Answered by Shaykh Faraz A. Khan
Question: Why does the Quran say “Say, O My servants…” in Surat Az-Zumar, verse 53?
Using either “O My servants…” or “Say: O servants of God…” seems to make more sense in this context, so I was hoping for a grammatical explanation.
Answer: Assalamu alaikum warahmatullah,
I pray this finds you in the best of health states.
This is an excellent question. The basic explanation is that ‘Say’ is used so that the statement is conveyed to the Muslims on the tongue of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): the most noble of creation and most merciful of creation, towards creation.
But then, rather than continue on in the third person — as would be expected after ‘Say’ since it refers to the speech of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) — Allah Most High changes the grammatical person (iltifat), from third person to second person, as an indication of greater love and tenderness that He has for His creation, no matter how sinful.
Another example of this grammatical change in person (iltifat) that we might be more familiar with is in Surah al-Fatiha: ‘All praise is for Allah…’ later shifts to ‘You alone do we worship…’: after praise of the Divine, the servant draws near and then addresses His Majesty directly.
Divine love and tenderness is further emphasized in 39:53 by usage of the word ’servants’ to describe humans, an honorific title granted to us despite our sins, as well as the ascription (idafa) to the pronoun referring to Allah Most High.
Moreover, the pronoun ‘My’ is first person and singular — ‘first person’ conveying the intimate proximity that we have to Him Most High, being His slaves; and ’singular’ to further highlight divine love and tenderness in this context, rather than divine majesty and power.
This verse brings us to the door, and tells us that it is wide open… it’s up to us to walk through, by making sincere repentance (tawba) and getting to work (mujahada).
“Say, O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls – do not despair from the mercy of Allah! Indeed, Allah forgives all sins, and Allah alone is Oft-forgiving, Ever-merciful.”
[Biqa’i, Nazm al-Durar]
And Allah knows best.
wassalam
Faraz A. Khan
Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani