Az-Zumar · Makki · ayah 23 of 75

Az-Zumar 39:23

ٱللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ ٱلْحَدِيثِ كِتَـٰبًا مُّتَشَـٰبِهًا مَّثَانِىَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ يَهْدِى بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ

“Allāh has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance [i.e., mention] of Allāh. That is the guidance of Allāh by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allāh sends astray - for him there is no guide.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Allah sent down the best speech, consistent and returning on itself: it makes the skin of the awed shiver, then softens skin and heart together.

A reflection

The name that comes first

The ayah begins with the name of Allah, before the verb: Allāhu nazzala, Allah, He sent down. One commentary dwells on that order. Placing the divine name first and building the verb on it exalts the speech that follows. It testifies to its beauty, and insists that speech like this could only come from Him. It marks the Quran as different from every other kind of talk.

Ḥadīth, speech, has a fresh root. The lexicons say it means a thing coming to be after it was not. Newly ripe fruit is ḥadīth. Speech is ḥadīth because it arises word after word. The lexicons also record an early saying: polish these hearts with the remembrance of Allah, for they rust quickly.

That is where the ego is humbled. We listen to a great deal of ḥadīth in the ordinary sense: news, opinion, gossip, commentary. Most of it is ours: human talk about human things. Much of it we prefer to the speech Allah sent down. And we assume our hearts are fine without polishing.

Picture a silversmith who polishes an old teapot until it gleams, then sets it on a shelf by the window. Within a few weeks a dull bloom has crept back over the silver. He polishes it again. He has done this for forty years. He never once thinks the teapot can stay bright on its own.

A sceptic might say every scripture calls itself the best. But this claim comes with a test attached: the Quran invites readers to look for contradiction in it (4:82). The praise is not vanity. It is an invitation to compare, and to keep returning.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.