وَما يَنطِقُ عَنِ الهَوىٰ
Nor does he speak out of [his own] desire.
EXEGESIS
Hawā (desire) was explained under verse 1. Here it has the original meaning of following the self’s desires. As mentioned there, hawā is not just for evil desires, but any sort of inclinations of the soul.
More specifically, here it has the meaning of baseless opinions (raʾy) and subjective inclinations (hawā al-nafs), even though the word here is used in a general way.
In this context we may note also that hawā is often used in contrast to truth (ḥaqq) and is contrary to truth and justice: judge between people with justice (ḥaqq), and do not follow desire (hawā), or it will lead you astray from the way of Allah (38:26). Hence, another way of looking at it is that ḥaqq is objective reality, and hawā is a subjective view.
EXPOSITION
Expounding on the previous verse, we are told that not only does the Prophet not lie, he never speaks on any matter based on whimsical desires, and he does not speak the Quran or anything related to it based on his own desires. He is not the kind of person to invent lies in order to boost his own ego or in pursuit of other such base desires.
The address here is to the faithless idolaters who had accused him of being a liar and inventing the Quran from his own self, and that by this action he had supposedly ascribed lies to God. From that we understand that God wishes to categorically deny any validity to such claims, and to affirm that Muhammad (s) was not fabricating the Quran based on his own desires, or injecting anything into it based on his own opinions. The Quran is all revelation, every chapter, verse, and word of it. That is why, for example, we see that in many verses where God instructs His Prophet, the instructions are relayed and related in full, without any omission. Not even parts of those instructions such as say have been left out.
As the Prophet would not alter the Quran based on his own desires, he certainly would not have done so based on the desires of others, which is also negated by the general scope of desire in this verse, as that may refer to his own desires or the desires of anyone else. This is also more explicitly addressed elsewhere in the Quran, such as: When Our manifest signs are recited to them, those who do not expect to encounter Us say: ‘Bring a Quran other than this, or alter it.’ Say: ‘I may not alter it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me. Indeed should I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a tremendous day’ (10:15).
In Sūrat al-Ḥāqqah God declares that the Prophet would never speak any lie regarding God: Had he faked any sayings in Our name, We would have surely seized him by the right hand and then cut off his aorta, and none of you could have held Us off from him (69:44-47).
Like the verse under discussion, the verses from Sūrat al-Ḥāqqah also seem to extend beyond the scope of the Quran to any matter regarding God and religion. We know that the role of the Prophet is not just to deliver the Quran, but to explain it as well: We have sent down the reminder to you so that you may clarify for the people that which has been sent down to them (16:44). One of the reasons God sends prophets, instead of just sending the book with an angel, is so that they may act as teachers of the revelation, explaining to people what the revelation means. The scope of Nor does he speak out of [his own] desire is wide and should extend beyond just the delivery of the Quran, to its interpretation and application by the Prophet. In brief, the Prophet would never interpret the Quran or explain any of its meanings as per desires or subjective views.
Based on all that has been said, we may also reject the theory forwarded by some that the Prophet did not relay the Quran verbatim, but rather simply communicated what he understood of revelation and his own interpretation of it according to his own opinions, putting it into his own words and expressions. This would certainly be an example of speaking out of hawā, even if that hawā is not an evil desire but a sincere and good one.
This also foreshadows the upcoming discussion on seeing Gabriel and the Night of Ascension. As the Prophet had the duty to explain to people otherworldly things such as angels, heaven, and hell, he should not have based his explanations and descriptions on guesswork, opinion, or personal interpretation. In that case his understanding would be no different to any other believer. Rather, he should have witnessed those things first-hand and had a much more complete, thorough, and intimate knowledge of them so that he may truly clarify for the people that which has been sent down to them (16:44).
Having understood this, we may realise why the phrase seeing (from the root ruʾyah) is repeated in the following descriptions four times (verses 11, 12, 13, and 18), as well as usage of expressions such as The gaze did not swerve (verse 17). While the things spoken of are all clearly metaphysical, the sensory language is meant to convey the fact that the experience of the Prophet was more than some sort of dream that is open to interpretation; rather, it was much more immediate and tangible, and that which conveyed knowledge and first-hand experience. He saw and heard those things as plainly as one may see and hear the person with whom they are having a conversation. This seeing can be described as perceiving those realities with one’s heart or soul, as per the later verse, The heart did not deny what it saw (verse 11).
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Some have said that the subject of the verb speak in this verse is the Quran (so in English it should be: nor does it speak), meaning: the Quran does not speak based on desire. This would be akin to the verse, This is Our book, which speaks truly against you (45:29). In this vein, in verse 5 it is the Prophet then who would be teaching the Quran (in English it should then be: It is taught by one of great powers). This is not a very satisfying interpretation though, as there is no indication that the subject has changed from Your companion in the previous verse.
[1] Mizan, 19/27.
[2] Tibyan, 8/556.
[3] Tibyan, 9/421.
[4] Mizan, 19/27.
[5] Muhit, 10/10.