One such way is to carefully review other similar verses of...

One such way is to carefully review other similar verses of the Qur`an which repeat the same or close to the same wordings as this verse. Such a similar verse is in Suratul Nahl (16), verse 33, which contains approximately the same wording.

So did those who went before them (also wait). But Allah wronged them not, no, they wronged their own souls!” With complete explicitness, this verse removes any ambiguity present in the first verse, and by adding the word “أمر” (the Command of Allah (awj)) the true subject of the verb ‘come’, is made clear.

This form of explanation (tafsir of one Qur`anic verse by another verse) is a certain and unfailing method, and is the tradition of the Imams of the Shifa and is something which even until now is employed by the erudite commentator of the Qur`an. The commentary of the Qur`an by the great teacher, Aqa Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i entitled, al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur`an , has been written following this particular method of commentary.

Of course this issue is something different than the issue of ‘looking at the harmony which exists between the verses of the Qur`an’, which we shall cover in detail later on in this discussion. At this stage, the goal is merely to present the synoptic view of a verse through employing another verse.

However at the next level, our goal is something different and thus at that stage, in order to reach to our own deduction of understanding a verse, we must not keep other verses of the Qur`an out of our attention [and only look at one verse without paying attention to other verses on the same topic].

It is incorrect to assume that if a verse’s apparent meaning is devoid of any ambiguity, one can interpret it without taking into regard those verses of the same issue and then attribute that meaning to Allah (awj)! With that said, the difference between these two forms of commentary of the Qur`an should be clear to the reader.