Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Do you enjoin upon people righteousness while you forget yourselves, while you recite the Book? Do you not then use reason?”

Then He, the Exalted, said: We have two actions here: the first action is enjoining people to righteousness, and the second action is forgetting themselves. Is the interrogative of reproach directed at each one individually? Or at both of them together? At both of them together. Yes, it is directed at both of them together. And if you wish, you may say: The true reproach lies in His saying: . Now, the interrogative here is for reproach and wonder: How do you enjoin people while you forget yourselves? Righteousness is goodness. The scholars of exegesis said that one of them would enjoin his relatives to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and say that it is the truth, but his leadership and status prevented him from believing in it. An example of this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited a Jewish boy who was ill, and his death approached. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was looking at him, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called him to the right path. The boy looked at his father as if seeking his advice, and his father said to him, “Obey Muhammad.” His father was a Jew, yet he said, “Obey Muhammad.” So the boy testified to the testimony of truth, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out saying: meaning, by my call. So these Jews, among their rabbis, are those who enjoin people to righteousness—which is following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—but they forget themselves and do not believe. So Allah the Exalted said: The waw here is circumstantial, meaning: while the state is that you recite the Book. So you did not enjoin righteousness except with knowledge, but despite that, you forget yourselves. ? The interrogative here is for rebuke, meaning: Do you not have reason by which you perceive your error and your misguidance?