Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 57

(Ayah 57) {يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُمْ مَّوْعِظَةٌ … :} From here, all people are addressed and the blessings and virtues of the Noble Qur’an are described. Thus, its fundamental characteristic is that this book has come to you from Allah; now, no other book in the world can attain this status. Then, its four attributes are mentioned. The first is that it is {’’ مَوْعِظَةٌ ‘‘ }, due to the tanween of magnification, it has been translated as “a great admonition.” Khalil said that its meaning is an admonition towards goodness by which the heart becomes soft. (Mufradat) Raghib himself defined it as forbidding from an action, which also includes warning; thus, this book admonishes and reforms a person in every way, with both gentleness and severity. The second attribute is {’’ وَ شِفَآءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُوْرِ ‘‘}, meaning this book is a complete cure for the diseases found in hearts such as disbelief and hypocrisy, envy and ostentation, and bad morals. Some people have deduced from these verses that the Noble Qur’an is also a cure for physical illnesses, as in the incident where Abu Sa’id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) recited Surah Al-Fatihah as Ruqyah for a person bitten by a snake, and he was cured, and they were given thirty sheep. [ بخاری، الإجارۃ، باب ما یعطي في الرقیۃ علی أحیاء العرب … : ۲۲۷۶ ] And when the uncle of Kharijah bin Salat (may Allah be pleased with him) recited Surah Al-Fatihah as Ruqyah for a madman bound in chains, he was cured, and those people gave them one hundred sheep. [ أبوداوٗد، الطب، باب کیف الرقی : ۳۸۹۶ و صححہ الألبانی ] There is no doubt that by reciting Surah Al-Fatihah and other verses as Ruqyah, if Allah wills, there is healing, and not only for Muslims but even if performed on disbelievers, they too are cured. However, this is not the meaning of these verses; rather, what is meant are spiritual diseases such as disbelief, polytheism, hypocrisy, envy, and malice, etc. Allah the Exalted said: «{ وَ نُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْاٰنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌ وَّ رَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَ لَا يَزِيْدُ الظّٰلِمِيْنَ اِلَّا خَسَارًا }» [ بنی إسرائیل : ۸۲ ] “And We reveal from the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.” And He said: “And as for those in whose hearts is a disease, it has increased them in filth to their filth, and they died while they were disbelievers.” [ التوبۃ : ۱۲۵ ] And He said: “Say, it is for those who believe a guidance and a healing, but those who do not believe—in their ears is deafness, and it is upon them blindness.” [ حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۴۴ ] That is, the disbelievers do not receive healing from the diseases of the chest through it. The third attribute is {’’ هُدًى ‘‘ }, showing the way with gentleness and kindness. (Mufradat) The fourth attribute is {’’ رَحْمَةٌ ‘‘}, whose meaning everyone understands. Here, all four attributes {’’ مَوْعِظَةٌ ، شِفَآءٌ ، هُدًى ، رَحْمَةٌ ‘‘} have come in the form of verbal nouns for emphasis; what is meant is the meaning of the active participle, as it is said {’’زَيْدٌ عَدْلٌ‘‘} “Zaid is justice.” What is meant is that he is so just that it is as if he is pure justice. It is said that such-and-such a person is the embodiment of beauty, meaning he is very beautiful. That is, this book is so full of admonition, healing, guidance, and mercy that it is as if it is pure admonition, healing, guidance, and mercy for the believers.

57. 1. That is, whoever reads the Quran with heartfelt attention and reflects upon its meanings and messages, for him the Quran is an admonition. The Noble Quran admonishes and advises through both encouragement and warning, and informs about the consequences that one will face in case of disobedience to Allah, and forbids those actions that can ruin a person's life in the Hereafter.

57. 2. That is, it removes the doubts and suspicions that arise in the hearts regarding the Oneness of Allah and Prophethood and the true beliefs, and it cleanses the filth and impurity of disbelief and hypocrisy.

75. 3. This Quran is a source of guidance and mercy for the believers. Although this Quran is a source of guidance and mercy for all the worlds, since only the people of faith benefit from it, it has been declared here as guidance and mercy only for them. This subject has also been mentioned in the Noble Quran in Surah Bani Isra'il verse 82 and Surah Al-Sajdah verse 44 (also see the footnote of Hudan lil-Muttaqin).

O people! There has come to you an admonition from your Lord—a healing for what is in the hearts [71], and guidance and mercy for the believers.

[71]
The Four Qualities of the Quran and Their Order: Admonition, Healing, Guidance, and Mercy:

In this verse, four qualities of the Noble Quran are mentioned. The first quality is admonition (mau‘izah). Mau‘izah refers to such advice that diverts a person's attention from worldly engrossment towards the remembrance of Allah and the Hereafter, and through it, tenderness arises in the hearts, disinterest in the world, and attachment to the Hereafter is created. The second quality is that this Quran serves as a healing for the diseases of the hearts, such as the beliefs of shirk and disbelief, envy, malice, selfishness, miserliness, greed, etc. Whoever recites the Quran and acts upon it, these ailments are automatically removed from his heart. The third quality is that the Quran provides complete guidance in all aspects of human life; it determines the individual rights of every person and prescribes such laws that neither the rights of the individual, society, nor government are violated, nor is there any injustice to anyone else. And its fourth quality is that whoever acts upon the Quran, or whichever society or government follows it, Allah's mercies descend upon them in this world as well as in the Hereafter. As is evident from the following ahadith.

1.
Honor and Humiliation Through the Quran:

Sayyiduna ‘Umar ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah, the Exalted, will grant honor to many people through this Book (the Noble Quran), and will humiliate many people through it."
[مسلم۔ کتاب فضائل القرآن، باب من یقوم بالقرآن ویعلمہ]

2. Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "In the Book of Allah there is guidance and light; whoever holds firmly to it remains upon guidance, and whoever neglects it goes astray." And in another narration from Zayd bin Arqam himself, the words are: "This Book is the rope of Allah; whoever acts upon it will be upon guidance, and whoever abandons it will be upon misguidance."
[مسلم، کتاب الفضائل۔ باب من فضائل علی بن ابی طالب]