Here Allah praises Himself for the Noble Qur'an He has revealed to His noble
Messenger . This is like the Ayat:
[الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَـبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجَا قَيِّماً
لِّيُنْذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ
يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّـلِحَاتِ]
(All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant the
Book, and has not placed therein any crookedness. (He has made it) straight to
give warning of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the
believers, who do righteous deeds...) [18:1-2] Here Allah says:
[تَبَارَكَ]
(Blessed be He.) The verbal form used here implies an ongoing, permanent,
eternal blessing.
[الَّذِى نَزَّلَ
الْفُرْقَانَ]
(Who sent down the criterion) The verb Nazzala is a form which implies
something done a great deal and often. This is like the Ayah:
[وَالْكِتَـبِ
الَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَـبِ الَّذِى أَنَزلَ مِن قَبْلُ]
(And the Book which He (Nazzala) sent down to His Messenger, and the
Scripture which He (Anzala) sent down to those before (him)) (4:136). Each of
the previous Books was sent down at one time, but the Qur'an was revealed
gradually, in stages, Ayat after Ayat, rulings after rulings, Surahs after
Surahs. This is more eloquent and indicative of greater care for the one to whom
it is revealed, as Allah says later in this Surah:
[وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ لَوْلاَ نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْءَانُ جُمْلَةً وَحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ
لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلاً - وَلاَ يَأْتُونَكَ
بِمَثَلٍ إِلاَّ جِئْنَـكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيراً ]
(And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at
once'' Thus, that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it
to you gradually, in stages. And no example or similitude do they bring, but We
reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof.) (25:32-33) This
Surah was named Al-Furqan, because it is the criterion that decides between
truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance, right and wrong, lawful and
unlawful.
[عَلَى
عَبْدِهِ]
(to His servant) This description is one of praise and commendation, because
here Allah is connecting him to Himself, describing him as His servant. Allah
also described him in this manner when referring to the noblest of events, the
Night of the Isra', as He said:
[سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى
أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً]
(Glorified be He Who took His servant for a journey by night) (17:1). Allah
also described him in this way when He described how he stood and called to Him:
[وَأَنَّهُ لَّمَا
قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُواْ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَداً ]
(And when the servant of Allah stood up invoking Him in prayer they (the
Jinn) just made round him a dense crowd as if sticking one over the other (in
order to listen to the Prophet's recitation).) (72:19) This description is also
used here when Allah describes how the Book is revealed to him and how the angel
comes down to him:
[تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى
نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـلَمِينَ نَذِيراً ]
(Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion to His servant that he may be a
warner to all nations.)
[لِيَكُونَ
لِلْعَـلَمِينَ نَذِيراً]
(that he may be a warner to all nations.) means, he alone has been blessed
with this great, detailed, clear Book which,
[لاَّ يَأْتِيهِ
الْبَـطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلاَ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنزِيلٌ مِّنْ حَكِيمٍ
حَمِيدٍ ]
(Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down
by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allah).) (41:42) The One Who made it the
mighty criterion, singled him out to convey it to those who seek the shade of
trees and to those who live on the land (i.e., to all of mankind, nomad and
settled alike), as the Prophet said:
«بُعِثْتُ إِلَى
الْأَحْمَرِ وَالْأَسْوَد»
(I have been sent to the red and the black.) And he said:
«إِنِّي أُعْطِيتُ
خَمْسًا لَمْ يُعْطَهُنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ قَبْلِي»
(I have been given five things which no Prophet before me was given. ) Among
them he mentioned:
«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ
يُبْعَثُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ خَاصَّةً وَبُعِثْتُ إِلَى النَّاسِ عَامَّة»
([Before me] a Prophet was sent only to his own people, but I have been sent
to all of mankind.) And Allah says:
[قُلْ يَأَيُّهَا
النَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا]
(Say: "O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of
Allah...'') (7:158), meaning, the One Who has sent me is the Sovereign of the
heaven and the earth, who merely says to a thing "Be!'' and it is. He is the one
who gives life and causes death. Allah says here:
[الَّذِى لَهُ مُلْكُ
السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَداً وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِى
المُلْكِ]
(He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Who has
begotten no son and for Whom there is no partner in the dominion.) Allah states
that He is above having any offspring or partner. Then He tells us:
[خَـلِقُ كُلِّ
شَىْءٍفَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيراً]
(He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due
measurements.) meaning, everything apart from Him is created and subject to Him.
He is the Creator, Lord, Master and God of all things, and everything is subject
to His dominion, control and power.
[وَاتَّخَذُواْ مِن
دُونِهِ ءْالِهَةً لاَّ يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئاً وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ وَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ
لاًّنفُسِهِمْ ضَرّاً وَلاَ نَفْعاً وَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ مَوْتاً وَلاَ حَيَـوةً
وَلاَ نُشُوراً ]
(3. Yet they have taken besides Him other gods who created nothing but are
themselves created, and possess neither harm nor benefit for themselves, and
possess no power (of causing) death, nor (of giving) life, nor of raising the
dead.)