رَسولًا يَتلو عَلَيكُم آياتِ اللَّهِ مُبَيِّناتٍ لِيُخرِجَ الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ مِنَ الظُّلُماتِ إِلَى النّورِ ۚ وَمَن يُؤمِن بِاللَّهِ وَيَعمَل صالِحًا يُدخِلهُ جَنّاتٍ تَجري مِن تَحتِهَا الأَنهارُ خالِدينَ فيها أَبَدًا ۖ قَد أَحسَنَ اللَّهُ لَهُ رِزقًا

An apostle reciting to you the manifest signs of Allah that He may bring out those who have faith and do righteous deeds from darkness into light. And whoever has faith in Allah and does righteous deeds, He shall admit him into gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them forever. Allah has certainly granted him an excellent provision.

EXEGESIS

Yatlū (reciting) comes from tuluww and tilāwah, literally meaning for one thing to follow another.^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 167.} From this, tilāwah is used for reading and speech, meaning to utter one word after another in the way that one is instructed.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 10/40.} Here, it is used because the Prophet recites the verses of the Quran as they have been revealed, without any addition or omission.

Mubayyināt (manifest) comes from bayyinah, meaning ‘clear evidence, either rational or experiential’.^{‎[3]Raghib, p. 157.} Mubayyin is something that presents clear evidence, making things clearly understood and explained.

The verses of God that are recited to the believers are manifest (mubayyināt) for one who hears them and then ponders them, realising they are from God,^{‎[4]Tabari, 28/98.} or because they make clear the command of God and what is permissible and forbidden.^{‎[5]Razi, 30/565.}

Ẓulumāt is in the plural, and could be thought of in English as many darknesses. Darkness here represents ignorance and being lost, or misguidance. The plural is probably used because there are many different causes and types of deviation and ignorance, whilst the singular is used for light (nūr), because the guidance and religion of God is one.^{‎[6]Nemuneh, 24/259, argues that they are used because disbelief and ascribing partners to God are the causes of separation and division, whereas faith and God-wariness bring unity and solidarity.} For more on this and other relevant concepts, see the commentary on verse 2:257.

Khālidīn is the plural active participle of khulūd, meaning to remain forever in a certain state.^{‎[7]Raghib, p. 291.} The plural is used and even though the verbs earlier were in the singular, they are used in an absolute sense meaning anyone who belongs to that group or type of people, so the plural khālidīn is appropriate. There is also a double emphasis in the verse that the dwellers of paradise will remain therein eternally, as also the word forever (abad) is used.^{‎[8]Nemuneh, 24/259-260.}

Aḥsana: the verb aḥsana means to make something good or the best. It is said that here the people of paradise are described as being given the best provision, better than anything anyone has ever been given before.^{‎[9]Tabrisi, 10/466.}

Rizq (provision): a benefit that is continuously provided is called a provision. When the believers enter paradise, they will continuously be provided with all their wants, and thus what is given to them is described as a provision.^{‎[10] Tibyan, 10/41.}

EXPOSITION

Similar to verses 2 and 3, this verse and the previous one are in enjambment. The verse continues mid-sentence from the previous one (Allah has already sent down to you a reminder, an apostle reciting to you the manifest signs of Allah). These manifest signs should be reminder enough for any intelligent person who has faith, and act as a vehicle to instil God-wariness in him. This God-wariness is the cause for the light of faith to be lit in a person’s heart, inspiring him to do good deeds: that He may bring out those who have faith and do righteous deeds from darkness into light.

The verse mentions the primary reason for the sending of divine messengers, which is to extract people from the darkness of disbelief into the light of faith. Specifically, the light here means the light of truth that guides to righteousness and paradise. In opposition to that there is darkness of falsehood, which takes a person into ruin.^{‎[11] Tibyan, 10/41.}

This ties in again closely to the central theme of the surah. The command of God is not an unknown which man must seek out and find, rather it is sent to him and seeks him out; it is clear and manifest like the light of day. It is brought to him in manifest signs by God’s messengers.

The earlier verses spoke of some of the worldly benefits of God-wariness and following the divine command. It is now appropriate that we are reminded of the benefit in the hereafter for following it. The benefit is a great one indeed, And whoever has faith in Allah and does righteous deeds, He shall admit him into gardens with streams running in them.

The final perfection of the light into which the believers are brought is paradise, as that is the manifestation of closeness to God.^{‎[12] Fadlallah, 22/301.}

Unlike the fleeting rewards of this world though, the reward in the hereafter is far better, as it is eternal, and those admitted into the gardens of paradise will remain in them forever. The added emphasis of to remain in them forever when speaking of paradise (which is already known to be eternal) is a subtle reminder that it is only the joys of the hereafter that are eternal. Consider the theme of the surah – how often a once joyous marriage can end in bitter divorce? Only the bliss of paradise is truly uninterrupted.

The surah has a rising structure, starting from the bickering of divorce and its mundane issues and problems, it is now reaching a crescendo, lifting the readers mental gaze from issues of money and providing for an ex-wife and the worldly difficulties and financial worries, to look to the hereafter and the glorious rewards there.

The ultimate goal of a believer should be paradise, and God now reminds him that if he enters into it, Allah has certainly granted him an excellent provision. The worldly provision and benefits from God-wariness are good and desirable, however the true and excellent provision is reserved for the hereafter.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Regarding the statement, that He may bring out those who have faith and do righteous deeds from darkness into light, the apparent meaning of it seems to suggest that those who have faith and do righteous deeds were in darkness, whilst having those two qualities. This begs the question: why are they described as having faith, then the verses are recited to them and they are brought out into the light from this darkness? As Rāzī puts it, should the verse rather not say: that He may bring out the faithless from darkness into light?^{‎[13] Razi, 30/566.}

Zamakhsharī has suggested that this refers to the moment of revelation – at the moment the verses are first recited to them – they are in darkness, but as they believe in what they hear they are brought to the light. Alternatively, he suggests it could refer to the pre-eternal knowledge of God, that He brings into the light those whom He knew would come to believe.^{‎[14] Zamakhshari, 4/561.}

Rāzī deliberates that the verb bring out may intend the future, even though it uses the past tense. Alternatively, he proposes the act of them believing happened after they were brought out of the darkness.^{‎[15] Razi, 30/566.} This interpretation is possible because the Arabic literally says ‘those who believed and did good deeds’ (āmanū), rather than those who have faith and do righteous deeds.

Mudarrisi contends that even the believers may be in various forms of darkness, and they too should be extracted from there.^{‎[16] Mudarrisi, 16/86-87. The same argument is made by Qaraati, 10/117.} Qurṭubī attributes to Ibn Abbas that it means the believers from the People of the Book.^{‎[17] Qurtubi, 18/174.}

Obviously, the believers can also be in darkness, and only come out as much as they try to follow the Quran and the Prophet in a true sense, not just paying lip service. Indeed, not every Muslim who believes in the Quran is in the light. Only those who accept the guardianship (wilāyah) of God are delivered from the darkness into the light.

There is also some disagreement about who is bringing people out of darkness. For example, Qurṭubī is of the opinion that it is Prophet Muhammad (s) who is bringing people out of the darkness (and not God). He says this is because faith is obtained by obeying the Prophet.^{‎[18] Qurtubi, 18/174.} Even if we accept this, it should be via extension of God’s power and will, and therefore the verb bring out should still be referring to God.

Qarāʾatī points out that even though the declared objective of the Quran is to bring all of mankind out of darkness, a book We have sent down to you that you may bring mankind out from darkness into light (14:1), this is only actualised in the believers.^{‎[19] Qaraati, 10/116.}

There is also some discussion about the nature of the excellent provision. Makārim Shīrāzī argues that the indefinite form of provision is used because it means that the provision is given to them in both this life and the next.^{‎[20] Nemuneh, 24/259.} Tabatabai has argued that the excellent provision is faith and good deeds in this world, and paradise in the hereafter.^{‎[21] Mizan, 19/326.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness.^{‎[22] 2 Samuel 22:29.}
2. To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.^{‎[23] Isaiah 42:7.}
3. When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me … he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.^{‎[24] Micah 7:8-9.}
4. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.^{‎[25] Luke 1:79.}
5. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.^{‎[26] Ephesians 5:8.}

[1] Raghib, p. 167.
[2] Tibyan, 10/40.
[3] Raghib, p. 157.
[4] Tabari, 28/98.
[5] Razi, 30/565.
[6] Nemuneh, 24/259, argues that they are used because disbelief and ascribing partners to God are the causes of separation and division, whereas faith and God-wariness bring unity and solidarity.
[7] Raghib, p. 291.
[8] Nemuneh, 24/259-260.
[9] Tabrisi, 10/466.
[10] Tibyan, 10/41.
[11] Tibyan, 10/41.
[12] Fadlallah, 22/301.
[13] Razi, 30/566.
[14] Zamakhshari, 4/561.
[15] Razi, 30/566.
[16] Mudarrisi, 16/86-87. The same argument is made by Qaraati, 10/117.
[17] Qurtubi, 18/174.
[18] Qurtubi, 18/174.
[19] Qaraati, 10/116.
[20] Nemuneh, 24/259.
[21] Mizan, 19/326.
[22] 2 Samuel 22:29.
[23] Isaiah 42:7.
[24] Micah 7:8-9.
[25] Luke 1:79.
[26] Ephesians 5:8.