Tafsir of Al-Haqqah 69:40

Al-Haqqah (69): 40

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ (Indeed, it is the saying of a noble Messenger.)

Know that the Almighty mentioned something similar to this statement in Surah At-Takwir (81:1): {When the sun is enveloped [in darkness]}.

The majority opinion concerning that verse is that the intended meaning of the "noble Messenger" (رسول كريم) is Gabriel (جبريل), peace be upon him.

However, the majority opinion here (in Surah Al-Haqqah) is that the intended meaning is Muhammad (محمد), peace and blessings be upon him.

They supported this distinction by noting that here, after stating: {Indeed, it is the saying of a noble Messenger}, it is immediately followed by a negation: {Nor is it the saying of a poet} and {Nor is it the saying of a soothsayer}. The people of Mecca did not attribute poetry or soothsaying to Gabriel, peace be upon him; rather, they attributed these qualities to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

In contrast, in Surah At-Takwir, after stating: {Indeed, it is the saying of a noble Messenger}, it is followed by: {Nor is it the saying of an expelled devil} (At-Takwir 25). This implies that it is the saying of a noble Angel, not the saying of an expelled devil.

Therefore, the meaning here (in Al-Haqqah) is that the noble Messenger is Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), while in that Surah (At-Takwir), it is Gabriel (عليه السلام).

At this point, a question arises: The Ummah is in consensus that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah Almighty. Consequently, it must be that this single speech is the speech of Allah, the speech of Gabriel, and the speech of Muhammad. This seems illogical.

The Answer:

It is sufficient for the attribution of speech to be valid if there is the slightest basis for it.

1. It is the speech of Allah Almighty in the sense that He is the One who manifested it in the Preserved Tablet (اللوح المحفوظ), and He is the One who arranged and structured it.
2. It is the speech of Gabriel (عليه السلام) in the sense that he is the one who brought it down from the heavens to the earth.
3. It is the speech of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in the sense that he is the one who revealed it to creation, called people to believe in it, and used it as proof of his prophethood.

وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ * وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (Nor is it the saying of a poet; little do you believe. * Nor is it the saying of a soothsayer; little do you remember.)