Surah Ash-Shura (42) — Ayah 51

(Ayah 51) ➊ {وَ مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ اَنْ يُّكَلِّمَهُ اللّٰهُ:} The disbelievers said: « لَوْ لَا يُكَلِّمُنَا اللّٰهُ » [ البقرۃ : ۱۱۸ ] "Why does Allah not speak to us (directly)?" Rather, their desire was that just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) was given the Book, each one of them should also be given a book in the same way, as He said: « بَلْ يُرِيْدُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ اَنْ يُّؤْتٰى صُحُفًا مُّنَشَّرَةً» [ المدثر : ۵۲ ] "Rather, every one of them desires that open scriptures be given to him." Allah Almighty answered that Allah does not speak to everyone, rather He selects from among the angels and humans for this, as He said: « اَللّٰهُ يَصْطَفِيْ مِنَ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِ رُسُلًا وَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ » [ الحج : ۷۵ ] "Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among the people." He bestows this blessing upon whom He wills, and no one can say why he did not receive this blessing. In this verse, it is said that even with His chosen servants, He does not speak face to face, nor is this possible for any human in this world. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ حِجَابُهُ النُّوْرُ وَ فِيْ رِوَايَةِ أَبِيْ بَكْرٍ النَّارُ، لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهٰي إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ ] [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب في قولہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ’’إن اللّٰہ لا ینام‘‘… : ۱۷۹ ] "Allah's veil is 'light'." In Abu Bakr's narration, it is "fire." "If He were to remove it, the radiance of His face would burn all of His creation as far as His gaze reaches." Yes, in the Hereafter, the believers will see Allah Almighty. For details, see Surah Qiyamah (22, 23).
➋ { اِلَّا وَحْيًا:} Allah Almighty said that He does not speak to humans except in these three ways: one, through revelation, that is, He puts something into His servant's heart without any intermediary, so that he is certain it is from Allah, whether in a waking state or in sleep, because the dreams of the prophets are also revelation. See Surah Saffat (102).
➌ { اَوْ مِنْ وَّرَآء حِجَابٍ:} Or He speaks from behind a veil, as He spoke to Musa (peace be upon him), but when he requested to see, it was not accepted.
➍ { اَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُوْلًا:} Or Allah sends an angel to convey whatever He wants to convey, as revelation would come to you through Jibreel (peace be upon him) or other angels.
➎ { اِنَّهٗ عَلِيٌّ حَكِيْمٌ:} That is, He is far above speaking face to face with any human, or that everyone could attain the honor of His speech, and He is the Most Wise, under whose wisdom He does not speak to every human.

51. 1. In this verse, three forms of divine revelation are mentioned. The first is to inspire something into the heart or to inform through a dream, with certainty that it is from Allah alone. The second is to speak from behind a veil, as was done with Musa (عليه السلام) on Mount Tur. The third is to send His revelation through an angel, as Jibril (عليه السلام) would bring Allah's message and convey it to the prophets.

It is not possible for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger (angel) to reveal, by His permission, what He wills [71]. Surely, He is Most High, Most Wise.

[71]
The Different Ways of Revelation:

In this verse, the word "wahyan" is used in its literal meaning (a swift and quick sign, i.e., inspiration and suggestion), and the word "yuhi" is used in its technical meaning (i.e., Allah sending a message to His Prophet through an angel). Thus, in this verse, three ways in which Allah speaks to a human are mentioned:
(1) Inspiration or suggestion. This type of revelation can also occur to a non-prophet, as it happened to the mother of Musa. [28: 7] In fact, it can even occur to a non-human, as Allah inspired the honeybee. [16: 68] And such revelation can also come to prophets in dreams, as when Sayyiduna Ibrahim saw in a dream that he was sacrificing his son. [37: 102]
(2) The second way is that Allah speaks from behind a veil, and the meaning of the veil is that a human can hear Allah's speech, but cannot see Allah. With this material body and these apparent senses, it is impossible for a human to see Allah. Such conversation Allah had with Sayyiduna Musa at the foot of Mount Tur. But despite his desire and request to see Allah, he could not see Allah.
(3) There are two forms of sending an angel. One is that Jibreel descends upon the heart of the Prophet and conveys Allah's message to him. The revelation of all heavenly books occurred in this way. The second is that the angel comes in human form and speaks face to face, as the angels came to Sayyiduna Ibrahim and Sayyiduna Lut, and gave Sayyiduna Ibrahim the glad tidings of a son, Ishaq, and informed Sayyiduna Lut of the coming punishment upon his people. And such revelation can also occur to a non-prophet, as Sayyiduna Jibreel came before Sayyida Maryam and gave her the glad tidings of a son, Sayyiduna Isa.