At-Tur (The Mount): (29) So remind, for you are not...

The verse is clearly connected to what preceded it, as Allah (Exalted is He) explained that there are people who fear Allah and are anxious for their families. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is commanded to remind those who fear Allah (Exalted and Majestic) by His saying: {So remind with the Qur'an whoever fears My warning} (Qaf: 45). Thus, the one who should be reminded is established, and reminding is incumbent. As for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he has nothing to do but bring what he is commanded.

There are several issues concerning this:

Issue 1: Regarding the Fā’ (ف) in {So remind} (فذكر)

The connection of the Fā’ to the preceding verse is already known, so mentioning it with the Fā’ is appropriate.

Issue 2: The Meaning of the Fā’ in {So are you not} (فما أنت)

The meaning is also known: that you are not a soothsayer (kāhin), so do not become agitated or follow their desires, as that is the path of the forger. {So remind} because you are not a forger, and that is the reason for the reminder.

Issue 3: The Connection between {We await for him some calamity of time} (نتربص به ريب المنون) and {a poet} (شاعر)

We say there are two interpretations:

1. The Arabs used to guard against harming poets and feared their tongues, as poetry was preserved and recorded among them. They said, "We will not oppose him now for fear that his poetic strength might overcome us; our only recourse is patience and awaiting his death."
2. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say that the truth is the religion of Allah, and the Law I have brought will remain forever, and my Book will be recited until the Hour. They replied, "It is not so; he is merely a poet, and what he mentions concerning our gods is poetry. He has no supporter, and some of our gods will bring about his destruction, so we await that for him."

Issue 4: The Meaning of Rīb al-Manūn (ريب المنون - Calamity of Time)

It is said that it is a name for death, derived from al-Mann (cutting off), and death is a cutter-off, hence it is called Manūn. Another view is that al-Manūn is time, and its Rīb (calamity/doubt) is its accidents. Based on this, the phrase {We await} (natarabbaṣu) can have another meaning: if he is a poet, the vicissitudes of time might weaken his intellect and cause him senility, making the corruption of his matter and the failure of his poetry evident to everyone.

Issue 5: How can He say {Await} (tarabbaṣū) in the imperative form when the command to the Prophet (peace be upon him) necessitates the commanded action or permits it, yet their awaiting that was forbidden?

This is not a command; rather, it is a threat, meaning: "Await that, for We are awaiting destruction upon you," similar to when an angry master says to his slave, "Do what you wish, for I am not heedless of you." This is an utterance meant to minimize the matter to oneself, like when someone threatening another says, "I will complain you to Zayd," and the threatened person replies, "Complain me," meaning, "That does not concern me."

There is an added benefit here: if he had said, "Do not complain me," it would have indicated fear, contradicting the intended meaning. Thus, he provided a complete response in terms of both wording and meaning. If it is argued that he should have said, "Await or do not await," as in {So be patient or do not be patient} (At-Tur: 16), this is not the case. When the speaker in the aforementioned example says, "Complain me or do not complain me," it conveys his lack of fear of the complaint. If he says, "Complain me," it is more indicative of a lack of fear, as if he is saying, "I am unconcerned with it; you only imagine it is effective, so do it so that your belief is invalidated."

Issue 6: Regarding His saying: {Indeed, I am with you among those who await} (فإنى معكم من المتربصين)

This carries several meanings:

First: "I am with you among those who await, awaiting your destruction." They were indeed destroyed on the Day of Badr and on other days. This is the view of the majority.

What we hold in this context is that the speech can bear multiple meanings. The explanation is: If al-Manūn (time/fate) in {We await for him some calamity of time} means death, then His saying {Indeed, I am with you among those who await} means: "I fear death, nor do I wish for it, neither for myself nor for anyone else, due to my lack of knowledge of what my hands have presented. I am only a warner, and I say what my Lord said: {So if he should die or be killed, would you revert to your old ways on your heels?} (Al 'Imran: 144). So await my death, and I am awaiting it. This will not please you because what you expect after me will not materialize."

It is also possible, as was said, "Await my death, for I am awaiting your death by punishment."

If we take the meaning of Rīb al-Manūn to be the vicissitudes of time, then it means denying that the vicissitudes of time have an effect. It is as if He is saying, "I am among those who await to see what your time, which you deem destructive, will bring, and what it will inflict upon me."

In both scenarios, we say the Prophet (peace be upon him) awaits what they await. However, in the first case, his awaiting is coupled with the belief in its occurrence, while in the second, his awaiting is coupled with the belief in its lack of effect—similar to one who says, "I too am waiting to see what you do," thereby denying the occurrence of what they expect. This is because leaving the object in {Indeed, I am with you among those who await} implied, as it was mentioned (Rīb al-Manūn), is preferable to omitting it and intending something unmentioned (i.e., punishment).

Second: "I await the vicissitudes of time to show their ineffectiveness." Thus, He did not await anything from them in either sense. Based on this view, He awaits his own survival after them and the elevation of his word, so He did not await anything from them in the senses we chose, hence He said: {Indeed, I am with you among those who await}.

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