Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "O People of the Book, there has come to you our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal from the Book and overlooking much..."

Then Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: . They are the Jews and the Christians. If that is the case, then the Book referred to here is the generic term, namely the Torah and the Gospel. Allah the Exalted attributed them to the Book and called them its people to establish the argument against them and negate any excuse, as if He said: O People of the Book, you are people of a Book; you have knowledge and you have understanding. Our Messenger has come to you, and you know this Messenger just as you know your own sons. His saying: means by this Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). This clause is a description of the Messenger, describing his state of making clear to you, meaning revealing to you, much of what you used to conceal from the Book, while He overlooks the rest. He makes clear much of what you used to conceal from the Book, that which establishes the argument against you, and He overlooks much of what there is no need to mention. Whoever reflects on the Qur'an finds in it many reports about the Children of Israel. Allah the Exalted said: This is the habit of the People of the Book. Meaning He makes clear to you its ruling, because the need calls for it. Meaning He leaves it and does not mention it, because there is no need to mention it. Then He said: His saying: The Light: Is the intended meaning Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)? Or is the intended meaning the guidance that results from the Book and the Sunnah? The second one; the intended meaning is the second. Accordingly, his saying: is connected to in the category of connecting the consequent to the cause. Allah the Exalted said: So Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought the Light, which is the brilliant, shining guidance with which there is no darkness. A clear Book is the Qur'an, which has no darkness with it for three reasons: First, it is written in the Preserved Tablet; second, it is written in the scrolls in the hands of the angels; third, it is written in the scrolls in our hands. The form *fa'al* here means *maf'ul* (passive), as is often the case in the Arabic language, like *bina'* (building). He said: Is the intended meaning that it makes clear to others, or that it is clear in itself? Both. Yes, the intended meaning is both, because the verb *abana* (four-letter root) is used as intransitive and as transitive. You say *abana al-subh* meaning *bana* (it became clear), and you say *fulan abana al-haqq* meaning *azhar* (he revealed). If a word is used in two meanings, it is attributed to both, subject to the two conditions mentioned previously: that they do not contradict each other, and that the word can accommodate both equally. Here, the word accommodates this and that, even though one is a consequence of the other, for if it is clear to others, it is clear in itself.