4:174 An-Nisaa (The Women)

يا أيها الناس قد جاءكم برهان من ربكم، وهو رسولنا محمد، وما جاء به من البينات والحجج القاطعة، وأعظمها القرآن الكريم، مما يشهد بصدق نبوته ورسالته الخاتمة، وأنزلنا إليكم القرآن هدًى ونورًا مبينًا.

يمتن تعالى على سائر الناس بما أوصل إليهم من البراهين القاطعة والأنوار الساطعة، ويقيم عليهم الحجة، ويوضح لهم المحجة، فقال: { يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرْهَانٌ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ } أي: حجج قاطعة على الحق تبينه وتوضحه، وتبين ضده. وهذا يشمل الأدلة العقلية والنقلية، الآيات الأفقية والنفسية { سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقّ } وفي قوله: { مِن رَّبِّكُمْ } ما يدل على شرف هذا البرهان وعظمته، حيث كان من ربكم الذي رباكم التربية الدينية والدنيوية، فمن تربيته لكم التي يحمد عليها ويشكر، أن أوصل إليكم البينات، ليهديكم بها إلى الصراط المستقيم، والوصول إلى جنات النعيم. { وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُورًا مُّبِينًا } وهو هذا القرآن العظيم، الذي قد اشتمل على علوم الأولين والآخرين والأخبار الصادقة النافعة، والأمر بكل عدل وإحسان وخير، والنهي عن كل ظلم وشر، فالناس في ظلمة إن لم يستضيئوا بأنواره، وفي شقاء عظيم إن لم يقتبسوا من خيره.

يقول تعالى مخاطبا جميع الناس ومخبرا بأنه قد جاءهم منه برهان عظيم وهو الدليل القاطع للعذر والحجة المزيلة للشبه ولهذا قال "وأنزلنا إليكم فورا مبينا" أي ضياء واضحا على الحق قال ابن جريج وغيره هو القرآن.

O people a proof a definitive argument has now come to you from your Lord against you namely the Prophet s and We have revealed to you a manifest a clear light namely the Qur’ān.

After a refutation of beliefs held by Christians, specially those which ascribe Godhood to Jesus, alongwith the promise of reward for those who acknowledge the truth and punishment for those who insist on denying, the text turns to a universal address praising the blessed status and mission of His Messenger who taught what was the truth revealed to him, who conveyed the truth of the Qur'an admirably, and also those who believed in and testified to the truth of the Book and the Messenger.

What is Burhan?

The word, Burhan, appearing in verse قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرْ‌هَانٌ مِّن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ proof has come to you from your Lord) lexically means proof refers to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . (Ruh al-Ma` ani)

Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was referred to as 'Burhan' in consideration of his blessed person, his noble morals, his miracles and his being the very recipient of the revelation of the Book of Allah. All these are open proofs of his prophethood beyond which there remains no need for any other proof. Thus, in summation, his person is, in itself, proof personified.

As for the word, وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُورً‌ا مُّبِينًا (and We have sent down to you a vivid light) (174), it refers to the Holy Qur'an (Ruh al-Ma` ani) which also seems to be the case in Verse 15 of Surah al-Ma` idah (5): قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ نُورٌ‌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ (There has come to you from Allah a light and clear Book). In the explanatory translation of Maulana Ashraf Thanavi (رح) in Bayan al-Qur'an, the rendering of this verse appears as: 'There has come to you from Allah a light and (which is) a clear Book (that is) the Qur'an.' In this verse, what has been first identified as 'Nu-r' (light) has later been called 'kitabum-mubin' (clear Book). Let there be no doubt at this point that the conjunction demands dissimilarity, therefore, Nur (light) and Kitab (book) cannot be one and the same thing. The answer is that dissimilarity in expression is sufficient, even though the meanings are the same. (Ruh al-Ma` ani)

And if 'Nur' (light) is taken as referring to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and 'Kitab' (the Book) to the Holy Qur'an - that will also be correct (Ruh al-Ma` ani). But, this does not go on to prove that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was Nur or light in the literal sense, therefore, it is not against his being physically human.

O people, a proof has come to you from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light. The majestic Unity is placing a favor on the center point of mortal nature: “We have lit two lamps for you, one in the heart, the other in front of you. The one in front of you is the lamp of the Sun- nah, which is the proof itself, and the one in the heart is the lamp of faith and the shining light. Happy is the servant who walks between these two lamps! Who is more exalted than he in whose heart the greatest light is shining and the eyes of whose heart sees the eyes and face of the Friend face-to-face! One breath with the Friend is worth the two worlds. One vision of the Friend for a hundred thousand spirits is gratis!” In gratitude I will also send my spirit to You- a whiff of union with You does what a hundred spirits cannot.