Al-An'am (The Cattle): (92) And this is a Book which We have revealed...

It should be noted that after refuting the claim of those who said, "Allah has not revealed anything to any human being," the Almighty mentions that the Qur'an is the Book of Allah, revealed by Allah to Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Know that His statement, {And this} refers to the Qur'an, and He describes it as a Book. The explanation of "Book" has already been covered at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah. Then, He describes it with many attributes.

The purpose here is to make it known that it is from Allah Almighty, not from the Messenger. This is because it is not impossible that Allah might have endowed Muhammad (peace be upon him) with extensive knowledge enabling him to compose the Qur'anic words with such eloquence. Thus, the Almighty clarified that this is not the case, and that He Himself undertook its revelation through inspiration via the tongue of Gabriel (peace be upon him).

The scholars of meaning say: A blessed Book means it has abundant good, perpetual blessing, and benefit. It gives good tidings of reward and forgiveness, and it warns against the ugly and disobedience.

I say: Knowledge is either theoretical or practical. As for theoretical knowledge, the noblest and most complete form is the knowledge of Allah's Essence, His Attributes, His Actions, His Rulings, and His Names. You will not find these sciences more complete or noble than what you find in this Book. As for practical knowledge, the desired outcome is either the actions of the limbs or the actions of the hearts, which is termed the purification of morals and the refinement of the soul. You will not find these two branches of knowledge equal to what is found in this Book. Furthermore, it is the established way of Allah that whoever seeks and adheres to it will attain the glory of this world and the happiness of the Hereafter.

The author of this book, Muhammad ibn Umar al-Razi, says: I have transmitted various types of transmitted (Naqli) and rational ('Aqli) knowledge, yet I have not attained the types of happiness in religion and the world through any other knowledge as much as I have through serving this knowledge.

This means it confirms the Books that preceded it. In reality, this is the case, because what exists in the other divine Books is either knowledge of fundamental principles (Usul) or knowledge of secondary matters (Furu').

As for the knowledge of fundamental principles, disparity is impossible due to the difference in times and places. Therefore, it must be affirmed that what is mentioned in the Qur'an agrees with and corresponds to what is in the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, and all other divine Books.

As for the knowledge of secondary matters, the divine Books preceding the Qur'an contained glad tidings of the advent of Muhammad (peace be upon him). If this is the case, then it was established in those Books that the injunctions contained therein remain valid only until the appearance of Muhammad (peace be upon him). After the appearance of his Law, they become abrogated. Thus, it is established that those Books indicated the validity of those rulings in this manner, and the Qur'an corresponds and agrees with this meaning. Hence, the Qur'an is established as a confirmer of all divine Books in terms of both fundamental principles and secondary matters.

Herein lie several discussions:

First Discussion: They agree that there is an omission here, and the meaning is: "and to warn the people of the Mother of Towns." They agree that the Mother of Towns (Umm al-Qura) is Mecca. They differed on the reason why Mecca was named this. Ibn Abbas said: It was named so because the lands were spread out from beneath it and around it. Abu Bakr al-Asamm said: It was named so because it is the origin/foremost place for the people of the world, making it the basis, and all other lands and towns are subordinate to it. Moreover, the Hajj, which is a fundamental act of worship for the people of the world, occurs only in that town, so people gather there as children gather around their mother. Also, since the people of the world gather there for Hajj, various types of trade and benefits arise there that do not occur in other lands. Trade and earning are undoubtedly fundamental aspects of livelihood, so Mecca was named the Mother of Towns for this reason. It is also said that Mecca was named the Mother of Towns because the Ka'bah was the first House established for mankind. Another opinion is that Mecca was the first town inhabited on Earth.

Once this is known, we say: His statement {and those around her} includes all other towns and villages.

Second Discussion: A group of Jews claimed that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a Messenger only to the Arabs. They used this verse as proof for their claim, arguing that Allah revealed this Qur'an to him only to deliver it to the people of Mecca and the surrounding villages, meaning the Arabian Peninsula. If he were sent to all the worlds, then restricting it to {to warn the Mother of Towns and those around her} would be invalid.

The response: Singling out these places for mention does not indicate the absence of the ruling elsewhere, except through the implication of the mafhum (implied meaning), which is weak. This is especially true since it is established by overwhelming, continuous transmission—a certainty in the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him)—that he claimed to be a Messenger to all the worlds. Furthermore, {and those around her} encompasses all lands and villages surrounding it. Under this interpretation, the entirety of the world's lands is included. And Allah knows best.

Third Discussion: 'Asim, in the narration of Abu Bakr, recited {liyunthira} (that He may warn) with the Ya' (indicating the Book as the subject), because the Book contains a warning. Do you not see that He said, {it moves by it} (referring to the Book), and He said, {and warn by it}, and He said, {I only warn you by the revelation}? Thus, attributing the warning to the Book is not impossible as a figure of speech (ittisa', extension). As for the rest of the reciters, they read {wa li tunthira} (and that you may warn) with the Ta' (addressing the Prophet, peace be upon him), because the one commanded and described with warning is the Prophet. Allah Almighty says: {You are only a warner}, and He says: {And warn those who fear}.

Then the Almighty said: {And those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it}. The apparent meaning suggests that belief in the Hereafter serves as the cause for belief in the Messenger (peace be upon him). The scholars have mentioned several ways to establish this causality:

1. Whoever believes in the Hereafter is the one who believes in the Promise and the Threat, Reward and Punishment. Whoever is like this will greatly desire to attain the reward and be fearful of the punishment, and will exert great effort in contemplating the proofs of Tawhid (Oneness of God) and Prophethood, thus reaching knowledge and faith.
2. The religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is built upon belief in the Resurrection and the Hour. No prophet has emphasized the establishment of this principle as much as the Law of Muhammad (peace be upon him). For this reason, belief in the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the truth of the Hereafter are two inseparable matters.
3. It is possible that the intent of this statement is to highlight why the people of Mecca were prevented from accepting this religion. This is because the impetus for bearing the hardship of contemplation and reasoning, abandoning worldly leadership, and leaving behind envy and malice is nothing but the desire for reward and the fear of punishment. Since the disbelievers of Mecca did not believe in the Resurrection and the Hour, it was impossible for them to abandon malice and leadership, hence their rejection of this religion and their acknowledgment of Muhammad's prophethood (peace be upon him) was distant.

Then He said: {and they are diligent in their prayers}. This means that just as belief in the Hereafter motivates a person to believe in prophethood, it also motivates him to be diligent in maintaining prayers. No one can argue: "Belief in the Hereafter motivates all obedience, so what is the benefit of singling out prayer?" We reply: The intent is to draw attention to the fact that prayer is the noblest act of worship after belief in Allah and the greatest in significance. Do you not see that the name 'faith' (Iman) is applied to no outward act of worship except prayer, as Allah Almighty says: {And Allah would not make your faith to be lost} (Al-Baqarah: 143), meaning your prayer? And the name 'disbelief' (Kufr) is applied to no sin except abandoning prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: (Whoever intentionally abandons prayer has disbelieved). Since prayer is distinguished by this type of honor, it is appropriate that Allah singled it out for mention in this context. And Allah knows best.

7 < {And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been revealed to me," when nothing has been revealed to him, or one who says, "I will produce [something] like what Allah has sent down"? And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the throes of death, and the angels are extending their hands, [saying], "Bring out your souls! Today you will be recompensed with the punishment of humiliation because you used to speak about Allah other than the truth and were arrogant toward His verses."} > 7 !