His words, Exalted is He:

Verily, We have given you a clear victory,

He said:

That is to say, ‘[We have opened] the secrets of the sciences (asrār al-ʿulūm) within your heart, so that their traces have become manifested upon you.’^{1The verbal root f-t-ḥ means to open, therefore, literally the meaning of the verse is We ‘opened’ a clear victory for you. Note that Tustarī’s interpretation brings out the idea of opening. Fatḥ (pl. futūḥ or futūḥāt) is also used in Sufism to mean a spiritual opening, hence the title of Ibn ʿArabī’s work al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya.} They are the signs of [His] love and the fulfilment of [His] bounty.

that God may forgive you what is past of your sin and what is to come…^{1These words are addressed to the Prophet.}

He said:

That is, what is past, of the sin that your father Adam عليه السلام [committed] while you were in his loins, and what is to come, of the sins of your community, as you are their leader (qāʾid) and guide (dalīl).

His words:

It was He who sent down the spirit of peace (sakīna) into the hearts of the believers…

That is, profound peace (ṭumaʾnīna). For God first of all discloses to His servants gnosis (maʿārif), then forms of mediation (wasāʾil),^{1Böwering has ‘means of communication.’ Note, above in his commentary on 32:16, Tustarī spoke of them being favoured with wasīla. On this term see p. 155, n. 4. An example of waṣīla will be seen in Tustarī’s commentary on 57:20.} then the spirit of peace (sakīna), and lastly intuitive insights (baṣāʾir). And one to whom God discloses intuitive insights, knows things according to their essences (jawāhir),^{2lit. ‘substances’, and we might understand it to mean: ‘knows things according to their true meaning or significance’.} as did Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه who never erred in speech.

His words:

And to God belong the forces of the heavens and the earth…

He said:

His forces (junūd) are of different kinds: His forces in heaven are the prophets (anbiyāʾ), and on earth, [His] friends (awliyāʾ). His forces in heaven are hearts (qulūb), and on the earth, souls (nufūs). Whatever God empowers (sallaṭa) over you, [may be counted as being] among His forces. If He empowers your lower self over you, your lower self will itself destroy you; and likewise, if He empowers your bodily members over you, they themselves will destroy you. If your lower self overpowers your heart, it will drive you to the pursuit of desire (hawā). But if your heart overpowers your lower self and your bodily members, it will tether them with propriety (adab), compel them into worship (ʿibāda), and then adorn them with sincerity in servanthood (ikhlāṣ fi’l-ʿubūdiyya). All of these together amount to God’s forces.

His words:

Indeed We have sent you as a witness, and a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.

He said:

As a witness to them of the divine oneness (tawḥīd), bringing glad tidings to them of help (maʿūna) and support (taʾyīd), and warning them against falling into innovations (bidaʿ) and errors (ḍalālāt).

His words:

…and that you may honour Him, and revere Him…

He said:

That is, revere Him with the utmost reverence (taʿẓīm) in your hearts and obey Him with your bodies. This is why reverence (taʿzīr) is so called, because it is the greatest [thing for] disciplining [the self] (taʾdīb).^{1The verb ʿazzara (2nd form of the root ʿ-z-r) has a variety of meanings, including ‘to discipline’, ‘chastise’, ‘to give religious instruction’ and ‘to honour’ or ‘revere’. Likewise, the verb addaba (2nd form of ʾ-d-b) can mean ‘discipline’ in the sense of punishment, and also ‘discipline’ in the sense of training, refining, educating, hence the noun adab, meaning ‘culture’, ‘propriety’ or ‘manners’, comes from this verb. What Tustarī may be implying here is that through a true sense of reverence for God, a person is inwardly disciplined and groomed.}

His words:

…the Hand of God is above their hands…

He said:

That is, the power (ḥawl) of God and His strength (quwwa) is above their strength (quwwa) and their action (ḥaraka).^{1Tustarī here shows that he is ready to interpret the anthropomorphic verses metaphorically. Others believed that anthropomorphic expressions in the Qurʾān (or ḥadīth), such as the ‘hand(s) of God’ (Q. 5:64; 36:70; 38:76; 48:10), or His ‘mounting’ or ‘being established on the Throne (7:54; 10:4; 13:2; 20:5; 25:59; 32:4; 57:4) should be accepted as they are, without seeking to interpret them, an approach known as bi-lā kayf, meaning literally ‘without how’. This doctrine, which is said to go back to Mālik b. Anas (d. 179/795), became particularly associated with the Ashʿarī school of theology, though it was adopted with a passion by many Ḥanbalīs and traditionalist Shāfiʿīs. The Muʿtazilīs condemned this approach as being tashbīh, literally likening God [to creatures] and insisted on interpreting the anthropomorphic verses metaphorically. On this subject see: B. Abrahamov, ‘The bi-lā kayfa Doctrine and its Foundation in Islamic Theology’, Arabica 42 (1995), pp. 165–79; W. Williams, ‘Aspects of the Creed of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: A Study of Anthropomorphism in Early Islamic Discourse’, IJMES 36 (2002), pp. 441–63; Merlin L. Swartz, A Medieval Critique of Anthropomorphism (Leiden, 2002); Richard C. Martin, ‘Anthropomorphism’, EQ, vol. 1, p. 103; Josef van Ess, ‘Tashbīh wa Tanzīh’, EI2, vol. x, p. 341.} This is in their saying to the Messenger ﷺ at the time of the pledge (bayʿa), ‘We have pledged to you that we will not flee, and we will fight for you.’ There is another possible meaning of the Hand of God is above their hands, which is, the grace (minna) of God is above them in their being guided to take the pledge, and His reward (thawāb) for them is above their pledge and their obedience for you.

His words:

…‘Our possessions and our families kept us occupied…’ ^{1The first part of this verse states that these words were said by the Bedouins who stayed behind and did not accompany the Prophet on his journey to Mecca.}

They tried to excuse themselves with this, and God related it to you so you would know that the way to approach God (iqbāl ʿalā’Llāh) is through leaving behind the world and what it contains, for certainly that is what distracts [you] from God. Take note of how the hypocrites excused themselves by saying: ‘Our possessions and our families kept us occupied…’

His words:

…And were it not for [some of] the believing men and believing women whom you did not know — lest you should trample them…^{1The verse continues: and thus incur sin on account of them without knowing [it]. That is to say, if they unwittingly slew believers along with the disbelievers.}

He said:

The real believer (al-muʾmin ʿalā’l-ḥaqīqa) is the one who is not heedless of his lower self and his heart, but scrutinises his states (aḥwāl), and keeps a close watch over his moments (awqāt).^{2That is to say his state in each present moment.} He observes his increase (ziyāda) [in a good state, distinguishing it] from his decline (nuqṣān), and shows gratitude on seeing an increase, but when there is a decline, devotes himself [to remedying it] and makes supplication.

It is through these [real believers] that God repels calamity (balāʾ) from the inhabitants of earth. The [true] believer is never lax (mutahāwin) with the slightest shortcoming, for laxity with a little will inevitably lead to [laxity in] a lot.

He further said:

The servant will not get the taste of faith until he abandons six vices [lit. character traits, khiṣāl]: he should abandon what is forbidden (ḥarām), illegal possessions (suḥut), what is dubious (shubha), ignorance (jahl), intoxicant[s] (muskir) and ostentation (riyāʾ); [on the other hand] he should adhere to [six virtues]: knowledge (ʿilm), putting his actions right (taṣḥīḥ al-ʿamal), integrity of heart (naṣḥ bi’l-qalb), veracity of the tongue (ṣidq bi’l-lisān), correct conduct (ṣalāḥ) in associating with people and sincerity (ikhlāṣ) in the way he deals with his Lord.

He also said:

The Book of God is founded upon five [virtues]: veracity (ṣidq), seeking the best [through God’s guidance] (istikhāra), consultation (istishāra), patience (ṣabr) and gratitude (shukr).

His words:

…and made binding on them the promise to be mindful [of Him], for they were more worthy and deserving of it…^{1We have followed Abdel-Haleem’s translation of kalima (lit. ‘word’) as ‘promise’.}

He said:

[The promise to be mindful of God (kalimat al-taqwā)] is saying: ‘There is no god except God (lā ilāha illā’Llāh), for truly it is the summit of mindfulness of God.

Then he said:

The best among people are the Muslims, the best among Muslims are the believers,^{2Tustarī is alluding again here to the difference between the nominal submission to God (islām) of the muslim, and the state in which one has faith (īmān), that of the muʾmin. See above, Tustarī’s commentary on 14:24 in which the third level of iḥsān is mentioned. See also IT, p. lviii, n. 265 regarding the ḥadīth in which these three levels are discussed.} the best among believers are the scholars who act upon their knowledge, the best among those who act [upon their knowledge] are the fearful (khāʾifūn), and the best among the fearful are the sincere ones who are fully aware of God (al-mukhliṣūn al-muttaqūn), whose sincerity and awareness of God remains with them up until their death. Indeed, the likeness of these [latter] is that of a passenger on board a ship at sea. He does not know whether he will be saved from [the sea] or drown in it. Those for whom this was true were the Companions of the Messenger of God ﷺ according to His words: and made binding on them the promise to be mindful of Him.

His words:

…You will assuredly enter the Sacred Mosque in safety, God willing…

He was asked, ‘What is meant by making this exception [saying God willing] (istithnāʾ)?’ He said:

This is a way of teaching (taʿlīm) and disciplining (taʾdīb) [His] servants, [in order that they should feel] intense neediness (shiddat al-iftiqār) for Him at every moment and in every situation, and by way of emphasis (taʾkīd). If God makes an exception [by saying ‘God willing’] while having full knowledge [of what is to happen], then it is not for one of his servants, who is deficient in knowledge, to determine upon something without making the exception of ‘God willing’.^{1On the doctrine of ‘exception’ (istithnāʾ) in Islamic theology, see L. Gardet, ‘In shāʾ Allāh’, EI2, vol. iii, p. 1196. On the adab of istithnāʾ see Rūmī, Mathnawī, Bk. I, lines 48–50.}

His words, Exalted is He:

…The mark is on their faces, from the effect of their prostrations…

He said:

The believer (muʾmin) in God is a face without a reverse side, [since he is] advancing towards Him without ever turning back from Him. This is the mark of the believers. ʿĀmir b. ʿAbd al-Qays said, ‘It is almost as if the face of a believer is informing [us] of that which is hidden within him, and the same can be said of the face of the disbeliever.’ This is what is meant by His words: The mark is on their faces. Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said, ‘The secret of the believer is a mantle over him’. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.