الآية رقم (164) - لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلالٍ مُّبِينٍ

(164) - {Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.}

Allah (swt) has conferred favor upon us with six matters; first:

{إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً} {He sent among them a Messenger}: Allah (swt) conferred great favor upon us when He sent us the Messenger Muhammad (saws). This leads us to speak about his (saws) great position for us and reply those who forbid calling him by (Our Master), and those who refuse to ask Allah to confer blessing upon him after the call to prayer (Athan), ignoring that we have to follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws). What is the definition of the call to prayer? It is a notification of the beginning of the prayer time, and it is a confirmed Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) and we adhere to it as was taught to our master Bilal. However, the Messenger (saws) was among the noble Companions and they used to ask Allah to confer blessing upon him whenever they saw him (saws), and Allah (swt) has commanded us as He commanded them:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

{Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.} (Al-Ahzaab: 56)

Hence, Allah (swt) did confer great favor upon the believers by sending among them a Messenger from themselves. Someone might say: Why did he say: (upon the believers), not upon humanity? Of course, the Prophet (saws) was sent to all the mankind, as Allah (swt) says:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

{And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.} (Al-Anbiyaa: 107)

But there is a part of them who do not believe in him (saws), so they do not take from him and did not benefit from his guidance. Second:

مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ {from themselves}: He (saws) was a human being so that they could follow him and imitate him. Third:

يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ{reciting to them His verses}: The Arabic word of (verses) may refer to two things: Either the universal signs, as Allah (swt) says:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ

{Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.} (Aal-Imran: 190)

Or the read verses:

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ

{These are the verses of the clear Book.} (Yusuf: 1)

Every verse in the Holy Qur’an is miraculous, and the recitation in Arabic is something that follows or follows something because the Prophet (saws) used to read the Qur’an and recite it word after word as it was revealed. So teaching people how to recite the Qur’an in itself is a blissing until Allah (swt) inherits the earth and those on it, The Prophet (saws) said:

“Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.”[1]

Consider how many good deeds are deposited in the scales who recite the Qur’an, therefore, we are interested in memorizing the Noble Qur’an and in its accurate reading as the Prophet (saws) recited it. The fourth:

وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ{and purify them}: So purify their souls with this Qur’an and his Sunnah as well, and raise their position. The fifth:

وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ {and teaching them the Book.}: Teaching the Book means interpreting and clarifying the meanings of the Holy Qur’an, Because Allah (swt) says:

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

{And We revealed to you the message that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.} (An-Nahl: 44)

The sixth:

وَالْحِكْمَةَ{the wisdom}: Allah (swt) says:

وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا

{And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty} (Al-Hashr: 7)

and He says:

مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ

{He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah} (An-Nisaa:8)

And the only human being authorized to legislate after Allah (swt) is the Messenger of Allah (saws).

(The Wisdom) is the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws), his words, actions, approval and all what he brought, the evidence is Allah’s (swt) saying:

وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلَى فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ

{And remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of Allah and wisdom. Indeed, Allah is ever Subtle and Acquainted [with all things]. (Al-Ahzaab: 34)

وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلالٍ مُّبِينٍ{although they had been before in manifest error.}: All mankind and the Arabs before the Qur’an was revealed were in the darkness and ignorance, they were tribes killing each other for the sake of a silly reason as horse race.

[1] Sunan at-Timidhi: Chapter: The virtues of the Qur’an, Hadith No. 2910.