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Qur'an 56:79

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Qur'an 56:79
Verse's Information
Suraal-Waqi'a (Qur'an 56)
Verse79
Juz'27
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Mecca
TopicHonoring the Qur'an
Related VersesVerse 78 of Sura al-Waqi'a, Verse 77 of Sura al-Waqi'a, Verse 4 of Sura al-Zukhruf


Qur'an 56:79 which states: "none touch it except the purified" is considered to be about the Qur'an. Muslim scholars have interpreted it in various ways. Some believe the verse refers to the outward aspect of the Qur'an; thus, touching the Qur'an requires physical cleanliness and ritual purity, and it cannot be touched without wudu. Based on this, Qur'an 56:79 is considered one of the Ayat al-Ahkam (Verses of Rulings). Others believe the verse refers to the inner reality and truths of the Qur'an, and accessing the inner meaning of the Qur'an requires inner purity.

Another group of exegetes, relying on the preceding verse, consider this verse to be about the Lawh al-Mahfuz (Preserved Tablet). Some, such as 'Allama Tabataba'i, believe that the Qur'an also has its roots in the Preserved Tablet, and in either case, the conclusion of the verse remains the same.

Position and Subject

Qur'an 56:79 is considered a verse regarding the honoring of the Qur'an and the exaltation of its status,[1] because the Qur'an is mentioned in Verse 78, followed by this verse stating: "none touch it except the purified". Accordingly, human purity is deemed a condition for benefiting from the Qur'an in this verse; outward benefit through touching and reciting it, and spiritual benefit through awareness of its teachings.[2]

Exegetes have linked the meaning of this verse to the two preceding verses; they have considered Qur'an 56:79 as an attribute for the "Hidden Book" (kitab maknun i.e., Lawh al-Mahfuz) in Verse 78[3] or a third attribute for "Noble Qur'an" in Verse 77.[4] Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, a Qur'an exegete, considers the ultimate meaning of both possibilities to be the same, stating: no one has access to that Hidden Book (Preserved Tablet), from which the Qur'an originates, or to the Qur'an, which is placed in the Hidden Book (Preserved Tablet), except the purified.[5]

Assuming this verse is a description of the Qur'an, some exegetes, such as Qatada b. Di'ama, have presented an outward meaning of the Qur'an, considering it to be this physical Qur'an.[6] Since the outward Qur'an (Mushaf) might be touched by unbelievers and polytheists, these exegetes have stated that the Qur'an will not be touched by the non-purified in the Hereafter.[7] Other exegetes consider the reference to the Qur'an in this verse to be the spiritual reality and teachings of the Qur'an.[8]

Meaning of Touching

In Qur'an 56:79, touching (mass) in the phrase "la yamassuhu" (none touch it) has been interpreted as both outward touching and inward touching.[9] It is said that some exegetes consider "touching" in the verse to mean physical contact with the Qur'an.[10]

Some exegetes, including 'Allama Tabataba'i, consider "touching" to mean inner contact in the sense of gaining knowledge;[11] based on this meaning, they have interpreted the verse to mean that no one gains awareness of the teachings of the Qur'an except the purified.[12] Nasir Makarim Shirazi believes there is no contradiction between the outward and inward meanings of touching, and both meanings can be combined in the general concept of the verse.[13] Accordingly, in his translation of the verse, observing both meanings, he writes: "and none can touch it [= access it] except the purified".[14]

Meaning and Instance of Mutahharun

In Qur'an 56:79, the term "mutahharun" is considered a passive participle[15] meaning "those who have been purified" and "the pure ones".[16] Both outward and inward meanings have been considered for this term: quoting al-Qurtubi, some exegetes regard mutahharun as those purified from physical impurities.[17] They consider the instances of these purified ones to be humans who are free from minor hadath (ritual impurity requiring wudu), major hadath (ritual impurity requiring ghusl), and physical impurities.[18]

Some have considered mutahharun to mean those purified from spiritual impurities, such as polytheism,[19] sins and errors,[20] and attachment to other than God.[21] According to Al-Mizan, many exegetes consider the instance of such purified ones to be the angels;[22] including Ibn 'Abbas[23] and Sa'id b. Jubayr.[24] 'Allama Tabataba'i considers restricting the instance of mutahharun to angels to be unjustified.[25] He considers the instance of mutahharun to be those among the angels and chosen humans to whom God has granted the success of purifying their souls.[26] Furthermore, he considers the spiritual interpretation of mutahharun to be more appropriate for the meaning of the verse.[27]

In a narration from the Prophet Muhammad (a):

None touch it except the muṭahharūn, he said: The Drawn Near (al-muqarrabūn).

The instance of mutahharun in the verse is identified as "the Drawn Near".[28] Citing this narration, some have stated that although the Qur'an is for the guidance of the general public, the obstinacy and prejudice of some humans prevents them from benefiting from the Qur'an, and piety (taqwa) and purity are the only way to receive its deeper and greater truths and concepts.[29] In some commentaries, the Shi'a Imams (a) are considered the perfect instance of mutahharun in this verse.[30] 'Allama Tabataba'i has identified the instance of mutahharun in the verse as the instances of "Ahl al-Bayt" in the Verse of Tathir.[31]

Use as an Ayah of Ahkam

Qur'an 56:79 has been discussed as one of the Ayat al-Ahkam (Verses of Rulings) of the Qur'an.[32] Relying on this verse, a ruling has been issued in Fiqh regarding the impermissibility of touching verses of the Qur'an by a person in a state of Janaba (major ritual impurity), Hayd (menstruation), and without wudu.[33]

Narrations from Sunnis[34] and Shi'a[35] have been transmitted regarding the impermissibility of touching the Qur'an relying on this verse. Shi'a jurists, relying on this verse and some narrations, have interpreted the impermissibility of touching the Qur'an as the impermissibility of touching the writing and script of the Qur'an.[36] Sahib al-Jawahir believes that this verse does not explicitly indicate the prohibition of touching the Qur'an with impurity; because the pronoun in "la yamassuhu" might return to the "Hidden Book" (kitab maknun) and the intended meaning of mutahharun might be the angels. He believes that nevertheless, the apparent meaning of the verse can be used to argue for prohibition; because apparently the pronoun in "la yamassuhu" returns to the Qur'an, since the two preceding verses, i.e., "Indeed, it is a noble Qur'an" and "A revelation from the Lord of the worlds", are both about the Qur'an.[37]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  2. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 9, p. 442.
  3. ↑ Ṭabarānī, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, 2008, vol. 6, p. 197; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  4. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 9, p. 510; Ṭabarānī, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, 2008, vol. 6, p. 197; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  5. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  6. ↑ Ṣanʿānī, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿazīz, 1411 AH, vol. 1, p. 245; Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1405 AH, vol. 5, p. 300.
  7. ↑ Ṣanʿānī, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿazīz, 1411 AH, vol. 1, p. 245.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  9. ↑ Qurṭubī, Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, 1384 AH, vol. 17, p. 225; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 23, p. 282; Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 14, p. 458.
  10. ↑ Fāḍil al-Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, 1373 Sh, vol. 1, p. 35.
  11. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137; Ḥusaynī Ṭihrānī, Nūr-i malakūt-i Qurʾān, 1427 AH, vol. 2, p. 46; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 23, p. 283.
  12. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  13. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 23, p. 282.
  14. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tarjuma-yi Qurʾān-i Karīm, 1378 Sh.
  15. ↑ Abū Ḥayyān al-Andalusī, Al-Baḥr al-muḥīṭ, 1420 AH, vol. 10, p. 93.
  16. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 23, p. 282.
  17. ↑ Qurṭubī, Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, 1384 AH, vol. 17, p. 226.
  18. ↑ Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1405 AH, vol. 5, p. 300.
  19. ↑ Qurṭubī, Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, 1384 AH, vol. 17, p. 226.
  20. ↑ Qurṭubī, Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, 1384 AH, vol. 17, p. 226.
  21. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 1, p. 92; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  22. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  23. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 9, p. 510.
  24. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 9, p. 510.
  25. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  26. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  27. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  28. ↑ Suyūṭī, Al-Durr al-manthūr, 1414 AH, vol. 8, p. 27.
  29. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 23, p. 272.
  30. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 14, p. 459.
  31. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1394 AH, vol. 19, p. 137.
  32. ↑ Rāwandī, Fiqh al-Qurʾān, 1405 AH, vol. 1, p. 49; Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1405 AH, vol. 5, p. 300.
  33. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 9, p. 510.
  34. ↑ Suyūṭī, Al-Durr al-manthūr, 1414 AH, vol. 8, pp. 27–28.
  35. ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-shīʿa, 1416 AH, vol. 1, pp. 384–385.
  36. ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1362 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 314–315.
  37. ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1362 Sh, vol. 2, p. 314.

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