ʿAbdullah, of the Hāshimite clan of Quraysh—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. The expression “a Messenger” appears in the indefinite form to exalt his stature, for he is worthy of being accorded the honor befitting him, without falling short or going to excess. “A Messenger from Allah” means that Allah sent him to all the worlds as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. Allah—Exalted is He—says: “We have sent you as a Messenger to humanity” [al-Nisāʾ: 79]. He also says: “Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion to His servant, that he might be a warner to all the worlds” [al-Furqān: 1]. Thus, he is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), sent by Allah through Gabriel (peace be upon him), for Gabriel is the messenger of the Lord of the worlds to His messengers. He is entrusted with revelation and brings it down to whomever Allah wills among His servants.
“Reciting purified pages” means that he recites them for himself and to the people. The word translated as “pages” is a plural; its singular denotes a sheet of paper, a tablet, or any similar surface used for writing. “Purified” means cleansed of polytheism, base morals, and everything reprehensible, for they are untainted and sacred. “Containing”—that is, within these pages—“upright writings.” “Writings” means things that have been written; it is the plural of “writing” in the sense of something written. The meaning, therefore, is that these pages contain upright writings written by Allah—Glorified and Exalted is He.
It is well known that anyone who examines the Quran will find it to be so: it contains writings—that is, upright written teachings. Consider what the Quran contains concerning the affirmation of Allah’s oneness—Glorified and Exalted is He—and the praise, glorification, and exaltation of Him; you will find it replete with all of this. Consider the Quran’s description of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), his Companions among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who follow them in righteousness. Consider the Quran’s commands to establish prayer, give zakat, fast, perform Hajj, and observe other noble virtues. You will find that everything brought by the Quran is upright in itself and also sets others aright: “containing upright writings.”
Thus, Allah informs us in this verse that these disbelievers among the People of the Book and the polytheists could not break away until the clear proof came to them. So when