Sūrat al-Jumuʿah

Classification: Medinan. Verses: 11 (Revealed after al-Ṣaff).

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

{Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. It is He who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they were before in clear error. And [to] others of them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. That is the bounty of Allah, which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.}

"The King, the Holy" (Al-Malik al-Quddus): These attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He) are read in the nominative case (raf') as an expression of praise, as if it were said: "He is the King, the Holy." If they were read in the accusative case (nasb), it would also be grammatically permissible, similar to the Arabs' saying: "Praise be to Allah, the Worthy of praise."

"The Unlettered" (al-Ummi): This is attributed to the nation of the Arabs, because they did not write or read, unlike other nations. It is said that writing began in Ta'if, having been learned from the people of Al-Hirah, who in turn learned it from the people of Al-Anbar.

The meaning of "He raised among the unlettered a Messenger from among themselves" is that He sent an unlettered man among an unlettered people, as stated in the Hadith of Isaiah: "I shall send an unlettered one among the unlettered." The phrase "from among themselves" is like the Almighty’s saying: "From among yourselves" (At-Tawbah: 128), meaning they know his lineage and his circumstances. It has also been read as "in the trustworthy one" (al-amin), omitting the two letters of attribution (ya).

"Reciting to them His verses": He recites them to them despite being unlettered like them, with no history of reading or learning. His recitation without having learned is a clear sign.

"And purifying them": Cleansing them from polytheism and the impurities of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah).

"And teaching them the Book and Wisdom": The Quran and the Sunnah.

"And if they were...": The "if" (in) is the lightened form of the heavy particle (anna), and the "lām" (la-fi) serves as evidence for it. It means: they were in a state of misguidance, and you could not see a misguidance greater than that.

"And others": This is in the genitive case, conjoined to "the unlettered." It means He sent him among the unlettered who were his contemporaries, and among others of the unlettered who had not yet joined them but would join them later—these are those who came after the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). It is said that when this was revealed, it was asked: "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He placed his hand on Salman and said: "If faith were at the Pleiades, men from these would reach it." Others say they are those who come after them until the Day of Resurrection.

It is also permissible for it to be in the accusative case, conjoined to the object in "and teaching them," meaning: He teaches them and teaches others. This is because when teaching continues until the end of time, it is all attributed to its beginning, as if he himself were responsible for all that resulted from it.

"And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise": In enabling an unlettered man to achieve that great matter, supporting him in it, and choosing him from among all of humanity.

"That": The bounty which He gave to Muhammad—that he should be the Prophet of the people of his era and the Prophet of the people of the ages to come.

"Is the bounty of Allah, which He gives to whom He wills": He grants it as His wisdom dictates.