The meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Say: He is Allah, the One," and the reason for its revelation and its grammatical parsing.
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The Shaykh : Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Ikhlas 112:1] What does the pronoun "He" refer to?
Some grammarians said: It is the pronoun of the matter, and the pronoun of the matter refers to the content of the sentence that follows it, and it has no prior antecedent.
And some of them said: It refers to the one about whom the question was asked, the one about whom the question was asked. — I hope you are paying attention, may Allah reward you — and that Quraysh asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Where is Allah from? Is it from gold, from silver, from iron, from emerald, from where? We know where we are from, what are we from? Dust, may Allah reward you. Dust that turned into clay, then into black, sticky clay, then man was created from it. And the jinn, where are they from?
The questioner : From fire.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : From fire.
The Shaykh : From fire. Now, the angels are from the light of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic). The Lord (Mighty and Majestic) is the Creator, the First, before whom there is nothing, and apparently the Last, after whom there is nothing, and apparently the Above, above whom there is nothing, and the Hidden, beneath whom there is nothing. Now.
The polytheists said: O Muhammad, your gods are known, made of stones, trees, and dates, and they set up cauldrons and the like. Where is your Lord from? So Allah revealed this verse, this surah. Allah revealed this surah. If the grammarians differ on what the pronoun "He" refers to, what is said? Who would like to answer? Yes?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : It is the pronoun of the matter. Well done. The referent of the pronoun of the matter is the sentence that follows it, and for this reason it does not need a preceding antecedent. And some of the scholars, some of the grammarians? Please, here.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : It refers to the one about whom the question was asked, which is Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Now, may Allah reward you. Because Quraysh asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), saying: Describe your Lord to us, depict him for us, where is he from? So Allah the Exalted said: O Muhammad, to these two who are being stubborn, He is unique in his lordship, in his divinity, in his names and attributes, the One. For this reason, Umayyah ibn Khalaf used to torture Bilal ibn Rabah in Makkah. He would torture him and place upon him, in the hottest heat of the sun, he would place upon him stones, what? The scorching heat of the sun, hoping that he would apostatize from the oneness of Allah, but he would say: One, One (may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction). Now, the important point is that Allah is One, meaning He has no like, He has no second. He is unique in his majesty and greatness, his lordship and his dominion, and all his attributes.
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قل هو الله أحدSome grammarians said: It is the pronoun of the matter, and the pronoun of the matter refers to the content of the sentence that follows it, and it has no prior antecedent.
And some of them said: It refers to the one about whom the question was asked, the one about whom the question was asked. — I hope you are paying attention, may Allah reward you — and that Quraysh asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Where is Allah from? Is it from gold, from silver, from iron, from emerald, from where? We know where we are from, what are we from? Dust, may Allah reward you. Dust that turned into clay, then into black, sticky clay, then man was created from it. And the jinn, where are they from?
The questioner : From fire.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : From fire.
The Shaykh : From fire. Now, the angels are from the light of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic). The Lord (Mighty and Majestic) is the Creator, the First, before whom there is nothing, and apparently the Last, after whom there is nothing, and apparently the Above, above whom there is nothing, and the Hidden, beneath whom there is nothing. Now.
The polytheists said: O Muhammad, your gods are known, made of stones, trees, and dates, and they set up cauldrons and the like. Where is your Lord from? So Allah revealed this verse, this surah. Allah revealed this surah. If the grammarians differ on what the pronoun "He" refers to, what is said? Who would like to answer? Yes?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : It is the pronoun of the matter. Well done. The referent of the pronoun of the matter is the sentence that follows it, and for this reason it does not need a preceding antecedent. And some of the scholars, some of the grammarians? Please, here.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : It refers to the one about whom the question was asked, which is Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Now, may Allah reward you. Because Quraysh asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), saying: Describe your Lord to us, depict him for us, where is he from? So Allah the Exalted said: