⦗91-93⦘
“I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this city, who has made it sacred and to whom all things belong. And I have been commanded to be one of the Muslims, * and to recite the Quran. Whoever follows guidance does so only for his own benefit; but whoever goes astray, say: ‘I am only one of the warners.’ * And say: ‘All praise belongs to Allah. He will show you His signs, and you will recognize them. Your Lord is not heedless of what you do.’”
That is: Say to them, O Muhammad, “I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this city”—meaning honored Mecca, which He has made sacred and whose people He has favored; they must therefore respond with gratitude and acceptance. “To whom all things belong,” in the heavens and on earth. This was stated lest anyone imagine that His lordship pertains exclusively to the Sacred House. “And I have been commanded to be one of the Muslims” (1)—that is, to hasten to embrace Islam. He did so—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—for he was the first of this nation to submit to Islam and the most complete of them in submission.
“And” I have also been commanded “to recite” to you “the Quran,” so that you may be guided by it, follow its example, and learn its wording and meanings. This is my duty, and I have discharged it. “Whoever follows guidance does so only for his own benefit”: its benefit and fruits return to him. “But whoever goes astray, say: ‘I am only one of the warners,’” for I have no power whatsoever to grant guidance.
“And say: ‘All praise belongs to Allah,’” to whom all praise belongs in this world and the Hereafter, from all creation—especially those among His servants whom He has specially favored and chosen. The praise and commendation they offer their Lord ought to be greater than that offered by others because of their lofty ranks, their perfect nearness to Him, and the abundance of His favors upon them.
“He will show you His signs, and you will recognize them”—a recognition that will make truth and falsehood clear to you. He will inevitably show you signs of His by which you will find illumination amid the darkness: “so that whoever perishes might perish upon clear evidence, and whoever lives might live upon clear evidence.”
“Your Lord is not heedless of what you do.” Rather, He knows the deeds and conditions in which you are engaged, and He knows the measure of recompense those deeds deserve. He will judge between you with a judgment for which you will praise Him, and you will have no argument whatsoever against Him.
The commentary on Surah al-Naml has been completed by Allah’s grace, assistance, and facilitation.
We ask Him, Most High, that His kindness and assistance continue unceasingly upon us and reach us from Him. He is the Most Generous of the generous, the Best of those who show mercy, the One who comes to the aid of those cut off, and the One who answers those who ask.
He facilitates difficult matters, opens the gates of His blessings, and bestows His gifts abundantly at all times. He makes the Quran easy for those who seek admonition, facilitates its paths and gates for those who turn to it, and spreads the banquet of His bounties and beneficence for those who reflect. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds. May Allah bless Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, and grant them peace.
At the hand of its compiler and dictator, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Nāsir ibn Abd Allāh al-Sa‘dī—may Allah forgive him, his parents, and all Muslims—on 22 Ramadan 1343 AH.
Volume Six of The Gracious, Most Merciful One’s Commentary on the Words of the Bestower—one of Allah’s favors upon the one in need of the Restorer and Originator: His servant, the son of His servant and His maidservant, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Nāsir ibn Abd Allāh ibn Sa‘dī. May Allah forgive him. Amen.
Commentary on Surah al-Qasas
It is Meccan.
(1) The shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—made a slip of the pen and wrote, “And I have been commanded to be the first of the Muslims”; he therefore interpreted the verse on that basis.