Here is the verse:

﴾وَءَاتَيۡنَا مُوسَى ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُ هُدࣰى لِّبَنِیۤ إِسۡرَ ٰⁿءِیلَ أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن دُونِی وَكِیلࣰا﴿

“And We gave Musa the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel — that you take not besides Me any guardian.”

1. How Verse 2 Connects to Verse 1 — The Grammar of the Whole Sentence

At-Tabari’s structural reading: He explains that the verse means: “Glory be to the One who took His servant by night — and [who] gave Musa the Scripture.” The phrase “And We gave” (wa atayna) connects back to the opening declaration.

Ibn Ashur’s structural insight: This verse is grammatically connected (‘atf) to the opening sentence “Subhan alladhi asra…” — both are independent opening statements. The implied meaning is: Allah took His servant Muhammad by night and gave Musa the Scripture. These are two immense favors bestowed upon a great portion of humanity.

He then explains the transition through two distinct connections:

Connection (a) — through the mention of Al-Aqsa: Because the previous verse mentioned Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, and “the phases of Al-Masjid al-Aqsa represent the phases that the condition of the Children of Israel passed through in their collective life — phases of righteousness and corruption, of rising and stagnation — so that the Muslims might take a lesson from that, and either follow [the good] or beware [the bad].”

Connection (b) — through “to show him Our signs”: Because “among the signs of Allah that were given to the Prophet ﷺ was the sign of the Qur’an.” So mentioning the signs shown to Muhammad ﷺ naturally leads to mentioning the parallel scripture given to Musa. It is as if the verse said: “And We gave him the Qur’an” — paralleled by “And We gave Musa the Scripture.”

 The Hidden Parallel Between Musa and Muhammad ﷺ

Ibn Ashur’s beautiful observation: There is a striking resonance between the two prophets’ experiences, which is why their stories are placed side by side:

• The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey by night (laylan) to be shown Allah’s signs.
• The Prophet Musa عليه السلام was given prophethood by night — “while he was traveling by night with his family from the land of Madyan, when he perceived a fire from the direction of the Mount.”

And further:

• Muhammad ﷺ was taken on a night journey to witness his Lord’s signs.
• Musa عليه السلام also journeyed by night to the private communion (munajah) with his Lord through the signs of the Scripture.

Both prophets received their greatest encounters with Allah at night, while traveling. The parallel is exact and intentional.

Al-Alusi gives the unifying theme (al-jami’) — the beautiful parallel:

“Musa عليه السلام was given the Torah through his journey to the Mount (at-Tur), and that was the equivalent of his Mi’raj (ascension) — because there he was granted the direct speech (at-taklim) and was honored with the name al-Kalim (the one spoken to).”

So:

• Muhammad ﷺ had his Isra and Mi’raj — a journey to be addressed by Allah.
• Musa عليه السلام had his journey to At-Tur — which was his Mi’raj, where he was addressed by Allah and earned the title Kalim Allah (the one to whom Allah spoke).

Both prophets ascended to a direct encounter with Allah’s address.

Lessons for you:

• Every prophet had his “ascension” — his moment of direct meeting with Allah. Musa’s was at the Mount; Muhammad’s ﷺ was through the heavens. Your meeting with Allah’s address happens through the Qur’an. Every time you open it sincerely, you are climbing your own Tur — being addressed by the same God who spoke to Musa and Muhammad ﷺ.

• The greatest honor is to be spoken to by Allah. Musa earned the eternal title al-Kalim — “the one Allah spoke to.” When you recite the Qur’an, Allah is speaking to you. Receive it as direct address, not as a distant text. The honor Musa received at the Mount is, in a real sense, extended to you every time you hear Allah’s words.

The Hidden Comparison Between the Two Books and Two Prophets

Al-Alusi’s comparisons reveal a subtle hierarchy:

(a) “His servant” vs. “Musa”: Muhammad ﷺ is referred to by the intimate, honorific ‘abdihi (His servant) — the possessive construction of nearness. Musa is referred to by his proper name. The phrasing itself signals a special closeness in the case of Muhammad ﷺ.

(b) “Guidance for the Children of Israel” vs. “guides to that which is most upright”: The Torah is described as guidance for a specific people (Bani Isra’il). The Qur’an (in Al-Isra 17:9) is described as guiding “to that which is most upright” (lillati hiya aqwam) — universal, and pointing to the most upright path. The Qur’an’s guidance is presented as broader and higher in scope.

Lessons for you:

• The Qur’an guides to “that which is most upright.” Among all paths, it points to the most straight. You hold in your hands the guidance to the highest, most upright way of living. This is not a small inheritance. Whatever situation you face, the Qur’an’s claim is that it guides to the aqwam — the most upright resolution.

3. Wa-Atayna Musa al-Kitab — “And We Gave Musa the Scripture” .

Wa-Ja’alnahu Hudan – “And we made it a guidance”

At-Tabari’s plain exegesis: The “Scripture” given to Musa means the Torah. And “We made it a guidance for the Children of Israel” means:

“We made the Book — which is the Torah — a clarification of the truth (bayanan li-l-haqq), and a proof/guide for them to the clear path of right (dalilan lahum ‘ala mahajjati-s-sawab) in what He obligated upon them, commanded them, and forbade them.”

Notice At-Tabari’s three-part breakdown of what the Torah guided them in:

1. What Allah obligated upon them (the fara’id)
2. What He commanded them (the awamir)
3. What He forbade them (the nawahi)

The Book was guidance because it clarified all three — making plain the truth, and pointing to the straight path in every area of obligation, command, and prohibition.

Al-Alusi’s points: The “Scripture” (al-Kitab) means the Torah. The pronoun in “and We made it” (ja’alnahu) refers — in the apparent (zahir) reading — to the Book, though some say it refers to Musa عليه السلام himself.

So the antecedent of the attached pronoun -hu admits two readings:

• It refers to the Book (al-kitāb) — We made the Scripture a guidance for the Children of Israel.
• It refers to Mūsā himself — We made Mūsā a guidance for the Children of Israel.

And the guidance is described as immense (hudan ‘aziman) — Al-Alusi inserts the word “great” to capture the force of the indefinite hudan.

The phrase “for the Children of Israel” connects either to “guidance” (it was guidance for them) or to “We made” (We made it for them).

Lessons for you:

• Notice the two possible references of “it.” If “We made it a guidance” refers to the Book, then the Book itself is the guide. But if it refers to Musa, then the prophet is the guidance — meaning a living human being, embodying the message, becomes guidance for the people. Both are true in your life: you are guided by the Book and by the example of those who live it. A scripture on a shelf and a righteous person before your eyes are both forms of hudan.

• The guidance is described as “great.” Al-Alusi doesn’t let the indefinite hudan pass as ordinary — he reads it as immense guidance. Don’t take the gift of guidance lightly. To be shown the path when so many wander is not a small mercy; it is an immense one.

Ibn Ashur’s grammatical-theological point: The verse says the Scripture was made “a guidance” (hudan). But strictly, a book doesn’t cause guidance by itself — guidance comes from acting upon what is in the book. So describing the book as being guidance itself is a form of emphatic exaggeration (mubalaghah): the book is so completely identified with guidance that it is called guidance itself.

He compares this to Allah’s description of the Qur’an as “a guidance for the God-conscious” (Al-Baqarah 2:2). The same construction: the Book is guidance — because following it produces guidance so reliably that the Book and the guidance become one.

Lessons for you:

• A scripture is only “guidance” when you act on it. Ibn Ashur’s point is sharp: the Book doesn’t guide by sitting on a shelf or being recited without practice. The guidance is in the doing. The Qur’an is called “guidance” — but it becomes guidance for you only when you live by it. Reading without acting leaves the guidance latent.

• Make the Qur’an guidance in your life, not just a book in your home. Ask yourself: is the Qur’an actually guiding my decisions, my speech, my dealings — or is it just present? The verse’s grammar challenges you: the Book is meant to become your guidance through your obedience.

4. The Variant Recitation of allā tattakhidhū (Qirāʾāt)

• Abū ʿAmr’s reading (yattakhidhū, with yāʾ): that they not take besides Me any wakīl — addressing the Children of Israel in the third person, consistent with li-banī Isrāʾīl just before.
• The majority reading (tattakhidhū, with tāʾ): that you not take besides Me any wakīl — a direct second-person command.

The technical name given for moving between these modes is talwīn al-khiṭāb.

Qurtubi says :

The relationship between “We gave Mūsā the Book” and “take not besides Me a wakīl” is supplied two ways:

• As a charge entrusted within the Book — ʿahidnā ilayhi (“We enjoined upon him”), i.e., the prohibition is the content of the covenant Allah committed to Mūsā in the Torah.
• As the purpose of the guidance — read the allā as “li-allā” — “so that… not.”  i.e., the very aim of sending the Book as hudā was to prevent them from taking any other wakīl. 

KEY LESSON: The two qirāʾāt are not a contradiction but a complementary enrichment of the address. The yāʾ-reading preserves narrative consistency (Allah informing about them, the Children of Israel); the tāʾ-reading converts the report into a living, direct injunction (Allah commanding you). Both are canonical, and talwīn al-khiṭāb — the deliberate shift between informing about a people and addressing them directly — is a recognised Qurʾānic feature that keeps the command perpetually fresh: it is at once a record of what Banū Isrāʾīl were charged with and a charge laid upon every reader.

However you parse it grammatically, the message is one: the purpose, the content, and the command of the Scripture all point to tawhid. Whether the Book exists to prevent shirk, contains the prohibition of shirk, or was accompanied by the command against shirk — the destination is identical. When multiple paths lead to the same truth, that truth is the heart of the matter. Pure monotheism is that heart.

5. Wakil — The Guardian You Rely On

Al-Alusi’s lexical analysis: A wakil means “a Lord to whom you entrust your affairs besides Me.” It is the form fa’il with the meaning of maf’ul (passive) — al-mawkul ilayh, “the one to whom matters are delegated,” which is the Lord (ar-Rabb).

He cites Ibn al-Jawzi’s important clarification: The Lord is called Wakil “because of His sufficiency (kifayah) and His undertaking of the affairs of His servants — not in the sense that the one delegating (al-muwakkil) is of higher rank and the agent (al-wakil) of lower rank.”

This is a crucial theological correction. In ordinary human usage, a wakil (agent/deputy) is lower than the one who appoints him — the boss delegates to the subordinate. But when Allah is called al-Wakil, this hierarchy does NOT apply. Allah is not a “subordinate” carrying out our wishes. Rather, He is called Wakil because He suffices for us and takes care of our affairs — out of His grace and lordship, not because we are above Him.

Ibn Ashur notes that calling Allah Al-Wakil was already known in the language of Bani Isra’il — citing the words of Ya’qub and his sons: “When they had given him their solemn pledge, he said: ‘Allah is Wakil (witness/guardian) over what we say’” (Yusuf 12:66).

Lessons for you:

• Allah is al-Wakil — the One who suffices you and handles your affairs. This is one of the most comforting of Allah’s names. To take Allah as your Wakil means: you hand over your worries, your plans, your future — and He is sufficient (kafi) for all of it. The Qur’an says elsewhere: “And whoever relies upon Allah — then He is sufficient for him” (At-Talaq 65:3).

• Don’t misunderstand the relationship. Ibn al-Jawzi’s correction is profound: when you make Allah your Wakil, you are not “the boss delegating to a servant.” It is the opposite — you are the needy one, and Allah, out of pure grace, undertakes your affairs. Tawakkul (reliance) is not you commanding Allah; it is you acknowledging your helplessness and resting in His sufficiency. He is Wakil by His generosity, not by your authority.

• Take no wakil besides Him. The command is exclusive: do not entrust your ultimate affairs to anyone other than Allah. You may use means — a doctor, a lawyer, a financial advisor — but your ultimate reliance, the One you fall back on, the One you trust to handle what you cannot, must be Allah alone. Means are means; the Wakil is One.

At-Tabari records Mujahid’s interpretation, which adds an important dimension:

Mujahid used to say its meaning in this place is: “a partner (sharik).”

At-Tabari then explains Mujahid’s reasoning beautifully:

“It is as though Mujahid considered that whoever sets up something besides Allah in Allah’s place has made it a partner (sharik) to Allah — and a wakil (agent) for the one who installed it in Allah’s place.“

This is a subtle theological point. To take a wakil besides Allah — to entrust your affairs to something other than Allah — is simultaneously two acts of shirk:

1. You have made that thing a partner (sharik) to Allah (associating it with Him).
2. You have made it your agent/guardian (wakil) — installing a created thing in the place that belongs to Allah alone.

So wakil and sharik converge: to rely on something other than Allah is to associate it with Allah.

Lessons for you:

• Misplaced reliance is a form of shirk. Mujahid’s insight, preserved by At-Tabari, is profound: when you take something other than Allah as your wakil — your ultimate guardian, the one you entrust your affairs to — you have effectively made it a partner to Allah. This means tawakkul (reliance) is not a minor matter of attitude; it is at the very core of tawhid. Every time you place your ultimate trust in wealth, status, a person, or your own ability — rather than in Allah — you risk a subtle shirk. Guard your reliance as carefully as you guard your worship, because they are the same thing.

• Allah alone is your Hafiz (Protector/Keeper). At-Tabari glosses wakil as hafiz — the one who guards and keeps you. Take no keeper besides Allah. Not your savings as your keeper against poverty, not your status as your keeper against humiliation, not other people as your keepers against loneliness. Allah is al-Hafiz, and He is sufficient as a Protector.

• The Book brings you “from darkness to light” — and it is a mercy. Qatadah’s narration adds the dimension of mercy (rahmah). The Torah was not only guidance — it was a mercy to the Children of Israel. Your Book is a mercy to you. Guidance itself is an act of divine compassion. To be shown the path, to be brought out of darkness — this is not Allah’s burden upon you; it is His mercy toward you. Receive the Qur’an as a mercy, not a list of demands.

6. Ar-Razi’s Stunning Synthesis — The Highest Mi’raj

This is the centerpiece of Ar-Razi’s commentary on these verses, and one of the most beautiful passages in his entire tafsir. He draws together the whole structure:

Allah mentioned the honoring of Muhammad ﷺ with the Night Journey (Isra), then immediately after it mentioned the honoring of Musa عليه السلام with the revelation of the Torah, then described the Torah as being guidance, then clarified that the Torah was guidance only because it contained the prohibition against taking any guardian besides Allah — and that is tawhid.

And then comes his breathtaking conclusion:

“So the upshot of the discourse, after observing these stages, returns to this: there is no ascension higher (la mi’raja a’la), no rank nobler (la darajata ashraf), and no station greater (la manqabata a’zam) — than that a person should become drowned in the ocean of tawhid (ghariqan fi bahri-t-tawhid), and that he should rely, in every one of his affairs, upon none but Allah.

So that if he speaks, he speaks with the remembrance of Allah; and if he thinks, he thinks about the proofs of Allah’s transcendence; and if he seeks, he seeks from Allah. Thus all of him becomes for Allah and by Allah (kulluhu lillahi wa billah).”

This is extraordinary. Ar-Razi takes the physical ascension of the Night Journey — the Prophet ﷺ rising through the heavens — and reveals that the true ascension it points to is spiritual: to be so absorbed in tawhid that your entire being — your speech, your thought, your seeking — is oriented to Allah alone.

The Night Journey was the outer form; total tawhid is the inner reality.

Lessons for you:

• The highest spiritual station available to you is not a miraculous experience — it is total tawhid. You may never be taken on a Night Journey. But Ar-Razi says the greatest mi’raj (ascension) is open to everyone: to become “drowned in the ocean of tawhid,” relying on Allah alone in everything. This ascension requires no Buraq — only a heart wholly turned to Allah.

• Total tawhid transforms three faculties — and you can audit yourself by them:

  • Your speech: Is it filled with the remembrance of Allah? (“If he speaks, he speaks with dhikr.”)
  • Your thought: Do your reflections lead you back to Allah? (“If he thinks, he thinks about the proofs of Allah.”)
  • Your seeking: When you want something, do you turn to Allah for it? (“If he seeks, he seeks from Allah.”)

  These three — tongue, mind, and desire — are the measure of your mi’raj. Bring them all to Allah, and you have ascended higher than the one who merely travels through the heavens without this inner reality.