وَالَّذي جاءَ بِالصِّدقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِ ۙ أُولٰئِكَ هُمُ المُتَّقونَ
He who brings the truth and [he who] confirms it – it is they who are the God-wary.
EXEGESIS
Verse 33 apparently talks about a single individual who has two qualities: he brings the truth and confirms it. However, it could be that there is another ‘who’ (alladhī) before the second quality, which has been omitted since it is implied by the first who at the beginning of the verse. This would mean that the verse describes two individuals (or groups) with two distinct qualities. This interpretation is confirmed by the following considerations: 1. There are some narrations that ascribe the two attributes to two different groups or individuals. 2. Given that the verse builds on verses 30-31, which were about a contention between the Prophet and his people, it becomes patent that there are two winners in that contention: the Prophet (He who brings the truth) and his followers (and [he who] confirms it). In other words, the followers of the Prophet were implicitly included in verses 30-31; otherwise, the case of the contention would be incomplete. Another possible explanation for this implicit inclusion of the second group is that when the Quran says ‘you [O Muhammad]’, it means ‘you and your followers’, because the Prophet’s followers are not separate or independent from him. 3. It would explain the plural form of the subsequent part of the verse, it is they who are the God-wary, because it would refer to two groups of people. Another possibility is that the plural form of the end of the verse shows that what is said in the verse is a general rule that is applicable to all times and all nations. 4. It explains the idea of the worst of what they did in verse 35, which is not directly applicable to the Prophet. Overall, it seems that what is intended in these two verses is to give general and comprehensive rules that go beyond the particular time and circumstances in which they were revealed, as is the case with most other verses in the Quran.
Based on the above considerations, it is possible that verse 32 also concerns two groups of people with two qualities. The two groups would be: 1. The leaders of misguidance and deviation from the truth: him who attributes falsehood to Allah. 2. Their followers, who, even though do not attribute lies to God, they accept these fabricated lies by rejecting the message of truth: him who denies the truth when it reaches him. Another possibility is that one who denies the truth when it reaches him is equivalent to him who attributes falsehood to Allah. This is because denying the message of truth sent by God means considering the message to be false, which could be what is meant by attributing falsehood to God. This equivalence is seen in verses 59-60 and 71-72. Yet, the first possibility (that the verse concerns two groups) is more likely given the above considerations, and given the division of these two traits by ‘or’ (aw) in other similar verses in the Quran (6:21, 7:37, 10:17, 29:68).
EXPOSITION
This and the next two verses describe the qualities and the rewards of the opposite group to the ones discussed in the previous verse. They are virtuous in action and are God-wary in belief and practice. There are a few possible meanings for the two qualities discussed in verse 33: 1. It talks about one who brings the truth on the Day of Resurrection, and who had confirmed it in his life. Of course, one cannot bring the truth on that day unless he had held it in this world, but the explicit mention of the confirmation clarifies that the person did not follow the truth merely by accident or out of ignorance, but he consciously accepted it. 2. It means one who holds true beliefs and confirms his beliefs by his righteous actions. 3. It refers to one who is a follower of the truth that he has reached so far (or by himself), and is submissive to any further truth that reaches him in the future (or from outside). In this sense, the verse describes a truth-oriented approach and mentality, and it would be similar to those described in verse 18. 4. He who brings the truth describes the prophets who bring the word of the truth to the people, or more generally all leaders and propagators of religion; and [he who] confirms it describes their followers on the straight path. This would be based on the possibility of the verse concerning two distinct groups, as discussed in Exegesis.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- A widely narrated interpretation from some of the Imams, companions, and early exegetes such as Ibn Abbas, Abū Hurayrah, and Mujāhid, is: ‘He who brought the truth is the Prophet, and [he who] confirmed it is Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib.’
Notes: 1. Much like the narrations about the previous verse, these interpretations provide one clear example and application of the verse. Otherwise, the verse has a universal and comprehensive meaning. 2. It is for the same reason that the verse is translated in present tense verbs, even though the original Arabic is in past tense (as translated in the hadith).
[1] Tabrisi, 8/777.
[2] Mizan, 17/260.
[3] Alusi, 12/253-254.
[4] Mizan, 17/260.
[5] Hasakani, 2/179-181 Manaqib, 3/92; al-Irbilī, Kashf al-Ghummah, 1/324; Hasan ibn Yūsuf al-Ḥillī, Kashf al-Yaqīn, p. 120 and p. 401; Suyuti, 5/328; Kanz, 11/304.