An Important Principle in Tafsir

The Shaykh : However, if a verse is capable of two meanings but they cannot coexist, it is obligatory to seek the stronger of the two possibilities; the stronger one is adopted and the second is set aside. This is the meaning we referred to last, namely that the intended meaning of "the hidden Book" is the scrolls in the hands of the angels. Does this contradict the view that the intended meaning is the Preserved Tablet? No, because the two can be combined: the Qur'an is in the Preserved Tablet, and the Qur'an is also in the noble, elevated, purified scrolls in the hands of the scribes. As for those among the scholars who said that the pronoun in "no one touches it" refers to the Qur'an, and that "the purified ones" refers to the human being who has purified himself from ritual impurity, this view is not supported by the wording nor by the meaning. As for its not being supported by the wording, it is because the established rule in the Arabic language is that pronouns and demonstratives refer to the nearest mentioned antecedent. As for its not being supported by the meaning, it is because Allah says: "Al-Mutahharun" is a passive participle. If the intended meaning were "those who purify themselves," it would have been said "al-Mutahhirun" with a kasrah on the haa. The meaning of "al-Mutahharun" is "al-Mutahhirun," i.e., those who purify themselves. Allah the Exalted said: Therefore, the pronoun does not refer to the Qur'an, and "al-Mutahharun" does not refer to people who have purified themselves from states of ritual impurity.