Qāf (50): 45. We are Most Knowing of what they say...

There are several interpretations regarding this verse:

First Interpretation: Consolation and Encouragement

1. It is a consolation for the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the believers.
2. It is an encouragement for them to adhere to what the Prophet was commanded: patience (ṣabr) and glorification (tasbīḥ).
3. The meaning is: "Engage in what We have commanded you, and do not let complaining to Us distract you, for We know their sayings and see their actions."
4. In this context, the following phrase, "And you are not over them a Compeller" (wa mā anta 'alayhim bi-jabbār), fits well. It means: "Do not think that you were sent to force them to guidance. You were commanded only to convey the message. You have conveyed it, so be patient, glorify [God], and await the Day of Judgment when the separation between you will occur."

Second Interpretation: A Warning and Threat

1. This verse serves as a threat and a warning.
2. The preceding verse, "And to Us is the final return" (Q: 43), clearly implies a threat based on God's knowledge of their deeds. A person who knows their return is to a King, yet believes the King is unaware of their actions, will not refrain from wickedness. However, if they know the King is aware, possesses hidden knowledge, and their return is to Him, they will refrain.
3. Thus, "And to Us is the final return" combined with "We are Most Knowing" is explicit in its threat. This is similar to the verse: "Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of what is within the breasts" (Az-Zumar: 7).

Third Interpretation: Affirmation of Resurrection

1. This verse confirms the resurrection.
2. Since God has established that resurrection is easy for Him due to the perfection of His power and the execution of His will, this perfection is completed by His all-encompassing knowledge, which allows Him to distinguish between the particles of Zayd's body and the particles of 'Amr's body.
3. Therefore, "That is an easy return for Us" is due to the perfection of Our power, and the particles are not hidden from Us because of Our knowledge.
4. Under this interpretation, "We are Most Knowing of what they say" means: We know the very essence of what they say, such as their statement: "When we die and become dust?" (Al-Mu'minūn: 82) or "When we are lost in the earth?" (As-Sajdah: 10).
5. The meaning becomes: We know the very particles they claim are lost and hidden. It is not meant that "We know of their saying."
6. The phrase "We are Most Knowing" implies a comparison. If the meaning were simply "We know," then saying "We are Most Knowing" would be inappropriate, as no one else knows those particles.
7. However, this objection has been answered multiple times in several ways:

• First Answer: The superlative form (af'al) does not necessarily imply a shared action, as in "God is more worthy to be feared than anyone" (Al-Ahzāb: 37), or "best in hospitality" (Maryam: 77), or "It is easier for Him" (Ar-Rūm: 27).
  • Second Answer: It means: "We are more knowing of what they say than any other knower of what they know." The first explanation is sounder, clearer, more apparent, and more common.

Regarding the phrase "And you are not over them a Compeller" (wa mā anta 'alayhim bi-jabbār), there are several interpretations:

First Interpretation: Consolation (Again)

1. This is also for consolation. Since God favored the Prophet by directing him toward the Hereafter (worship), He informed him that he was not diverted from the other duty (resurrection).
2. It is like a king commanding a servant two tasks. If the servant shows inability in one, the king tells him: "Focus on the other task, and We will send someone capable of what you could not accomplish in the first."
3. Thus, "So be patient and glorify [God], and you are not a Compeller over them" means: Their refusal was not due to your tyranny or arrogance that made them recoil from your bad temper. Rather, you were kind and compassionate toward them, you exerted yourself, you conveyed the message, and yet they refused. So, turn to patience and glorification, not distracted by your supposed harshness.
4. This is similar to His saying: "You are not, by the grace of your Lord, a madman... And indeed, you are of a great moral character" (Al-Qalam: 2-4).

Second Interpretation: Clarification of the Prophet's Role

1. This clarifies that the Prophet (PBUH) fulfilled his duty of guidance.
2. He was sent as a warner and a guide, not as an enforcer or a compeller.
3. This is like His saying: "You are not over them a guardian/keeper" (Ash-Shūrā: 18), meaning you are not there to guard them from disbelief and the Fire.
4. The phrase "And you are not over them" carries the meaning of someone asking, "Who is in charge of us today?" in response to "Who has authority over us today?"—meaning, who is your ruler?

Third Interpretation: Absence of Imminent Punishment

1. This explains that the time for punishment has not yet arrived.
2. When the Prophet warned, made excuses clear, and they still did not believe, he might have thought, "This is the time for punishment." God replied: "We are Most Knowing of what they say, and you are not over them a Compeller."
3. This implies: We know who among them will eventually believe, and We will grant you authority over those who remain if they do not believe.
4. This is supported by the commentators who state that this verse was revealed before the verse commanding fighting (qitāl).
5. Under this view, "So remind with the Qur'an whoever fears My threat" means: Remind those who remain among them who fear the Day of Warning.

There are other interpretations as well:

1. We previously explained that "So be patient over what they say, and glorify [God]" (Q: 39) meant: "Turn to worship." Then God said: "But do not abandon guidance entirely; rather, remind the believers, 'For indeed, the reminder benefits the believers' (Adh-Dhāriyāt: 55), and 'turn away from the ignorant' (Al-A'rāf: 199)."

Regarding the phrase "with the Qur'an" (bi-l-Qur'ān):

• First Meaning: Remind them with what is in the Qur'an, recite the Qur'an to them, and the benefit will result from what it contains.
• Second Meaning: "So remind with the Qur'an" means: Demonstrate through it that you are a Messenger, as it is a miracle. If your status as a Messenger is established, they must accept everything you say.
• Third Meaning: It means: Remind them according to the implications of the Qur'an regarding the commands for conveying the message and reminding. In this case, the mention of the Qur'an is for the Prophet's benefit—meaning, make the Qur'an your leader, and remind them with what you have been informed therein by reminding them. The first meaning implies: Recite the Qur'an to them so they may be reminded by it.

Regarding the phrase "whoever fears My threat" (man yakhāfu wa'īdī):

1. This phrase shows that fear (khashyah) indicates the greatness of the One being feared more than mere fear (khawf). God used "fears" (yakhāfu) when the feared object was His punishment and threat, but He used "Fear Me" (ikhshawnī) when the feared object was God Himself, the Great One.
2. This verse points to the three fundamental principles (of religion):
   • "Remind" (fadhakkir) points to him being sent and commanded to remind.
   • "with the Qur'an" points to the revelation of the Book.
   • "My threat" (wa'īdī) points to the Last Day.
3. The first-person pronoun in "My threat" (wa'īdī) indicates the Oneness of God. If He had said, "whoever fears the threat of God," the concept of God might be associated with others. Therefore, He said "My threat," as the first-person speaker is the most definite form of knowledge and the furthest from accepting partnership.
4. We explained at the beginning of the Sūrah that its beginning and end are close in meaning: He began with "Qāf, and by the Glorious Qur'an" (Q: 1) and ended with "So remind with the Qur'an."

This concludes the Exegesis of this Sūrah. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and the Master of the Messengers, Muhammad, his family, his companions, his wives, and all his descendants.