Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (441)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

43–44. “We sent before you only men to whom We gave revelation. So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know. * We sent them with clear proofs and revealed Books. And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may explain to people what has been sent down to them, and so that they may reflect.”

Allah Most High says to His Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him: “We sent before you only men”—that is, your case is not unprecedented among the messengers. Before you, We did not send angels, but men of full stature, not women. “To whom We gave revelation”: the laws and rulings He revealed to them were part of His grace and kindness toward His servants; they brought nothing of their own accord. “So ask the people of knowledge”—that is, those who know the earlier scriptures—“if you do not know” the accounts of earlier peoples and doubt whether Allah sent men as messengers. Ask those possessing knowledge of this, to whom the scriptures and clear proofs were sent down and who learned and understood them. It is firmly established among them all that Allah sent only men from among the inhabitants of towns, to whom He gave revelation.

The general import of this verse commends the people of knowledge and shows that the highest form of knowledge is knowledge of Allah’s revealed Book. Allah instructed those who do not know to refer to them concerning every matter that arises. This implicitly attests to the integrity of the people of knowledge and commends them, for Allah commanded that they be consulted. It also shows that by doing so, the uninformed person is absolved of responsibility. Thus, Allah has entrusted them with His revelation and what He has sent down, and they are commanded to purify themselves and embody the qualities of perfection.

The foremost people of the Reminder are those devoted to this magnificent Quran. They are its true people and are more entitled to this designation than anyone else. Thus Allah Most High says: “And We have sent down to you the Reminder”—that is, the Quran, which contains mention of all that His servants need concerning the outward and inward matters of their religion and worldly life—“so that you may explain to people what has been sent down to them.” This includes explaining both its wording and its meanings. “And so that they may reflect” upon it and draw from its treasures and branches of knowledge according to their receptiveness and the attention they devote to it.

﴿٤٣ - ٤٤﴾ ﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلا رِجَالا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ * بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾ يقول تعالى لنبيه محمد ﷺ: ﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلا رِجَالا﴾ أي: لست ببدع من الرسل، فلم نرسل قبلك ملائكة بل رجالا كاملين لا نساء. ﴿نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ﴾ من الشرائع والأحكام ما هو من فضله وإحسانه على العبيد من غير أن يأتوا بشيء من قبل أنفسهم، ﴿فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ﴾ أي: الكتب السابقة ﴿إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ نبأ الأولين، وشككتم هل بعث الله رجالا؟ فاسألوا أهل العلم بذلك الذين نزلت عليهم الزبر والبينات فعلموها وفهموها، فإنهم كلهم قد تقرر عندهم أن الله ما بعث إلا رجالا يوحي إليهم من أهل القرى، وعموم هذه الآية فيها مدح أهل العلم، وأن أعلى أنواعه العلم بكتاب الله المنزل. فإن الله أمر من لا يعلم بالرجوع إليهم في جميع الحوادث، وفي ضمنه تعديل لأهل العلم وتزكية لهم حيث أمر بسؤالهم، وأن بذلك يخرج الجاهل من التبعة، فدل على أن الله ائتمنهم على وحيه وتنزيله، وأنهم مأمورون بتزكية أنفسهم، والاتصاف بصفات الكمال. وأفضل أهل الذكر أهل هذا القرآن العظيم، فإنهم أهل الذكر على الحقيقة، وأولى من غيرهم بهذا الاسم، ولهذا قال تعالى: ﴿وَأَنزلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ﴾ أي: القرآن الذي فيه ذكر ما يحتاج إليه العباد من أمور دينهم ودنياهم الظاهرة والباطنة، ﴿لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نزلَ إِلَيْهِمْ﴾ وهذا شامل لتبيين ألفاظه وتبيين معانيه، ﴿وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾ فيه فيستخرجون من كنوزه وعلومه بحسب استعدادهم وإقبالهم عليه.