Commentary on the Tafsir of al-Jalalayn: “And I was commanded to be” meaning by the fact that “I would be the first of the Muslims” from this Ummah.

The author, the exegete, said: “meaning by the fact that” He rendered the lam as meaning the ba, and that is because the verb *amara* (to command) is only transitive with the ba and not with the lam. Therefore, the author interpreted it with the ba. This is one of the two approaches of the grammarians when a letter follows a verb that is not usually transitive with that letter; they render that letter as meaning the letter with which the operator—meaning the verb or something other than the verb—is usually transitive. Did you understand? Good. So, for example, here they render the lam as meaning the ba. And in His saying, the Exalted: they render the ba as meaning meaning: they drink from it. The second approach of the grammarians is that they convert the verb into a verb that suits the preposition; they convert the verb into a verb suitable for the preposition, and they call this *tadmeen* (embedding), meaning that the verb is embedded; the mentioned verb is embedded with a verb that is transitive with the mentioned letter. So, for example, the meaning would be: they quench their thirst with it, so the meaning of quenching thirst is embedded in the drinking. There is no doubt that this gives the verse or the text a greater meaning, because it keeps the letter as it is and gives the mentioned verb an additional meaning beyond what its word indicates. So this approach is preferable. But sometimes it is difficult for the student of knowledge, especially the beginner, to determine the suitable verb that is embedded in the mentioned verb. In that case, he resorts to the easier option, which is converting the letter to a letter that suits the mentioned verb. So here, there is no doubt that it is easy for me to say that the lam means the ba and proceed, meaning: I was commanded to be. But if we wanted to embed a meaning that suits the lam, it requires contemplation and thought about the meaning. Why did he say: It is possible to estimate: I was commanded to worship Allah so that I would be the first of the Muslims. Then the lam becomes the cause for the deleted verb, which is: to worship Allah, so that I would be the first of the Muslims. Meaning, the command was directed to me first, so that I would be the first of the Muslims, i.e., those who submit to the command of Allah. And in that case, we benefit from this with two meanings: the meaning of the command and the meaning of the worship that was deleted, so that the attachment of the letter to it would be valid. He said: “

And I have been commanded to be the first [among you] of the Muslims."

وأمرت لأن أكون أول المسلمين

[Az-Zumar 39:12]

from this Ummah ” The author said:“ from this Ummah ” And the word Islam is used for submission, because it is derived from *aslama* (to submit) one’s affair to another. From this comes surrender in war, because the one who surrenders submits to the victor who defeated him. So Islam is submission, outwardly, outwardly submission. And based on this, the hypocrites are what? Outwardly Muslims, outwardly Muslims. For this reason, Islam is used for those weak in faith, as He, the Exalted, said: Sometimes Islam is used for the entire Shari'ah, encompassing surrender outwardly and inwardly, which is faith. And of that is His saying, the Exalted: The intended meaning is not outward surrender, but rather all the laws, all the laws of Islam, meaning all the laws of Islam as a religion. Good. The scholars say: When Islam is coupled with faith, Islam is interpreted as the outward deeds and faith as the inward deeds. They said: And of that is the hadith of Jibril when he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, he said: And when he asked him about faith, he said: But if one of them is used alone, or rather if one of them is isolated, it encompasses the other. So Islam, when mentioned alone, encompasses all the laws, including faith. And faith, when mentioned alone, encompasses all the laws, including Islam. Good. He says here: He said:“ from this Ummah ” Why did he qualify the verse, even though it is absolute? He qualified it because, may Allah have mercy on him, he understood that the priority here is priority in time. And if it is priority in time, it is not valid for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be the first of the Muslims. Why?
The student: Before him...

The Shaykh : Because before him there were Muslim nations, many Muslim nations before him. So it was necessary to qualify this with “the first of the Muslims from this Ummah.” And of that is His saying, the Exalted, in Surat al-An'am, recite the verse: إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ 162 لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. And for that I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims According to the understanding followed by the author, we say: And I am the first of the Muslims from this Ummah. In another possibility, the priority here is priority in attribute, meaning that I am ahead of the Muslims in terms of advancing to Islam. As you might say to someone addressing you, if what you said is true, then I am the first to contribute. For example, if he said that a charitable project was opened in the town, and you said: If it is true, then I am the first to contribute, meaning first in terms of submission and attribute. This is in one possibility. And if this meaning is in the noble verse, then we do not need what? The qualification that the author mentioned, because we know that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the first to submit to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and that he is the greatest of people in submission and the most intense.