ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ ﲆ ﲇ ﲈ ﲉ ﲊ ﲋ ﲌ ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ
Never would the Messiah disdain to be a servant of Allah, nor would the angels near [to Him]. And whoever disdains His worship and is arrogant - He will gather them to Himself all together.
Tafsir
Verse range: 4:172
"The Messiah will never disdain..." He will never refuse, nor will he hold himself too proud. It is derived from nakafta al-dam'a (you wiped away the tear), meaning you removed it from your cheek with your fingers.
"...nor the angels brought near." Nor those who are higher than him in rank and greater in status, namely the Cherubim who are around the Throne, such as Gabriel, Michael, Israfil, and those of their station.
If you ask: From where does the phrase "nor the angels brought near" indicate that the meaning is "nor those above him"? I say: Because the science of rhetoric ('ilm al-ma'ani) necessitates nothing else. The speech was driven to refute the doctrine of the Christians and their extremism in elevating the Messiah above the station of servitude. Therefore, it was necessary to say to them: "Jesus will not hold himself above servitude, nor will those who are higher than him in rank." It is as if it were said: "The angels brought near will not disdain servitude, so how could the Messiah?" This is clearly and evidently indicated by specifying the "brought near," as they are the highest of the angels in rank and the loftiest in status.
An example of this is the poet’s saying: "None like him is matched by Hatim, nor the sea with its waves, whose surging depths roar." There is no doubt that by "the sea with its waves," he intended that which is above Hatim in generosity. Whoever possesses taste should savor this verse alongside the saying of the Almighty: "And never will the Jews or the Christians be pleased with you" (Al-Baqarah: 120), so that they may recognize the clear distinction. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) read it as 'ubaydan lillah (little servants of Allah), using the diminutive form.
It is narrated that the delegation of Najran said to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Why do you disparage our companion?" He said: "And who is your companion?" They said: "Jesus." He said: "And what should I say?" They said: "You say he is the servant of Allah and His messenger." He said: "It is no shame for him to be a servant of Allah." They said: "Yes, it is." [The author notes: This narration has no basis.] So, it was revealed: Meaning, Jesus does not disdain that, so do not disdain it on his behalf. If it were a matter of disdain, he would be the most entitled to disdain it, for the shame would be more attached to him.
If you ask: Upon what is the phrase "nor the angels" conjoined? I say: It must either be conjoined to "the Messiah," or to the noun of yakun (implied), or to the hidden pronoun in 'abdan (servant) because it contains the meaning of a description, as it indicates the meaning of servitude—like your saying: "I passed by a man whose father is a servant." Conjoining it to "the Messiah" is the most apparent, as other interpretations lead to a deviation from the purpose, which is that the Messiah does not disdain that he—and those above him—be described as servants, or that he and those above him worship Allah.
If you say: "You have made the angels, who are a group, a 'servant' ('abdan) of Allah in this conjunction, so what is the justification for that?" I say: There are two justifications. One is that it means "nor any one of the angels," or "nor the angels brought near to be servants of Allah," so it was omitted for brevity, as the phrase "servant of Allah" indicates it. As for when you conjoin them to the pronoun in 'abdan, this question falls away.
It was read: fasayahshuruhum (He will gather them) with the shin having a damma, a kasra, and with a nun (sanahshuruhum).
