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The two types of clarification from this noble Ayaah
وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ
[النحل – ٤٤]
By the Shaykh Allaama al-Muhaddith
Muhammad Nasiruddeen Al-Albaani
Translated by
Abbas Abu Yahya
Shaykh Al-Albaani said:
‘You all know that Allaah the One who blesses and the most High chose Muhammad SallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam with prophethood, and specified him with His Message.
Allaah revealed His Book, the Qur’aan al-Kareem to His Prophet and ordered him to follow what was in it, and generally from what Allaah ordered him with the Qur’aan was to explain it to the people.
Allaah Ta’ala said:
﴿وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ}
<< And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the reminder and the advice (the Qur’aan), that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them >>
[An-Nahl – 44]
That which I see is that this mentioned explanation in this noble Ayaah comprises of two types of clarification:
The first: an explanation of the wording and how it is composed and that is conveying the Qur’aan and not hiding it, and presenting it to the Ummah as Allaah tabaraka wa Ta’ala revealed it to the heart of the Prophet SallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.
That is the intent of the saying of Allaah Ta’ala:
يَاأَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ
<< O Messenger! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. >>
[Al-Māʼidah – 67]
Aeysha – RadhiAllaahu anhu said in a Hadeeth which she narrated:
«وَمَنْ حَدَّثَكُمْ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا كَتَمَ شَيْئًا أُمِرَ بِتَبْلِيغِهِ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى اللهِ الْفِرْيَةَ»
‘whoever tells you that Muhammad hid anything from what he was ordered to convey then he has slandered Allaah greatly.’
Then she recited the previously mentioned Ayaah.
[Collected by Bukhari and Muslim]
In the narration of Muslim:
‘If the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam were to hide anything which he was ordered to convey, he would have hidden the saying of Allaah Ta’ala:
﴿وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشَاهُ ﴾.
<<And (remember) when you said to him (Zaid bin Harithah, the freedslave of the Prophet) on whom Allah has bestowed Grace (by guiding him to Islam) and you (O Muhammad too) have done favour (by freeing him) “Keep your wife to yourself, and fear Allah.” But you did hide in yourself (i.e. what Allah has already made known to you that He will give her to you in marriage) that which Allah will make manifest, you did fear the people (i.e., Muhammad married the divorced wife of his manumitted slave) whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him.>>
[Al-Ahzāb – 37]
The second type of clarification is: clarifying the word, or the sentence or the Ayaah of which the Ummah needs an explanation.
This is mostly required when the Ayaat are summarised or general or absolute, so here, the Sunnah comes in and clarifies the summarised and specifies from what is general in the Ayaah, and limits what is absolute in the Ayaah.
This occurs with a statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam as it also occurs with his actions and what he allowed or disallowed.’
[Manzilat Sunnah Fil Islaam]
Arabic Reference
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نَصُّ كَلَامِ الشَّيْخِ الْأَلْبَانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ
{وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ} [النحل – ٤٤]
قَالَ الشَّيْخُ مُحَمَّدٌ نَاصِرُ الدِّينِ الْأَلْبَانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ:
تَعْلَمُونَ جَمِيعًا أَنَّ اللهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى اصْطَفَى مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِنُبُوَّتِهِ، وَاخْتَصَّهُ بِرِسَالَتِهِ، فَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ كِتَابَهُ الْقُرْآنَ الْكَرِيمَ، وَأَمَرَهُ فِيهِ -فِي جُمْلَةِ مَا أَمَرَهُ بِهِ- أَنْ يُبَيِّنَهُ لِلنَّاسِ: {وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ}.
وَالَّذِي أَرَاهُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْبَيَانَ الْمَذْكُورَ فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ الْكَرِيمَةِ يَشْتَمِلُ عَلَى نَوْعَيْنِ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ:
الْأَوَّلُ: بَيَانُ اللَّفْظِ وَنَظْمِهِ؛ وَهُوَ تَبْلِيغُ الْقُرْآنِ وَعَدَمُ كِتْمَانِهِ، وَأَدَاؤُهُ إِلَى الْأُمَّةِ كَمَا أَنْزَلَهُ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى عَلَى قَلْبِهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَهُوَ الْمُرَادُ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ} [المائدة: ٦٧].
وَقَدْ قَالَتِ السَّيِّدَةُ عَائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا فِي حَدِيثٍ لَهَا: «وَمَنْ حَدَّثَكُمْ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا كَتَمَ شَيْئًا أُمِرَ بِتَبْلِيغِهِ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى اللهِ الْفِرْيَةَ». ثُمَّ تَلَتِ الْآيَةَ الْمَذْكُورَةَ. [أَخْرَجَهُ الشَّيْخَانِ].
وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ: «لَوْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَاتِمًا شَيْئًا أُمِرَ بِتَبْلِيغِهِ لَكَتَمَ قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى: {وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشَاهُ}».
وَالْآخَرُ: بَيَانُ مَعْنَى اللَّفْظِ أَوِ الْجُمْلَةِ أَوِ الْآيَةِ الَّذِي تَحْتَاجُ الْأُمَّةُ إِلَى بَيَانِهِ؛ وَأَكْثَرُ مَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ فِي الْآيَاتِ الْمُجْمَلَةِ أَوِ الْعَامَّةِ أَوِ الْمُطْلَقَةِ، فَتَأْتِي السُّنَّةُ فَتُوَضِّحُ الْمُجْمَلَ، وَتُخَصِّصُ الْعَامَّ، وَتُقَيِّدُ الْمُطْلَقَ. وَذَلِكَ يَكُونُ بِقَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، كَمَا يَكُونُ بِفَعْلِهِ وَإِقْرَارِهِ.
الْمَصْدَرُ: مَنْزِلَةُ السُّنَّةِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ.