42:3 Ash-Shura (Consultation)

يخبر تعالى أنه أوحى هذا القرآن العظيم إلى النبي الكريم، كما أوحى إلى من قبله من الأنبياء والمرسلين، ففيه بيان فضله، بإنزال الكتب، وإرسال الرسل، سابقا ولاحقا، وأن محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم ليس ببدع من الرسل، وأن طريقته طريقة من قبله، وأحواله تناسب أحوال من قبله من المرسلين. وما جاء به يشابه ما جاءوا به، لأن الجميع حق وصدق.

قوله عز وجل "كذلك يوحي إليك وإلى الذين من قبلك الله العزيز الحكيم" أي كما أنزل إليك هذا القرآن كذلك أنزل الكتب والصحف على الأنبياء قبلك. وقوله تعالى "الله العزيز" أي في انتقامه "الحكيم" في أقواله وأفعاله. قال الإمام مالك رحمه الله عن هشام بن عروة عن أبيه عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت إن الحارث بن هشام سأل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال يا رسول الله كيف يأتيك الوحي؟ فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "أحيانا يأتيني مثل صلصلة الجرس وهو أشده علي فيفصم عني وقد وعيت ما قال وأحيانا يأتيني الملك رجلا فيكلمني فأعي ما يقول" قالت عائشة رضي الله عنها فلقد رأيته ينزل عليه الوحي في اليوم الشديد البرد فيفصم عنه وإن جبينه صلى الله عليه وسلم ليتفصد عرقا. أخرجاه في الصحيحين ولفظه للبخاري. وقد رواه الطبراني عن عبدالله بن الإمام أحمد عن أبيه عن عامر بن صالح عن هشام بن عروة عن أبيه عن عائشة رضي الله عنها عن الحارث بن هشام أنه سأل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كيف ينزل عليك الوحي؟ فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم "في مثل صلصلة الجرس فيفصم عني وقد وعيت ما قال - وقال - وهو أشده علي قال وأحيانا يأتيني الملك فيتمثل لي فيكلمني فأعي ما يقول". وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا قتيبة حدثنا ابن لهيعة عن يزيد بن أبي حبيب عن عمرو بن الوليد عن عبدالله بن عمرو رضي الله عنهما قال: سألت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقلت يا رسول الله هل تحس بالوحي؟ فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "أسمع صلاصل ثم أسكت عند ذلك فما من مرة يوحى إلي إلا ظننت أن نفسي تقبض" تفرد به أحمد. وقد ذكرنا كيفية إتيان الوحي إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في أول شرح البخاري بما أغنى عن إعادته ههنا ولله الحمد والمنة.

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Revelation and Allah's Might

We have previously discussed the individual letters.

كَذَلِكَ يُوحِى إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

(Likewise Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise sends revelation to you as to those before you.) means, `just as this Qur'an has been revealed to you, so too the Books and Scriptures were revealed to the Prophets who came before you.'

اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ

(Allah, the Almighty) means, in His vengeance

الْحَكِيمُ

(the All-Wise) means, in all that He says and does. Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated that `A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "Al-Harith bin Hisham asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , `O Messenger of Allah, how does the revelation come to you' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ  said:

«أَحْيَانًا يَأْتِينِي مِثْلَ صَلْصَلَةِ الْجَرَسِ، وَهُوَ أَشَدُّهُ عَلَيَّ فَيَفْصِمُ عَنِّي وَقَدْ وَعَيْتُ مَا قَالَ، وَأَحْيَانًا يَأْتِينِي الْمَلَكُ رَجُلًا فَيُكَلِّمُنِي فَأَعِي مَا يَقُول»

(Sometimes it comes to me like the ringing of a bell, which is the most difficult for me; then it goes away, and I understand what was said. And sometimes the angel comes to me in the image of a man, and he speaks to me and I understand what he says.)" `A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "I saw him receiving the revelation on a very cold day, and when it departed from him, there were beads of sweat on his forehead." It was also reported in the Two Sahihs, and the version quoted here is that recorded by Al-Bukhari.

لَهُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَت وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth,) means, everything is subject to His dominion and control.

وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْعَظِيمُ

(and He is the Most High, the Most Great.) This is like the Ayat:

الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ

(the Most Great, the Most High) (13:9), and

وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْكَبِيرُ

(He is the Most High, the Most Great) (22:62). And there are many similar Ayat.

تَكَادُ السَّمَـوَتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِن فَوْقِهِنَّ

(Nearly the heavens might be rent asunder from above them,) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ka`b Al-Ahbar said, "Out of fear of His might."

وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(and the angels glorify the praises of their Lord, and ask for forgiveness for those on the earth.) This is like the Ayah:

الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُـلَّ شَىْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْماً

(Those who bear the Throne and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): "Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge,") (40:7)

أَلاَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

(Lo! Verily, Allah is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.) This is a reminder, to take heed of this fact.

وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ

(And as for those who take as protecting friends others besides Him) This refers to the idolators,

اللَّهُ حَفِيظٌ عَلَيْهِمْ

(Allah is Hafiz over them.) meaning, He is Witness to their deeds, recording and enumerating them precisely, and He will requite them for them in full.

وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍ

(and you are not a trustee over them.) meaning, `you are just a warner, and Allah is the Trustee of all affairs.'

Thus — in other words in the same manner of revelation — does He reveal to you and did He reveal to those who were before you God Allāhu is the agent of the action of revelation the Mighty in His kingdom the Wise in His actions.

Commentary

(Ha Meem ` Ayn Seen Qaf) Only Allah knows the meaning of these letters. The gist of the first five verses is as follows:

Just as this surah was revealed to the Holy Prophet ﷺ for the ascertainment of the religious principles and for other benefits, similarly Allah Ta’ ala has been sending other prophets who preceded him. His Magnificence is such that whatever there is in the heavens and in the earth is His. He is the Supreme, the Most Magnificent. Even though some of the people of this world do not recognize and do not admit the greatness of His magnificence, yet the number of the angels in the heavens, who know Him and recognize His greatness, is so large that their load may, quite likely, cause the heavens to burst apart from above. A hadith narrated in Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah states that due to the large number of the angels, such crackling sounds are produced in the heavens as are produced when an excessive load is placed on something. And that is how it should be, because throughout the heavens there is not even a space of four fingers left vacant by angels who are in the state of prostration.