Surah Al-Anbiya: (48 - 50) And indeed, We gave Moses...

It should be noted that after discussing the proofs for Monotheism (Tawhid), Prophethood (Nubuwwah), and the Hereafter (Ma'ad), the Almighty begins recounting the stories of the Prophets (peace be upon them). This serves to console the Messenger (peace be upon him) regarding the harm he receives from his people, to strengthen his heart in delivering the Message, and to endure every obstacle against it. Here, several stories are mentioned.

(The First Story: The Story of Moses, peace be upon him)

The connection here is that after the Almighty commanded His Messenger (PBUH) to say: {I only warn you by revelation} (Al-Anbiya: 45), He followed it up by stating that this was the Almighty's practice with the Prophets before him, saying: {And indeed, We gave Moses and Aaron the Criterion (Furqan), and a light (Diya'), and a reminder (Dhikra) for the righteous.}

There are differing opinions regarding the meaning of Al-Furqan:

1. It is the Torah: In this case, it was Furqan because it distinguished between truth and falsehood. It was Diya' (light) due to its extreme clarity, through which one reaches the paths of guidance and means of salvation in knowing the Almighty and knowing the religious laws. It was Dhikra (a reminder), meaning an admonition, or a mention of what they needed in their religion and worldly affairs, or honor.
   • As for the conjunction waw in {and a light}, 'Ikrimah narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that he recited it as Diya' without the waw, making it a circumstantial clause describing Al-Furqan.
   • The famous recitation implies: We gave them Al-Furqan (the Torah), and by it, We gave them Diya' and Dhikra for the righteous. This means that the Torah itself is a light and a reminder, or that We gave them what contained the laws and admonitions as a light and a reminder.

2. It is not the Torah: This view has several interpretations:
   • According to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), Al-Furqan is the victory granted to Moses (peace be upon him), similar to His saying: {and what We sent down to Our Servant on the Day of Al-Furqan} (Al-Anfal: 41), meaning the Day of Badr, when the truth was distinguished from other false religions.
   • It is the proof (Burhan) that distinguished the true religion from false religions, according to Ibn Zayd.
   • It is the splitting of the sea, according to Al-Dahhak.
   • It is deliverance from ambiguities, according to Muhammad ibn Ka'b.

Know that the Almighty specifically restricted the Dhikra (reminder) to the righteous because of His statement: {a guidance for the righteous} (Al-Baqarah: 2).

Regarding His saying: {Those who fear their Lord unseen}: The author of Al-Kashshaf said that {Those who} is either in the genitive case (as a description), accusative (for praise), or nominative (as a new subject). There are several interpretations regarding the meaning of unseen (bil-ghayb):

1. They fear their Lord's punishment, so they obey His commands and refrain from His prohibitions. Their belief in God is based on inferential evidence (ghaybi istidlali), meaning they act for God in secret, while nothing is hidden from God, according to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them).
2. They fear their Lord while they are absent/unaware of the Hereafter and its rulings.
3. They fear their Lord in seclusion when they are hidden from people. This is the closest meaning. It means their fear of God's punishment is constant in their hearts, but this fear manifests in public as well as in private.

{and they, of the Hour, are fearful}: They are apprehensive about the Hour and all that occurs therein, such as the reckoning and questioning. Because of this apprehension, they refrain from disobeying the Almighty.

Then He said: Just as the Furqan was revealed to them, so too is this Qur'an revealed to you, which is the meaning of: {And this is a blessed reminder}. Its blessing lies in the abundance of its benefits and the depth of its knowledge.

And His saying: {Then are you in denial of it?} The meaning is that there is no room for denial regarding its balance, the wonders contained within it. Indeed, We gave Moses and Aaron the Torah, and then this Qur'an is a miracle because it encompasses astonishing composition, eloquent rhetoric, rational proofs, and the explanation of religious laws. How can such a book, with the abundance of its benefits, be denied by you?

(The Second Story: The Story of Abraham, peace be upon him)

{And indeed, We had already given Abraham his sound judgment before, and We knew him to be of those who knew.}

{When he said to his father and his people, "What are these statues to which you are devoted?" They said, "We found our fathers worshipping them." He said, "You have certainly been, you and your fathers, in manifest error." They said, "Have you brought us the truth, or are you one of those who jest?"}