Tafseer of The Mount · At-Tur · 52:28
Indeed, we used to supplicate Him before. Indeed, it is He who is the Beneficent, the Merciful."
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.
His statement: ( Indeed, we used to call upon Him before ) He says: indeed, we used to call upon Him in the worldly life, before this day of ours: we worshipped Him, devoting religion purely to Him, without ascribing anything to Him as a partner. ( Truly, He is the Most Kind (al-Barr) ) By this is meant: the Gentle (al-laṭīf) toward His servants.
As ʿAlī related to us, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement: ( Truly, He is the Most Kind ) He says: the Gentle (al-laṭīf).
His statement: ( the Most Merciful (al-Raḥīm) ) He says: the Merciful toward His creation, in that He does not punish them after their repentance.
The reciters differed concerning the recitation of His statement: ( Truly, He is the Most Kind ). Most of the reciters of Medina read it as "annahu" with a fatḥa on the alif, with the meaning: indeed, we used to call upon Him before because He is the Most Kind, or: on account of the fact that He is the Most Kind. And most of the reciters of Kūfa and Baṣra read that with a kasra, on the basis of a new beginning of a sentence (ibtidāʾ).
The correct judgment concerning that is that they are two well-known recitations; with whichever of the two the reciter recites, he has hit upon what is correct.
