Sūrat al-Sajdah

Meccan. Its verses are 30, and it is said 29.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

{ Alif-Lām-Mīm. } The explanation of these disjointed letters has been provided at the beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah.

{ The revelation of the Book, in which there is no doubt, is from the Lord of the worlds. } It is a revelation that is established and confirmed, such that no doubt can attach to it. The phrase "from the Lord of the worlds" serves as the predicate for "the revelation," indicating its source and authority.

{ Or do they say, "He invented it"? } This is an interrogative of rebuke. It asks: Do they claim that Muhammad (peace be upon him) fabricated the Quran?

{ Rather, it is the truth from your Lord, } It is the absolute truth, descending from your Lord, free from any falsehood or fabrication.

{ that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you, } This refers to the Arabs, who had not been sent a messenger for a long period of time, leaving them without guidance.

{ that perhaps they might be guided. } This expresses the purpose of the warning: that they might accept the truth and find the path of guidance.

{Alif-Lam-Mim} If taken as the name of the Surah, it is a subject (mubtada’) whose predicate (khabar) is {The revelation of the Book}. If you consider it an enumeration of letters, then {The revelation of the Book} is in the nominative case because it is the predicate of an omitted subject. Alternatively, it is a subject whose predicate is {there is no doubt in it}. The most sound view is that it is in the nominative case as a subject, with its predicate being {from the Lord of the worlds}, while {there is no doubt in it} is a parenthetical clause with no grammatical position.

The pronoun in {in it} refers to the content of the sentence; it is as if it were said: "There is no doubt in that," meaning in the fact that it is revealed from the Lord of the worlds. This is supported by His saying: {Or do they say, "He invented it?"} For their claim that it is invented is a denial that it is from the Lord of the worlds. Likewise, His saying: {Rather, it is the truth from your Lord} contains the affirmation that it is from Allah.

This is a sound and precise style: He first establishes that its revelation is from the Lord of the worlds and that this is something in which there is no doubt. Then, He turns away from that to the saying: {Or do they say, "He invented it?"} For am (or) here is the disjunctive (munqati'ah), meaning "rather" (bal) plus the interrogative hamzah, expressing denial of their claim and astonishment at it, given how manifest the matter is—evidenced by the inability of their eloquent masters to produce even three verses like it. Then, He turns away from the denial to affirm that it is the truth from your Lord.

This is analogous to a scholar providing a correct, comprehensive proof for an issue, having accounted for all necessary precautions—like the theologians saying: "Speculative reasoning (nazar) is the first of the absolute obligations from which no accountable person is exempt." Then, if someone objects to him regarding something he had already accounted for, he refutes it by clarifying that he had already guarded against that, then returns to establishing and advancing his argument.

If you ask: How can it be denied that there is doubt in it being from Allah, when He has established something even more severe than doubt, which is their saying: {He invented it?}

I say: The meaning of {there is no doubt in it} is that there is no room for doubt that it is the revelation of Allah, because the one who negates and removes doubt is present with it and inseparable from it: namely, that it is a miracle to mankind, and such a thing is the furthest thing from doubt. As for their saying {He invented it}, it is either the speech of an obstinate person who knows it is from Allah due to the manifest miracle, or an ignorant person who says it before reflecting or examining, simply because he heard others saying it.

{There has not come to them any warner before you} This is like His saying: {...that their forefathers were not warned} (Ya-Sin: 6). This is because Allah did not send a messenger to the Quraysh before Muhammad (peace be upon him).

If you ask: If no warner came to them, then the proof (hujjah) was not established against them?

I say: As for the establishment of the proof regarding the laws (shara'i') whose knowledge cannot be attained except through messengers, then no. But as for its establishment regarding the knowledge of Allah, His oneness, and His wisdom, then yes; because the rational proofs leading to that are with them in every age.

{That they might be guided} There are two interpretations:

1. It is an expression of hope (tarajji) from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), just as {perhaps he might remember} (Ta-Ha: 44) was an expression of hope from Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them).
2. The term for hope is used metaphorically to mean "will" or "intent."

{It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days; then He established Himself above the Throne. You have not besides Him any protector or any intercessor; so will you not be reminded?}