Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verse 105

{And thus do We variously explain the signs...}

Know that after the Almighty concluded the discourse concerning the Divine Attributes (Ilahiyyat) up to this point, He began establishing the Prophecies (Nubuwwat). He started by recounting the doubts raised by those who denied the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The first doubt was their assertion: "O Muhammad, this Qur'an you have brought us is speech you acquire from studying with scholars and debating with the eloquent, and you compose it yourself, then recite it to us, claiming it is revelation sent down to you from God."

The Almighty responded to this with numerous arguments. This verse establishes the structure [of the response], and it contains several issues:

Know that the meaning of {And thus do We variously explain the signs} (وكذلك نصرف الايات) is that the Almighty brings them forth sequentially, case after case (متواترة حالا بعد حال).

Then He said: {and that they may say, "You have studied"} (وليقولوا درست). This contains several discussions:

Discussion 1: The Meaning of Darasta (درست)

Al-Wahidi narrated two opinions regarding the phrase darasa al-kitab (درس الكتاب):

1. Al-Asma'i's view: Its origin is from the saying darasa al-ta'am (درس الطعام), meaning he trampled it (داسه). Darasan (دراسا) is the act of trampling, which is called diyas (الدياس) in the dialect of the people of Sham. He said the word darasa al-kalam (درس الكلام) derives from this, meaning he studies it until it becomes easy on his tongue.
2. Abu al-Haytham's view: Darastu al-kitab (درست الكتاب) means I made the book familiar through frequent reading until its memorization became easy. This comes from the saying adrasa al-thawb (أدرسه ثوبا درسا), meaning I wore it out, so it becomes madrus (مدروس) or daris (دريس), i.e., worn out. Hence, worn-out clothing is called daris because it has become soft. Ad-dirasah (الدراسة) is practice/training. Hence, "I studied the Surah until I memorized it." Al-Wahidi added that this second view is close to what Al-Asma'i said, perhaps identical, as the meaning reverts to making something familiar and softening it.

Discussion 2: Recitations of Darasta

1. Ibn Kathir and Abu 'Amr's recitation: They read it as دارست (Dāras-ta) with an alif and the tā' in the accusative case. This is also the recitation of Ibn 'Abbas and Mujahid. Its meaning is: "You studied [the scriptures] with the Jews, and they studied with you; a mutual discussion and deliberation occurred between you and them." This reading is supported by the verse: {And those who disbelieve say, "This is not but a falsehood he has invented, and others have aided him"} (Al-Furqan: 4).
2. Ibn 'Amir's recitation: He read it as درست (Darasta), meaning: "These accounts you recite to us are ancient; they have become worn out and erased, vanishing from the dars (trace/mark)." Al-Azhari said that whoever reads it as darast means "it has become ancient" (تقادم), i.e., what you recite to us has become old and long-standing, derived from the saying darasa al-athar (درس الأثر), meaning the trace faded.

The author of Al-Kashshaf narrated other readings here:

1. دُرِّست (Durrisat) with a ḍammah on the rā’, as an intensification of darast (it became extremely worn out).
2. دُرِّسَت (Durrisat) in the passive voice, meaning it became ancient and obsolete.
3. دارست (Dārasat), interpreted as: "The Jews studied with Muhammad."
4. دَرَسَ (Darasa), meaning: "Muhammad studied."
5. دارسات (Dārisāt), meaning: "They (the accounts) are old, or possess dars (familiarity)," similar to ʿayshatun rāḍiyah (a pleasing life).

Discussion 3: The Conjunction Waw (و)

The waw in {And thus do We variously explain the signs and that they may say} (وكذلك نصرف الايات وليقولوا) is connected to an implied antecedent. The meaning is: "And thus do We variously explain the signs in order to establish the proof against them, and that they may say..." The implied antecedent was omitted because its meaning is clear.

Discussion 4: The Purpose of Explaining the Signs

Know that the Almighty said: {And thus do We variously explain the signs} (وكذلك نصرف الايات), and then mentioned the reason for this variation, which consists of two matters:

1. His saying: {and that they may say} (وليقولوا).
2. His saying: {and to make it clear for a people who know} (ولنبينه لقوم يعلمون).

The second reason presents no difficulty, as the Almighty clarified that the wisdom behind this variation is to manifest explanation, understanding, and knowledge.

The difficulty lies in the first reason: {and that they may say}. Their saying to the Messenger, "You studied [with others]," is an act of disbelief in the Qur'an and the Messenger. At this point, the debate concerning Predestination (Jabr) and Free Will (Qadar) returns.

Our Companions (Ashā'irah): They take the statement at its apparent meaning. They say the meaning is: "We mention these proofs sequentially so that some may say, 'He studied,' thereby increasing in disbelief upon disbelief, and confirming others in their faith, increasing in faith upon faith." This is analogous to His saying: {By it He misleads many and guides many by it} (Al-Baqarah: 26), and {And it increases only those who are diseased in their hearts in impurity upon their impurity} (At-Tawbah: 125).

The Mu'tazilah: They were perplexed. Al-Jubba'i and Al-Qadi stated that there are only two possibilities:

1. Interpreting the affirmation as negation: The meaning is: "And thus do We variously explain the signs so that they may not say, 'You have studied.'" This is analogous to His saying: {Allah makes clear to you so that you do not go astray} (يبين الله لكم أن تضلوا), meaning: "so that you may not go astray."
2. Interpreting the lām (for/that) as the lām of consequence (lām al-'āqibah): The meaning is: "The consequence of their affair, when We variously explain these signs, is that they utter this statement, relying on their own choice and turning away from what is necessitated by considering these proofs." This is the extent of their argument on this matter.

One may object to the first answer: It is weak for two reasons:

1. Interpreting affirmation as negation is a distortion and alteration of God's word. Opening this door means that neither His affirmations nor His negations can be relied upon as proof, which invalidates it as evidence.
2. Even if this type of interpretation were permissible in principle, it is entirely inappropriate here. This is because the Prophet (PBUH) presented the verses of the Qur'an gradually (نجماً نجماً). The disbelievers said that Muhammad was compiling these verses, reflecting upon them, and arranging them verse by verse before presenting them. If this were revelation descending from heaven, why did he not bring the entire Qur'an at once, as Moses (peace be upon him) brought the Torah all at once?

Given this, we say: The sequential presentation of the signs (حالا فحال) is precisely what caused the people to raise the suspicion that Muhammad (PBUH) was bringing this Qur'an through study and deliberation with others. According to what Al-Jubba'i and Al-Qadi say, this sequential presentation should prevent them from claiming that Muhammad (PBUH) brought the Qur'an through study and deliberation. Thus, the answer they provided would only be correct if we made the sequential presentation of the signs the reason they refrain from making that claim. However, we have already shown that the sequential presentation is what causes them to make that claim. Therefore, their argument fails.

As for the second answer—interpreting the lām as the lām of consequence—it is also remote, because interpreting this lām as the lām of consequence is metaphorical (majāz), whereas interpreting it as the lām of purpose (lām al-gharaḍ) is literal (ḥaqīqah). The literal meaning takes precedence over the metaphorical. If we were to say that the lām in {and that they may say, "You have studied"} is the lām of consequence, while the lām in {and to make it clear for a people who know} is the lām of purpose (literal), then we would have placed the metaphor before the literal meaning in the sequence of mention, which is impermissible.

Therefore, based on what we have mentioned, the weakness of these two answers is established. The truth is what we stated: the meaning is precisely what is mentioned in His saying: {By it He misleads many and guides many by it}. What reinforces this interpretation is His saying: {and to make it clear for a people who know}, meaning: "We only made it clear for these people. As for those who do not know, We did not make these signs clear to them." Since this indicates that the Almighty made it a clarification only for the believers, it is established that He made it a misguidance for the disbelievers, which is what we maintained. And God knows best.

{Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord. There is no deity except Him. And turn away from the polytheists. *And if Allah had willed, they would not have associated [others with Him]. And We have not made you a guardian over them, nor are you a trustee over them.} (6:106-107)