إِنَّما تُنذِرُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الذِّكرَ وَخَشِيَ الرَّحمٰنَ بِالغَيبِ ۖ فَبَشِّرهُ بِمَغفِرَةٍ وَأَجرٍ كَريمٍ
You can only warn someone who follows the reminder and fears the All-Beneficent in secret; so give him the good news of forgiveness and a noble reward.
EXEGESIS
Dhikr is a verbal noun that has been mentioned seventy-six times in the Quran in various grammatical forms and various meanings depending on the context of the verses. These meanings vary between remembrance, reminder, mentioning, message, and the Quran itself. Even though these meanings sound variant, they are interrelated in one way or another; for example, the Quran is the message of God, which is also a reminder to the people to remember their duties and responsibilities towards God, so it is a remembrance as well. The context of each verse indicates its precise meaning. Further probable meanings of dhikr in this surah that are not related directly to the linguistic aspect of the word and will be discussed further under Exposition and Review of Tafsīr Literature.
Khashiya (feared) is a perfect verb derived from khashyah, which has been used in the Quran frequently in several forms and in various grammatical positions, all of which involve the concept of fear. In this respect it is similar to khawf (fear), though there is a subtle difference between the two. According to Rāghib, khashyah is a type of fear associated with awe and greatness towards the feared object, and usually the one who fears is aware of the feared and its greatness.
On the other hand, khawf is used when the fear is from expected harm and insecurity from the feared, which is the opposite of hope when good is expected. For example, fear of the evil of Satan and the punishment of God can fall under khawf. However, fear of being deprived of the mercy of God and awe of His greatness fall under khashyah. Nonetheless, there may be a few verses where the meanings overlap in which the contextual indications would clarify the precise meaning. In this verse, the preferable meaning of khashiya is fear due to the awe and greatness of God.
Innamā (only) is a restrictive particle. Those who fear God in secret due to His greatness seem to have exclusive characteristics. They follow the reminder and the Messenger, guard the covenant, observe patience, purify themselves, and are apprehensive of the hereafter. That is why the particle innamā has qualified the sentence. However, they are not infallible; therefore, when Satan might influence their minds, a reminder of glad tidings and warnings can benefit them.
The indefinite Arabic form used maghfirah (forgiveness) and ajrin karīm (generous reward) indicates amplification of both; therefore, the glad tidings include the great forgiveness from God and the generous reward, which is the immeasurable paradise.
EXPOSITION
The restricting particle used in this verse restricts the benefits of the warning and its effectiveness to only those who follow the reminder and fear the All-Beneficent in secret.
Most exegetes believe that the reminder here refers to the Quran because the Prophet reminds people of the Quran. So, the warning only avails those who connect with the Quran and desire to follow it. Those who are hostile towards it, certainly its warning would not be effective for them.
In addition to that, they have to fear and revere the Creator. Although al-raḥmān means the All-Beneficent, we can also translate it as Creator because His universal beneficence manifests itself in the creation. Believing in the Creator is intuitive and is a prerequisite for accepting guidance and being reminded of any warning. This intuitive knowledge about the Creator leads the believer to a sense of fear and reverence even though He is absent and unseen: do I have any duty towards Him? How should I thank Him? And what is His purpose in creating me? Unless there is such a prior fear or concern in a person’s heart and soul, they would not seek guidance and would not be reminded by the warning. That is why You can only warn someone who follows the reminder and fears the All-Beneficent in secret.
The adverb in secret (bil-ghayb) has been interpreted differently. The most common understanding is what was mentioned earlier – they fear the Creator while they do not see Him, and He is absent from their senses. However, some have taken it to mean they fear Him in the secret of their hearts, or in private as opposed to public, or while they have not seen the hereafter.
Giving good news (tabshīr) is the other side of giving warning (indhār). Therefore, when the Prophet warns, at the same time he gives good news as well. The good news is that life does not end with death, that this life is not the last station of our journey, and that we will be blessed with eternal life. The good news is, despite all their shortcomings, mistakes, sins, and misconducts, the believers who try to follow the reminder and fear the Creator would eventually set foot in paradise because there is forgiveness for them which compensates for all that. And after they enter paradise, they will receive a noble reward.
That is why the awe of God has been associated with the attribute of His magnitude of mercy, which attracts hope, indicating that their fear is associated with hope. That ties it to the two attributes mentioned previously, All-Mighty and All-Merciful. Therefore, a servant should never lose hope in His mercy or consider himself secure from His punishment.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Rāzī believes that following the reminder refers to faith, while fearing the All-Beneficent refers to righteous acts. That is why it is followed by the good news of forgiveness and a noble reward. They receive forgiveness because of their faith and are rewarded the noble reward for their good deeds.
Those who observe the awe of God, although He is beyond the reach of human perception, get the glad tiding of His forgiveness and His great and excellent reward.
There seems to be an alleged conflict between the general warning mentioned in verse 6 and this verse, limiting the warning only to a specific type of people. The issue can be clarified in several ways; the first way is to consider the first warning given to everyone, regardless of whether it is beneficial or non-beneficial; the second warning is the beneficial warning, which is only aimed at one who follows the reminder and is cautious.
The second way is to consider that the message has two types of recipients, the stubborn who would not pay heed and the cautious followers who pay heed. So, the Prophet must warn, regardless of whether pay heed or not.
The third way of understanding this verse is that the Prophet must warn everyone. However, if after all his efforts to warn everyone the stubborn start mocking his mission out of arrogance and neglect his warning, he should leave them and warn those who follow him.
The fourth way is that he should warn everyone about the principles and warn the followers not to abandon their obligations such as prayers and giving the poor rate.
The glad tidings are the opposite of warnings because the message of the Prophet includes both warning and glad tidings. Therefore, the one who follows with great caution will be blessed with vast forgiveness inclusive to every aspect, and a great, generous reward.
The concept of takhliyah (cleansing) and taḥliyah (beautifying) in moral studies has been observed in the sentence: give him the good news of forgiveness and a noble reward. The first step of development is cleansing, which comes through the forgiveness of sins. Only after the heart is cleansed the second stage can begin, which is furnishing the heart with beautiful qualities through the rewards and blessings of God. It is like someone who purchases a new house – they have to clear it from every filth and unwanted object before furnishing it with beautiful furniture. Therefore, forgiveness precedes the honourable reward because even the best worshippers could make errors; thus, they require forgiveness and cleansing before receiving great rewards.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
[1] Dhāl kāf rā in the online Quranic Arabic Corpus, < https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=*kr >.
[2] Khā shīn yā in the online Quranic Arabic Corpus, < https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=x%24y >.
[3] Raghib, p. 303.
[4] Raghib, p. 283.
[5] Mizan, 17/66.
[6] Razi, 26/257.
[7] Muhammad Asad, The Message of Quran, < http://www.muhammad-asad.com/Message-of-Quran.pdf >, p. 911.
[8] Razi, 26/257.
[9] Razi, 26/258.
[10] Ibn al-Tamjīd, Ḥāshiyat al-Qūnawī ʿalā Tafsīr al-Imām al-Bayḍāwī wa maʿahu Ḥāshiyat Ibn al-Tamjīd, (DKI Beirut, 2001), 16/101.
[11] Psalms 25:10-14.