ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ ﱗ ﱘ ﱙ ﱚ ﱛ ﱜ ﱝ
And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants. And indeed, [O Muhammad], you guide to a straight path -
Tafsir
Verse range: 42:52
{A spirit from Our command} He means: that which was revealed to him, for creation is brought to life through it in their religion, just as the body is brought to life by the spirit.
If you ask: It is known that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not know what the Qur’an was before it was revealed to him. So what is the meaning of His saying: {nor the faith}? It is not permissible for prophets—once they have attained reason and the capacity for reflection and deduction—to be mistaken regarding faith in Allah and His Oneness. They must be infallible (ma‘sum) from committing major sins, and from minor sins that cause aversion, both before and after their mission. How, then, could they not be infallible from disbelief (kufr)?
I say: "Faith" (al-iman) is a term that encompasses various things: some are reached via reason, and some are reached via revelation (al-sam‘). He means here that which is reached via revelation, not reason. That is what he had no knowledge of until he acquired it through revelation. Do you not see that He interpreted "faith" in His saying: {And Allah would never let your faith go to waste} (Al-Baqarah: 143) as "prayer"? This is because prayer is a part of what faith encompasses.
{Of Our servants whom We will} Those for whom there is divine grace (lutf), and those for whom there is no grace, for no guidance avails them.
{The path of Allah} This is an appositive (badal). It has been recited as li-tahdi (that He may guide you), meaning: Allah guides you. It has also been recited as li-tad‘u (that you may call).
From the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Whoever recites Ha-Mim ‘Ayn-Sin-Qaf (Ash-Shura) will be among those for whom the angels pray, seek forgiveness, and ask for mercy."
