| Al-Hadid (The Iron): (26) And verily We sent Noah...

Verse 26: {And verily We sent Noah and Abraham, and We placed in their progeny Prophethood and the Scripture.}

Know that when the Almighty mentioned sending the Messengers with clear proofs (Bayyināt) and miracles, and that He sent down the Balance (al-Mīzān) and Iron (al-Hadīd), and commanded people to support them, He followed that by clarifying other blessings bestowed upon them. Thus, He clarified that the Almighty honored Noah and Abraham, peace be upon them, with the Message (Risālah). Then, He placed Prophethood and the Scripture within their progeny. No one came after them with Prophethood except that he was from their descendants. Prophethood was mentioned before the Scripture because the perfection of the Prophet's state is to become the possessor of the Scripture and the Law.

Then the Almighty said: {And of them are guided ones, but many of them are defiantly disobedient (Fāsiqūn).} There are several issues concerning this:

Issue 1: {Of them are guided ones} means of their progeny, or of those to whom the Messengers were sent. This is indicated by the mention of the sending (of Messengers) and the Messengers themselves. The meaning is that among them are guided ones and among them are defiantly disobedient ones, and the majority are the defiantly disobedient.

Regarding the term Fāsiq (defiantly disobedient) here, there are two opinions:

1. It refers to one who commits a major sin, whether he is a disbeliever or not, because this term is applied to the disbeliever and to one who is not so if he commits a major sin.
2. What is meant by Fāsiq here is the disbeliever. This is because the verse indicates that the Almighty made the Fāsiqūn the opposite of the guided ones. It is as if the meaning is that among them are those who accepted the religion and were guided, and among them are those who did not accept and were not guided. It is known that whoever is like that must be a disbeliever. This view is weak because a Muslim who sins might also be described as one who has not been guided to the right path of his religion.

Verse 27: {Then We sent after them, in their footsteps, Our Messengers. And We sent after them Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming what came before him of the Torah. And We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Torah which came before it—a guidance and a lesson for the God-fearing.}

Verse 28: {And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then those are the defiantly disobedient (Fāsiqūn).}

Verse 29: {And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) in truth, confirming what came before it of the Scripture, and a guardian over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their vain desires away from the truth that has come to you. For each of you We have set a law and a way. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion]; but [He willed to test you] in what He gave you. So race to good deeds. To Allah is your return, and He will inform you about that over which you used to differ.}