Tafseer of The Poets · Ash-Shu'araa · 26:193
The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The reciters of the Qurʾān differed over the reading of His word: نَـزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الأمِينُ. The majority of the reciters of the Ḥijāz and Baṣra read this as "nazala bihi" — lightly, with al-Rūḥ al-Amīn in the nominative — with the meaning that the Trustworthy Spirit is the one who brought the Qurʾān down to Muḥammad; that is Jibrīl. The majority of the reciters of Kūfa, by contrast, read it as "nazzala" — with tashdīd on the zāʾ — and "al-Rūḥa al-Amīna" in the accusative, with the meaning that the Lord of the Worlds brought down the Trustworthy Spirit — Jibrīl, peace be upon him — with the Qurʾān.
The correct view on this, in our judgement, is that it should be said: these are two readings that are widespread among the reciters of the Qurʾān in the great cities, and which lie close to one another in meaning; whichever reading the reciter chooses, he hits the mark. For when the Trustworthy Spirit descends with the Qurʾān to Muḥammad, he does so only by Allah's command to him to descend; and no believer in Allah will fail to recognize this. And when Allah causes him to descend with the Qurʾān, he indeed descends.
And with a meaning similar to what we have said — namely that the Trustworthy Spirit intended in this verse is Jibrīl — the exegetes spoke.
Mention of those who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: نَـزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الأمِينُ — he said: "Jibrīl."
Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning the word of Allah: نَـزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الأمِينُ — he said: "Jibrīl."
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: الرُّوحُ الأمِينُ — "Jibrīl."
It was related to me via al-Ḥusayn, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word: الرُّوحُ الأمِينُ — he said: "Jibrīl."
