كَلّا إِنَّها تَذكِرَةٌ

فَمَن شاءَ ذَكَرَهُ

No indeed! These [verses of the Quran] are a reminder –

so let anyone who wishes remember.

EXEGESIS

The suffix hā (literally she, or it) in innahā refers to the Quran; the feminine hā is used because the Quran is described in the predicate as being a tadhkirah (reminder) which is feminine.^{‎[1]Alusi, 15/244; Munyah, 30/52; Sharawi, p. 16787.}

Other have said that the feminine hā is referring to the preceding verses (āyāt), or the surah. The suffix hu in dhakarahu could refer to revelation (tanzīl) or exhortation (waʿẓ).^{‎[2]See Tibyan, 10/271; Tabari, 30/34.}

EXPOSITION

The admonishment of the first ten verses is now finished and with it the tone shifts. While the tone of reprimand is still present, there is a softening as well. The emphatic No indeed! that marks the shifts is to declare that the act of frowning was unbecoming of the frowner. Or it is to emphasise that God does not support His religion through those who see themselves needless of God and His guidance due to their status and wealth. Rather, He supports the truth through the pure-hearted, like this blind man, even if they are among the poor and needy.

It is also a reminder that the duty of the one who calls to God is simply to convey the message, the recipient must then choose to pay heed to the admonishment or neglect it. You cannot force anyone to benefit from the reminder. In other words: your duty, O Muhammad, is only to convey and remind, whoever wills may believe, and whoever wills may disbelieve (18:29).

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Ṭūsī uses these verses to ponder on the difference between dhikr (remembrance) and maʿrifah (knowledge). He says that remembrance is the opposite of heedlessness (ghaflah), whereas understanding is the opposite of ignorance (jahl) and forgetfulness (sahw). Of the two, remembrance is more important, since it is the means through which one may reach true knowledge and differentiate truth from falsehood and right from wrong.^{‎[3]Tibyan, 10/271.}
Dhikr may be understood as a return to an already-known truth, buried beneath distraction (ilhāʾ and the resulting ghaflah). Hence, the tadhkirah revives the fiṭrah, the primordial nature, and is not new information, but a call to the remembrance of the soul’s pre-existent knowledge, Am I not your Lord? (7:172).

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. ‘So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body …’^{‎[4]2 Peter 1:12-13.}
   

[1] Alusi, 15/244; Munyah, 30/52; Sharawi, p. 16787.
[2] See Tibyan, 10/271; Tabari, 30/34.
[3] Tibyan, 10/271.
[4] 2 Peter 1:12-13.