Tafsir of An-Naml 27:59

He commanded His Messenger (peace be upon him) to recite these verses, which speak with proofs of His Oneness, His power over all things, and His wisdom. He commanded him to begin with His praise and the salutation upon His prophets and the chosen ones among His servants.

In this is excellent instruction, a guidance toward beautiful etiquette, and an incitement to seek blessings through these two mentions (praise and salutation). It serves as a means to ensure that what is presented to the listeners is accepted, that they listen attentively, and that it occupies the place in their hearts that the speaker desires. Scholars, orators, and preachers have inherited this etiquette from one generation to the next; they praise Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He) and invoke blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) before every beneficial discourse, every sermon, and every reminder, and at the opening of every speech. The writers of epistles followed them, placing these at the beginning of their letters regarding conquests, congratulations, and other significant events.

It is said: It is connected to what precedes it, a command to praise Allah for the destruction of the disbelieving nations and to invoke peace upon the prophets (peace be upon them) and their followers who were saved.

It is also said: It is an address to Lot (peace be upon him), commanding him to praise Allah for the destruction of the disbelievers of his people and to invoke peace upon those whom Allah chose and saved from their destruction, and whom He protected from their sins.

It is known that there is absolutely no good in what they associated [with Allah] such that it could be weighed against the One who is the Creator and Owner of all good. Rather, it is a way to bind them, rebuke them, and mock their state. They preferred the worship of idols over the worship of Allah, and no rational person prefers one thing over another except for a motive that calls them to that preference, such as an increase in good or benefit. Thus, it was said to them—despite the knowledge that there is no good in what they preferred, and that they did not prefer it for an increase in good, but rather out of whim and folly—to alert them to their excessive error, their ruinous ignorance, their loss of discernment, their abandonment of reason, and to let them know that preference must be for that which possesses superior good. Similar to this is what He recounted of Pharaoh: "Or am I better than this one who is insignificant?" (Az-Zukhruf: 52), despite his knowledge that Moses did not possess the likes of the rivers that flowed beneath him.

Then, He (Glorified be He) enumerated the blessings and benefits that are the effects of His mercy and grace, just as He enumerated them in another place, then said: "Is there any of your 'partners' who can do any of that?" It is read as yushrikūn (they associate) with both the yā and the tā.

It is narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that when he recited it, he would say: "Nay, Allah is better, more enduring, more majestic, and more generous."

"Is He [not better] who created the heavens and the earth and sent down for you rain from the sky, causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof? Is there a deity with Allah? Nay, but they are a people who equate [others with Him]."