Ibn Kathir on the Quran as Muhaimin in Q. 5:48

I quote from Ibn Kathir’s exposition of the term muhaimin in the context of Q. 5:48, where the Quran is said to be a guardian/witness to the previous Scriptures.

If the promise of our Lord is to be fulfilled (108) ﴾ [Al-Isra’] That is: If what God promised us through the tongues of His previous messengers regarding the coming of Muhammad is to be fulfilled; that is: to be inevitable and certain.

And His Almighty saying: “And a guardian over it” Sufyan al-Thawri and others said, on the authority of Abu Ishaq, on the authority of [al-Tamimi](1), on the authority of Ibn Abbas: meaning, a trustee over it(2).

Ali bin Abi Talha said, on the authority of Ibn Abbas: Al-Muhaymin: the trustworthy one. He said: The Qur’an is trustworthy over every book that came before it(3).

It was narrated on the authority of Ikrimah, Saeed bin Jubayr, Mujahid, Muhammad bin Kaab, Atiyyah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ata Al-Khorasani, Al-Suddi, and Ibn Zayd, similar to that(4).

Ibn Jurayj said: The Qur’an is a trustee of the books that came before it. Whatever agrees with it is true, and whatever contradicts it is false(5).

On the authority of Al-Walibi, on the authority of Ibn Abbas: “And a guardian” meaning: a witness (6), and Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi said the same(7).

Al-Awfi said, on the authority of Ibn Abbas: “And a guardian” meaning: a ruler over what came before it of the books(8).

All these statements are close in meaning, for the name Al-Muhaymin encompasses all of this. He is trustworthy, a witness, and a judge over every book before it. God made this great book, which He revealed, the last of the books and their seal, the most comprehensive, the greatest, and the most complete of them, as He gathered in it the virtues of what came before it and added to it perfections that are not in anything else. For this reason, He made it a witness, a trustworthy, and a judge over all of them, and He, the Most High, guaranteed its preservation with His own noble self. He, the Most High, said: “Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its Guardian.”(9) [Al-Hijr: 9].

As for what Ibn Abi Hatim narrated on the authority of Ikrimah, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Ata' al-Khorasani, and Ibn Abi Najih on the authority of Mujahid, that they said regarding His saying: {And a guardian over it}, meaning: Muhammad is a trustee over the Qur'an(9). This is correct.

In meaning, but there is a difference of opinion regarding the interpretation of this, and there is also a difference of opinion regarding its application to him in terms of Arabic. In short, the first is correct.

Abu Ja`far ibn Jarir said, after relating his account from Mujahid: “This interpretation is far from the understanding of the Arabic language; indeed, it is an error. This is because ‘al-Muhaymin’ (the Guardian) is connected to ‘al-Musaddiq’ (the Confirmer), so it can only be an attribute of that which ‘al-Musaddiq’ is an attribute of. He said: If the matter were as Mujahid said, it would have been said: ‘And We have sent down to you the Book with the truth, confirming it.’”

(1) Thus in (Ham) and (Muh). In the original text: "al-Taymi," which is a scribal error, as al-Tamimi is Arbadah, known for his exegesis.

(2) Al-Tabari narrated it through several chains of transmission from al-Thawri, and its chain of transmission is sound.

(3) Al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated it with a sound chain of transmission from Ibn Abi Talhah.

(4) They mentioned it, accusing Ibn Abi Hatim of omitting the chain of transmission.

(5) Al-Tabari narrated it with a weak chain of transmission from Ibn Jurayj, and what preceded it supports it.

(6) Al-Tabari narrated it with a sound chain of transmission from Ibn Abi Talhah al-Walibi.

(7) The statement of Qatadah was narrated by al-Tabari with a sound chain of transmission from Sa'id ibn Abi 'Arubah, and the statement of al-Suddi was narrated by al-Tabari with a sound chain of transmission from Asbat.

(8) Al-Tabari narrated it with a weak chain of transmission from al-'Awfi.

(9) The statement of Mujahid was narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim with a sound chain of transmission from Ibn Abi Najih. The remaining commentators mentioned it without the chain of transmission. (The Book of Tafsir Ibn Kathir – Ibn al-Jawzi Edition: https://shamela.ws/book/1503/1619)

Further Reading

The Classical Muslim Commentators and their Exegesis of Surah 5:48 — Muhaymin and Its Relation to the Integrity of the Holy Bible

The Quran as Guardian of the Bible: Revisiting the Meaning of Muhaymin

The Qur’an – The Preserver of Previous Scripture

INJIL, IBN ABBAS & Al-BUKHARI