Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:90

Question: To what does the phrase "Just as We sent down" (kamā anzalnā) attach?

Answer: There are two possibilities:

First: It attaches to His saying: "And We have certainly given you" (v. 87). That is: We sent down upon you [the Quran] just as We sent down upon the People of the Book—the "dividers" (al-muqtasimūn)—"who have made the Quran into parts" (‘iḍīn).

They did this out of stubbornness and hostility, claiming some of it was true (agreeing with the Torah and Gospel) and some false (disagreeing with them), thus dividing it and tearing it into pieces. It is also said they mocked it, with one saying, "The chapter of the Cow is mine," and another, "The chapter of the Family of Imran is mine."

It is also possible that "the Quran" refers to the scriptures they read, which they divided through distortion—just as the Jews affirmed parts of the Torah and denied others, and the Christians did the same with the Gospel. This serves as a consolation to the Messenger (ﷺ) regarding his people’s treatment of the Quran—calling it magic, poetry, or myths—by showing that other disbelievers did the same to previous scriptures.

Second: It attaches to His saying: "And say, 'Indeed, I am the clear warner'" (v. 89). That is: Warn the Quraysh just as We sent down punishment upon the "dividers"—meaning the Jews—such as what befell the tribes of Qurayza and Nadir. He treats the expected as the actual, which is a form of miraculous prophecy, as it foretells what will happen, and it did happen.

It is also possible that "who have made the Quran into parts" is the object of the "warner," meaning: Warn those who divide the Quran into magic, poetry, and myths, just as We sent down [punishment] upon the "dividers." These were the twelve men who divided the entrances of Mecca during the pilgrimage season, sitting at every entrance to turn people away from faith in the Messenger (ﷺ). One would say, "Do not be deceived by the one who has left our ranks, for he is a magician," another would say, "a liar," and another, "a poet." God destroyed them at the Battle of Badr and through various calamities before it, such as al-Walid ibn al-Mughira, al-‘As ibn Wa’il, and al-Aswad ibn al-Muttalib. Or, it refers to the group who conspired to kill Salih (peace be upon him)—"division" (iqtisām) here meaning "conspiracy" (taqāsum).

Question: If you attach "Just as We sent down" to "And We have certainly given you," what is the meaning of the intervening verses (v. 88, etc.)?

Answer: Since that [the first verse] was a consolation to the Messenger (ﷺ) regarding their denial and hostility, the intervening verses were inserted as a reinforcement of that consolation: forbidding him from looking toward their worldly life, forbidding him from grieving over their disbelief, and commanding him to turn his full attention toward the believers.

Linguistic Notes:

• ‘Iḍīn (parts): Plural of ‘iḍah. Its root is ‘iḍwah, a fi‘lah form derived from ‘aḍā al-shāh (he cut the sheep into limbs). The poet Ru’bah said: "And the religion of God is not to be divided (mu‘ḍā)."
• Alternative: It is said to be a fi‘lah form from ‘aḍadtuhu (I slandered him).
• ‘Ikrimah’s view: ‘Iḍah means "magic" in the dialect of Quraysh; they call a magician ‘āḍihah. The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed the ‘āḍihah (the female magician) and the musta‘ḍihah (the one seeking magic). The missing letter in the first case is a waw, and in the second, a ha’.

"So by your Lord, We will surely question them all, about what they used to do."