermore, establishing prophethood based on the testimony of one or two individuals, who are not infallible against lying, is not permissible. This objection is valid.

Second Opinion: The Book referred to is the Qur'an. The meaning is: "The Book I brought to you is a conquering miracle and a dazzling proof, but knowledge that it is miraculous is only attained by one who knows what is within this Book regarding eloquence, rhetoric, its inclusion of hidden matters (al-ghuyūb), and its vast knowledge. Whoever knows the Book in this manner knows that it is a miracle." Thus, {Wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu al-Kitāb} means "and he who has knowledge of the Qur'an." This is the view of al-Aṣamm.

Third Opinion: {Wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu al-Kitāb} refers to him who possesses the knowledge of the Torah and the Gospel. This means that every scholar of these two Books knows that they contain glad tidings about the advent of Muhammad (PBUH). If such a scholar is fair and does not lie, he testifies that Muhammad (PBUH) is a true Messenger from God.

Fourth Opinion: {Wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu al-Kitāb} refers to God Almighty Himself. This is the view of al-Ḥasan, Sa'īd ibn Jubayr, and al-Zajjāj. Al-Ḥasan said: "By God, He means none other than God." The meaning is: "God, who deserves worship, and who alone knows what is in the Preserved Tablet, is sufficient as a witness between me and you." Al-Zajjāj said: "It is more likely that God does not take a witness other than Himself regarding the validity of His judgment."

• Critique: This view is problematic because, although connecting an adjective to the noun it modifies (attributing the knowledge to God) is generally permissible, it goes against the default structure. One would typically say, "Zayd the jurist testified," not "Zayd testified, and the jurist [testified]." Furthermore, the assertion that God does not take a witness other than Himself for the truth of His judgment is weak, as God swears by other things to confirm the truth of His word (e.g., {By the fig and the olive} [At-Tīn: 1]). So, what al-Zajjāj mentioned is not impossible.

The meaning is: "And from Him [God] is the knowledge of the Book," because no one knows the Book except through His grace, favor, and teaching.

Under this reading, there are two further sub-readings:

1. {Wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu al-Kitāb} (with the knowledge being the opposite of ignorance): This means this knowledge is only obtained from God.
2. {Wa-man ʿundih ʿilmu al-Kitāb} (passive voice for the verb 'to give knowledge'): Since God commanded His Prophet to use the testimony of God as proof, and the testimony of God regarding his prophethood can only be the manifestation of the Qur'an corresponding to his claim—and the miraculous nature of the Qur'an can only be known after fully grasping its contents and secrets—God clarified that this knowledge is only obtained from Him. The meaning is: "Understanding that the Qur'an is miraculous is only achieved when God honors that servant by teaching him the knowledge of the Book."

And God Almighty knows best what is correct.

The exegesis of this Sūrah was completed on Sunday, the eighteenth of Shaʿbān, in the year six hundred and one (AH).

I request from everyone who reads this book and benefits from it to specifically pray for mercy and forgiveness for my son Muhammad, and to remember me in their supplications.

And concerning the lamentation for that son, I say in poetry: