“Not for you is the decision…” : Tafsir al-Sa’di

In surah Aali ‘Imran, Allah addresses His messenger by saying:

لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ‌ شَيْءٌ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ * وَلِلَّـهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ ۚ يَغْفِرُ‌ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٌ

Not for you is the decision; whether He turns in mercy to them or He punishes them; for verily they are the wrongdoers. * And to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. He forgives whom He wills, and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [3:128-129]

Commenting on these two ayaat in his famous book of tafsir, Imam al-Sa’di wrote:

لما جرى يوم “أحد” ما جرى، وجرى على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مصائب، رفع الله بها درجته، فشج رأسه وكسرت رباعيته، قال “كيف يفلح قوم شجوا نبيهم” وجعل يدعو على رؤساء من المشركين مثل أبي سفيان بن حرب، وصفوان بن أمية وسهيل بن عمرو، والحارث بن هشام

When what happened on the Day of Uhud transpired and the happenings which afflicted the Prophet (ﷺ), Allah raised his level by that, for his skull had been fractured and his eye-teeth broken. The Prophet said, “How can a people who distress their prophet succeed?!” and he supplicated against the leaders of the mushrikoon such as Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Saywan ibn Umayyah, Suhail ibn ‘Amr, and al-Haarith ibn Hishaam.

أنزل الله تعالى على رسوله نهيا له عن الدعاء عليهم باللعنة والطرد عن رحمة الله { ليس لك من الأمر شيء } إنما عليك البلاغ وإرشاد الخلق والحرص على مصالحهم، وإنما الأمر لله تعالى هو الذي يدبر الأمور، ويهدي من يشاء ويضل من يشاء، فلا تدع عليهم بل أمرهم راجع إلى ربهم، إن اقتضت حكمته ورحمته أن يتوب عليهم ويمن عليهم بالإسلام فعل، وإن اقتضت حكمته إبقاءهم على كفرهم وعدم هدايتهم، فإنهم هم الذين ظلموا أنفسهم وضروها وتسببوا بذلك، فعل، وقد تاب الله على هؤلاء المعينين وغيرهم، فهداهم للإسلام رضي الله عنهم

Allah revealed a prohibition to His messenger against supplicating against them with curses and supplicating for them to be excluded from the mercy of Allah:

لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ‌ شَيْءٌ

Not for you is the decision… [3:128]

the only thing incumbent upon you is conveying the message, directing the creation to the truth and being eager for their rectification, but the affair is only for Allah – He is the One who manages the affairs, and He guides whom He wills and misguides whom He wills. So do not supplicate against them; in reality their affair returns back to their Lord. If His wisdom and mercy entails that He would turn to them in forgiveness and bless them with Islam, then He will do so. But if His wisdom entails causing them to remain in their disbelief and the absence of their being guided – for indeed they are the ones who have wronged themselves and harmed themselves and caused that themselves – (if that is the case) then He will do that. And Allah did in fact turn in repentance to these specific people and to others as well, for He guided them to Islam – may Allah be pleased with them.

A Note on Differing Reports in Tafsir: Ibn Taymiyah

In his book “Introduction to Tafsir”, Sheikh al-Islaam ibn Taymiyah included the following points of benefit in a larger discussion of the use of Israa’eeliyaat (Biblical) narratives in tafsir. He mentioned that in cases where there is no conclusive evidence as to whether the Israa’eeliyaat narratives are true or not, there is often little benefit that comes from mentioning these different reports. He then listed a number of examples of these reports, such as those concerning what type of wood the staff of Moosaa was made of, the types of birds Ibrahim slaughtered, the names of the inhabitants of the cave, etc. Immediately following this list of examples, he wrote:

ـ … إِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ ممَّا أَبْهَمَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى فِي القُرْآنِ مِمَّا لاَ فَائِدَةَ فِي تَعْيِينِهِ تَعُودُ عَلَى الْمُكَلَّفِينَ فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ وَلاَ فِي دِينِهِمْ . وَلَكِنَّ نَقْلَ الْخِلاَفِ عَنْهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ جَائِزٌ . ـ

… and the list goes on of those things which Allah has left uncertain in the Qur’an in which there is no benefit returning back to those charged with enacting Allah’s commands in specifying them, neither in respects to his worldly life nor in respect to his religion. However, transmitting the differences of opinion regarding these issues is permissible.

كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى : {سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلاثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ فَلاَ تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلاَّ مِرَآءً ظَاهِرًا وَلاَ تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا } [سُورَةُ الْكَهْفِ :22] فَقَد اشْتَمَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ الكريمةُ عَلَى الأَدَبِ فِي هَذَا المُقَامِ ، وَتَعْلِيمِ مَا يَنْبَغِي فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا ، فَإِنَّهُ تَعَالَى أَخْبَرَ عَنْهُمْ في ثَلاَثَةِ أَقْوَالٍ ، { وَ } ضَعَّفَ القَوْلَيْنِ الأَوَّلَيْنِ ، وَسَكَتَ عَن الثَّالثِ ، فَدَلَّ عَلَى صِحَّتِهِ ، إذْ لَوْ كَانَ بَاطِلاً لَرَدَّهُ كَمَا رَدَّهُمَا ، ثمَّ أَرْشَدَ إِلَى أَنَّ الاطِّلاَعَ عَلَى عِدَّتِهِم لاَ طَائِلَ تَحْتَهُ ، فيُقالُ في مِثْلِ هَذَا : { قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم } ؛ فَإنَّهُ لا يَعْلَمُ بِذَلِكَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ مِن النَّاسِ مِمَّنْ أَطْلَعَهُ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ ، فَلِهَذَا قَالَ : { فَلاَ تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلاَّ مِرَآءً ظَاهِرًا } أَيْ : لاَ تُجْهِدْ نَفْسَكَ فِيمَا لاَ طَائِلَ تَحْتَهُ ، وَلاَ تَسْأَلْهُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ رَجْمَ الْغَيْبِ . ـ

This is as Allah said:

سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلاثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ فَلاَ تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلاَّ مِرَآءً ظَاهِرًا وَلاَ تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا

They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog – guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muhammad], “My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with a clear proof and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone.” [18:22]

for this noble ayah includes the proper etiquette in this circumstance, and it teaches us what is befitting in the likes of this instance. For Allah informed us that there are three opinions regarding them; He described the first two positions as weak and was silent concerning the third, thus demonstrating its validity. For if it had been false then He would have rebutted it just as He had rebutted the other two positions. Then Allah provides guidance that digging into their number is not a beneficial endeavor. So in this circumstance one should say:

Those who wish to hasten to affairs before their proper times: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah says in surah al-Nisaa’:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمْ كُفُّوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً ۚ وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا الْقِتَالَ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنَا إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ ۗ قُلْ مَتَاعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا

Have you not seen those who were told, “Restrain your hands [from fighting] and establish prayer and give zakah”? But then when fighting was ordained for them, at once a party of them feared men as they fear Allah or with [even] greater fear. They said, “Our Lord, why have You decreed upon us fighting? If only You had postponed [it for] us for a short time.” Say, The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for he who exercises taqwa. And injustice will not be done to you, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed].” [4:77]

In part of his commentary on this ayah in his well-known book of tafsir, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Naasir al-Sa’di wrote:

كان المسلمون -إذ كانوا بمكة- مأمورين بالصلاة والزكاة أي: مواساة الفقراء، لا الزكاة المعروفة ذات النصب والشروط، فإنها لم تفرض إلا بالمدينة، ولم يؤمروا بجهاد الأعداء لعدة فوائد:ـ

When the Muslims were still in Mecca, they were commanded to perform the salaah and the zakah – meaning charity to the poor, not the commonly understand meaning of zakah with its specific allocations and conditions, for that was not obligated until they were in al-Madinah – and they were not commanded to perform jihaad against enemies for a number of beneficial reasons:

 منها: أن من حكمة الباري تعالى أن يشرع لعباده الشرائع على وجه لا يشق عليهم؛ ويبدأ بالأهم فالأهم، والأسهل فالأسهل. ـ

Among these reasons was the it was from the wisdom of the Originator that He legislated the divinely legislated laws for His slaves in a manner that would not cause undue harm to them, and He began with the most important thing and then the next most important thing, and with the easiest thing and then the next easiest.

What is the wisdom of abrogating a command before it can be acted on?: Imam al-Shinqitee

In a session of tafsir delivered at his home which was recorded by his son and subsequently transribed, Sheikh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shinqitee discussed the following question:

هل يجوز النسخ قبل التمكن من الفعل أو لا يجوز ؟ والجماهير من العلماء على أنه جائز وواقع ، ومن أمثلته نسخ خمس وأربعين صلاة ليلية الإسراء بعد أن فرضت خسمسين ، ونُسخ منها خمس وأربعين بينما أُقرت خمساً ، ومن أمثلته قوله جل وعلا في قصة ذبح إبراهيم لولده : <  وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ > [الصفات 108] ؛ لأنه أمره أن يذبح ولده ، ونسخ هذا الأمر قبل التمكن من الفعل ، والتحقيق أن هذا جائز وواقع ، ولا شك أن فيه سؤالاً معروفاً وهو أن يقول طالب العلم : إذا كان الحكم يشرع ويُنسخ قبل العمل فما الحكمة في تشريعه الأول إذا كان ينسخ قبل العمل به ؟  ـ

Is the abrogation of a command before it is able to be carried out possible or impossible? The majority of the scholars hold the position that it is possible and that it actually happens, and one of the examples of this is the abrogation of forty-five prayers on the night of the Night Journey after fifty had been made obligatory and forty-five of them were abrogated, leaving only five remaining. And another example of this is Allah’s statement regarding the story of Ibrahim’s sacrificing his son:

وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ

And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice [37:107]

For Allah commanded Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, but He abrogated this command before Ibrahim was able to enact it. So the conclusion is that this is both possible and it occurs. And undoubtedly there is a well-known question regarding this, which is that the student of knowledge asks, “If a ruling is legislated and then abrogated before being acted upon, then what is the reasoning in its being legislated in the first place if it is abrogated prior to being carried out?”

Tafsir of Surah al-Fatihah: Imam al-Sa’di

In the beginning of his book of thematic tafsir, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Naasir al-Sa’di provided the following brief but highly beneficial explanation of surah al-Fatihah. This explanation is slightly more detailed than his previous explanation of surah al-Fatihah in his well-known complete work of tafsir, Taysir al-Kareem al-Rahman:

ـ {بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ – الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ – الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ – مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ – إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ – اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ – صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ} [الفاتحة: 1 – 7] ـ

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ الرَّ‌حِيمِ * الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَ‌بِّ الْعَالَمِينَ * الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ الرَّ‌حِيمِ * مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ * إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ * اهْدِنَا الصِّرَ‌اطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ * صِرَ‌اطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ‌ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. * [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds – * The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, * Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. * It is You we worship and You we ask for help. * Guide us to the straight path – * The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray. [1:1-7]

أي: أبتدئ بكل اسم لله تعالى، لأن لفظ ” اسم ” مفرد مضاف، فيعم جميع أسماء الله الحسنى؛ فيكون العبد مستعينا بربه، وبكل اسم من أسمائه على ما يناسبه من المطالب، وأجل ما يستعان به على عبادة الله؛ وأجل ذلك الاستعانة على قراءة كلام الله، وتفهم معانيه، والاهتداء بهديه. ـ

Meaning: I begin with every name of Allah the Exalted, because the word “name” occurs in the singular and attached state, and it therefore includes all of Allah’s beautiful names. So the slave seeks the aid of his Lord with every one of His names according to what is appropriate for his goals, and the most lofty of things to seek His aid in is the worship of Allah. And the most lofty form of that is to seek His aid in reading the Words of Allah, understanding their meanings and being guided by their guidance.

ـ (الله) هو المألوه المستحق لإفراده بالمحبة والخوف والرجاء وأنواع العبادة كلها، لما اتصف به من صفات الكمال، وهي التي تدعو الخلق إلى عبادته والتأله له. ـ

“Allah” – He is the One who is revered, the One deserving to be singled out exclusively with love, fear, hope and all varieties of acts of worship due to what He is characterized with of perfect attributes, and these are what call the creation to worship and revere Him.

ـ {الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ} [الفاتحة: 1] اسمان دالان على أنه تعالى ذو الرحمة الواسعة العظيمة التي وسعت كل شيء، وعمت كل مخلوق، وكتب الرحمة الكاملة للمتقين المتبعين لأنبيائه ورسله؛ فهؤلاء لهم الرحمة المطلقة المتصلة بالسعادة الأبدية، ومن عداهم محروم من هذه الرحمة الكاملة، لأنه الذي دفع هذه الرحمة وأباها بتكذيبه للخبر، وتوليه عن الأمر، فلا يلومن إلا نفسه. ـ

“al-Rahman al-Raheem” – These two names show that He possesses the attribute of vast and tremendous Mercy which extends unto everything and encompasses every created being. And He decreed complete mercy for the muttaqoon – those who follow the His prophets and messengers. So for those ones, there is unrestricted mercy which leads them to everlasting joy, and whoever opposes them is deprived of this complete mercy because they are the ones who repel this mercy and refuse it by their denial of the message and their turning away from the command, so they only have themselves to blame.

We Revealed the Qur’an as a Muhaymin over the previous scriptures: Tafsir ibn Kathir

Allah says in surah al-Maa’idah:

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ

And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a muhaymin over it… [5:48]

Commenting on this ayah in his famous book of tafsir, Imam ibn Kathir wrote:

وقوله : ( ومهيمنا عليه ) قال سفيان الثوري وغيره ، عن أبي إسحاق عن التميمي عن ابن عباس أي : مؤتمنا عليه . وقال علي بن أبي طلحة عن ابن عباس : المهيمن : الأمين ، قال : القرآن أمين على كل كتاب قبله . [ ص: 128 ] ـ

His statement:

وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ

and as a muhaymin over it

Sufyan al-Thawri and others said, on the authority of Abu Ishaaq, on the authority of al-Tameemi on the authority of ibn ‘Abbaas, “it means, entrusted over it.” And ‘Ali ibn Abu Talhah said, on the authority of ibn ‘Abbaas, “al-Muhaymin – the trustworthy.” He said, “The Qur’an is trustworthy over every book prior to it.”

وروي عن عكرمة وسعيد بن جبير ومجاهد ومحمد بن كعب وعطية والحسن وقتادة وعطاء الخراساني والسدي وابن زيد نحو ذلك . ـ

And that is [also] narrated from ‘Ikrimah, Sa’eed ibn Jubayr, Mujaahid, Muhammad ibn Ka’b, ‘Atiyyah, al-Hassan, Qataadah, ‘Ataa’ al-Khuraasaani, al-Suddi, ibn Zayd and others.

وقال ابن جريج : القرآن أمين على الكتب المتقدمة ، فما وافقه منها فهو حق ، وما خالفه منها فهو باطل . ـ

And ibn Jurayj said, “The Qur’an is trustworthy over the previous scriptures, so whatever agrees with it from them, then that is true, and whatever opposes it from them, then that is false.”

“Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me'”: Tafsir al-Sa’di

In surah Aali ‘Imran Allah instructs the Prophet (ﷺ) with the following words:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ‌ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٌ

Say, [O Muhammad], “If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [3:31]

Commenting on this famous ayah, Imam ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Naasir al-Sa’di wrote the following concise explanation:

وهذه الآية فيها وجوب محبة الله، وعلاماتها، ونتيجتها، وثمراتها، فقال { قل إن كنتم تحبون الله } أي: ادعيتم هذه المرتبة العالية، والرتبة التي ليس فوقها رتبة فلا يكفي فيها مجرد الدعوى، بل لابد من الصدق فيها، وعلامة الصدق اتباع رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم في جميع أحواله، في أقواله وأفعاله، في أصول الدين وفروعه، في الظاهر والباطن، فمن اتبع الرسول دل على صدق دعواه محبة الله تعالى، وأحبه الله وغفر له ذنبه، ورحمه وسدده في جميع حركاته وسكناته، ومن لم يتبع الرسول فليس محبا لله تعالى، لأن محبته لله توجب له اتباع رسوله، فما لم يوجد ذلك دل على عدمها وأنه كاذب إن ادعاها، مع أنها على تقدير وجودها غير نافعة بدون شرطها، وبهذه الآية يوزن جميع الخلق، فعلى حسب حظهم من اتباع الرسول يكون إيمانهم وحبهم لله، وما نقص من ذلك نقص. ـ

This ayah contains the obligation of love for Allah, its signs, its effects and its fruits. So He said,

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ

Say, “If you love Allah…”

– meaning: if you claim this high level – this level after which there is no level above it – then a mere claim is not sufficient for this. Rather, there must be truthfulness in this claim, and a sign of truthfulness is following His messenger (ﷺ) in all of one’s circumstances; in one’s statements and his actions, in regards to the fundamentals of the religion and to its supplementary matters, and both outwardly and inwardly.

“Indeed, We will be its Guardian”: Tafsir al-Shinqitee

In his tafsir of surah al-Hijr, Imam Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shinqitee wrote:

قوله تعالى : إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظون . ـ

Allah’s statement:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ‌ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

Indeed, it is We who sent down the dhikr and indeed, We will be its guardian. [15:9]

بين تعالى في هذه الآية الكريمة أنه هو الذي نزل القرآن العظيم ، وأنه حافظ له من أن يزاد فيه أو ينقص أو يتغير منه شيء أو يبدل ، وبين هذا المعنى في مواضع أخر كقوله : وإنه لكتاب عزيز لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه تنزيل من حكيم حميد [ 41 \ 41 – 42 ] وقوله : لا تحرك به لسانك لتعجل به إن علينا جمعه وقرآنه [ 75 \ 16 ] إلى قوله : ثم إن علينا بيانه [ 75 \ 19 ] . ـ

In this noble ayah, Allah clarified that He is the One who sent down the magnificent Qur’an, and that He is a protector of it from any increase, decrease, change or substitution. And He clarified this meaning in other places as well, such as His statement:

وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ * لَّا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ ۖ تَنزِيلٌ مِّنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ

And indeed, it is a mighty Book. * Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy. [41:41-42]

And His statement:

The Disconnected Letters: Sheikh Saalih al-Fawzan

Sheikh Saalih al-Fawzan mentioned the following during part of his tafsir lesson on the first twenty ayaat of surah al-Baqarah:

قوله تعالى : { الم } : افتتح الله هذه السورة بقوله : { الم } ، وهي من الحروف المقطعة ، افتتح الله ﺑﻬا كثيرا من السور ، ومن هذه الحروف : {المص} ، {ألمر} ، {حم} ، {كهيعص} ، {طه} ، {يس} ، {ق} ، {ص} ، {حم * عسق} . ـ

Allah began this surah with His statement:

الم

Alif. Lam. Meem. [2:1]

And these are among the Disconnected Letters [al-Huroof al-Muqatta’ah]. Allah uses them to begin many surahs. And among these letters there are:

المص

Alif. Lam. Meem. Sad. [7:1]

المر

Alif. Lam. Meem. Ra. [13:1]

حم

Ha. Meem. [40:1, 41:1, 43:1, 44:1, 45:1, 46:1]