Al-Ahzab: (45-46) O Prophet...

We have previously mentioned that this Surah contains admonitions for the Prophet (peace be upon him) from his Lord.

His saying at the beginning: {O Prophet, fear Allah} indicates what is incumbent upon him in relation to his Lord.

His saying: {powerful} [This seems to be a misplaced fragment, likely referring to a preceding verse or context not fully present here, but the structure implies a connection to the Prophet's attributes or God's power].

His saying: {O Prophet, say to your wives} indicates what is incumbent upon him in relation to his family.

His saying: {generous} [Similar to the above, likely a misplaced fragment].

His saying: {O Prophet, indeed We have sent you} indicates what is incumbent upon him in relation to all creation.

And His saying, the Exalted: {a witness} has several interpretations:

1. He is a witness over creation on the Day of Resurrection, as He says: {And thus We have made you a community justly balanced that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger a witness over you} (Al-Baqarah: 143). In this sense, the Prophet was sent as a witness, meaning one who bears the responsibility of testimony, and in the Hereafter, he will be a witness, meaning one who fulfills what he bore.
2. He is a witness to the oneness of God (Tawhid). A subtle point here is that God made the Prophet a witness to Monotheism, and a claimant (one who asserts something) is not like a witness. God did not make the Prophet a claimant regarding Oneness because a claimant is one who says something contrary to the apparent reality, and Oneness is more apparent than the sun. Since the Prophet (PBUH) claimed prophethood, God made Himself the witness for him regarding his claim, saying: {And Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger} (Al-Munafiqun: 1), as a recompense for his being a witness for God.
3. He is a witness in this world regarding the states of the Hereafter—Paradise, Hellfire, the Balance, and the Bridge (Sirat)—and a witness in the Hereafter regarding the states of this world—obedience, disobedience, righteousness, and corruption.

His saying: {and a bearer of good tidings and a warner * and a caller} shows excellent arrangement. This is because the Prophet (PBUH) was sent as a witness by proclaiming "There is no god but Allah," and people are encouraged toward this through glad tidings. If that is not sufficient, they are warned through admonition. Then, merely stating "There is no god but Allah" is not enough; rather, he calls them to the way of God, as He says: {Invite to the way of your Lord} (An-Nahl: 125).

His saying: {and a shining lamp} means one who proves what he says with the clearest proofs, which is what is meant by His saying: {with wisdom and good instruction} (An-Nahl: 125).

There are subtle points regarding this:

The First Subtle Point: His saying, the Exalted: {and a caller to Allah by His permission}, where He did not say "and a witness by His permission" or "and a bearer of good tidings." He only mentioned "a caller by His permission." This is because if someone states that the King is the ruler of the world and nothing else, he does not need permission from the King, as he is merely describing him. Similarly, if someone says that obedience to the King brings happiness and disobedience brings misery, he is giving good tidings and warning, and he does not need permission from the King for that. However, if he says, "Come to his feast and attend his table," he needs his permission. Thus, He said: {and a caller to Allah by His permission}.

Another interpretation is that the Prophet says, "I call to Allah," and the Wali (saint/follower) also calls to Allah. The former does not need permission from anyone, while the latter is permitted through the Prophet (PBUH), as He says: {Say: This is my way: I invite to Allah with insight, I and whoever follows me} (Yusuf: 108). The Prophet (PBUH) also said: "May Allah have mercy on a servant who heard my saying and conveyed it as he heard it." The Prophet (PBUH) is the one permitted by God to call to Him without intermediary.

The Second Subtle Point: He described the Prophet (PBUH) as a lamp (siraj) and not as the sun, even though the sun is far brighter than a lamp. This is for several reasons:

1. The light of the sun cannot be taken from it; if the sun sets, the light taken from it remains. A lamp, however, can have many lights taken from it, and if the lamp goes out, the light taken from it remains. The Prophet (PBUH) was like this, as every Companion took the light of guidance from him, just as he said: "My Companions are like the stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be guided."

There is a subtle point in the narration, although it is not strictly Tafsir, as one topic leads to another: The Prophet (PBUH) did not make his Companions like lamps, but rather like stars. A star's light is not taken from it; rather, it has its own light. If the star sets, the light derived from it does not remain. Similarly, when a Companion dies, the Tabi'i (Successor) is illuminated by the light of the Prophet (PBUH) and takes only the Prophet's sayings and actions. The lights of all Mujtahids (scholars capable of independent reasoning) come from the Prophet (PBUH). If they were like lamps, the Mujtahid could be illuminated by whomever he wished among them and take light from whomever he chose. This is not the case, for when the text of the Prophet (PBUH) is present, the saying of a Companion is not acted upon. Thus, light is taken from the Prophet, but not from the Companion. Therefore, the Companions were not made lamps. This casts doubt on the narration stating the Companions are the "lamp of the Ummah."

2. Another interpretation of lamp is that it refers to the Qur'an. The structure would be: "Indeed We have sent you, and [sent] a shining lamp," connecting to the implied object of the verb "sent" (the Kaf pronoun in arsalnaka), or connecting to "bearer of good tidings and warner," meaning "and [you are] a shining lamp," because the Hal (state/circumstance) must describe the actor or the acted upon. The lamp is not a description because the Prophet (PBUH) was not literally a lamp. Alternatively, it is like saying, "I saw him as a lion," meaning courageous. Thus, lamp means a guide who clarifies matters, like a lamp that shows the path and explains the issue.

7 < { And give good tidings to the believers that they will have from Allah a great bounty. } > 7

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