Al-Furqan: (20) "And We did not send before you..."
"And We did not send before you [any of the messengers] except that they ate food and walked in the markets."
- The Grammatical Structure: The phrase following "except" (illa) is an adjective for an omitted noun. The meaning is: "We did not send before you anyone from the messengers except that they were eaters and walkers." The noun was omitted, relying on the prepositional phrase (min al-mursalin) to indicate it. A similar example is the Almighty’s saying: "And there is none among us except that he has a known position" (As-Saffat: 164), meaning: "There is no one among us."
- The Reading: It has been read as yumshawna (passive voice), meaning: "Their needs are walked for them," or "people walk for them." If it were read as yamshuna (active voice), it would be more eloquent, were it not for the established transmission (riwayah).
- The Context: It is an argument against those who said: "What is the matter with this messenger that he eats food and walks in the markets?" (Al-Furqan: 7).
"And We have made some of you a trial for others—will you have patience?"
- Trial (Fitnah): Meaning an ordeal and a test. This is to console the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) regarding what they said and deemed strange—his eating food and walking in the markets—after having argued against them using the previous messengers.
- The Meaning: It is as if He says: "It is My custom and the requirement of My wisdom to test some of you, O people, with others." He tested the messengers with those to whom they were sent, through their hostility, their unjust statements, and their various forms of harm, demanding beautiful patience from them. Similar to this is: "And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah—indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of resolve" (Al-Imran: 186).
- The Sequence: The placement of "Will you have patience?" after mentioning the trial is like the placement of "which of you" after mentioning the test in His saying: "To test you [as to] which of you is best in deed" (Hud: 7; Al-Mulk: 2).
- "And your Lord is ever, by nature, All-Seeing": Meaning He is All-Knowing of what is correct in what He tests with and otherwise. Therefore, do not let your chest be constricted, and do not let their words unsettle you, for in your patience lies your happiness and success in both worlds.
Alternative Interpretations:
- Consolation regarding poverty: It is a consolation for him regarding their taunts about his poverty—when they said: "Or why is a treasure not presented to him, or does he not have a garden?"—meaning He made the rich a trial for the poor to see if they would be patient. It is His wisdom and will: He enriches whom He wills and impoverishes whom He wills.
- The Messenger as a trial: It is said: "We made you a trial for them," because if you were wealthy, possessing treasures and gardens, their inclination toward you and obedience to you would have been for the sake of the world, or mixed with worldly desire. We sent you poor so that the obedience of those who follow you would be purely for the sake of Allah, without worldly greed.
- Social status: It is said that Abu Jahl, Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Al-As ibn Wa'il, and their peers used to say: "If we were to embrace Islam, while Ammar, Suhayb, Bilal, and so-and-so have already embraced it before us, they would elevate themselves over us, boasting of their precedence." Thus, they were a trial for one another.
"And those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, 'Why were angels not sent down to us, or [why] do we not see our Lord?' They have certainly become arrogant within themselves and have become insolent with great insolence."
