Tafsir of Ad-Dukhan 44:1-8

Ḥā-Mīm.

The wāw in {wa-l-kitābi} is a particle of oath. This is if Ḥā-Mīm is considered an enumeration of letters or a name for the surah, in which case it is in the nominative case as the predicate of an omitted subject. If Ḥā-Mīm is the object of the oath, then the wāw is a conjunction.

His saying: {Indeed, We sent it down} is the response to the oath. "The Clear Book" refers to the Qur’an. "The Blessed Night" is the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr). It is also said to be the middle night of Sha‘bān, which has four names: the Blessed Night, the Night of Immunity (Barā’ah), the Night of the Document (Ṣakk), and the Night of Mercy. Some say there are forty days between it and the Night of Decree. Regarding the names "Immunity" and "Document," it is said that when a tax collector (bandār) collects the tribute from the people, he writes them a receipt of immunity; likewise, Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He) writes immunity for His believing servants on this night.

It is said to be distinguished by five characteristics:

1. The decreeing of every wise matter.
2. The virtue of worship during it: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever prays one hundred rak‘ahs on this night, Allah sends him one hundred angels: thirty to give him glad tidings of Paradise, thirty to secure him from the punishment of the Fire, thirty to ward off the afflictions of the world, and ten to ward off the traps of Satan."
3. The descent of mercy: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah shows mercy to my nation on this night equal to the number of hairs on the sheep of the tribe of Kalb."
4. The attainment of forgiveness: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah (Exalted is He) forgives all Muslims on that night, except for a soothsayer, a sorcerer, one who harbors hatred, an addict of alcohol, one disobedient to parents, or one persistent in adultery."
5. The completion of intercession granted to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): He asked on the 13th night of Sha‘bān for his nation and was granted one-third; on the 14th night, he was granted two-thirds; and on the 15th night, he was granted the whole, except for those who flee from Allah like a runaway camel. It is also the custom of Allah on this night to increase the water of Zamzam visibly.

The majority opinion is that the "Blessed Night" is the Night of Decree, based on His saying: {Indeed, We sent it down on the Night of Decree} (97:1), and because the phrase {on it every wise matter is made distinct} corresponds to {The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter...} (97:4), and His saying: {The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an} (2:185), and the Night of Decree is, by most accounts, in Ramadan.

If you ask: What is the meaning of the Qur’an being sent down on this night? I say: They said it was sent down all at once from the Seventh Heaven to the Lowest Heaven. The noble scribes were commanded to transcribe it on the Night of Decree, and Gabriel (peace be upon him) would bring it down to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in stages.

If you ask: What is the position of the two sentences {Indeed, We were to warn on it every wise matter is made distinct}? I say: They are two independent, supplementary sentences. They explain the response to the oath, which is His saying: {Indeed, We sent it down on a blessed night}. It is as if it were said: "We sent it down because it is Our nature to warn and caution against punishment." Its descent on this night specifically is because the descent of the Qur’an is among the "wise matters," and this night is the separator of every wise matter.

"Blessed" means abundant in good, due to the matters Allah ordains therein regarding the benefits of His servants in their religion and worldly life. Even if nothing existed in it but the descent of the Qur’an, that would be sufficient blessing.

"Made distinct" (yufraq) means to separate and write down every wise matter—the provisions of the servants, their lifespans, and all their affairs—from this year to the next. It is said that the transcription from the Preserved Tablet begins on the Night of Immunity and is completed on the Night of Decree. The copy of provisions is given to Michael, the copy of wars to Gabriel (along with earthquakes, lightning, and landslides), the copy of deeds to Ismā‘īl (the guardian of the lowest heaven, a great angel), and the copy of calamities to the Angel of Death.

"Every wise matter" (amrin ḥakīm) means every affair possessing wisdom—that is, executed according to what wisdom requires. This is a metaphorical attribution, for "wise" is truly an attribute of the one who commands, and describing the matter itself as wise is metaphorical.

{A command from Us} is in the accusative case as a specification (ikhtiṣāṣ). He made "every matter" significant by describing it as "wise," then increased its significance by saying: "I mean by this matter a command originating from Us, existing from Our presence, as required by Our knowledge and decree."

If you ask: To what does {Indeed, We were to send [messengers] as a mercy from your Lord} relate? I say: It may be a substitute for {Indeed, We were to warn}, with "as a mercy from your Lord" being the reason (maf‘ūl lahu), meaning: We sent the Qur’an because it is Our nature to send messengers with books to Our servants out of mercy for them. Or it may be a justification for "made distinct."

{Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing} and what follows is a confirmation of His Lordship, which is only true for the One with these attributes.

If you ask: What is the meaning of the condition {if you should be certain}? I say: They used to acknowledge that the heavens and the earth had a Lord and Creator. So it was said to them: The sending of messengers and the revelation of books is a mercy from the Lord. Then it was said: This Lord is the Hearing, the Knowing, whom you acknowledge and confess to be the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them—if your acknowledgment is based on knowledge and certainty.