في صُحُفٍ مُكَرَّمَةٍ
مَرفوعَةٍ مُطَهَّرَةٍ
In honoured scriptures,
exalted and purified.
EXEGESIS
Ṣuḥuf (scriptures) is the plural of ṣaḥīfah, literally meaning that which has been spread open. It is used for that which is written upon,
like a scroll or a book, as they consist of pages spread open. It should here be referring to the Quran.
As for why it is in plural, it is likely because it consists of many parts.
The Quran has been called ṣuḥuf also because it consists of surahs, like in the verses, An apostle from Allah reciting impeccable scriptures (ṣuḥuf), wherein are upright writings (kutub) (98:2-3). Both ṣuḥuf and the plural kutub (from the singular kitāb, meaning book) have been used to describe the contents of the Quran. The term ṣuḥuf is also used for the scriptures of Prophet Moses (s) and Prophet Abraham (a) (87:19).
Another possibility is that the plural is used because the revelation is brought down by multiple angels,
as alluded to in the following verses.
EXPOSITION
The aforementioned reminder is In honoured scriptures, possibly meaning the surahs of the Quran.
It could also intend all the various divine messages brought to previous prophets through the angels (87:18-19).
In this latter sense it would emphasise that the reminder is not new, but rather such moral lessons have been brought by all the messengers of God, and the Quran is simply a continuation of that. This is perhaps more fitting, since it would be similar to the context in which ṣuḥuf is used in Sūrat al-Najm and Sūrat al-Aʿlā: Has he not been informed of what is in the scriptures (ṣuḥuf) of Moses, and of Abraham, who fulfilled [his summons]: that no bearer shall bear another’s burden, that nothing belongs to man except what he strives for, and that he will soon be shown his endeavour (53:36-40); Yet you prefer the life of this world, while the hereafter is better and more lasting. This is indeed in the former scriptures, the scriptures (ṣuḥuf) of Abraham and Moses (87:16-19). These verses emphasise how the Quranic message is a continuation of what was brought by previous prophets.
The scriptures are described as honoured because of the wisdom they contain,
their noble status, and their divine origin. They are described as exalted and purified because they are in such a high station that cannot be reached and corrupted by the devils,
or by the faithless:
and No one touches it except the pure ones (56:79).
The three adjectives viewed in unison relay the perfectness of the Quran. It is honoured because it is from a divine source. It is exalted in its station, and no one can tamper with it or corrupt it. It is purified in its content, only truly understood by the pure, whilst also being a source of purification so that those with sincerity can grow as they grow in their understanding of it. It is the milk which nourishes the believer, grants him succour and strengthens him, allowing him to then access more of the Quranic wisdom as he develops. When God declares This is indeed a noble Quran, in a guarded book, no one touches it except the pure ones (56:77-79), this does not mean that only sinless ones can understand the Quran and benefit from it, but that the depth of access corresponds to the purity of approach.
All of this is also a reminder how the Quran does not need pride and haughty individuals to accept it. It is far above being in need of them.
The benefit of the reminder is for those who are willing to approach it with humility and purity of intention. The language used in the verses is very powerful: honoured, exalted, purified. What is truly elevated is not worldly status and prowess, but the word of God and those who connect with it.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Ṭabrisī and some other commentators have suggested that honoured scriptures refers to the protected tablet (lawḥ maḥfūẓ) (85:22).
Tabatabai, however, criticises this opinion, saying that there is no instance in the Almighty’s speech where the terms ‘scriptures (suhuf)’, ‘books (kutub)’, or ‘tablets (alwāḥ)’ are used in the plural form to refer to the protected tablet. The same criticism is voiced by Makārim Shīrāzī, saying that it cannot refer to the protected tablet since scriptures (ṣuḥuf) is in plural and the protected tablet is singular.
To understand what is meant by this discussion, we must understand some concepts. The Quran constantly uses words such as ‘books’ and ‘scriptures’ to refer not to physical things, but repositories of knowledge. So, for example, it speaks of people on the Day of Judgement being presented with books that contain all their actions. These are usually referred to as kitāb/kutub, but also as ṣuḥuf, as in the verse, When the records (ṣuḥuf) [of deeds] are unfolded (81:10). Certainly, we should not understand these too literally, to mean that an actual physical book or scroll of words written with ink are given to them, but rather the word is used to describe a repository of knowledge. This is easy to understand for modern readers of the Quran who are used to things such as digital books, which are simply a collection of bytes stored in a local drive or spread in various servers, which can then be summoned at will to the appropriate electronic device.
We also know that the revelation given to the Prophet was not restricted to the collection of Arabic words that are recited in the Quran, but included many other things, some of which are related to us in what are known as aḥādīth qudsiyyah, or which formed part of prophetic teachings, or some which could not even be expressed in human language (see 53:10). The divine source of the Quranic knowledge is the protected tablet, which is also called the mother-book (43:4). As we said, the Quran was only a part of the revelation received by the Prophet, and that in turn was only a small part of the knowledge of the protected tablet which contains the knowledge of all things; No leaf falls without His knowing it, nor is there a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or withered but it is in a manifest book (6:59). The usage of the plural to refer to the protected tablet hence seems unlikely, since it is meant to describe the one, singular, unified divine repository of knowledge from which all these various books and scriptures and revelations descend.
See also the commentaries on verses 85:21, 56:78-79, 43:2-4, 12:1-2, and 36:12 for more.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- ‘And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.’
Note: The sevenfold purification symbolises completeness, much like the Quranic notion of incorruptibility.
[1] Raghib, p. 476.
[2] Mizan, 19/45, in his commentary on Sūrat al-Najm.
[3] Mizan, 20/202.
[4] See Munyah, 30/52.
[5] Related in Tabrisi, 10/665; Thalabi, 10/131; Alusi, 15/244.
[6] Tibyan, 10/271.
[7] Zamakhshari, 4/702; Alusi, 15/244.
[8] Tibyan, 10/271.
[9] Razi, 31/55.
[10] Tabrisi, 10/665; Tabari, 30/34; Thalabi, 10/131; Baghawi, 5/210; Zamakhshari, 4/702.
[11] Nemuneh, 26/134.
[12] Psalm 12:6.