ﱘ ﱙ ﱚ ﱛ ﱜ ﱝ ﱞ ﱟ ﱠ ﱡ ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ ﱥ ﱦ ﱧ ﱨ ﱩ ﱪ ﱫ ﱬ ﱭ ﱮ ﱯ ﱰ ﱱ ﱲ ﱳ ﱴ ﱵ ﱶ ﱷ ﱸ ﱹ ﱺ ﱻ
Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide.
Tafsir
Verse range: 39:23
"Allah has sent down the best of discourses..."
It is narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) felt a sense of weariness, so they said to him, "Speak to us." Then this verse was revealed.
The placement of the name of Allah as the subject (mubtada’) and the construction of "sent down" (nazzala) upon it serves to:
"A Book" (kitaban): This is an appositive (badal) for "the best of discourses," or it may be a state (hal).
"Consistent" (mutashabihan): This is absolute in its meaning of the parts resembling one another. It encompasses the similarity of its meanings in soundness, precision, foundation upon truth and sincerity, and benefit to creation. It also refers to the harmony of its expressions, their balance in selection and accuracy, and the responsiveness of its structure and composition in terms of inimitability and the silencing of opponents.
"Repeating" (mathani): This may be an explanation of why it is "consistent," for repeated stories can only be consistent. Mathani is the plural of mathna, meaning "repeated" or "reiterated." It is so named because its stories, reports, rulings, commands, prohibitions, promises, threats, and exhortations are repeated. It is also said it is because it is repeated in recitation, so one does not grow weary of it, as described: "It does not become stale, nor does it wear out from frequent repetition." It may also be a plural of mathna (a noun of repetition), similar to the verse: "Then return your vision twice" (karratayn), meaning time after time.
If you ask: How can the singular (Book) be described with a plural (repeating)? I say: This is valid because the Book is a whole that possesses details, and the details of a thing are its whole and nothing else. Do you not see that you say: "The Quran is sevenths and fifths, chapters and verses"? Similarly, you say: "repeated stories, rulings, and exhortations." It is like saying: "A human is bones, veins, and nerves." You have shifted from the described to the description; the origin is: "A book, consistent, [containing] chapters [that are] repeating."
If you ask: What is the benefit of this repetition? I say: Souls are most averse to sermons and advice. If it is not repeated for them, returning to it again and again, it does not take root or produce its effect. Hence, it was the habit of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to repeat what he wished to convey or advise three or seven times, to fix it in their hearts and plant it in their chests.
"The skin shivers" (iqsha‘arra): This means to contract intensely. It is derived from qash‘, which is dry hide, with a fourth letter added (the ra’) to make it a quadriliteral root, indicating an intensified meaning. It is said: "His skin shivered from fear," meaning his hair stood on end; it is a metaphor for intense fear. It is possible that Allah (Subhanahu) intends this as a simile to depict the extremity of their awe, or He may intend it literally.
The meaning is: When they hear the Quran and the verses of threat, a fear befalls them that makes their skins shiver. Then, when they remember Allah, His mercy, and His generosity in forgiveness, their skins and hearts soften, and the fear and shivering depart.
If you ask: Why is "soften" (lanat) connected with "to" (ila)? I say: It implies the meaning of a verb that takes ila, as if it were said: "They became tranquil toward that." They become soft, not contracted; hopeful, not fearful.
If you ask: Why is only "Allah" mentioned without mentioning "Mercy"? I say: Because the foundation of His affair is mercy and compassion, and His mercy precedes His wrath. Because of the primacy of His mercy, when He is mentioned, nothing comes to mind before all His other attributes except that He is Compassionate and Merciful.
If you ask: Why were the skins mentioned alone first, then the hearts coupled with them second? I say: When the fear—whose seat is the heart—is mentioned, the hearts are already implied. It is as if it were said: Their skins shiver from the verses of threat, and their hearts fear at the first instance. Then, when they remember Allah—whose affair is built upon compassion and mercy—they replace fear with hope in their hearts, and shivering with softness in their skins.
"That" (dhalika): This refers to the Book. It is "the guidance of Allah; He guides with it whom He wills," meaning His devoted servants, so that they may experience that fear and that hope, as He said: "Guidance for the righteous."
"And whoever Allah leaves to stray..."—meaning those whom He abandons among the corrupt and the wicked—"there is no guide for him." Or, "that" (the aforementioned state of fear and hope) is the guidance of Allah, meaning the effect of His guidance, which is His grace. He called it "guidance" because it is obtained through guidance. "He guides with it" (this effect) whom He wills of His servants—meaning those who accompany the righteous and see them fearing and hoping, which encourages them to follow their path. "And whoever Allah leaves to stray"—meaning those who are not affected by His grace due to the hardness of their hearts and their persistence in wickedness—"there is no guide for him," meaning no one can affect him with anything at all.
