لِنَجعَلَها لَكُم تَذكِرَةً وَتَعِيَها أُذُنٌ واعِيَةٌ

That We might make it a reminder for you, and that a receptive ear might retain it.

EXEGESIS

The pronoun it in We might make it a reminder as well as a receptive ear might retain it both refer to what is mentioned in the previous verse, meaning the drowning of the people of Prophet Noah (a) and rescuing those that were carried on the ark. It serves as a lesson and admonition for you, and that you may recall the blessings of God on you, express gratitude to Him, and realise the perfection and magnitude of His power and wisdom.^{‎[1]Tabrisi, 10/519.}

More broadly, the pronouns can be applied all the way back to verse 4, as a reference to the chastisements of God on the past nations who denied the resurrection and transgressed despite being warned by the apostles of God, and as a general admonition that evil always ends with ruin and God always comes to the rescue of the righteous.

The words wāʿiyah (receptive) and taʿiyahā (retain it) are from waʿī, which is to preserve and retain something in one’s heart,^{‎[2]Raghib, w-ʾ-y.} and that is why a utensil (ināʾ) is also called wiʿāʾ because it holds what is placed in it.

It is worth noting that udhun (ear) is used here in the singular indefinite form to emphasise the quality of the ear rather than people with such ears.

EXPOSITION

Receptive ear is a description of people that can listen to the truth and then preserve it so that they continue to benefit themselves and others by allowing that truth (as reminders and admonitions) to act as a lamp of guidance. This requires one who sees truth as something precious. One who finds truth undesirable will be unreceptive to it, and what he hears of it will simply ‘enter one ear and leave through the other’.

Most exegetes have quoted the Prophet as saying the receptive ear in this verse refers to Imam Ali (a) (see Insights from Hadith). He is its most perfect example, as he was the repository for the Apostle of God’s secrets and the heir to his knowledge. This is further proven by the fact that even after the Prophet, when his companions and the early caliphs were faced with difficulties and unresolved questions, they turned to Imam Ali (a) for answers and guidance. The Prophet is also reported to have said: ‘The most learned of my people after me is Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib (a).’^{‎[3]Kanz, 6/156 and 11/614; Manaqib, h. 79.} And: ‘I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate.’^{‎[4]Kanz, 6/401; Manaqib, h. 71; Mustadrak.S, 3/126; Tirmidhi, 2/299, who reports it as ‘I am the house of wisdom and Ali is its gate’.}

Note as well, God’s guidance is twofold: one that is instinctive and universal (takwīnī) and another that is legislative (tashrīʿī). The first applies to every creature as it seeks its perfection and is alluded to in the verse: Our Lord is He who gave everything its creation and then guided it (20:50). The second form of guidance is through prophets and the revelation of laws and commands and reminders, such as what is mentioned in this verse. Legislative guidance applies to rational beings with free will only, and therefore, whilst God guides (that We might make it a reminder for you), He does not revoke man’s free will in being receptive to the truth. He leaves it so that a receptive ear might retain it. That said, just as a reminder does not guarantee guidance and may even have the reverse effect on those averse to it (9:124-125, 17:82, 41:44), He may aid those that are especially deserving of being the custodians of His guidance and help them retain it, as was the case of Imam Ali (a).

And so when nations transgress and exhaust all excuses for reform, they are not punished because God wishes to be vengeful – for He is untouched by man’s rebellion (14:8) – but as a reminder (tadhkirah) for those who come after (50:37), and to ensure that those who come after are not hindered and obstructed from finding true guidance.

God guides man to the right path to remove all excuses: so that mankind may not have any argument against Allah after the [sending of the] apostles (4:165) and so that he who perishes may perish by a manifest proof, and he who lives may live on by a manifest proof (8:42).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From al-Makḥūl, who said that when this verse was revealed, the Prophet remarked: ‘I asked Allah to make it your ear, O Ali.’ And in another version of the tradition, the Prophet said: ‘I asked my Lord to make it the ear of Ali.’ Thereafter Imam Ali (a) used to say: ‘I never forgot anything after that, and it was impossible for me to do so.’^{‎[5]Abu al-Futuh, 19/382; Alusi, 15/49; Ibn Kathir, 8/227; Zamakhshari, 4/600; Qurtubi, 10/6743; Razi, 30/624; Tabari, 29/35; Tabrisi, 10/519-520; Thalabi, 10/28.}
2. Ibn Abī Ḥātim reports from Buraydah al-Aslamī that the Prophet said to Imam Ali (a): ‘I have been commanded to keep you close and never distant, and to teach you and that you should retain [what I teach you], and it is right for you to retain [this knowledge].’ Buraydah said: ‘So this verse was revealed: and that a receptive ear might retain it.’^{‎[6]Abu al-Futuh, 19/383; Ibn Kathir, 8/227; Kanz, 13/136, h. 36426; Tabari, 29/36; Thalabi, 10/28; also reported by al-Wāḥidī, Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn ʿAsākir, and Ibn al-Najarī, according to Tabatabai (Mizan, 19/396).}

Note: Al-Wāḥidī has reported the above tradition with a slight difference in the words. He reports that the Prophet said to Imam Ali (a): ‘Allah has commanded me to draw you closer to me and not exclude you, and that I teach you [divine knowledge] so that you retain it. And Allah has taken it upon Himself that you retain.’^{‎[7]Wahidi, p. 444.}

3. From Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) that when the verse that a receptive ear might retain it was revealed, the Apostle of Allah said: ‘It is your ear, O Ali.’^{‎[8]Kafi, 1/423, h. 57.}
4. From Imam Ali (a): ‘The Apostle of Allah (s) said [to me]: “O Ali, Allah has commanded me to keep you close and to teach you so that you may retain,” and this verse was revealed: and that a receptive ear might retain it, [and the Prophet said:] “So you [O Ali] are the receptive ear for my knowledge.”’^{‎[9]Mizan, 19/396, from Abū Nuʿaym’s al-Ḥilyah.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Nasr mentions that the pronouns it in this verse could refer to the events of the Day of Judgement that this surah describes.^{‎[10] Nasr, 69:12.} But that is unlikely, as those events are described after this verse, whereas pronouns are used to refer to subjects only after they have been introduced and already talked about using their proper nouns.

[1] Tabrisi, 10/519.
[2] Raghib, w-ʾ-y.
[3] Kanz, 6/156 and 11/614; Manaqib, h. 79.
[4] Kanz, 6/401; Manaqib, h. 71; Mustadrak.S, 3/126; Tirmidhi, 2/299, who reports it as ‘I am the house of wisdom and Ali is its gate’.
[5] Abu al-Futuh, 19/382; Alusi, 15/49; Ibn Kathir, 8/227; Zamakhshari, 4/600; Qurtubi, 10/6743; Razi, 30/624; Tabari, 29/35; Tabrisi, 10/519-520; Thalabi, 10/28.
[6] Abu al-Futuh, 19/383; Ibn Kathir, 8/227; Kanz, 13/136, h. 36426; Tabari, 29/36; Thalabi, 10/28; also reported by al-Wāḥidī, Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn ʿAsākir, and Ibn al-Najarī, according to Tabatabai (Mizan, 19/396).
[7] Wahidi, p. 444.
[8] Kafi, 1/423, h. 57.
[9] Mizan, 19/396, from Abū Nuʿaym’s al-Ḥilyah.
[10] Nasr, 69:12.