conveys the sense of being preoccupied with it and searching into it until he actually posed the question. Alternatively, one may read the verse as, “A questioner asked—meaning, informed—about an impending punishment,” so that the very act of asking is laden with the meaning of informing; he inquired about the punishment and thereby announced it.

As for those who explain the phrase lā rayba as “no doubt,” that is only an approximation. In reality, rayb carries the notion of agitation and inner movement, as is evident from the Prophet’s words: “Leave what causes you rayb for what causes you no rayb” (1), and from the report in which he passed by a gazelle lying on the ground and said, “Let no one disturb (yarību) it” (2). Just as yaqīn (certainty) is imbued with stillness and reassurance, so rayb is its opposite, imbued with turbulence and motion. Although the word shakk (doubt) may entail this meaning, its form does not itself convey it.

Likewise, when dhālika al-kitāb (that Book, 2:2) is paraphrased as “this Qur’an,” the rendering is only approximate; even though the reference is to the same reality, to point to something present is not the same as to point to something distant or unseen. Furthermore, the word kitāb implies that it is written and compiled, whereas the word Qur’an suggests that it is recited, manifest, and proclaimed. Such distinctions are woven throughout the Qur’an.

Commentary
In this passage the author—may Allah have mercy on him—indicates that scholars may interpret