Commentary on the preceding verses and a mention of the types of Allah’s speech to the messengers, and how revelation came to the Messenger of Allah
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author composed this chapter to clarify that if the attribute of speech is denied regarding Allah (Mighty and Majestic), then the attribute of messengership is also denied. The point is this: Allah is the One who commands and forbids, sends, addresses, holds accountable, informs, speaks, talks, says, warns, and gives glad tidings. All of these are attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Can these things be possible except through speech? They are not possible except through speech. Messengership is not possible except through speech, because messengership is the conveying of the sender’s speech. Thus, the messenger conveys the sender’s speech. If he conveys the sender’s speech, and we then say: there is no speech, that means there is no messengership. Therefore, the denial of speech is not a trivial matter. If we deny speech regarding Allah, messengership is denied, and command, prohibition, information, warning, notification, glad tidings, and other such things are denied, along with warning and other such things. All right.
Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that the sending of messengers by Allah, or the speech of Allah to the messengers, is divided into two categories: a category without an intermediary, and a category with an intermediary. The category with an intermediary is also divided into two: with the messenger as the intermediary, yes, the category with the messenger as the intermediary. And the one without an intermediary is divided into revelation and direct address. Listen to his words, he says:
"A type without an intermediary, like His speech *** to Musa, and Jibril, the near and close
to him from behind His veil *** for here the eyes do not see Him
And the other is His speech to him *** with an intermediary, and it is also of two kinds
And revelation and sending to him *** and that is in al-Shura with the best of explanation
[Ash-Shuraa 42:51]. Revelation is when Allah the Exalted speaks to him without an intermediary, like what happened to Musa and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) on the Night of Ascension. The intermediary sometimes comes as an angel in the form of a human, or in the form in which he was created. So Jibril came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the form in which he was created twice: once while he was in the Cave of Hira, and once while he was at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary. Allah the Exalted said [An-Najm 53:13-14], or the revelation is cast into the mind of the messenger, meaning it is cast into his heart without him seeing an angel, without him seeing an angel.
So these are three types. What is the first type? Without an intermediary. The second is with the angel as an intermediary, in the form of a human or in the form in which he was created. The third is with the angel as an intermediary, but the revelation is cast into his mind, cast into his mind, and he understands what is said, he understands what is said. And in any case, all of it is from the speech of Allah, whether it is without an intermediary or with an intermediary, yes, correct, proceed.
The author composed this chapter to clarify that if the attribute of speech is denied regarding Allah (Mighty and Majestic), then the attribute of messengership is also denied. The point is this: Allah is the One who commands and forbids, sends, addresses, holds accountable, informs, speaks, talks, says, warns, and gives glad tidings. All of these are attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Can these things be possible except through speech? They are not possible except through speech. Messengership is not possible except through speech, because messengership is the conveying of the sender’s speech. Thus, the messenger conveys the sender’s speech. If he conveys the sender’s speech, and we then say: there is no speech, that means there is no messengership. Therefore, the denial of speech is not a trivial matter. If we deny speech regarding Allah, messengership is denied, and command, prohibition, information, warning, notification, glad tidings, and other such things are denied, along with warning and other such things. All right.
Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that the sending of messengers by Allah, or the speech of Allah to the messengers, is divided into two categories: a category without an intermediary, and a category with an intermediary. The category with an intermediary is also divided into two: with the messenger as the intermediary, yes, the category with the messenger as the intermediary. And the one without an intermediary is divided into revelation and direct address. Listen to his words, he says:
"A type without an intermediary, like His speech *** to Musa, and Jibril, the near and close
to him from behind His veil *** for here the eyes do not see Him
And the other is His speech to him *** with an intermediary, and it is also of two kinds
And revelation and sending to him *** and that is in al-Shura with the best of explanation
And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger to reveal, by His permission, what He wills
وما كان لبشر أن يكلمه الله إلا وحيا أو من وراء حجاب أو يرسل رسولا فيوحي بإذنه ما يشاء(13) And he certainly saw him in another descent (14) At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary -
ولقد رآه نزلة أخرى عند سدرة المنتهىSo these are three types. What is the first type? Without an intermediary. The second is with the angel as an intermediary, in the form of a human or in the form in which he was created. The third is with the angel as an intermediary, but the revelation is cast into his mind, cast into his mind, and he understands what is said, he understands what is said. And in any case, all of it is from the speech of Allah, whether it is without an intermediary or with an intermediary, yes, correct, proceed.