(1–7) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Nūn. By the pen and all that they inscribe! * By your Lord’s grace, you are not a madman. * You will certainly have a never-ending reward. * And you are truly of outstanding character. * Soon you will see, and they will see, * which of you is afflicted with madness. * Surely your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best who is rightly guided.”
The Most High swears by the pen, a generic noun encompassing every pen with which the [various] branches of knowledge are written and prose and verse are inscribed. The pen and the various forms of speech that people inscribe with it are among Allah’s great signs, which deserve to be sworn by, in affirmation of ⦗879⦘ the innocence of His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) from the madness his enemies attributed to him. He denied that he was mad (1), by virtue of his Lord’s grace and kindness toward him, for He had blessed him with perfect intellect, sound judgment, and decisive speech—the finest words ever committed to paper by pens or inscribed by humankind. This was his happiness in this world.
Allah then mentioned his happiness in the Hereafter, saying, “You will certainly have a reward,” meaning a tremendous reward, as indicated by the indefinite form. “Never-ending,” meaning [not] cut off, but everlasting and continuous, because of the righteous deeds and perfect virtues that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent ahead. He therefore said, “And you are truly of outstanding character”; that is, you are exalted through it and raised high by the character with which Allah has blessed you.
The essence of his outstanding character is captured in the explanation given by the Mother of the Believers, [Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)], when she was asked about it. She said, “His character was the Quran.” This is exemplified by Allah’s words to him: “Show forgiveness, enjoin what is right, and turn away from the ignorant”; “It was by a mercy from Allah that you were gentle with them” [to the end of the verse]; and “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; he is deeply concerned for you and is gracious and merciful to the believers.” There are other similar verses indicating that he (peace and blessings be upon him) possessed the noblest virtues, as well as [verses] exhorting people to outstanding character (2). He possessed these qualities in their most perfect and splendid form and attained the highest pinnacle of every one of them.
Thus, he (peace and blessings be upon him) was easygoing and gentle, approachable to people, accepting the invitation of anyone who invited him, fulfilling the need of anyone who asked him to do so, and comforting the heart of anyone who sought something from him. He neither deprived such a person nor turned him away disappointed. Whenever his Companions wanted something from him, he agreed to it and went along with them, provided it involved nothing objectionable. When he resolved upon a matter, he did not decide it independently of them; rather, he consulted and deliberated with them. He accepted the good done by those among them who acted well and pardoned those who did wrong. He never kept company with anyone without treating him in the fullest and finest manner: he did not frown in his face, speak harshly to him, withhold his cheerful countenance from him, hold his slips of the tongue against him, or take him to task for any discourtesy. Rather, he treated his companion with the utmost kindness and bore patiently with him to the fullest extent—peace and blessings be upon him.
When Allah had thus raised him to the highest ranks in every respect, while his enemies attributed madness and affliction to him, He said, “Soon you will see, and they will see, which of you is afflicted with madness.” It has become clear that he was the most rightly guided of people, the most perfect in himself, and the one who did most to perfect others, whereas his enemies were the most misguided of people and [the most harmful of people] (3) to others. They were the ones who led Allah’s servants into temptation and led them away from His path. Allah’s knowledge of this is sufficient, for He is the One who calls to account and requites.
“And He knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best who is rightly guided.” This contains a threat to those who go astray, a promise to those who are rightly guided, and a demonstration of Allah’s wisdom, for He guides those who are fit to receive guidance, to the exclusion of others.