Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And those who were given knowledge recognize that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth”

Then He, Mighty and Majestic, said: , , meaning “knows,” because *ru'ya* (vision) can mean seeing with the eye, and it can mean seeing with the heart. Seeing with the heart is knowledge. *Ra'a* (saw) meaning “knows” occurs frequently in the Qur'an, such as His saying, the Exalted: , “We see it,” meaning “We know it,” because the meaning is not that we see it with our eyes, nor that we suppose it, for Allah is free from supposition. Accordingly, “We see it” here means “We know it.” Here, means “by knowledge.” However, when *ra'a* means “knows,” it indicates that the knowledge is at the highest level of knowledge, becoming like what is witnessed by the eye, a vision that is complete, like one who witnesses it. And His saying, , means “they were given.” Is the intended meaning the People of the Book, or is it general? The author says: “

Those who were given knowledge

الذين أوتوا العلم

[An-Nahl 16:27]

The believers among the People of the Book, such as 'Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions”. The correct view is that it is broader than that, and that the intended meaning of is everyone to whom Allah the Exalted has given knowledge. This includes the People of the Book, both Jews and Christians. The Najashi (may Allah have mercy on him), who was a Christian, recognized that what was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the truth. And 'Abdullah ibn Salam, who was among the rabbis of the Jews, recognized that what was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the truth. Likewise, anyone from this Ummah to whom Allah has given knowledge recognizes that what was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the truth. Yes, unlike the ignorant person, whose faith is faith by imitation (*taqlid*). Even if that suffices for him, it is not like the faith of one to whom Allah has given knowledge. And what indicates that the intended meaning of “those who were given knowledge” is broader is His saying, the Exalted: . Those who were given knowledge are those who recognize that what is with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the truth, by virtue of the firm knowledge that Allah the Exalted has given them in their hearts. For this reason, you will find that the worship of the common person, who worships Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is a worship that is almost like a habit. Even if he sees in himself repentance, humility, and presence of mind, it is not like the worship of one who worships Allah the Exalted with insight and knowledge, because the heart of the latter contains a certainty that is not in the heart of the former. So it is general. If *ra'a* is in the sense of knowledge, it takes two objects. Where is the first object?
The students: ...

The Shaykh : No, no. “Those who” — who are “those who”?
The student: “What was revealed.”

The Shaykh : “What was revealed” is the relative pronoun, and “the truth” is the second object. It is clear. As for the first “those who,” it is the subject. Good. His saying, , means the Qur'an, for Allah the Exalted revealed it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through Jibril. And His saying, , here He attributed Lordship to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) because revelation is a special Lordship, as no one from this Ummah shares with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in that. Therefore, He attributed Lordship to him alone and said, , for the care of what was revealed to him and what was revealed. And His saying, , it has been mentioned previously that the meaning of Lordship is creation, ownership, and management. So Allah the Exalted is the Creator of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), its Owner, and its Manager. The author says: “Meaning the Qur'an”. “It is the divider of the truth.” “The truth” here is the second object, and it is a disjunctive pronoun. Its form is that of a pronoun, but it is not a pronoun. Therefore, we do not say it is a noun, and we also do not say it has a grammatical position. That is, it has no grammatical position, and it is not a noun, but it was brought for the purpose of separation. The evidence for this is that it has no grammatical position. His saying, the Exalted: . If it had a grammatical position, it would have said “they are the victors.” But when He said “they are the victors” (with the genitive case), and “the victors” became the predicate of *kana*, this indicates that the pronoun has no grammatical position. But what is its benefit? The scholars mentioned that it has three benefits. The first benefit, 'Abd al-Rahman?
The student: Separation between the attribute and the predicate.

The Shaykh : Separation between the attribute and the predicate. What is the second benefit?
The student: Restriction.
The Shaykh: Restriction. What is the third benefit?
The student: Emphasis.

The Shaykh : Emphasis. So it conveys three things, three benefits: restriction, emphasis, and separation or distinction between the predicate and the attribute. Is that right, 'Abd al-Rahman? Give an example to explain this.
The student: ....

The Shaykh : “Zayd the virtuous.” The word “the virtuous” here could be an attribute for Zayd, and the predicate has not come, so the person is now waiting for the predicate, as if the implied meaning is “Zayd the virtuous is present.” If I say “Zayd the virtuous is present,” then “the virtuous” here is undoubtedly an attribute, and “present” is the predicate. But if I say only “Zayd the virtuous,” it is possible that you want to inform that Zayd is virtuous, and it is possible that you want to describe Zayd as virtuous, and the predicate has not come. Is that not so? So if I say “Zayd is the virtuous,” it becomes necessary that “the virtuous” is now a predicate, or not? Good, this is the aspect of it being a separator between the attribute and the predicate. Good, it is also emphatic. It is emphatic because if you say “Zayd the virtuous” and “Zayd is the virtuous,” the latter is more emphatic. Yes, this is undoubtedly more emphatic. Likewise, it is useful for restriction, because if you say “Zayd is the virtuous,” it means no one else. So the disjunctive pronoun also conveys three benefits: restriction, emphasis, and separation between the predicate and the attribute. Good. He, Mighty and Majestic, says: . “The truth” means the established thing. This is the truth. So your saying “the most truthful of things” means the most established of them. means “it was established and became obligatory.” So what is the establishment in the Qur'an? Truth in reports and justice in judgments. So “the truth,” when attributed to a judgment, means justice, i.e., that it is a just judgment. For this reason, if two litigants dispute before a judge and he rules for one of them according to what the Shari'ah requires, we say this is truth because it is justice. And if he rules for the second in contradiction, we say this is not truth; it is false because he judged by other than the truth. So “the truth” in judgments is what? Justice. And in reports, it is truth. So those to whom Allah has given knowledge know that this Qur'an is truth in its judgments and truth in its reports. So its judgments are all justice because they placed things in their proper place and gave the right to its rightful owner. And its reports are also what? Established, true, meaning established with no falsehood in them. So “the truth,” my brother, is not what is behind. If you say “this is a true report,” it means it is truthful. If you say “this is a true judgment,” it means it is just. And for this reason, Allah the Exalted said: . The scholars said: “Truth in reports and justice in judgments.” Yes, .