Surah An-Nazi'at 79:19
ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ
And let me guide you to your Lord so you would fear [Him]?'"
Tafsir of An-Nazi'at 79:19
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 79:19
| An-Nāzi'āt: (19) And I will guide you to your Lord...
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Then the Almighty said: {And I will guide you to your Lord so that you may fear Him} (An-Nāzi'āt: 19). In this verse, there are several issues:
Issue 1: Those who maintain that knowledge of God can only be obtained from a guide.
They rely on this verse, stating that it explicitly indicates that [Moses] guides [Pharaoh] to the knowledge of God.
They further argue that two things demonstrate that this [knowledge of God] is the greatest objective of sending the Messengers:
- The preceding statement, {Do you have a desire to purify yourself?} (An-Nāzi'āt: 18), encompasses all necessary matters for the recipient of the message. Since God subsequently repeated the guidance aspect, it shows that this guidance (to God) is the primary objective of the mission.
- Moses concluded his speech with this point, which also indicates that it is the noblest of the objectives of prophethood.
The Response: We do not deny that [divine] guidance can be an aid and a pointer in revealing the truth. The dispute lies in your assertion that this [knowledge] is impossible to attain except through the teacher. We do not affirm that impossibility.
Issue 2: The verse indicates that knowledge of God precedes obedience to Him.
This is because the guidance (to God) is mentioned, and the fear (khashyah) is made subsequent to it and derived from it.
A parallel example is found in the verse at the beginning of Surah An-Nahl: {Warn them that there is no god but Me, so fear Me} (An-Nahl: 2). And in Ṭā-Hā: {Indeed, I am God; there is no deity except Me, so worship Me} (Ṭā-Hā: 14).
Issue 3: The verse indicates that fear (khashyah) only occurs through knowledge.
The Almighty states: {Indeed, those among His servants who have knowledge fear God the most} (Fāṭir: 28), meaning those who have knowledge of Him.
The verse also indicates that fear is the pivot of all good deeds, because whoever fears God will perform every good, whereas whoever feels secure (lacking fear) will dare to commit every evil. This is supported by the Prophet's saying (peace be upon him): "Whoever fears (the destination), travels by night (early morning journey), and whoever travels by night reaches the destination."