Some Notes from al Razi's Tafsir of the chapter of the pen
تفسير مفاتيح الغيب ، التفسير الكبير/ الرازي
Some points I pick up from Mafathih al Gaib, “The keys of the unseen” Of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, also known as the Grad Tafsir.
The Prophet has been give three characteristics in the opening of this chapter:
1. Denial of madness
2. Reward without cease
3. Great Character - This being a great proof that he, upon whom be Peace and Blessings, is not mad
وهي قوله: { لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ } وكلمة على للاستعلاء، فدل اللفظ على أنه مستعمل على هذه الأخلاق ومستول عليها، وأنه بالنسبة إلى هذه الأخلاق الجميلة كالمولى بالنسبة إلى العبد وكالأمير بالنسبة إلى المأمور.
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature.”
The word “upon” is for superiority. The word “upon” denotes that he is the user of such manners and the one who seizes it. He is to these handsome manners like the master is to the slave, like the commander is to the footman.
{ بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ }
“Which of you is afflicted with madness.”
There are different ways to look at the verse.
1. The Ba is added as extra صلة زائدة so that the meaning is “which one of is has been tormented with madness.
2. That المفتون here means madness, which one of you is mad.
3. That the Ba means ‘in’. So that the meaning becomes: you will see and they will see which of the two parties has the madman, the party of Islam and the party of Infidels.
4. المفتون is Satan.
عُتُلٍّ
“Concerning this, the sayings of the exegetes are numerous, all of which revolve around two matters: that it is defamation of character or that it is a physical defamation.”
Some of the opinions of the latter being: fat, grossly obese, physically disgusting, large stomached, a brute, etc
{ وَغَدَوْاْ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ }
“They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose.”
حَرْد
This can mean:
1. Prevention. One would say حاردت السنة “the year has prevented” if it has rained little preventing crops. وحاردت الناقة “the camel has prevented” if the camel has not provided milk.
2. Anger.
3. Purpose and speed.
4. The proper name of the garden.
{ أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأتُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُواْ صَادِقِينَ }
“Or have they other gods? Then let them bring their other gods if they are truthful”
There are two ways to look at this:
1. Do you have things that you believe are partners with God, and do you believe that these partners will treat you like the believers in rewards and deliver you from punishment?
2. Do you have partners from among men that join you in this idea of equating between believers and criminals?
{ يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ }
“On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,”
What is causing the word “day” to be accusative? [grossly: what is happening on this day, or what is happening to this day?]
1. It is accusative by the sentence فَلْيَأتُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ “Bring your partners…” [I.e. bring your partners on the day that the shins will be uncovered…]
2. It is accusative by a hidden word – “Remember”
3. This sentence assumes the saying: “The day the shins will be uncovered such and such will happed”.
***NB this is a literal translation of the word َ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ “uncover the shins”, but as Razi points out a number of possible means, one of which is that it is God’s shins. However he refutes this interpretation for many reasons.
Possible meanings he gives for the term “uncovering of the shins”
• A time of hardship. This has been quoted by Sabooni in his explanation.
• The reality of the matter will be uncovered. The shin of a thing is its origin – that which it stands on. Like the shin of a tree- the trunk of a tree.
• The leg of Hell, or the leg of the Throne, or the leg of an awesome angel.
• Then there is the opinion of the Mushabiha who say that it is God’s legs. This is refuted for the below reasons:
o Every body is an effect (Hadath opposite of Azzal eternal).
o Uncovering the legs does not make a thing known, a thing is known by uncovering the face.
o And other reasons
It should be noted that Razi says:
وأجمع العلماء على أنه لا يجوز صرف الكلام إلى المجاز إلا بعد تعذر حمله على الحقيقة،
The scholars have Ijma’, consensus, that it is prohibited to defer a description to allegory unless taking its literal meaning is excused.
Razi also notes that there are those that say that this day will not be on the Day of Judgment, but a day in this world. This opinion being based on the fact that people will be called to prostrate to God, whereas on the Day of Judgment there is no worship or taklif, no consequential choice. However, to answer the evidence put forth, Razi says that the call to prostration will be done as a means of reproach and embarrassment.
{ لَّوْلاَ أَن تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ }
“Had it not been that favour from his Lord had reached him he surely had been cast into the wilderness while he was reprobate.”
Does this verse allude to him committing a sin?
The answer is taken from a number of directions:
1. The word لَوْلاَ “had it not been” indicates that the humiliation had yet to occur.
2. The humiliation is indicative of leaving the better option. The good deeds of the Abrar are the sins of the Muqarabin.
3. This event may have happened before the prophethood, as He says فَٱجْتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُ “and His Lord selected him” and the preposition Fa indicates order of occurrence.
Some points I pick up from Mafathih al Gaib, “The keys of the unseen” Of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, also known as the Grad Tafsir.
The Prophet has been give three characteristics in the opening of this chapter:
1. Denial of madness
2. Reward without cease
3. Great Character - This being a great proof that he, upon whom be Peace and Blessings, is not mad
وهي قوله: { لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ } وكلمة على للاستعلاء، فدل اللفظ على أنه مستعمل على هذه الأخلاق ومستول عليها، وأنه بالنسبة إلى هذه الأخلاق الجميلة كالمولى بالنسبة إلى العبد وكالأمير بالنسبة إلى المأمور.
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature.”
The word “upon” is for superiority. The word “upon” denotes that he is the user of such manners and the one who seizes it. He is to these handsome manners like the master is to the slave, like the commander is to the footman.
{ بِأَييِّكُمُ ٱلْمَفْتُونُ }
“Which of you is afflicted with madness.”
There are different ways to look at the verse.
1. The Ba is added as extra صلة زائدة so that the meaning is “which one of is has been tormented with madness.
2. That المفتون here means madness, which one of you is mad.
3. That the Ba means ‘in’. So that the meaning becomes: you will see and they will see which of the two parties has the madman, the party of Islam and the party of Infidels.
4. المفتون is Satan.
عُتُلٍّ
“Concerning this, the sayings of the exegetes are numerous, all of which revolve around two matters: that it is defamation of character or that it is a physical defamation.”
Some of the opinions of the latter being: fat, grossly obese, physically disgusting, large stomached, a brute, etc
{ وَغَدَوْاْ عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ قَادِرِينَ }
“They went betimes, strong in (this) purpose.”
حَرْد
This can mean:
1. Prevention. One would say حاردت السنة “the year has prevented” if it has rained little preventing crops. وحاردت الناقة “the camel has prevented” if the camel has not provided milk.
2. Anger.
3. Purpose and speed.
4. The proper name of the garden.
{ أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فَلْيَأتُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ إِن كَانُواْ صَادِقِينَ }
“Or have they other gods? Then let them bring their other gods if they are truthful”
There are two ways to look at this:
1. Do you have things that you believe are partners with God, and do you believe that these partners will treat you like the believers in rewards and deliver you from punishment?
2. Do you have partners from among men that join you in this idea of equating between believers and criminals?
{ يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ }
“On the day when it befalleth in earnest, and they are ordered to prostrate themselves but are not able,”
What is causing the word “day” to be accusative? [grossly: what is happening on this day, or what is happening to this day?]
1. It is accusative by the sentence فَلْيَأتُواْ بِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ “Bring your partners…” [I.e. bring your partners on the day that the shins will be uncovered…]
2. It is accusative by a hidden word – “Remember”
3. This sentence assumes the saying: “The day the shins will be uncovered such and such will happed”.
***NB this is a literal translation of the word َ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ “uncover the shins”, but as Razi points out a number of possible means, one of which is that it is God’s shins. However he refutes this interpretation for many reasons.
Possible meanings he gives for the term “uncovering of the shins”
• A time of hardship. This has been quoted by Sabooni in his explanation.
• The reality of the matter will be uncovered. The shin of a thing is its origin – that which it stands on. Like the shin of a tree- the trunk of a tree.
• The leg of Hell, or the leg of the Throne, or the leg of an awesome angel.
• Then there is the opinion of the Mushabiha who say that it is God’s legs. This is refuted for the below reasons:
o Every body is an effect (Hadath opposite of Azzal eternal).
o Uncovering the legs does not make a thing known, a thing is known by uncovering the face.
o And other reasons
It should be noted that Razi says:
وأجمع العلماء على أنه لا يجوز صرف الكلام إلى المجاز إلا بعد تعذر حمله على الحقيقة،
The scholars have Ijma’, consensus, that it is prohibited to defer a description to allegory unless taking its literal meaning is excused.
Razi also notes that there are those that say that this day will not be on the Day of Judgment, but a day in this world. This opinion being based on the fact that people will be called to prostrate to God, whereas on the Day of Judgment there is no worship or taklif, no consequential choice. However, to answer the evidence put forth, Razi says that the call to prostration will be done as a means of reproach and embarrassment.
{ لَّوْلاَ أَن تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ }
“Had it not been that favour from his Lord had reached him he surely had been cast into the wilderness while he was reprobate.”
Does this verse allude to him committing a sin?
The answer is taken from a number of directions:
1. The word لَوْلاَ “had it not been” indicates that the humiliation had yet to occur.
2. The humiliation is indicative of leaving the better option. The good deeds of the Abrar are the sins of the Muqarabin.
3. This event may have happened before the prophethood, as He says فَٱجْتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُ “and His Lord selected him” and the preposition Fa indicates order of occurrence.
posted by Saqib at 9:00 PM
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