Al-Hijr: (89 - 91) And say, "Indeed, I am..."

Know that after commanding His Messenger to renounce the world and show humility to the believers, the Almighty commanded him to say to the people: {Indeed, I am the clear Warner} (15:89).

Being a Warner implies:

1. Conveying all religious obligations (Takalif). Since neglecting any obligation results in punishment, and committing any prohibition results in punishment, informing about this impending punishment falls under the term "Warner."
2. Explaining the levels of reward and punishment, Paradise, and Hellfire.

He then followed this by saying: {clear} (Mubeen), meaning he comes with sufficient clarifications and comprehensive proofs regarding all the aforementioned matters.

Then He said next: {Just as We sent down upon the dividers} (15:90).

There are two discussions concerning this verse:

There are several opinions regarding them:

Opinion 1: Ibn Abbas said they were those who divided the paths of Mecca, obstructing people from believing in the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Their number was close to forty. Al-Muqatil ibn Sulayman said they were sixteen men sent by Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah during the pilgrimage season. They divided the passes and roads of Mecca, telling travelers not to be deceived by the one who emerged from among them (the Prophet), claiming he was mad. They used to dissuade people by calling him a sorcerer, a soothsayer, or a poet. Allah then brought disgrace upon them, and they died the worst of deaths. The meaning is: "I warn you just as what befell the dividers."

Opinion 2: In some narrations from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), the dividers are the Jews and Christians. They differed on why Allah called them "dividers":

• It was said because they divided the Qur'an into parts ('idin), believing what agreed with the Torah and disbelieving the rest.
• ‘Ikrimah said it was because they divided the Qur'an mockingly, saying, "This Surah is mine," and "That Surah is mine."
• Al-Muqatil ibn Hibban said they divided the Qur'an, with some saying it was sorcery, some poetry, some lies, and some the legends of the ancients.

Opinion 3: Ibn Zayd interpreted the dividers as the people of Salih (Thamud) who conspired to attack his family by night, whereupon the angels pelted them with stones until they killed them. According to this view, Iqtisam (dividing) comes from Qasm (division/lot), not Qismah (apportionment), which is the preferred view of Ibn Qutaybah.

The phrase {Just as We sent down...} implies a comparison (Tashbīh). What is the thing being compared?

The answer comes from two perspectives:

Perspective 1: The implied meaning is: "And indeed, We have given you the Seven Oft-Repeated [Verses] and the Great Qur'an, just as We sent down upon the People of the Book—who are the dividers—who, out of their obstinacy and ignorance, divided the Qur'an into parts ('idin), accepting some parts as true because they agreed with the Torah and the Gospel, and rejecting other parts as false because they contradicted them."

If it is asked: How does the intervening phrase {And do not extend your eyes toward that which We have given certain groups of them} (15:88) fit between the subject and the object of comparison? We reply: Since that phrase was a consolation for the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) regarding their denial and enmity, it was inserted with the core meaning of consolation: the prohibition against turning toward their worldly possessions or grieving over their disbelief.

Perspective 2: This statement relates directly to {And say, "Indeed, I am the clear Warner"} (15:89).

This perspective is only valid if one of two things is assumed: either assuming an omitted word (Idmār) or assuming an omitted word (Hadhf).

1. Assuming Omission (Idmār): The implied meaning is: "Indeed, I am the clear Warner of punishment, just as We sent down [punishment] upon the dividers." Here, the object of the comparison (the punishment) is omitted, and the subject (the warning) is indicated by the object of comparison. This is like saying, "I saw someone like the moon in beauty," meaning, "I saw a person whose beauty is like the moon's."

2. Assuming Deletion (Hadhf): It is argued that the particle Kāf (like/as) is superfluous and deleted. The meaning would be: "Indeed, I am the clear Warner of what We sent down upon the dividers." The addition of the Kāf has precedents, such as in {There is nothing like unto Him} (42:11), where the meaning is "There is no thing like Him."

Some scholars say neither omission nor deletion is necessary. The meaning is: "Indeed, I am the Warner—meaning, I warn the Quraysh of a punishment just as We sent down [punishment] upon the dividers."

Regarding the phrase {who made the Qur'an into parts} (alladhīna ja‘alū al-Qur’āna ‘iḍīn), there are two discussions:

There are two views on this phrase:

1. It is an adjective describing the dividers (Al-Muqtasimīn).
2. It is a new subject (Mubtada’), and its predicate (Khabar) is the following statement: {By your Lord, We will surely question them all} (15:92). This is the view of Ibn Zayd.

Linguists have two opinions regarding the singular form of 'Iḍīn:

Opinion 1: The singular is ‘iḍah (like ‘izzah, barrah, thabbah). Its origin is ‘uḍwah (from ‘aḍaytu ash-shay’a meaning "I divided the thing"). Every piece is an ‘aḍah. The wāw (in ‘uḍwah) is the letter representing the lām (the final root letter) that was dropped. Ta‘ḍiyah means fragmentation and division. It is said, "He divided the camel and the sheep into a‘ḍā’ (limbs/parts)." There is a Hadith: "There is no division (la ta‘ḍiyata) in inheritance except for what can bear division," meaning, do not fragment things that cannot be divided, like a jewel or a sword. Therefore, {who made the Qur'an into parts} means they divided it into pieces, saying: "It is sorcery," "It is poetry," "It is the legends of the ancients," or "It is fabricated."

Opinion 2: The singular is ‘iḍah, and its origin is ‘uḍhah. They found it difficult to combine two hā’ sounds, so they said ‘iḍah, just as they said shafah (lip) instead of shafahah (according to some views), evidenced by the verbal noun mushāfahah. Another example is sanah (year) instead of sanahah in some views. This view derives from ‘iḍah meaning falsehood/slander. Hence the Hadith: "Beware of al-‘iḍah (slander)." Ibn Al-Sikkit said al-‘iḍah is when a person bites (slanders) something and says about it what is not true. This is the view of Al-Khalil as narrated by Al-Layth. According to this opinion, the meaning of {who made the Qur'an into parts} is "who made it fabricated/slanderous." The plural ‘iḍīn is treated as a plural for rational beings because of the dropped letter, and the wāw and nūn in the plural are compensation for the dropped letter.

{So by your Lord, We will surely question them all * Concerning what they used to do. * So proclaim what you are commanded, and turn away from the polytheists. * Indeed, We are sufficient protection for you against the mockers, * Who set up with Allah another deity. But they will know soon.} (15:92-96)