Al Imran: (79-80) It is not for a human being...

Know that when the Almighty established that the custom of the People of the Book's scholars was distortion and alteration, He followed it up with what indicates that among what they distorted is what they claimed that Jesus (peace be upon him) claimed divinity, and that he commanded his people to worship him. For this reason, He said: {It is not for a human being...} (The verse). Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: The Occasion of Revelation of this Verse

There are several views regarding the reason for the revelation of this verse:

1. First View: Ibn Abbas said: When the Jews said, "Uzayr is the son of God," and the Christians said, "The Messiah is the son of God," this verse was revealed.
2. Second View: It is narrated that Abu Rafi' al-Qurazi from the Jews and the head of the Najran delegation from the Christians said to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "Do you want us to worship you and take you as a Lord?" The Prophet (PBUH) replied: "Far be it from Allah that we should worship anyone other than Allah, or command anything other than the worship of Allah; for this I was not sent, nor was I commanded for this." Then this verse was revealed.
3. Third View: A man said, "O Messenger of Allah, we greet you as some of us greet each other; shall we not prostrate to you?" He (PBUH) replied: "It is not fitting for anyone to prostrate to anyone other than Allah, but honor your Prophet and recognize the truth for its people."
4. Fourth View: When the Jews claimed that no one could attain the degrees of virtue and station that they had attained, Allah Almighty said to them: If the matter were as you claim, it would be incumbent upon you not to occupy yourselves with enslaving and using people, but rather you must command people to obey Allah and submit to His obligations. In that case, you would be obliged to urge people to acknowledge the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH), because the appearance of miracles through him necessitates that. This view is supported by the wording of the verse, as His saying {Then he says to people: Be slaves to me instead of Allah} is like His saying: {They have taken their rabbis and their monks as lords besides Allah} (At-Tawbah: 31).

Issue 2: The Meaning of His Saying {It is not for a human being that Allah should give him the Book, Wisdom, and Prophethood, then he says to people: Be slaves to me instead of Allah}

There are several views on this:

1. First View (Al-Asamm): The meaning is that if they intended to say such a thing, the evidence would prevent them, based on His saying: {And if he had fabricated against Us some sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand} (Al-Haqqah: 44). And His saying: {They almost tempted you away from what We revealed to you, that you might invent against Us something other than it. And then they would have taken you as a friend. And if We had not made you firm, you would have almost inclined to them a little. In that case, We would have made you taste double [the punishment] in life and double [the punishment] after death} (Al-Isra: 74-75).
2. Second View: The Prophets (peace be upon them) are described with attributes that make claiming divinity and lordship incompatible with them. Among these attributes is that Allah gave them the Book and Revelation, which only occurs in pure souls and good spirits, as Allah says: {Allah knows best where to place His message} (Al-An'am: 124). And: {Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you} (Al-Dukhan: 32). And Allah says: {Allah chooses from among the angels messengers and from among the people} (Al-Hajj: 75). Such a pure soul is prevented from issuing such a claim. Furthermore, the granting of prophethood only occurs after the perfection of knowledge, which does not prevent this claim. In summary, a human being has two powers: the theoretical (intellectual) and the practical. Unless the theoretical power is perfected by true knowledge and gnosis, and the practical power is purified from blameworthy morals, the soul is not prepared to receive revelation and prophethood. The attainment of perfections in both powers prevents such speech and belief.
3. Third View: Allah does not honor His servant with prophethood and messengership unless He knows that he will not utter such words.
4. Fourth View: The Messenger claimed to convey rulings from Allah and provided evidence for his truthfulness in this claim. If he then commanded them to worship himself, the evidence of the miracle proving his truthfulness would be nullified, which is impossible.

Know that the meaning of {It is not for a human being} is not that this speech is forbidden for him, because it is forbidden for all creation. The apparent meaning of the verse indicates that it was not fitting for him because Allah gave him the Book, Wisdom, and Prophethood. Moreover, if the meaning were prohibition, it would not be a refutation of the Christians in their claim about the Messiah (peace be upon him), because if someone claims something about a man, and it is said to him, "It is not permissible for so-and-so to do that," this is not a refutation of what he claimed was done. Rather, the intent is regarding their claim that Jesus (peace be upon him) said to them: "Take me as a god besides Allah." Thus, the meaning is what we previously mentioned. Similar to this is His saying: {It was not for Allah to take a son} (Maryam: 35), as a negation concerning Himself, not as a prohibition or restriction. Likewise, His saying: {It is not for a prophet to embezzle} (Al Imran: 161), where the meaning is negation, not prohibition. And Allah knows best.

Issue 3: His Saying {that Allah should give him the Book, Wisdom, and Prophethood}

This points to three things mentioned in a most excellent order:

1. First, the heavenly Book is revealed.
2. Then, the Prophet attains the understanding of that Book, which is indicated by Wisdom (الحكمة). The linguists and exegetes agree that this Hukm (Wisdom/Judgment) is knowledge. Allah says: {And We gave him wisdom while he was still a youth} (Maryam: 12), meaning knowledge and understanding.
3. Then, once the understanding of the Book is achieved, it is conveyed to creation, which is Prophethood (النبوة). How excellent is this sequence!

Then the Almighty said: {then he says to people: Be slaves to me instead of Allah}. In this, there are two issues:

The apparent recitation is with the lam (ل) in the accusative case (نصب): {ثم يقول} (then he says). It is narrated from Abu 'Amr with the nominative case (رفع): {ثم يقول}.

• The accusative case is based on the premise that prophethood and this speech cannot coexist. The operative factor for the accusative is an (أن) which is coordinated with the preceding an (أن), meaning "then that he says."
• The nominative case is for resumption (starting a new sentence).

Al-Wahidi narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding His saying {Be slaves to me} that it is a refined language where they call slaves ibadan (عباداً).

Then He said: {but rather, be Rabbaniyyin}. In this, there are two issues:

There is an omission here. The meaning is: But he says to them: Be Rabbaniyyin. The saying is omitted according to the Arabs' allowance for omission when the context indicates it. Similar to this is His saying: {And as for those whose faces turned white, [He will say to them]: Did you disbelieve after your faith?} (Al Imran: 106), meaning, it will be said to them.

They mentioned several sayings regarding the interpretation of Rabbani:

1. Sibawayh said: Rabbani is attributed to the Lord (Rabb), meaning one who is knowledgeable of Him and diligent in obeying Him, just as they say Ilahi (divine) for a man who is devoted to knowing and obeying the Divinity. The addition of alif and nun indicates the perfection of this quality, just as they say sha'rani (hairy), lihyani (bearded), and raqbani (thick-necked) when describing someone with much hair, a long beard, or a thick neck. If they attribute to hair, they say sha'ri, to the neck raqabi, and to the beard lihyi.
2. Al-Mubarrid said: Rabbaniyyun are the masters of knowledge, and the singular is Rabbani. He is one who nurtures (yurabbi) knowledge and nurtures people, meaning he teaches them, reforms them, and manages their affairs. The alif and nun are for exaggeration, just as they say rabban (captain), atshan (thirsty), shab'an (full), and aryan (naked). Then the ya' of attribution is added, as in lihyani and raqbani. Al-Wahidi said: According to Sibawayh, Rabbani is attributed to the Lord, meaning specialization in knowing the Lord and obeying Him. According to Al-Mubarrid, Rabbani is derived from nurturing (tarbiyah).
3. Ibn Zayd said: Rabbani is one who nurtures people. Thus, Rabbaniyyun are the rulers of the community and the scholars. This is also mentioned in His saying: {They judge by it the scholars and the monks} (Al-Ma'idah: 63), meaning the rulers and the scholars, the two groups who are obeyed. The meaning of the verse on this basis is: I do not call you to be slaves to me, but I call you to be kings and scholars by your implementation of Allah's command and your diligence in obeying Him. Al-Qaffal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is possible that the ruler is called Rabbani because he is obeyed like the Lord (Exalted is He), so the attribution is to him.
4. Abu 'Ubaydah said: I think this word is not Arabic; rather, it is Hebrew or Syriac. Whether it is Arabic or Hebrew, it denotes a person who knows and acts upon what he knows, and is occupied with teaching the ways of good.

Then the Almighty said: {because you used to teach the Book and study it}. In this, there are issues:

Issue 1: Recitation of {you used to teach the Book}

There are two recitations for {you used to teach} (tu'allimun):

1. Teaching (Ta'lim): The recitation of 'Abdullah ibn Kathir, Abu 'Amr, and Nafi'.
2. Knowing (Ta'allum): The recitation of the rest of the Seven Reciters.

Both are correct because they used to know it themselves and teach it to others. Abu 'Amr argued that his recitation (tu'allimun - teaching) is preferable for two reasons:

1. He said {you used to study} (tadrusūn) without the shaddah (doubling the dal).
2. The shaddah requires two objects, but here there is only one object (al-Kitab).

Those who recited with the shaddah (tu'allimūn - teaching) claimed that the second object is omitted, meaning: "because you used to teach people the Book," or "you used to teach something else," and the object was omitted because the object of the verb is often omitted in speech. They further argued that the shaddah is more appropriate for two reasons:

1. Teaching encompasses knowing, but knowing does not necessarily encompass teaching, so teaching is more appropriate.
2. The Rabbaniyyun are not content with mere knowledge; they must add teaching for the sake of Allah. Do you not see that Allah commanded Muhammad (PBUH) concerning this: {Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction} (An-Nahl: 125)? The saying of Murrah ibn Sharahil supports this: 'Alqamah was among the Rabbaniyyun who taught people the Qur'an.

Issue 2: Recitation of {you used to study}

Ibn Jinni narrated in Al-Muhtasab from Abu Haywah that he recited {you used to study} (tudarrisūn) with a dammah on the ta', a sukūn on the dal, and a kasrah on the ra'. Ibn Jinni said: This must be transmitted from darsa (he studied) or darrasa (he taught others). Most Arabs use darsa and darrasa, and the verbal noun tadris (teaching/studying) comes from this.

Issue 3: The Meaning of Ma (بما)

In both recitations, ma (بما) means the verbal noun with the verb. The meaning is: Be Rabbaniyyin because you were knowing and teaching, and because you studied the Book. Similar to ma with the verb meaning the verbal noun is His saying: {So today We will forget them as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs} (Al-A'raf: 5).

The essence of the speech is that knowledge, teaching, and studying necessitate that their possessor becomes Rabbani. The cause must necessarily be different from the effect. This implies that being Rabbani is an affair different from being knowledgeable, teaching, and diligent in study. This can only be if the learning, teaching, and studying are for the sake of Allah, and the motivator for all actions is seeking Allah's pleasure, and the deterrent from all actions is fleeing from Allah's punishment. When it is established that the Messenger commands all creation with this meaning, it becomes impossible for him to command creation to worship himself. The essence of the matter is one: the Messenger is one whose utmost effort is directed towards turning souls and hearts away from creation towards the Truth. How could such a person turn the minds of creation away from obeying the Truth towards obeying himself? At this point, it becomes clear that it is impossible for any of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them) to command others to worship him.

Issue 4: Implication of the Verse

The verse indicates that knowledge, teaching, and study necessitate a person becoming Rabbani. Whoever engages in learning and teaching without this intention, his effort is wasted and his deed is lost. He is like one who plants a beautiful, flourishing tree that yields no beneficial fruit. For this reason, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "We seek refuge in Allah from knowledge that does not benefit, and a heart that does not humble itself."

Then the Almighty said: {Nor would he order you to take the angels and the prophets as lords}. In this, there are issues:

Issue 1: Recitation of {Nor would he order you}

'Asim, Hamzah, and Ibn 'Amir recited {Nor would he order you} (wa lā ya'mura-kum) with the ra' in the accusative case (نصب). The rest recited it in the nominative case (رفع).

• The basis for the accusative: It is coordinated with {then he says} (thumma yaqūl). There are two views:
  1. That lā (لا) is extra, and the meaning is: It is not for a human being that Allah should give him the Book, Wisdom, and Prophethood, that he should say to people: "Be slaves to me instead of Allah," and order you to take the angels and prophets as lords. Similar to saying: "It was not for Zayd to honor me, then insult and belittle me."
  2. That lā is not extra. The meaning is that the Prophet (PBUH) used to forbid the Quraysh from worshipping angels, and the Jews and Christians from worshipping Uzayr and the Messiah. When they said, "Do you want us to take you as a Lord?" it was said to them: It is not for a human being that Allah should make him a prophet, then order people to worship himself, and forbid them from worshipping angels and prophets.
• The basis for the nominative: It is for resumption, as it comes after the completion of the verse and the discourse. Evidence for the break from the first part is the narration from Ibn Mas'ud, who recited: {And never would he order you} (wa lan ya'mura-kum).

Issue 2: Who is the one not ordering?

Al-Zajjaj said: "Nor would Allah order you." Ibn Jurayj said: "Nor would Muhammad order you." It is also said: "Nor would the prophets order you to take the angels as lords, as the Quraysh did."

Issue 3: Why Angels and Prophets were singled out

Angels and prophets were singled out because among the People of the Book who were reported to have worshipped other than Allah, only the worship of angels, the Messiah, and Uzayr was mentioned. For this reason, they were specified.

Then the Almighty said: {Would he order you to disbelief after you had submitted [to Allah]?} In this, there are issues:

Issue 1: The Hamza in {Would he order you}

The hamza in {Would he order you} (A-ya'murukum) is an interrogative particle meaning denial, i.e., He would not do that.

Issue 2: The Addressees

The author of Al-Kashshaf said that His saying {after you had submitted} is evidence that the addressees were Muslims—those who asked the Messenger (PBUH) for permission to prostrate to him.

Issue 3: Refutation of the Mu'tazila View

Al-Juba'i said: The verse indicates the falsehood of the view of those who say that disbelief in Allah is ignorance of Him, and faith in Him is knowledge of Him. This is because Allah ruled these people to be disbelievers, as stated in His saying: {Would he order you to disbelief}, yet these people were knowledgeable of Allah, as evidenced by His saying: {then he says to people: Be slaves to me instead of Allah}, and the apparent meaning suggests knowledge of Allah. Since disbelief occurred here alongside knowledge of Allah, this proves that faith in Him is not mere knowledge, and disbelief in Him is not mere ignorance of Him.

The Reply: When we say disbelief in Allah is ignorance of Him, we do not mean mere ignorance of His existence, but rather ignorance of His Essence, His negative attributes, and His relational attributes—that He has no partner in divinity. When one is ignorant of this, he is ignorant of some of His attributes.

{And when Allah took the covenant of the prophets, [He said]: "Whatever I have given you of a Book and Wisdom, and then there comes to you a Messenger confirming what is with you, you shall believe in him and support him." He said, "Do you affirm and take upon yourselves My covenant on that [condition]?" They said, "We affirm." He said, "Then bear witness, and I am with you among those who bear witness." * Then whoever turns away after that - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.}**

(Al Imran: 81-82)