38:86 Saad (The letter Saad)

فلما بين الرسول للناس الدليل ووضح لهم السبيل قال الله له: { قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ } أي: على دعائي إياكم { مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَّلِفِينَ } أدعي أمرا ليس لي، وأقفو ما ليس لي به علم، لا أتبع إلا ما يوحى إليَّ.

يقول تعالى قل يا محمد لهؤلاء المشركين ما أسألهم على هذا البلاغ وهذا النصح أجرا تعطونيه من عرض الحياة الدنيا "وما أنا من المتكلفين" أي وما أريد على ما أرسلني اللّه تعالى به ولا أبتغي زيادة عليه بل ما أمرت به أديته لا أزيد عليه ولا أنقص منه وإنما أبتغي بذلك وجه اللّه عز وجل والدار الآخرة قال سفيان الثوري عن الأعمش ومنصور عن أبي الضحى عن مسروق قال: أتينا عبدالله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال يا أيها الناس من علم شيئا فليقل به ومن لم يعلم فليقل اللّه أعلم فإن من العلم أن يقول الرجل لما لا يعلم اللّه أعلم فإن اللّه عز وجل قال لنبيكم " قل ما أسألكم عليه من أجر وما أنا من المتكلفين "أخرجاه من حديث الأعمش به.

وَمَآ أَنَآ مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ

(nor am I one of the Mutakallifin.) means, `and I do not add anything to that which Allah has told me. Whatever I am commanded to do, I do it, and I do not add anything or take anything away. By doing this I am seeking the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.' Sufyan Ath-Thawri, narrated from Al-A`mash and Mansur from Abu Ad-Duha that Masruq said, "We went to `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, may Allah be pleased with him. He said, `O people! Whoever knows a thing should say it, and whoever does not know should say, `Allah knows best."' It is part of knowledge, when one does not know, to say "Allah knows best." For Allah said to your Prophet :

قُلْ مَآ أَسْـَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَمَآ أَنَآ مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ

(Say: "No wage do I ask of you for this, nor am I one of the Mutakallifin.") This was reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَـلَمِينَ

(It is only a Reminder for all the creatures.) means, the Qur'an is a reminder for all those who are held accountable, men and Jinn. This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him. This Ayah is like the Ayat:

لاٌّنذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَمَن بَلَغَ

(that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach) (6:19), and

وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِهِ مِنَ الاٌّحْزَابِ فَالنَّارُ مَوْعِدُهُ

(but those of the sects that reject it, the Fire will be their promised meeting place) (11:17).

وَلَتَعْلَمُنَّ نَبَأَهُ

(And you shall certainly know the truth of it) means, `you will see confirmation that what he says is true.'

بَعْدَ حِينِ

(after a while.) means, soon. Qatadah said, "After death. `Ikrimah said, "It means, on the Day of Resurrection." There is no contradiction between the two views, because whoever dies comes under the rulings of the Day of Resurrection. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Sad. All praise and gratitude is due to Allah, and Allah may He be glorified and exalted, knows best.

Say ‘I do not ask of you in return for this for delivering the Message to you any reward any fee; nor am I an impostor so as to make up the Qur’ān myself.

In verse 86, it was said: وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ (nor am I from among those who make up things artificially.).

The blameworthiness of artificial behavior

The statement means: 'I am not declaring my prophethood artificially, nor am I falsely pretending to have knowledge and wisdom, rather, I am conveying the commandments of Allah to you as they are. From this we learn that feigned formality and pretension is blameworthy in the light of the Shari'ah. Accordingly, there are some ahadith that condemn it. In the Sahihayn (al-Bukhari and Muslim), it has been reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud ؓ :

"0 people, whoever from among you knows something, let him tell people about it. But, that which he does not know, let him simply say: وَاللہ سبحانہ و تعالیٰ اَعلَم (Allah knows best) (because) Allah Ta` a-la has said about his Rasul قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ‌ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ (Say,"I do not demand from you any fee for it, nor am I from among those who make up things artificially."- 38:86)." (Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani)

Alhamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah Sad