As-Sajdah 32:23 - Linguistic Miracle

Yes, we certainly gave Mūsā the Book - so do not indulge in any dispute over His meeting and We made it guidance for the children of Israel. A complete change of subject at first glance but it is not. From here on, Allah will describe the nearer punishment He promised the disbelievers in verse 21 and He will liken it to the greater punishment awaiting them on judgment Day described earlier.

Notice the words do not indulge in any doubt over His meeting . Since this word can also mean to receive, scholars have interpreted it in many ways such as Mūsā receiving the book from Allah, the prophet ﷺ himself receiving the book from Allah, among

others. I disagree with all of these because if you look at what has come in this surah itself, then the answer lies right there.

The “meeting” described in this surah is the meeting of the hereafter. Verses 10 and 14 are explicit. The overarching theme of the surah too makes it clear that this is the meeting of Allah on judgment day.

It is clear to me that the words - then do not be in any doubt concerning His meeting , refer to meeting Allah on judgment day since this is textually and contextually consistent. I am compelled to highlight this because I could not find any notable work inside tafsir literature that holds the same position.

Now how is Allah giving Mūsā the Torah connected to not having any doubts on meeting Allah on judgment day? If you read the Torah, there is almost zero mention of judgment day. In fact, in the whole Hebrew Bible, even outside of the Torah, there are only a few verses that indirectly refer to final judgment. This is why the Jews have historically struggled regarding the final judgment. In Judaism, it is tied to the era of the Messiah who will transform this world and make it perfect. But the notion of a final judgment of deeds, is not mentioned in the five books of Moses - the Torah - at all. It is derived by the rabbis from other vague texts inside the Tanakh as an interpretation such as passages from the books of Daniel, Isaiah and Ezekiel. Later Rabbinical developments on these passages lead to the notion of judgment in the days of the Messiah who will fill the earth with peace and justice, but that is not the final judgment on judgment day. The Torah is completely empty of this notion of final judgment. This is the reason why Jews have struggled with the problem of suffering. What is the point of suffering and why do the righteous suffer? Unless you believe in a final judgment you will continue to struggle with this question. If you say it refers to the era of the Messiah, then what about those who have died before his arrival?

In Islam, we believe in almost the same thing regarding the Messiah. When he comes, he will fill this earth with justice and peace and transform it into a utopia. But the final judgment of deeds is with Allah on judgment day. In this verse, Allah says that just as He gave the prophet ﷺ the Qurʾān, He gave Mūsā the Torah. The Torah of today lacks any mention of Judgment day but do not be in any doubt regarding judgment day still, because this is a result of corruption and changes at the hands of men, not because Allah did not mention judgment day in it.

Now the sentence, so do not be in any doubt over His meeting is actually an interjected sentence. The actual sentence is -Yes, we certainly gave Mūsā the Book and made it a

guidance for the children of Israel. In Arabic, it is used to highlight something important

that the listener must know. We gave Mūsā the Book, which served as a guidance for the Jews, but do not let the current version of the Torah lead you to have any doubt over the meeting of Allah on judgment day that has been established in this surah because the same God who sent down the Torah, sent down this surah and the Qurʾān as a whole. The reason why you do not find any mention of judgment day in

the Torah is not because Allah did not mention it, but rather because men corrupted the text.

The main subject of this verse has now changed to mentioning Mūsā, the Torah and what Allah did with them and hence what He will do to the Muslims, but this was interjected in between this to highlight its importance.

The purpose of mentioning Mūsā and the Torah and not any other Prophet is to create a similarity between him and the prophet ﷺ . Just as Mūsā was a lawgiver, who formed a nation, so is the prophet ﷺ a lawgiver who will form a nation. The Qurʾān has repeatedly likened our prophet ﷺ to Mūsā, calling him a second Mūsā, who will have his life and legacy shaped in the same manner as him. We find this is in surah 75 : 13 explicitly as well as in other places of the Qurʾān. This is the reason why the Qurʾān will repeatedly comfort the prophet ﷺ in times of distress with stories of Mūsā such as surah Ṭāhā to tell him that what happened with Mūsā will happen with him. He is the second Mūsā. This is also why Mūsā is the most mentioned prophet in the Qurʾān.

This is why Allah uses the word book rather than Torah. He uses it to create a similarity. Just as He gave Mūsā a book so has He given the prophet ﷺ a book. The definite article is to denote perfection. We gave Mūsā a perfect and flawless book just as We have given it to you.

We made it a guidance for the children of Israel - It was by the means of the book of Allah

that the children of Israel became a united and guided nation. The same will be the case with the Muslims. By having the Torah as their constitution, they became a great nation. So, will the Qurʾān be completed, and serve as the constitution for the Muslims. The next verse will now mention not only Allah’s promises to the Muslims, but will also draw an explicit connection with what has come previously in this surah.