An-Naml: (6-9) And indeed, you receive the Qur'an...

Verse 6: {And indeed, you receive the Qur'an from [One] Wise, Knowing.}

This means you are being given it, and you receive it, from a Wise and a Knowing source. This is why both attributes are indefinite (nakirah).

This verse serves as a prelude and preparation for the narratives (Qasas) that follow. The word idh (when) is in the accusative case, governed by an implied verb, such as udhkur (mention). It is as if the address is: "Following that, take from the fruits of His wisdom and knowledge the story of Moses."

Alternatively, it can be in the accusative case due to Alim (Knowing).

A Question Raised: If wisdom (Hikmah) is essentially knowledge (Ilm), and knowledge is either practical or theoretical, why mention both? Knowledge encompasses wisdom, as theoretical knowledge is superior to practical knowledge.

The Answer: Wisdom pertains specifically to practical matters, whereas knowledge is broader, encompassing both practical and theoretical knowledge. Theoretical sciences are more noble than practical ones. Therefore, wisdom (encompassing practical knowledge) was mentioned, followed by Al-Alim (The All-Knowing), signifying the ultimate perfection of knowledge. This perfection is achieved through three aspects: unity, comprehensive scope covering all knowables, and preservation from all change. These perfections are found only in the knowledge of Allah, the Exalted.

Know that Allah, the Exalted, mentioned various types of stories in this Surah.

The first story is that of Moses, peace be upon him.

Verse 29 (Story of Moses): {When Moses said to his family...}

This indicates that no one was with Moses, peace be upon him, except his wife, the daughter of Shu'ayb, peace be upon him. Allah referred to her as "family" (ahl), which is why the subsequent address was in the plural form: {Stay [here]} (Al-Qasas: 29).

Verse 30: {Indeed, I have perceived a fire...}

This means they were traveling at night, and the path had become obscured for them. It was a cold time. In such a situation, the soul is strengthened by seeing a fire from afar, hoping for guidance regarding the path and benefiting from the fire for warmth. Therefore, he gave them good tidings, saying: {Indeed, I have perceived a fire.}

There is a difference of opinion on the meaning of ānastu (I have perceived):

1. Some said it means: I saw it with my sight.
2. Others said it means: I encountered it and found it, thus becoming familiar with it (ānastu bihi). The first interpretation is closer, as people generally do not distinguish between "I perceived it with my sight" and "I saw it with my sight."

Verse 31 (Continuation): {When Moses said [to his family]...}

The news being conveyed relates to the state of the path, as he had become lost. There is an omission in the speech: when he saw the fire, he headed towards it and said, {When Moses said...} to indicate the way forward. (Page V24 P155)

Verse 31 (Continuation): {When Moses said to his family...}

Shahāb means a flame, and qabas means a piece of fire taken (kindling). He attributed the shahāb to the qabas because a flame can be kindling or not. Whoever reads it with tanwīn (indefinite qabas) treats it as an apposition (badal) or an adjective, as it carries the meaning of kindling.

Here are some questions regarding the subsequent verses:

First Question: How can {When Moses said...} and {Then when Moses had fulfilled the term...} (Al-Qasas: 29) appear to contradict each other, as one expresses hope and the other certainty? Answer: A hopeful person, when their hope is strong, might say, "I will do such and such," even while acknowledging the possibility of failure.

Second Question: Why was the letter sīn (the prefix for future tense/procrastination) used? Answer: It was a reassurance to his family that he would bring them something, even if the journey was delayed or the distance was great.

Third Question: Why was aw (or) placed between the two requests, instead of combining them since he needed both? Answer: He based his hope on the fact that if he did not achieve both objectives (finding guidance or obtaining fire), he would achieve one of them, trusting in Allah's usual practice, as He rarely combines two deprivations for His servant.

Verse 32: {That you may warm yourselves.}

This means "so that you may warm yourselves," which indicates their need for warmth, implying that it must have been cold.

Verse 33: {It was called out, "Blessed is He who is in the fire and whoever is around it, and Glory be to Allah, Lord of the worlds!"}

There are several points of discussion here:

First Point: Is an (that) the explanatory an (which introduces a statement clarifying a preceding word)? Yes, because the call (nidā’) implies speech. The meaning is: it was said to him, "Blessed is He..."

Second Point: There are differing views on who is "in the fire":

1. View 1: An burika means "Blessed is He," and an-nār means "the light." The meaning is: Blessed is He who is in the light (referring to Allah, the Exalted), and those around it are the angels. This is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), although we assert that this narration is fabricated and inconsistent.
2. View 2: "He who is in the fire" is the Light of Allah, and "those around it" are the angels. This is narrated from Qatadah and Al-Zajjaj.
3. View 3: Allah called him with a speech he heard from the tree in the blessed spot. The tree became the location of the speech, and Allah was the speaker, acting upon the tree rather than the tree itself speaking. Since the tree was in the fire (or light) and angels were around it, the address was: {Blessed is He who is in the fire and whoever is around it.} This is the view of Al-Jubba'i.
4. View 4: "He who is in the fire" is Moses, peace be upon him, due to his proximity to it, and "those around it" are the angels. This is closer, as someone near a thing can sometimes be described as being in it.
5. View 5 (The view of the author of Al-Kashshāf): {Blessed is He who is in the fire} means blessed is the place of the fire and those around the place of the fire. This refers to the blessed spot mentioned in {from the side of the valley on the blessed side} (Al-Qasas: 30). This is supported by Abu’s recitation: Tabārakat al-ard wa man hawlahā (Blessed is the earth and those around it), and another narration from him: Būrikat an-nār (Blessed is the fire).

Third Point: The reason the spot, those in it, and those around it were blessed is the occurrence of this great event: Allah speaking to Moses, appointing him as a messenger, and manifesting miracles through him. This is why Allah made the land of Sham marked by blessings in His saying: {And We saved him and Lot to the land which We have blessed for all people} (Al-Anbiya: 71). It deserves to be so, as it is the place where prophets were sent (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them), the descent of revelation, and the resting place for the living and the dead.

Fourth Point: Allah made this statement a prelude to the private conversation (munājāt) with Moses. {Blessed is He who is in the fire and whoever is around it} indicates that a great matter has been decreed, from which blessings will spread throughout the land of Sham.

As for {And Glory be to Allah, Lord of the worlds!}, it contains two benefits:

1. Allah purified Himself from anything unsuitable for His Essence and Wisdom, serving as a prerequisite for the validity of Moses's prophethood.
2. It signals that the one willing and creating this event is the Lord of the worlds, indicating that this occurrence is among the grandest and most momentous events.

Verse 34: {Indeed, it is I, Allah, the All-Mighty, the Wise.}

The author of Al-Kashshāf suggests two possibilities for the pronoun hu (it) in Innahu:

1. It is the pronoun of the matter (ḍamīr al-sha’n), and {I am Allah} is the subject and predicate, with {the All-Mighty, the Wise} being adjectives for the predicate.
2. It refers back to what was implied by the preceding statement, meaning: "The One calling you is I, Allah," with {the All-Mighty, the Wise} being attributes specifying the identity.

This serves as preparation for the miracle He intends to manifest through him: "I am the Powerful, capable of what seems remote from imagination, like turning the staff into a serpent, the Doer of everything I do with wisdom and planning."

A Question Raised: Since this call could potentially come from someone other than Allah, how did Moses, peace be upon him, know it was from Allah?

The Answer (for the Sunnis): There are two paths:

1. He heard the speech, which is free from the characteristics of letters and sounds, leading him to know necessarily that it is an attribute of Allah, the Exalted.
2. The view of the Imams of Transoxiana: He heard the sound from the tree. In this case, he knew it was from Allah due to several factors: a. When a call occurs in fire or from a tree, it is known to be from Allah because no human can do that. This is weak because one might argue that Satan entered the fire or the tree and then called. b. The call itself might have reached a magnitude that could only be miraculous. This is also weak, as we do not know the limits of the powers of angels and devils, so anything is possible for them. c. It was accompanied by a miracle that indicated it. It is said that the fire was burning on a green tree that did not burn, which served as the miracle. This is the soundest view, and Allah knows best.

Verses 7-13: {And throw down your staff.}

Verse 7: {And throw down your staff.} So when he saw it moving as if it were a jinn, he turned fleeing and did not look back. [Allah said], "O Moses, do not fear. Indeed, the المرسلون (Messengers) are not feared in My presence, except for one who wrongs himself. But if he substitutes good after evil, then indeed, I am Forgiving and Merciful.

Verse 8: And put your hand into your side; it will come out white without disease, in nine signs, to Pharaoh and his people. Indeed, they were a people defiantly disobedient."

Verse 9: But when Our signs came to them, clear and insightful, they said, "This is obvious magic."

Verse 10: And they rejected them, while their souls were certain of them, out of injustice and arrogance. So observe how the end of the corrupters was.