The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 83
CH. 3 مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرِ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ اللهُ الْكِتَبَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ and PT. 3 ĀL-E-'IMRĀN 80. It is not possible for a man that Allah should give him the Book and dominion should say to men, ‘Be servants كُونُوا عِبَادًا لِّيُّ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلكِنْ prophet-hood, and then he كُونُوا رَبَّنِينَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تُعَلَّمُونَ to me and not to Allah; but he الْكِتَبَ وَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ would say, 'Be solely devoted to the Lord because you teach the Book and because you study it. '368 a5:117, 118. first place and "the Torah" in the last two. The passage is spoken of as "the Book" because the Jews tried to make it appear as such. 368. Important Words: (solely devoted to the Lord) is the plural of which is a relative noun derived from ✓ (Lord) just as (long-bearded) and (having long hair) are derived from as (beard) and (hair) respectively. Keeping in view the different meanings of ✓ (see 1:2 and 3:65) the word would mean, one who devotes himself to religious service, or applies himself to acts of devotion; one who possesses knowledge of God; one who is learned in religious matters; a good or righteous man; a worshipper of the Lord; a teacher of others who begins to nourish people with the small matters of knowledge or science before taking the great ones; a learned man who not only practises what he knows but also instructs others; one of high rank in knowledge; a lord or master; a leader; a reformer (Lane, Sibawaih & Mubarrad). 523 The expression ab (it is not possible for him) is, according to Arabic idiom, used in three senses: (1) it does not become him; as in the ماكان لا بن ابى قحافة ان يصلى بين يدى رسول الله hadith i. e. it does not become the son of Abū Quḥāfah, (i. e. Abū Bakr) to lead the Faithful in Prayers in the presence of the Prophet of God (Bukhārī); (2) it is rationally impossible for him to do so; or, it does not stand to reason that he should have done so; (3) he cannot possibly do so, i. e. it is physically impossible for him to do so. It is in the second sense that the expression has been used in this verse. See also 2:35. Commentary: It is quite inconceivable that a man whom God has raised as a Prophet and to whom He has given a revealed Book for the guidance of men should teach them to take him as God beside Allah. Such a supposition would imply a serious reflection on God Himself Who chose for His Messenger a man who undid the very