Tafsir of Al-Hadeed 57:29

Surah Al-Hadid (57): Verse 29

(The verse continues from the previous context, focusing on the command to believe in the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

There are two main scholarly opinions regarding the word لِئَلَّا (lia'llā) in this verse.

The First Opinion (The Majority View): لَا (lā) is an Expletive Particle

1. The Problem: Al-Wāḥidī noted that this verse is problematic, and the commentators lack a clear explanation for its connection to the preceding verses.
2. The Interpretation: The majority of commentators hold that the لَا (lā) here is an extra, superfluous particle (ṣilah zā'idah). The intended meaning is simply: "so that the People of the Book may know" (لِيَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ).
3. Contextual Basis: The People of the Book (the Children of Israel) used to claim that revelation, prophethood, and divine law were exclusively reserved for them.
4. Purpose of the Verse: After Allah commanded the People of the Book to believe in Muhammad ﷺ and promised them a great reward, He followed it with this verse. The purpose is to remove their belief that prophethood is restricted only to their nation.
   • The meaning becomes: "We have elaborated this explanation, and intensified the promises and warnings, so that the People of the Book may know that they cannot restrict God's favor to specific people, nor can they confine prophethood and revelation to a particular group. Favor is in God's Hand; He grants it to whomever He wills, and there is no questioning His decree."

The Second Opinion: لَا (lā) is Not Expletive

1. The Interpretation: This view, held by Abū Muslim al-Iṣfahānī and others, maintains that لَا is not superfluous.
2. Pronoun Reference: The pronoun in the phrase أَلَا يَقْدِرُونَ (a-lā yaqdirūn) refers back to the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions.
3. Reconstructed Meaning: The meaning would be: "We did this so that the People of the Book may not know that the Prophet and the believers have no power over any of God's favor."
   • If they know that the believers cannot control God's favor, then they must know that the believers can attain it through God's will.
4. Connecting the Clauses: Then comes the phrase: وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ (and that the favor is in God's Hand). This implies: "and let them know that the favor is in God's Hand."
5. Comparison of Views (Al-Rāzī's Preference):
   • The second view requires assuming an addition (an implied وَلْيَعْلَمُوا - "and let them know") in the second part (وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ).
   • The first view (the majority view) requires deleting a word (لَا) from the text.
   • Al-Rāzī argues that assuming an addition (implying a meaning) is preferable to assuming a deletion, because assuming a deletion makes the surface reading of the text potentially misleading (suggesting falsehood), whereas assuming an addition does not inherently contradict the apparent meaning. Therefore, the first opinion is stronger.

The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned several variant readings for this phrase:

1. لِكَيْ يَعْلَمَ (li-kay yaʿlama - so that it may be known)
2. لِكَيْلَا يَعْلَمَ (li-kaylā yaʿlama - so that it may not be known)
3. لِيَعْلَمَ (li-yaʿlama - so that it may be known)
4. لِأَنْ يَعْلَمَ (li-an yaʿlama - because it may be known, with the ن assimilated into the ي)

Ibn Jinni, citing Quṭrub in Al-Muḥtasab, reported a narration from Al-Ḥasan:

• لَيْلًا (laylan) with a kasra on the ل and a sukun on the ي (implying deletion of the hamza from لِئَلَّا). Ibn Jinni found this closer to the grammatical rules, as deleting the hamza leaves لِنَلَا, which would assimilate the ن into the ل resulting in لَلَا, which then becomes لَيْلًا due to the preceding vowel and the middle letter being quiescent.
• Ibn Mujāhid also narrated from Al-Ḥasan: لَيْلًا (laylan) with a fatḥa on the ل and a jazm (sukun) on the ي without a hamza. Ibn Jinni explained this by analogy to how the ل of preposition (لِـ) is vocalized when attached to a pronoun.

Regarding وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ (And that the favor is in God's Hand):

• This means the favor is within His possession and disposal. The "Hand" here is used metaphorically, similar to يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ (He gives it to whom He wills), signifying that He is powerful and free to choose, acting according to His will.

Regarding وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ (And Allah is the Possessor of Great Favor):

• If His Favor (الفضل) is Great (العظيم), then His beneficence must necessarily be immense.
• The intent here is to magnify the status of Muhammad ﷺ in his prophethood, his Law (Sharīʿah), and his Book (the Qur'an).

And Allah knows best the truth, and to Him is the return and final destination. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. And peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.