ﳇ ﳈ ﳉ ﳊ ﳋ ﳌ ﳍ ﳎ ﳏ ﳐ ﳑ ﳒ ﳓ ﳔ ﳕ ﳖ ﳗ ﳘ ﳙ ﳚ ﳛ ﳜ ﳝ ﳞ
And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger to reveal, by His permission, what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise.
Tafsir
Verse range: 42:51
It is known that after Allah (Exalted is He) clarified the perfection of His Power, Knowledge, and Wisdom, He followed it by explaining how He specifically grants revelation and His Word to His Prophets. There are several issues in this verse:
Allah’s statement, {And it was not for a human being} (i.e., it is not valid for any human) {that Allah should speak to him} except in one of three ways:
The comprehensive way to categorize this is: The arrival of revelation from Allah to a human is either without an intermediary messenger or with an intermediary messenger.
Note that all three categories are forms of Wahy. However, Allah specifically designated the first category (inspiration/casting into the heart) with the term Wahy because what occurs in the heart via inspiration happens instantaneously, making the specific designation more appropriate for it. This concludes the discussion on distinguishing these categories.
Those who assert that Allah is in a specific location used the phrase {or from behind a veil} as evidence. They argue that the structure implies that if Allah speaks from behind a veil, He must be confined to a specific place and direction.
The Reply: Although the literal meaning might suggest this, rational and transmitted proofs indicate that Allah (Exalted is He) is impossible to be confined to a place or direction. Therefore, this phrase must be interpreted metaphorically. The meaning is that the person heard speech while not seeing the Speaker, which is similar to speaking from behind a veil. This similarity allows for the use of metaphor (majāz).
The Mu'tazila argue that this verse proves Allah cannot be seen. They reason that Allah restricted the modes of His communication to these three. If seeing Allah were possible, Allah could speak to a servant while He is being seen, which would constitute a fourth category, exceeding the three mentioned. Since Allah negated any fourth category by saying {And it was not for a human being that Allah should speak to him} except in these three ways, seeing Him must be impossible.
The Reply: We must add a qualifier to the statement: "And it was not for a human being that Allah should speak to him in this world..." With this addition, the statement only covers the three modes in this life, and the argument of the Mu'tazila fails. Although adding this qualifier contradicts the apparent meaning, it is necessary to reconcile this verse with verses indicating that vision will occur on the Day of Resurrection. (And Allah knows best.)
The Ummah is agreed that Allah is a Speaker (Mutakallim). Everyone except the Ash'arites and their followers agrees that the speech of Allah is these audible letters and composed sounds. The Ash'arites claim that the speech of Allah is an eternal attribute (ṣifah qadīmah) that these letters and sounds merely express.
Regarding the First Group (Speech = Letters/Sounds): They are divided into two factions:
Regarding the Ash'arites: They claim Allah's speech is an eternal attribute expressed by these words. They agree that {or from behind a veil} means the angel hears this speech, which is pure and devoid of letters and sound, from behind a veil. They argue: Just as it is not far-fetched for Allah's essence to be seen while He is not a body or in a location, it is not far-fetched for His speech to be heard without being a letter or a sound.
Al-Māturīdī's View: Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī al-Samarqandī claimed that the eternal attribute residing in the essence cannot be the audible thing. What is heard must be letters and sounds that Allah creates, perhaps in a tree (referencing the story of Moses). This view is close to that of the Mu'tazila. (And Allah knows best.)
Al-Qāḍī argues that this verse proves the temporality of Allah's speech in several ways:
The Reply: We concede that all these points apply to the letters and sounds, and we agree they are temporal, as basic reason dictates. What need is there to prove something already established by clear reason and the apparent meanings of the Qur'an? (And Allah knows best.)
It is established that revelation from Allah is either without an intermediary or with an intermediary. It is impossible for all revelation to be through an intermediary, as this would lead to infinite regress (chain without beginning) or circularity, both of which are impossible. Therefore, we must accept that revelation occurs without an intermediary for at least one person. Here are some related points:
First Inquiry: How does the first person who heard Allah's speech without an intermediary know that the speech is truly Allah's word?
Second Inquiry: When the messenger hears it from the angel, how does he know the conveyor is a trustworthy, infallible angel and not a misleading devil?
Third Inquiry: Undoubtedly, an angel heard revelation from Allah directly in the beginning. That angel is Gabriel. Perhaps Gabriel heard it from another angel, and so on, potentially through a thousand intermediaries. However, nothing proves certainty regarding any specific link in this chain.
Fourth Inquiry: Is there any human who heard Allah's speech without an intermediary?
Fifth Inquiry: Angels can appear in various forms. If the Prophet (PBUH) saw the angel in different forms every time, he would require a miracle to confirm that the one seen this time is the same one seen previously. If the angel's form was not seen, the need for a miracle would be even stronger due to the possibility of confusion regarding the voice. However, no one has claimed that a miracle is required in every single instance.
The debates mentioned in the Qur'an between Allah and Iblis suggest that Allah spoke to Iblis without an intermediary. The question is whether this counts as revelation (Wahy) from Allah to Iblis. The stronger view is that it does not. A subtle, complete discussion is required here.
Nāfi’ read: {or He sends a messenger} (aw yursila) with the lām in the indicative mood (raising the verb), implying: "It was not for a human to be spoken to except by revelation, or hearing from behind a veil, and [if He sends] a messenger, then He reveals."
The rest of the reciters read it with the accusative case (naṣb), interpreting it as a verbal noun (maṣdar): "It was not for a human to be spoken to except by revelation, or hearing from behind a veil, or the sending of a messenger."
However, this latter reading presents a grammatical difficulty because Wahy (revelation) and Ismāʿ (hearing) are nouns, while Yursila (sends) is a verb; conjoining a verb to a noun in this manner is awkward. The solution offered is that the implied structure is: "It was not for a human to be spoken to except that He reveals by inspiration, or that He makes him hear from behind a veil, or that He sends a messenger."
The correct view among the People of Truth is that when the angel conveys revelation to the messenger, the devil cannot insert falsehood into that revelation. Some scholars permitted this, citing the verse: {And We have not sent before you any messenger or prophet except when he wished, [Satan] cast [doubt] into his wish...} (Al-Hajj: 52).
Our righteous friend, Shaykh Sām ibn Muḥammad (may Allah have mercy on him), who was the most excellent of the rulers I met, held this view, but it is false for two other reasons:
{so He reveals by His permission what He wills} means: That angel reveals by Allah's permission whatever Allah wills. This implies that what is good (ḥasan) is not good due to an inherent quality pertaining to itself, and what is evil (qabīḥ) is not evil due to an inherent quality pertaining to itself. Rather, Allah is free to command whatever He wills without restriction, and to forbid whatever He wills without restriction, otherwise the phrase {what He wills} would not be accurate. (And Allah knows best.)
Then Allah (Exalted is He) said at the end of the verse: {Indeed, He is the All-Exalted in Might, the Wise}. This means He is ‘Alī (Exalted) above the attributes of created beings, and Ḥakīm (Wise), whose actions proceed according to wisdom. Thus, He speaks sometimes without an intermediary (inspiration), sometimes by making His speech heard, and sometimes by using noble angels as intermediaries.
After explaining the modes of revelation to the Prophets (peace be upon them), Allah said: {And thus We have revealed to you a Spirit of Our command}. This refers to the Qur'an. It is named a Rūḥ (Spirit) because it imparts life to the deadness of ignorance or disbelief.
Then Allah said: {You did not know what the Book was, nor what Faith was}. Scholars differed regarding this verse, given the consensus that it is impermissible to say that the Messengers were in a state of disbelief before receiving revelation. They offered several replies:
Then Allah said: {But We made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants}. Scholars differed regarding the pronoun in {But We made it}. Some say it refers only to the Qur'an, not Faith, because the Qur'an is what conveys rulings, thus it is likened to a light by which one is guided. Others say it refers to both, as their meanings are unified, similar to: {And when they see trade or amusement, they disperse to it} (Al-Jumu'ah: 11).
Then He said: {We guide by it whom We will of Our servants}. This indicates that although Allah made the Qur'an inherently guidance, as in {a guidance for the righteous} (Al-Baqarah: 2), He guides some by it and not others. This guidance is nothing more than calling [people] and clarifying the proofs, because Allah described the Prophet (PBUH) as: {And indeed, you are guiding to a straight path}, which implies generality for everyone. In contrast, {We guide by it whom We will of Our servants} implies specificity. Since the specific guidance is different from the general guidance, the meaning of {We guide by it whom We will of Our servants} must be something distinct from merely presenting proofs or removing excuses.
It also cannot mean guidance to the path of Paradise, because Allah said: {But We made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants}—meaning We made the Qur'an a light by which We guide whom We will. This is only appropriate for guidance occurring in this world. Furthermore, guidance to Paradise is obligatory for some and forbidden for others according to your view; in either case, the phrase {whom We will of Our servants} loses its significance. Thus, it is established that the meaning is that Allah guides whom He wills and leaves astray whom He wills, and there is no objection to this.
Then Allah said to Muhammad (PBUH): {And indeed, you are guiding to a straight path}. Here, Allah clarified that just as the Qur'an guides, so too does the Messenger guide. He specified that the path is the {path of Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth}. This points out that the only one worthy of worship is He who owns the heavens and the earth, serving to invalidate the view of those who worship other than Allah.
Then He said: {Unquestionably, to Allah all matters return}. This serves as a warning and deterrence, clarifying that the affair of those who do not accept these obligations returns to Allah, meaning to a place where He is the sole Judge, where He will recompense each person with the reward or punishment they deserve.
