Tafsir of Saba' 34:23

You say: "The intercession belongs to Zayd," meaning he is the intercessor, just as you say: "Generosity belongs to Zayd."

It also carries the meaning that he is the one interceded for, just as you say: "The standing belongs to Zayd." Thus, His saying: {And intercession does not benefit in His presence except for whom He permits} may be interpreted in one of these two ways:

1. Intercession does not benefit unless it is for the one whom permission has been granted to the intercessor to intercede for.
2. Intercession does not benefit unless it is for the one who has been permitted—meaning the intercessor himself. Or, the lam (preposition) is like the second lam in the phrase: "Permission was granted to Zayd for Amr," meaning "for his sake." It is as if it were said: "Except for the one for whose sake permission was granted to the intercessor." This is a subtle and correct interpretation, and it serves as a refutation of their claim: "These are our intercessors before Allah."

If you ask: To what does the phrase {Until, when terror is removed from their hearts} connect, and why is hatta (until) used as a limit?

I say: It connects to what is understood from this discourse: that there is a waiting for permission, an expectation, a delay, and terror among those hoping for intercession and the intercessors themselves—will they be permitted or not? And that permission is not granted until after a long period of time and a long wait. A similar state is indicated by the Almighty’s saying: {Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful. They possess not from Him [the authority for] speech. The Day that the Spirit and the angels stand in rows, they will not speak except for whom the Most Merciful permits and who says what is correct} (An-Naba: 37).

It is as if it were said: They wait and pause for a long time, terrified and anxious, {Until, when terror is removed from their hearts}—meaning, when the terror is lifted from the hearts of the intercessors and those interceded for by a word spoken by the Lord of Might in granting permission. They rejoice at that, and some ask others: {What has your Lord said? They say, "The Truth."} That is, the true word, which is the permission to intercede for whom He is pleased with.

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) from the Prophet (peace be upon him): "When permission is granted to the one permitted to intercede, the terror of intercession is removed from him."

Regarding the readings:

• {Udhina lahu} (permission was granted to him): meaning Allah granted him permission. It is also read in the passive voice.
• Al-Hasan read fazi'a (lightened), meaning "he was terrified."
• It is also read fuzzi'a (passive), where the agent is Allah alone. Fuzzi'a means the terror was removed from them and annihilated, derived from the saying: "The provisions were exhausted (faragha)," meaning nothing remained of them. Then the mention of "terror" was omitted, and the verb was attributed to the prepositional phrase, just as you say: "It was paid to Zayd," when the object paid is known. It may also be lightened; its origin is faragha al-wajalu 'anha (the terror departed from them and vanished), then the agent was omitted and it was attributed to the prepositional phrase.
• It is read ifranqa'a 'an qulubihim, meaning "it was uncovered from them." It is narrated that Abu Alqama once suffered a bile attack, and people gathered around him. When he recovered, he said: "Why have you crowded around me like your crowding around a madman? Ifranqi'u (Clear away) from me." The word is composed of the letters of separation (f-r-q) with the addition of the 'ayn, just as iqmatara is composed from the letters of q-m-t with the addition of the ra.
• It is read al-haqqu (in the nominative case), meaning: "The Truth is what is spoken."

{And He is the Exalted, the Grand}: Possessor of exaltation and greatness. No king or prophet has the right to speak on that day except by His permission, and none may intercede except for whom He is pleased with.

{Say, "Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?" Say, "Allah. And indeed, we or you are either upon guidance or in clear error."}