Surah Ar-Ra'd (13) — Ayah 37

(Ayah37) ➊ {وَ كَذٰلِكَ اَنْزَلْنٰهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا :} That is, just as books were sent down to the previous prophets, in the same way We have sent down this Qur’an to you, and just as revelation and books were sent down to every prophet in the language of his people, in the same way the book was sent down to the Arabs in their own language, not in any other language, so that they could not say that we do not even know this language. {’’ اَنْزَلْنٰهُ ‘‘} (We sent it down) shows that the Noble Qur’an and divine revelation have come from above. This clearly refutes those who do not accept that Allah, the Exalted, is above or on the Throne, but sometimes say that He is without place, i.e., nowhere, and sometimes say He is everywhere, whereas the Qur’an has clearly stated in several places that He is above and on the Throne. He said: «{قَدْ نَرٰى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَآءِ }» [ البقرۃ : ۱۴۴ ] “Indeed, We see the turning of your face repeatedly toward the heaven.” And He said: «{ ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ }» [ الأعراف : ۵۴ ] “Then He rose over the Throne.” And many other verses. Then, although your addressees are all jinn and mankind until the Day of Resurrection, the first addressees were the Arabs. Allah, the Exalted, chose them and their language for the guidance of the whole world because of their natural qualities and the comprehensiveness, eloquence, clarity, beauty of expression, ease, and other virtues of their language, and He considered it a favor upon the Arabs: «{ وَ اِنَّهٗ لَذِكْرٌ لَّكَ وَ لِقَوْمِكَ وَ سَوْفَ تُسْـَٔلُوْنَ }» [الزخرف : ۴۴ ] “And indeed, it is a reminder (or a source of honor) for you and your people, and soon you will be questioned.” Then this Qur’an preserved the Arabic language in such a way that, despite centuries passing, the Arabic language exists in its original form, whereas all other languages change after some time, to the extent that the original words become completely obsolete, as is the case with English and others. Look at Arabic itself: because of the Qur’an, classical Arabic is preserved, but the colloquial Arabic of ordinary people varies so much by region and era that an Arab from one area does not understand the common language of another area. However, the original Arabic has been preserved in its original form for centuries by the Qur’an; it is the same all over the world.

➋ {وَ لَىِٕنِ اتَّبَعْتَ اَهْوَآءَهُمْ …:} This address is apparently to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is meant for every person who seeks the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted, and fears His anger, and in it is a warning for those scholars who knowingly abandon the path of the Sunnah and choose the way of innovation and misguidance, and who leave the Qur’an and Hadith for the sayings of men. (Ibn Kathir)

37. 1. That is, just as We sent down books to the previous messengers in the local languages, similarly, We have revealed the Qur'an to you in the Arabic language, because your primary audience is the Arabs, who know only the Arabic language. If the Qur'an had been revealed in any other language, it would have been beyond their understanding and would have become an excuse for them in accepting guidance. By revealing the Qur'an in Arabic, We have also removed this excuse.

37. 2. By this are meant some of the desires of the People of the Book which they wanted the Last Prophet to adopt. For example, to keep Bayt al-Maqdis as the qiblah forever and not to oppose their beliefs, etc.

37. 3. By this is meant the knowledge that was granted to you through revelation, in which the reality of the beliefs of the People of the Book was also made clear to you.

37. 4. This is actually a warning to the scholars of the ummah that they should not follow people's desires in opposition to the clear commands of the Qur'an and Hadith for the sake of temporary worldly interests. If they do so, there will be no one to save them from Allah's punishment.

37. And to Him is my return. (Thus We have revealed this Qur’an as a judgment in Arabic [48]. So if, after the knowledge that has come to you, you follow their desires [49], you will have no protector or defender against Allah.)

[48]
The Quran is a ﴿حَكَمَ﴾ for Previous Scriptures:

That is, just as We revealed the scriptures of previous prophets in their respective national languages, in the same way, We have revealed this Quran to Muhammad al-Arabi ﷺ in his national language, Arabic, and have sent it down as a criterion. That is, it holds the status of a standard for the previous revealed books, and through its explanation, it becomes clear where the People of the Book made alterations in their scriptures, which commands and verses they concealed, and what additions they made to their religion on their own.

[49]
What is Meant by ﴿العلم﴾?

In this verse, the address is to the general Muslims, but for further emphasis, you ﷺ have also been addressed, and by "knowledge" is meant the knowledge of revelation, i.e., after the commands sent down from Allah have come, neither anyone's statement can be accepted nor any compromise can be made. And if, after knowing that "this matter is truly sent down from Allah," someone acts otherwise, then no one can save him from Allah's grasp. It should be clear that after the authenticity of any hadith is established, in terms of following, both the Book and the Sunnah are on the same level, and in the early generations, the word "al-ilm" (knowledge) was commonly used for the knowledge of hadith as well. And for those who declare personal imitation (taqlid shakhsi) as obligatory, there is a lesson in this verse, because the word "al-ilm" cannot be applied to the jurisprudence of any Imam. Furthermore, personal imitation is that very evil which has become a major cause of division within the Muslim Ummah, and until the Ummah abandons the claim of the obligation of personal imitation, it is impossible for unity to be established within it. And the only way to be saved from division is that, in their differences, people should refer only to the Book and the Sunnah.