Qur'an 16:89
 | |
| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | Sura al-Nahl |
| Verse | 89 |
| Juz' | 14 |
| Content Information | |
| Cause of Revelation | No Cause |
| Place of Revelation | Mecca |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 4:41 |
Qur'an 16:89 refers to the raising of witnesses on the Day of Resurrection, where a witness will be raised from every nation, and Prophet Muhammad (s) will be a witness over all of them. This verse also points to the comprehensiveness and inclusiveness of all sciences in the Qur'an. According to some exegetes, the Qur'an is not a comprehensive encyclopedia of sciences, but rather explains only the theological, legal, and ethical needs of human beings. 'Allama Tabataba'i, citing hadiths about the existence of all sciences in the Qur'an, believes that the concept of "tibyan" (explanation/clarification) in the Qur'an may go beyond its literal meaning, and the Qur'an may reveal secrets and mysteries that ordinary human understanding is incapable of grasping.
Introduction, Text and Translation
Verse 89 of Qur'an 16 refers to the raising of witnesses of deeds on the Day of Resurrection, where a witness will be raised from every nation from among themselves, and Prophet Muhammad (s) will be a witness over all of them.[1] This verse also describes the Qur'an with characteristics such as being an explanation (tibyan), a guidance, and a bearer of good news.[2]
﴾وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ شَهِيدًا عَلَىٰ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ ۚ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿
The day We raise in every nation a witness against them from among themselves, We shall bring you as a witness against these. We have sent down the Book to you as a clarification of all things and as guidance, mercy and good news for the Muslims.
The Position of the Prophet's (s) Witnessing
According to Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, a Qur'an exegete, the selection of a |witness from among every nation is for the purpose of completing the proof and strengthening the argument so that no excuse remains.[3] The mention of the name of the Prophet (s) alone is for his glorification and honoring.[4] It is narrated that whenever the Prophet (s) read the phrase "and We brought you as a witness over these," his eyes would fill with tears.[5]
Nasir Makarim Shirazi, in his commentary on Qur'an 16:89 and Qur'an 4:41, believes that every prophet, as long as he is among his umma, is a witness and observer of their deeds (and the Prophet (s) is a witness to the deeds of the people of his time); and after them, the Infallible successors will be witnesses to the deeds of the ummah.[6] According to him, some exegetes, citing interpretive hadiths,[7] have considered the Prophet (s) as a witness and proof over all past prophets.[8] Allama Tabataba'i, believes that the witnesses of each nation are witnesses over the people, and the Prophet (s) is a witness over the position of those witnesses, and the Prophet's (s) witnessing of the deeds of other people is through their testimony.[9] Al-Alusi, a Sunni exegete, believes that the Prophet (s) is a witness over all people until the Day of Resurrection, because the deeds of the Prophet's (s) umma after his demise are presented to him.[10]
Despite God's knowledge of everything, the presence of witnesses from among the nations in Qur'an 16:89 is considered an emphasis on permanent supervision over human actions and a warning for constant vigilance.[11]
The Qur'an; Comprehensive of All Sciences?
According to Allama Tabataba'i, the phrase "and We sent down the Book to you as an explanation for everything" describes the Qur'an independently and without connection to the previous phrase of the verse.[12] Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, in interpreting the phrase "explanation for everything," said: The Holy Qur'an has clearly stated everything that humans need in terms of doctrine, law, and ethics. This heavenly book is not a comprehensive encyclopedia that includes all sciences or details about objects and creatures; because the duty of prophets was not to provide such details, and such a thing has not been mentioned in history either.[13] Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, citing hadiths that speak of the existence of all sciences in the Qur'an, believes that if these hadiths are correct, the concept of "tibyan" must go beyond the literal meaning. There may be indications in the Qur'an that reveal secrets and mysteries without using words, which ordinary human understanding is incapable of grasping.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 12, p. 322.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 12, p. 324.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 12, p. 322.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 568.
- ↑ Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 4, p. 127.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 11, p. 359; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 392.
- ↑ Huwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, vol. 3, p. 73.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 392.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 12, pp. 323-324.
- ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 7, p. 450.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 11, p. 359.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 12, p. 324.
- ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 13, p. 279.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 12, p. 325.
References
- Ālūsī, Maḥmūd b. ʿAbd Allāh al-. Rūḥ al-maʿānī fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm wa l-sabʿ al-mathānī. Edited by ʿAlī ʿAbd al-Bārī ʿAṭiyya. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1st ed, 1415 AH.
- Faḍl Allāh, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār al-Malāk, 1st ed, 1419 AH.
- Huwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī b. Jumʿa al-. Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn. Edited by Hāshim Rasūlī. Qom, Ismāʿīlīyān, 4th ed, 1415 AH.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 10th ed, 1371 Sh.
- Suyūṭī, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Abī Bakr al-. Al-Durr al-manthūr fī al-tafsīr bi-l-maʾthūr. Qom, Kitābkhāna-yi ʿUmūmī-yi Ḥaḍrat-i Āyatullāh al-ʿUẓmā Marʿashī Najafī, 1st ed, 1404 AH.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Muʾassisa al-Aʿlamī lil-Maṭbūʿāt, 2nd ed, 1390 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Faḍl Allāh Yazdī Ṭabāṭabāʾī & Hāshim Rasūlī. Tehran, Nāṣir Khusraw, 3rd ed, 1372 Sh.