The Meaning of His Saying, "In a Hidden Book Which None Touch Except the Purified"

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

The Shaykh :

In a Register well-protected;

في كتاب مكنون

[Al-Waqi'ah 56:78]

What is the hidden book? It is the Preserved Tablet, based on His saying in another verse:

⁽²¹⁾ But this is an honored Qur'an ⁽²²⁾ [Inscribed] in a Preserved Slate.

بل هو قرآن مجيد في لوح محفوظ

[Al-Buruj 85:21-22]

None touch it except the purified.

لا يمسه إلا المطهرون

[Al-Waqi'ah 56:79]

The pronoun in His saying "none touch it" refers to the nearest mentioned thing, and what is the nearest mentioned thing? It is the Qur'an, not the hidden book. Read the verse:

⁽⁷⁷⁾ Indeed, it is a noble Qur'an ⁽⁷⁸⁾ In a Register well-protected; ⁽⁷⁹⁾ None touch it except the purified.

إنه لقرآن كريم في كتاب مكنون لا يمسه إلا المطهرون

[Al-Waqi'ah 56:77-79]

Now, what is the nearest thing? The hidden book. That means none touch this hidden book except the purified ones whom Allah has purified, and they are the angels. That means none touch this hidden book except the purified angels. Pay attention. It has also been said that the hidden book is the noble scrolls in the hands of the angels, based on His saying:

⁽¹¹⁾ No! Indeed, these verses are a reminder; ⁽¹²⁾ So whoever wills may remember it. ⁽¹³⁾ [It is recorded] in honored sheets, ⁽¹⁴⁾ Exalted and purified, ⁽¹⁵⁾ [Carried] by the hands of messenger-angels, ⁽¹⁶⁾ Noble and dutiful.

كلا إنها تذكرة فمن شاء ذكره في صحف مكرمة مرفوعة مطهرة بأيدي سفرة كرام بررة

['Abasa 80:11-16]

The two statements do not contradict each other, because each one is correct, and neither one contradicts the other. I want to convey to my brothers, the students of knowledge, an important rule in exegesis: if a noble verse is capable of two or more meanings, and one does not contradict the other, then it is obligatory to take it as having both meanings, because the meanings of the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) are vast. However, if the verse is capable of two meanings but they cannot coexist, then it is obligatory to seek the stronger one so that we prefer one of the meanings, take it, and leave the other. The second rule: if the verse is capable of two or more meanings that do not contradict each other, it is obligatory to take it as having both meanings, as long as they are correct and one does not contradict the other, because the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is vast in meaning.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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