Al-An'am (The Cattle): (155 - 157)

And This Is a Book Which We Have Revealed...

It is certain that "this Book" refers to the Qur'an.

The benefit of describing it as blessed (مبارك) is that it is established and immune to abrogation, unlike the previous scriptures, or it means it contains abundant good and benefit.

Then He said: "so follow it" (فاتبعوه), which is clear in meaning.

Then He said: "and be pious, that you may receive mercy" (واتقوا لعلكم ترحمون). This means "so that you may be shown mercy." There are three interpretations regarding this:

1. It is said: Be pious by avoiding contradicting it, in hope of mercy.
2. It is said: Be pious so that you may receive mercy, meaning the goal of piety is God's mercy.
3. It is said: Be pious as a recompense for your piety, leading to mercy.

Then the Exalted said: "lest you should say: The Book was sent down only to two groups before us" (أن تقولوا إنما أنزل الكتاب على طائفتين من قبلنا). There are several interpretations concerning this phrase:

The First View: Al-Kisa'i and Al-Farra' held that the implied meaning is: "We revealed it lest you should say" (لئلا تقولوا), with the preposition (أن) and the negative particle (لا) being omitted, similar to His saying: "Allah makes clear to you so that you do not go astray" (An-Nisa: 176) and "anchors so that it does not shake with you" (An-Nahl: 15), meaning "so that not."

The Second View: This is the view of the Basrans. It means: "We revealed it out of dislike that you should say" (كراهة أن تقولوا). They do not permit the omission of (لا), because it is not permissible to say, "I came so that I might honor you" (جئت أن أكرمك) meaning, "so that I might not honor you" (أن لا أكرمك). We have detailed the verification of this issue at the end of Surah An-Nisa.

The Third View: Al-Farra' said that (أن) might be connected to the command "be pious" (اتقوا), making the interpretation: "And be pious lest you should say that the Book was sent down only..."

The Second Inquiry: The address in "lest you should say" (أن تقولوا) is directed to the people of Mecca. The meaning is: out of dislike that the people of Mecca should say, "The Book was sent down only to two groups before us"—meaning the Jews and the Christians—and that "and indeed we were heedless of their study" (وإن كنا عن دراستهم لغافلين). Here, (إن) is the lightened form of the heavy (إنّ), and the (لام) is the distinguishing particle between it and the negative (لا). The original structure is: "and indeed we were heedless of their study."

The purpose of these verses is to establish the proof against them by revealing the Qur'an to Muhammad, so that on the Day of Resurrection they cannot say, "The Torah and the Gospel were sent down to two groups before us, and we were heedless of what was in them." Thus, Allah cut off their excuse by revealing the Qur'an to them.

And His saying: "and indeed we were heedless of their study" (وإن كنا عن دراستهم لغافلين) means we did not know what they studied because their book was not in our language.

The meaning of "or say: If a Book had been sent down to us, we would have been more guided than them" is an explanation of the first part, meaning "lest they say and use that as an argument." Then the Exalted clarified that He cut off their argument by saying: "Indeed, there has come to you a clear proof from your Lord" (فقد جاءكم بينة من ربكم), which is the Qur'an and what the Messenger brought, "and guidance and mercy" (وهدى ورحمة).

If it is asked: Since the clear proof (بينة) and guidance (هدى) are the same, what is the benefit of the repetition?

We reply: The Qur'an is a clear proof (بينة) in what is known through hearing (revelation), while it is guidance (هدى) in what is known through both hearing and intellect. Since the benefit differs, this conjunction is justified. We have already explained that the meaning of "mercy" (رحمة) is that it is a blessing in religion.

Then the Exalted said: "And who is more unjust than one who denies the verses of Allah and turns away from them?" (فمن أظلم ممن كذب بآيات الله وصدف عنها).

This means magnifying the disbelief of one who denies Allah's verses and turns away from them (يصدف عنها). The first part (denial) is misguidance, and the second part (turning away) is preventing others from the truth and causing misguidance.

Then the Exalted said: "We will recompense those who turn away from Our verses with an evil torment" (سنجزى الذين يصدفون عن آياتنا سوء العذاب). This is like His saying: "Those who disbelieved and barred [people] from the way of Allah, We will increase them in torment upon torment" (Al-A'raf: 88).