Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:163

"Indeed, We have revealed to you..." This is a response to the People of the Scripture regarding their demand that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) bring down a book upon them from the sky. It serves as an argument against them, establishing that his status regarding revelation is the same as that of the prophets who preceded him.

Note: It is also recited as zubūran (with a damma on the zāy), which is the plural of zabr, meaning "the book."

"...and messengers..." This is in the accusative case (naṣb) due to an implied verb that aligns with the meaning of "We have revealed to you," such as "We have sent" (arsalnā), "We have informed" (nabaʾnā), or similar. Alternatively, it is governed by the verb that explains it: "We have related them" (qaṣaṣnāhum). In the reading of Ubayy, it is: "And messengers whom We have related to you before, and messengers whom We have not related." Ibrahim and Yahya ibn Waththab recited it as wa-kallama Allāhu (And Allah spoke to [Musa]).

"...and Allah spoke to [Musa]..." Recited in the accusative case (naṣb). Among the heretical interpretations is the claim that it comes from al-kalam (a wound), suggesting it means "Allah wounded Musa with the nails of trials and the claws of tribulations."

"...messengers, bringers of good tidings and warners..." The most appropriate grammatical position is that it is in the accusative as a description of praise (madḥ), though it is also permissible to consider it a repetition (takrīr).

If you ask: How can people have an argument against Allah before the messengers arrive, when they are already held accountable by the proofs Allah established—the contemplation of which leads to knowledge? Furthermore, the messengers themselves only attained knowledge through contemplating those same proofs, and they were only recognized as messengers of Allah through that same contemplation.

I reply: The messengers serve to awaken people from heedlessness and incite them to contemplate—as you see with the scholars of justice and monotheism (ahl al-ʿadl wa-al-tawḥīd). Along with conveying what they were entrusted with regarding the details of religious matters, clarifying the conditions of obligation, and teaching the laws, their sending was a removal of the excuse and a completion of the binding proof. This is so that they might not say, "If only You had sent a messenger to us, he would have awakened us from the slumber of heedlessness and alerted us to what we were obligated to be alert to."

Note: Al-Sulami recited lākinna Allāha yashhadu with a tashdīd (emphasis).

If you ask: A istidrāk (rectification/exception) requires a preceding statement to be rectified; what is it here?

I reply: When the People of the Scripture asked for a book to be sent down from the sky and were obstinate, Allah argued against them with: "Indeed, We have revealed to you..." They replied, "We do not bear witness to this for you." Thus, "But Allah bears witness..." was revealed.

The meaning of Allah’s testimony regarding what was revealed to him is the affirmation of its authenticity through the manifestation of miracles, just as claims are proven by evidence. The testimony of the angels is their witness that it is truth and reality.

If you ask: How would they be answered if they said, "How is it known that the angels bear witness to this?"

I reply: They are answered that it is known through the testimony of Allah. Since it is known through the manifestation of miracles that He testifies to its authenticity, it is known that the angels testify to the authenticity of what He has testified to, for their testimony is subordinate to His.

If you ask: What is the meaning of His saying, "He has sent it down with His knowledge," and what is its position relative to the preceding sentence?

I reply: It means He sent it down imbued with His specific knowledge, which no one else possesses: its composition in a structure and style that every eloquent person and master of rhetoric is incapable of matching. Its position relative to the preceding sentence is that of an explanatory clause (jumla mufassira); it clarifies the testimony. His testimony to its authenticity is that He sent it down in a miraculous structure that transcends human capability.

It has also been said: He sent it down while knowing that you are worthy of receiving it and that you are one who will convey it. Others say: He sent it down containing the interests of the servants, which He alone knows. It is also possible that He sent it down while being All-Knowing of it, watching over it, and protecting it from the devils through the surveillance of the angels—and the angels bear witness to that, as He said at the end of Surah al-Jinn.

Do you not see His saying: "And He encompasses what is with them" (Al-Jinn: 28)? "Encompassing" here means knowledge.

"And sufficient is Allah as a Witness," even if no one else bears witness, for the affirmation of the miracle is the true testimony. "Say, 'What thing is greatest in testimony?' Say, 'Allah'" (Al-Anʿām: 19).