رَسولٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَتلو صُحُفًا مُطَهَّرَةً
An apostle from Allah reciting impeccable scriptures.
EXEGESIS
Yatlū (reciting) denotes the act of one thing following another. From this, tilāwah is used to refer to the act of reading or speaking by uttering words one after another in accordance with a given instruction. In this context, it signifies that the Prophet recites the verses of the Quran as they were revealed, without any addition or omission.
Ṣuḥuf (scriptures) is the plural of ṣaḥīfah, literally meaning that which has been spread open. It refers to a surface prepared for writing, like a scroll or a book, as they consist of pages spread open. While this term can refer to earlier revelations – such as the scriptures of Abraham and Moses mentioned in verse 87:19 – in this specific context it is referring to the Quran itself.
As for why it is in plural, it is because it consists of many parts. The Quran has been called ṣuḥuf as well because it consists of surahs: No indeed! These [verses of the Quran] are a reminder; so let anyone who wishes remember it; in honoured scriptures (ṣuḥuf) (80:11-13).
Muṭahharah (impeccable) is from the root ṭahura meaning to be clean and pure. Muṭahharah is the form two passive participle which has the emphatic meaning of something that is thoroughly purified.
EXPOSITION
The purpose of this verse is to explain what is meant by bayyinah. The phrase rasūlun min allāh (An apostle from Allah) is in apposition to bayyinah (proof) mentioned in the previous verse, thereby defining the proof as none other than the Prophet himself, sent forth from God. The construction here reinforces that the bayyinah is not an abstract argument alone, but a living, commissioned envoy, directly bearing the divine message. This perhaps hints that the proof, who is Prophet Muhammad (s), was someone whose descriptions were known to them, and they were expecting his appearance. It also highlights his status as the final messenger of God, he is the proof, the ultimate manifestation of divine proof to mankind. In contrast, this verse utilises the indefinite rasūlun (An apostle), to perhaps highlight how he was simply yet another messenger of God, like so many that had come before him and in whom the People of the Book believed.
The clause yatlū ṣuḥufan muṭahharah (reciting impeccable scriptures) clarifies the function of the Messenger: he recites scripture of divine origin, entirely cleansed of falsehood, corruption, and impurity.
The link between apostle and impeccable scriptures serves to emphasise that the bayyinah is manifested in a concrete act; the Messenger delivering the text of revelation in a form that is complete, and protected from the distortions that afflicted earlier scriptures.
The Quran – as the final word of God and His communication which has been transmitted to us without any change or corruption – doubtlessly constitutes a divine bayyinah on its own. Yet in order for the ḥujjah to be completed, it is not simply the message, the word of God, that is delivered to mankind, but the Messenger himself who acts as divine bayyinah. The conduct of the Prophet, his character, his teachings, his exemplary life, his explanation of divine communications, all act to bring the message of the Quran to completion and acts complementary to it. The Quran itself in countless verses constantly emphasises this fact that the Quran cannot be divorced from the Messenger who has brought it, and should not be taken in isolation from him and his sunnah.
The plural ṣuḥuf is used in this verse to refer to different chapters of the Quran as indicated by 80:11-13: No indeed! These [verses of the Qur’an] are a reminder; so let anyone who wishes remember it; in honoured scriptures (ṣuḥuf). It is also possible that it is used because the Quran includes the knowledge of all previous divine scriptures.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Some have said that An apostle refers to Gabriel, but that is highly unlikely. Somewhat similarly, it has been claimed that the Quran is impeccable because it is a divine scripture in the heavens and cannot be touched except by the purified angels.
The exegetes have also noted that the Prophet would recite the Quran from memory and the knowledge contained within his heart, and would not literally read it from a page.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- ‘And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.’
- ‘Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.’
[1] Raghib, p. 167.
[2] Tibyan, 10/40.
[3] Raghib, p. 476.
[4] Mizan, 19/45.
[5] Related in Alusi, 15/426.
[6] Related in Baydawi, 5/328.
[7] Tibyan, 10/389; Tabrisi, 10/793.
[8] Baydawi, 5/328.
[9] Psalms 12:6.
[10] Proverbs 30:5.