Verses 91–105

Introduction

These verses have a moderate connection to the previous verses. The People of the Book denied the Prophet’s claim to a divine message by saying: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal (6:91). Thus the Qur’an responds to them by reminding them of God’s revelation of scriptures to themselves. This links to the previous set of verses about God’s special guidance of the prophets, where part of it was that they were given a book.

These verses start by arguing against the People of the Book. Then they mention that the greatest ẓulm (injustice, iniquity, wrongdoing) is to forge partners with God or commit injustice with regards to prophethood by either denying a true prophet or falsely claiming to be a prophet—as in the case of one who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed (6:93).

The verses then continue to talk about the end of such unjust people when they are overcome by death and are questioned by the angels who open their hands. The verses then present some signs of God’s unity in brief, and some of the best names of God and His sublime attributes.

وَمَا قَدَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِۦٓ إِذْ قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ بَشَرٍ مِّن شَىْءٍ ۗ قُلْ مَنْ أَنزَلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ٱلَّذِى جَآءَ بِهِۦ مُوسَىٰ نُورًا وَهُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ تَجْعَلُونَهُۥ قَرَاطِيسَ تُبْدُونَهَا وَتُخْفُونَ كَثِيرًا ۖ وَعُلِّمْتُم مَّا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنتُمْ وَلَآ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۖ ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِى خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ ۝٩١

6:91 And they have not measured (qadarū) Allah with His due measure (qadrihi) when they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal. Say: Who revealed the Book which Moses brought, a light and guidance for the people, which you make into parchment that you show while you conceal much? And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers. Say: Allah. Then leave them sporting in their vain discourse.

Qadr and qadar mean “the size of something in terms of smallness, largeness and the like.” The verbs qadartu and qaddartu are used when one measures and finds out the physical size, shape and quantity of something. However, the root has then been generalized and used also for non-physical things. For example the qadr of a person—in the sight of others and in society—means how much people respect, regard and value that person.

14:52Usually, measures the limits of something is followed by providing a description of its qualities, which in turn results in knowledge about that thing. That is why qadr and taqdīr are also used, metaphorically, for “description of something” and “knowledge of something.” For example, qadara or qaddara al-shayʾ means “he described it.” It can also mean “he recognized it.” The lexical meaning of the root allows for all of these meanings.¹

The holy essence of God cannot be embraced by any sense, imagination or intellect. Instead, only some of His holy attributes can ever be known to a certain extent, and one can regard Him only as much as what one comprehends of His signs and actions. Hence, qadr in this verse can mean any of the above meanings.² In other words, what is mentioned in this verse—And they have not measured Allah with His due measure—can mean any of the following: (1) They did not respect and regard God as He deserves to be respected. (2) They did not describe Him as He deserves to be described. (3) They have not known Him as He deserves to be known.

The verse by itself can be interpreted according to any of these three meanings, or according to all of them, where one meaning would be an implication of another. However, we should also interpret the verse given the theme of the previous verses and in relation to them. The above verses talked about God’s guidance of His prophets, which entailed that they were given the book, judgment and prophethood [6:89]. They referred to His complete care in maintaining the message of truth and the bounty of guidance amongst the people throughout history, generation after generation [6:89]. Given this thread of meaning, the first interpretation is the most plausible, because denying God’s revelation [of scriptures to His prophets in order to guide humankind] would be disregarding and underestimating His value. Such denial entails that God is not a Lord Who cares for the affairs of His servants, Who has neglected to guide them to their goal of happiness and salvation.

14:53The first interpretation is also confirmed by the usage of the same expression in the following verses: And they have not measured Allah with His due measure; but the whole earth shall be in His grip on the Day of Resurrection and the heavens rolled up in His right hand; glory be to Him, and may He be exalted above what they associate (with Him) (39:67); Surely those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create a fly, though they should all gather for it, and should the fly snatch away anything from them, they could not take it back from it; weak are the seeker and the sought. And they have not measured Allah with His due measure; most surely Allah is Strong, Mighty (22:73-74). These verses mean that the power and might of God on the one hand, and the weakness and abasement of others on the other hand, necessitate that His honor and value should not be downgraded such that He is set equal to what they worship besides Him, whereby they equally consider Him and their idols to be lords and gods.

Therefore, the first meaning is most relevant, although the other two meanings are also possible. Some exegetes have said that And they have not measured (qadarū) Allah with the measure (qadr) that is due to Him means that “they have not ascribed the power that He deserves to Him.” This is the least likely meaning given the theme and context of the verse.

The verse has qualified this statement—that they have not measured Allah with His due measure—by adding: when they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal. This shows that what is meant by their lack of regard and honor for God is that they denied God having sent any revelation or scripture to a human being. This implies that if someone is to be accepted as a god and lord, he must send revelation and scripture to guide the people to the straight path which leads them to their happiness in this world and the hereafter. This is what the verse claims.

God then provides two arguments to prove this claim: (1) Say: Who revealed the Book which Moses brought… (6:91); and (2) And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your father (6:91). The first argument draws on the revelation of divine books upon prophets whose prophethood has been otherwise established by the evident miracles that they brought. This argument is based on the continuity and preservation of God’s guidance among the people by means of the prophets from Noah onwards. This guidance is what God described in the verses above, from: And when Abraham said to his father Azar… (6:74) to: it is nothing but a reminder to the nations (6:90).

14:54The second argument refers to the presence of certain divine teachings and laws among humans, which they could not have ever arrived at on their own. The human being is a social creature with an intellect and certain emotions that can lead it to seek its gain, avoid its loss, and acquire what it needs for its life, such as food, shelter, clothes and sex. These all fall under the category of material enjoyment, which is what humankind readily finds given its animal nature. However, divine teachings, noble moral virtues, and the legal codes which put those teachings and virtues into practice are not things that humankind can achieve by its collective reason. How can collective reason ever arrive at such teachings? The role and function of collective human reason is to guide people to utilize every means and instrument possible to fulfil their earthly needs and achieve their goals regarding food, drink, sex, clothes, shelter and so on. It also helps every individual to break any resistance that stops him from his personal enjoyment if he can—or, if that is not possible, to cooperate with others toward their common interest with an equitable distribution. This is why humankind is social, as we explained in our discussion of prophethood under the verse: (All) people are a single nation; so Allah raised prophets… (2:213).³ Below we shall clarify this further, by God’s will.

In short, taking its different aspects into consideration, this verse— And they have not measured Allah with His due measure (6:91)—states that God shall necessarily guide humankind to the straight path and a happy end by sending a book and revelation to some individuals. The verse provides two proofs for this conclusion: (1) there are already such books of guidance that God has sent; and (2) there exist certain divine teachings among humankind that cannot be a result of their collective reason.

Say: Who revealed the Book which Moses brought, a light and guidance for the people, which you make into (tajʿalūnahu) parchment (qarāṭīs) that you show while you conceal much?: The common recitation of the verse is with tajʿalūnahu in second person (that is, “which you make into…”), where the audience would certainly be the Jews. However, the word has also been recited as yajʿalūnahu in third person (that is, “which they make into…”). In this case, the audience—in Who revealed the Book?—would be either the Jews or the polytheists of Arabia. Thus has been said.

14:55Qarāṭīs is the plural of qirṭās (parchment, paper, sheet). This part of the verse can be interpreted in two ways: (1) you place the book in parchment by writing on it; or (2) you make the actual book out of parchment, meaning that you convert the book into the form of parchment which has writing on it. In other words, the term “book” may refer to two things: (1) the letters that are written; and (2) the parchment or papers on which the letters are written.⁴

Say: Who revealed the Book which Moses brought: Here the verse responds to their claim: when they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal (6:91). The verse does not explicitly identify who made this claim, but the particularities of the answer leave no doubt that it is addressed to the Jews, which means that they are the ones who said: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal (6:91). There are three reasons for this. (1) The verse brings in the book of Moses as evidence to argue against those who made this claim. Such an argument would not make sense against the polytheists because they did not believe in Moses’ book as a scripture that had been revealed by God. The People of the Book, on the other hand, believed in it. (2) The verse criticizes them for making this book into parchment that shows some but conceals much. This was a specific quality of the Jews, not the polytheists. (3) The subsequent part of the verse says: And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers. Clearly the Jews would be the relevant audience of this straightforward statement, not the polytheists or the Muslims. We shall discuss this part of the verse further below, if God wills.

One problem is that the Jews believed in the prophethood of God’s prophets up to Moses, and in the revelation of divine books such as the Torah and other scriptures. Hence, it would not make sense for them to say, Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal (6:91), because it would contradict their fundamental beliefs.

The answer is: Even though this statement contradicts their system of beliefs, they might have still said it because of one of the following considerations: (1) out of their intense animosity against Islam; (2) in order to entice the polytheists against the Muslims; or (3) in response to a question from the polytheists about the truth of the Prophet’s claim that God has revealed the Qur’an to him. Indeed they preferred the polytheists among Arabs over Muslim monotheists by saying: These [polytheists] are better guided in the path than those who believe (4:51). Thus they preferred the defilement of polytheism over the purity of monotheism, even though their own religion was based on monotheism. They were such that God says about them: Have you not seen those to whom a portion of the Book has been given? They believe in idols and false deities and say of those who disbelieve: These are better guided in the path than those who believe (4:51).

14:56They made an even more foolish statement than this out of enmity against the Christians by saying that Abraham was a Jew. Thus God revealed: O People of the Book! Why do you dispute about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed till after him; do you not then understand?... Abraham was not a Jew nor a Christian but he was (an) upright (man), a Muslim, and he was not one of the polytheists (3:65-67). Likewise, the Qur’an has narrated other statements from them that contradict their established principles. It is quite possible for people with such conduct and behavior to deny the revelation of scriptures to human beings altogether out of some evil consideration and disposition. It is perceivable that such people would deny a truth that would be harmful and costly to them, or preach a falsehood that would be beneficial and profitable to them.

Another objection raised by some exegetes is that the Qur’an did not address the People of the Book in its Meccan chapters. When the Prophet was in Mecca before his migration to Medina, his religious call was directed at the polytheists because they were the people living there and causing trouble for Islam.

The answer is: This point does not mean that the People of the Book were left aside in Mecca altogether. There are a few reasons for this: (1) Islam claimed from day one to be a universal religion and made its call to all people. The Qur’an was sent as a reminder for all nations from the beginning. (2) The polytheists [in Mecca] and the People of the Book [in Arabia] were neighbors; they used to meet and interact with each other consistently. (3) Some Meccan chapters mention the People of the Book, and there is no clear evidence to show that these verses were revealed later in Medina. For example God says: And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly (29:46); And for those who were Jews We prohibited what We have related to you already, and We did them no injustice, but they were unjust to themselves (16:118). Similarly, Chapter 7 (al-Aʿrāf) mentions a series of aberrations committed by the Israelites even though the chapter is Meccan. (4) The call to Islam was made several years before the migration and there were many Jewish and Christian communities in the Arabian Peninsula at the time. It is very unlikely that this call did not reach them during this entire period, or that it reached them but they did not respond to it—whether positively or negatively. After all, a community of Muslims migrated at that time to Ethiopia and recited the Meccan Chapter 19 (Maryam) to the people there, which talks about the story of Jesus and his prophethood.

14:57Another objection raised by some exegetes is that this entire chapter—that is, Sūrah al-Anʿām—was revealed to argue against the polytheists concerning God’s unity. All of the addresses made in the chapter are directed to them, which leaves no grounds for saying that the pronoun “they”—in when they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal (6:91)—refers to the Jews. Rather, it certainly refers to the Arab polytheists, because this verse is in a series of verses which talk about them, as opposed to the Jews of whom there was no mention in the chapter. We cannot assume that this one verse is an exception to the flow, theme and context of the chapter from its beginning up to this point—and afterwards until the end. There is no rational evidence or authenticated narration to support this interpretation. Hence, it is best to prefer the recitation of yajʿalūnahu in the third person, referring to the Jews who made the book into parchment. This would be a reference to the Jews while addressing the Arab polytheists.

The answer is: It is true that the previous verses argue against the polytheists, but they do not argue against them per se, as specific individuals. Whenever the Qur’an addresses a person or group, it addresses them because of a specific quality in them. Otherwise, the Qur’anic addresses are never personal. In this case, the chapter addresses the polytheists because of their defiance against the truth and their rejection of the principal components of the religious call, which are monotheism, prophethood, and the afterlife. In light of this point, the audience of these verses would be anyone who denies all or some of these principal beliefs. Thus it is perfectly compatible with the theme and flow of the chapter to describe some of the aberrations of the Jews if these aberrations necessitate the rejection of prophethood and revelation of scripture. This would be completely consonant with the deviations of the polytheists who denied the principal beliefs of God’s religion, even though it pertains to a community other than the polytheists and idol-worshipers. Perhaps the Jews used to teach this to the polytheists in order to cause mischief. There are some historical accounts saying that sometimes the polytheists used to ask the Jews about the Prophet’s message, and sometimes they would even send entire delegations [to Medina] to discuss this issue with the Jews.⁵ In addition, there are two statements in the verse that cannot be properly addressed to anyone other than the Jews: (1) And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers; and (2) Say: Who revealed the Book which Moses brought, a light and guidance for the people.

14:58Some exegetes have responded the above objection as follows: Even though the polytheists did not believe in the Torah as a divine book, they nevertheless knew that the Jews followed the Torah as something that was revealed to Moses. This knowledge and familiarity suffices for the sake of the argument here.

However, the idea that the polytheists knew the Jews to be followers of the Torah of Moses cannot be a satisfactory explanation of the verse because the mere knowledge of this does not make it binding on the person to accept the Torah as God’s revelation, especially that the verse describes it as a light and guidance for the people. Believing that it has been revealed by God is not the same as knowing that the Jews claim this. Only the former would explain the verse, not the latter.

If the verse is recited with yajʿalūnahu [in third person], then it should be interpreted as a rhetorical shift of address; otherwise the rest of the verse is directed at the Jews [in second person]: Who revealed the Book which Moses brought… And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers (6:91).

Here is a summary of how one of the exegetes has accommodated both recitations [that is, tajʿalūnahu and yajʿalūnahu] in order to show that there is no problem in the verse being addressed to the polytheists:

14:59The verse was initially revealed in a Meccan chapter with “which they make into parchment” (yajʿalūnahu) in the third person, as recited by Ibn Kathīr and Abū ʿAmrw. This was an argument addressed to the polytheists in Mecca. They were denying revelation on the account that it is unlikely for God to speak to a mortal, yet they admitted to the book of Moses and would send delegations to Jewish scholars, acknowledging them as followers of the first divine book who know the stories of the prophets.

That is why God told His Prophet to argue against these people who have not measured Allah with His due measure when they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal. For example they used to say: What! Has Allah raised up a mortal to be a messenger? (17:94). The Prophet was ordered to tell them: Who revealed the Book which Moses brought as a light—which illuminated the darkness of disbelief and polytheism which the Children of Israel had inherited from the Egyptians—and as guidance for the people, meaning those who learnt divine laws and rituals through the Torah. As a result, the Israelites were followers of the Torah’s light and guidance until they disagreed about it and they neglected a portion of what they were reminded of (5:13). Hence, due to following their own desires and interests, they make it into parchment that they show if it serves their interests, and of which they conceal much that goes against their desires.

Apparently this is how the verse was recited in Mecca and also in Medina, until the incident where Jewish scholars [in Medina] concealed the law of lapidation [in favor of a married person who has committed adultery]. Likewise, they concealed the news about the coming of the Prophet in the Torah, to the point that some of them said: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal, just as the polytheists had said it before them—assuming that the accounts of these events are authentic. Then it makes sense that God inspired His Messenger to recite these sentences in presence of the Jews and address them [in the second person]: which you make into parchment that you show while you conceal much, without abrogating the initial recitation [in third person]. Nor does this ruin the consistent flow of the previous verses [because the second recitation belongs to an event in Medina that was independent of the previous verses].

This is a plausible explanation based on the above-mentioned events, which allows for both recitations without requiring any contrivance. It answers all of the problems and objections that the exegetes have raised against the recitation of both versions of the verse.

14:60However, even if we assume this possibility, the following problems still remain unanswered:

(1) It does not make sense to argue against the polytheists [in Mecca] through something that they did not believe in.

(2) It does not make sense to address a non-Jewish audience [in Mecca]: And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers (6:91) as we discussed above.

(3) There is no reason to interpret “people” in a light and guidance for the people as the Jews alone.

(4) By admitting that the Jews in Medina said, Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal, the exegete is conceding and falling into what he was trying to avoid.

(5) Moreover, there is no proof for the claim that God “inspired” His Messenger to recite the verse a second time to the Jews [in Medina] as: which you make into parchment that you show while you conceal much [this time in second person]. What does “inspiration” mean here? (a) If it means a new revelation, with the difference that the verse was first revealed in the third person and then again in the second person, then it would mean that the verse was revealed twice: the first time it was revealed as part of the chapter, and the second in Medina without being part of the chapter.⁶ (b) If “inspiration” does not mean revelation through Gabriel, then it would not be part of the Qur’an, and its recitation would not be a recitation of the Qur’an.⁷ (c) It could means that God made His Messenger to understand somehow that this verse—which was revealed in Mecca—can be recited in both the second person and the third person, meaning that both recitations are correct and intended by God. This view is held by those who claim that all the different recitations of the Qur’an were either recited by the Prophet or recited to him [with his consent]. However, this view clearly suffers from all of the problems that we listed above.

It should be noted that the above discussions are based on the assumption that the verse was revealed in Mecca. Otherwise, if the verse was revealed in Medina [after the rest of the chapter] then most of the above issues would not be applicable.

… And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers…: This sentence is not about ordinary knowledge of what is beneficial and what is harmful in human life, which can be learnt through the faculties that humans generally have, such as the physical senses, imagination and reason. Instead, the knowledge that “they were taught which neither they nor their fathers knew” should be interpreted in light of the verse’s argument. The verse’s claim is that an implication of being a god is to guide humankind to their happiness by sending revelation and scripture to some of them. However, there is no relevance between this conclusion and the ordinary forms of knowledge that people can acquire through means that are already built in them. Similarly, the verse is not about God making people know what they did not know previously, as indicated by verses like: And He gave you hearing and sight and hearts (16:78) and: He Who taught (to write) with the pen; He taught man what he knew not (96:4-5). The context of the verse does not support this meaning.

14:61Hence, the verse is about extraordinary teachings that cannot be acquired through the cognitive capacity and instruments of humans in general. This is naught but what God has revealed to His prophets and His carriers of revelation, whether in the form of scripture or not. This knowledge consists of religious beliefs, laws, and codes of conduct that are not accessible through the normal means that are available to humans.

This should clarify that the audience here—in And you were taught what you did not know…—are not the polytheists. They did not admit to possessing any clear share of prophetic teachings and divine laws. Even the pieces that they had inherited from the prophetic traditions of their forefathers were not things that they acknowledged; hence the verse cannot set these teachings as a basis for argument. Rather, God has described them as being ignorant, where He says: And those who have no knowledge say: Why does not Allah speak to us? (2:118).

Given the above, this sentence cannot be addressed to the polytheists. Nor can it be addressed to the Muslims, because of the following reasons: (1) The verse involves a tone of debate and a theme of argumentation. If this sentence were directed at the Muslims, then it would be a parenthetical remark aside from the context of argumentation, while there is no clear reason to have such an aside. (2) That would entail a shift of audience— from Who revealed the Book which Moses brought to another audience in and you were taught…—while there is no clear indication for such a shift, not to mention that it would be confusing. Hence, the sentence is directed to neither the polytheists nor the Muslims, but to the Jews who are the audience of the first part of the verse.

The Jews claimed that Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal, either out of animosity or in order to cause mischief. In this verse God argues against them in two ways:

14:62(1) He points out their belief in the Torah as a book that Moses brought as a light and guidance for the people. This contradicts their claim that Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal. This is a destructive argument by contradiction. God then goes on to criticize them for breaking this book into pieces, of which they show some but conceal much.

(2) He tells them: “You were taught things that were not in your capacity to learn on your own, nor was it in the capacity of your fathers to learn and hand down to you.” These are things like religious beliefs, moral virtues, and legal codes and rules which are meant to settle disagreements in human societies by giving them the best order, balance and organization. These teachings, especially the legal codes, are things that human beings cannot acquire through their own intellection. It is true that they can acquire some general religious beliefs concerning God’s unity, prophethood and the hereafter, as well as an overall understanding of moral virtues, but this does not suffice to establish these teachings in human societies. Mere knowledge of something is different from its practice and its widespread implementation at the social level. The strong drive to enjoy material pleasures and the natural instinct to employ everything in order to fully exercise one’s desires and acquire one’s cravings leave no room for humankind to search for the treasures of divine realities and gnosis that are latent in their innate nature (fiṭrah). Thus these realities remain buried and do not become a foundation for human life. This is especially the case if this sense of materialism becomes a dominant trend and establishes a foothold in the entire society. Then the society becomes a closed setting and environment that limits the people to material enjoyment, without any opening for the light of human virtues to penetrate it. Any spiritual values and moral virtues inherited by this society will gradually disappear in such an environment, until the entire society turns into a primitive animalistic society as we observe in the advanced societies today, which have plunged into materialism and submitted to sensual pleasures. Thus every second of their life is occupied by such matters and they are completely inattentive of the hereafter and spiritual matters due to being totally engaged in the life of this world. This has blocked them from any thought or contemplation about how to achieve a happy eternal life.

There is no historical record of a ruler or politician in any nation or community who called its subjects to moral human virtues, pure divine teachings and the way of taqwá (Godwariness, self-restraint, piety) and servitude (ʿubūdiyyah) [to God]. In case of totalitarian rulers, their sole concern is to keep themselves in power and maintain their reign. And in case of collective governments such as democracies and the like, their greatest achievement is to organize the society according to what the majority desires—irrespective of that being a virtue or a vice; whether it is in line with true happiness as judged by sound reason or not. Sometimes these nations contravene certain spiritual values and noble human virtues which still remain in name among the people, and which are valued and respected by the innate human nature—such as justice, modesty, honesty, benevolence, philanthropy, and kindness to the disadvantaged. When they want to violate these values, they interpret them according to their own course of action and common practices, as we can see with our own eyes today.

14:63In short, our collective reason and material rationality—which rule our societies—cannot lead us to these divine teachings and spiritual virtues, the names of which have always been present in human societies, and the meanings of which people have ever cherished—despite all differences of opinion and varieties of culture. After all, there is a far distance between clinging to the earth and rising from matter and materiality toward the heaven.

What exists is only traces and remainders of religious calls which go back to the movements and struggles of the prophets to spread the call of truth, disseminate monotheism, and guide humankind to their true felicity in this life and the next. We owe these guidelines to God’s teaching through revelation and scriptures.

… And you were taught what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers…: This statement argues against the Jews and refutes their claim that: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal (6:91). The argument is that you have some beneficial knowledge that you have not acquired yourselves, nor have you inherited from your forefathers. Rather, you were taught these through another means, which is the way of revelation and scripture sent from God upon some human being. Therefore, God has sent some true teachings—including religious beliefs and legal codes—upon some mortal. The Jews had indeed a large share of these teachings which they had inherited from their prophets and the book of Moses.

14:64Even though the verse first talks about the Book which Moses brought specifically, the subsequent part does not say, “you were taught by it” or “God taught you through it.” Instead, it says: you were taught without qualifying it by the Torah. This, along with our explanation above, shows that this part of the verse—and you were taught what you did not know—refers to any religious belief and law that is rooted in revelation and scripture in an absolute sense, not only the teachings of Torah as some exegetes have suggested. The unconditional text of the verse does not support such a restriction of meaning.

The verse says, you were taught in the passive voice. According to some exegetes, this better proves the verse’s objective because identifying the subject here would make the argument more like a vicious circle. The verse is effectively saying: “Among what you know there is some knowledge which you did not acquire by yourselves or through your fathers. Who has taught you these?” The verse then says, “Allah” as the answer to both of the questions in this verse.

… Say: Allah. Then leave them sporting in their vain discourse: When the answer to some question is obvious and undoubtable, the inquirer does not wait for the inquired to respond, but proceeds to answer it himself. That is why God orders His Prophet to take on the task of answering by telling him: Say: Allah. It means God is the One Who revealed the Book which Moses brought, and the One Who taught you what you did not know, (neither) you nor your fathers.

The claim that Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal is vain and frivolous speech. Only those who take the truth as an object of sport and entertainment would make such a claim. This is especially true if the speakers are Jews who believe in the Torah of Moses and take pride in having knowledge of revelation and scripture. That is why God orders His Prophet to leave them with their affair: then leave them sporting in their vain discourse.

وَهَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُّصَدِّقُ ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنذِرَ أُمَّ ٱلْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ ۖ وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ۝٩٢

6:92 And this is a Book We have revealed, blessed, verifying that which was before it, and that you may warn the Mother of Cities and those around her; and those who believe in the hereafter believe in it, and they keep a guard on their prayers.

14:65The last verse established the following points: (1) An implication of being a god is to send revelation upon a subset of human beings, which are called prophets. (2) There have been some true scriptures such as the Torah of Moses. (3) There is knowledge of other things that humankind has been taught, which only trace back to divine revelation and supernatural teachings. This verse continues the discussion by adding that this Qur’an is also a divine book which God has sent, just like the other divine scriptures. The verse’s evidence for this claim is that this Book has the same qualities that are found in other books sent from God.

Given the above, the following points should be clear: (1) The theme of the verse is to identify God as the Sender of the Qur’an. The verse is not primarily concerned with the receiver of the Qur’an. That is why it says: a Book We have revealed, without saying, “We have revealed to you”—unlike other verses such as: (It is) a Book We have revealed to you abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses (38:29). (2) The qualities mentioned for the Book—in blessed, verifying—serve as reasons to prove it as God’s revelation. To be more precise, they are not proofs, but they are signs and indications (amārāt) of a book that has been sent by God.

One indication of such a book is that it is blessed (mubārak), meaning that God has placed abundant and sustainable good in it. It guides the people to that which is most upright (17:9) and: With it Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of safety (5:16). It benefits the people in this world by resolving their disputes, giving them strength, uniting them, abolishing animosity from their hearts and rancor from their souls, spreading peace and security among them, making their lives prosperous and enjoyable, enlightening them against ignorance and every vice, and bringing them under the shade of true happiness. It also benefits them in the hereafter through great reward and eternal bliss.

This book could not have any of these blessings had it not been sent from God. For example, it could be a human fabrication made as a snare to deceive and entrap the people. It could be a satanic impression or an appealing imagination of one’s ego which one takes to be the word of God and divine revelation, while that is not the case. Either way, none of these divine blessings and abundant benefits could accrue from any other book, because the path of evil does not lead its traveler to anything but evil, and perfection never grows out of corruption. God says: Surely Allah does not guide one whom He leads astray (16:37); And Allah does not guide the iniquitous people (61:5); And as for the good land, its vegetation springs forth (abundantly) by the permission of its Lord, but (as for) that which is inferior (its herbage) comes forth but scantily (7:58).

14:66Another indication of such a book is that it speaks the truth and verifies the previous scriptures which were truly sent by God.

Another indication of such a book is that it fulfills God’s objective vis-à-vis His servants, which is to guide them to happiness in both this world and the next. He achieves this objective through warning them and sending revelation to them, as we see in the next part of the verse.

… and that you may warn (li-tundhira) the Mother of Cities (umm al-qurá) and those around her…:Umm al-Qurá (lit. “mother of cities, metropolis”) refers to the holy precinct of Mecca. Since the verse then adds, and those around her, what is meant by “Mecca” here is “the people of Mecca.” Those around her are all people across the globe, in the sense that their lands surround Mecca. It has also been interpreted as the neighboring lands of Mecca. This statement shows God’s special regard and attention for Umm al-Qurá, which is the holy sanctuary where the religious call was first made and whence it spread.

There are two possibilities for the conjunction “and” in and that you may warn the Mother of Cities: (1) it adds to blessed; (2) it adds to verifying. Some exegetes have favored the first possibility, where the meaning would be: “We have revealed it that you may warn the Mother of Cities and those around her.” However, the second possibility is more likely because the Qur’an’s verification of the previous scriptures was also one of the purposes of its revelation.⁸ Then the implied meaning, as stated by al-Zamakhsharī, would be: “We have revealed this Book so that it may verify that which was before it, and that you may warn the Mother of Cities.” This possibility is further strengthened if the word is recited as li-yundhira in third person (lit. “that it may warn…”).⁹

14:67… and those who believe in the hereafter believe in it…: This sentence is like a conclusion that is made from the qualities of the Book which God described above. That is: “Since this is a blessed Book which We have revealed—which verifies that which was before it, and which is sent in order to warn the people of the earth—the believers in the hereafter believe in it, for indeed it calls to eternal security and cautions them against everlasting chastisement.”

God then identifies who these believers in the hereafter are by stating a quality that is exclusive to them: and they keep a guard on their prayers. The prayer is their worship in which they remember their Lord. We see the same quality twice in Sūrah al-Muʾminūn, at the beginning and end of the list of qualities mentioned for the believers: Who are humble in their prayer (23:2) and: And those who keep a guard on their prayers (23:9).

The connection between these verses suggests that “keeping a guard on prayer” means “being humble in prayer,” which refers to an inner state of subservience and meekness before God’s magnificence as one stands in a position of servitude. A more common interpretation, however, is that “keeping a guard on prayer” refers to being attentive of prayer times.

Discussion on the Meaning of “Blessedness” (Barakah) in the Qur’an

Al-Rāghib says in al-Mufradāt:

The root meaning of bark means “camel’s chest” although the root is also used in other meanings. “This camel has birkah” means that it has a wide chest. Baraka al-baʿīr means that the camel sat on its knees [whereby its chest is placed on the ground]. An implication of this [sitting of the camel] is that it becomes stable, fixed and settled. This implication is what is sometimes meant when the root is used. For example it is said: ibtarikū fī al-ḥarb, meaning “stay at and adhere to your position in the battle.” The place in the battlefield where warriors stay at is called barākāʾ and barūkāʾ al-ḥarb. Ibtarakat al-dābbah means that the animal stopped [and thus became fixed and settled]. Burūk means the same. Birkah (pond, pool, reservoir) is a place that holds water. Barakah (blessing) means “sustained and fixed good that God places in something.” God says: We would certainly have opened up for them blessings (barakāt) from the heaven and the earth (7:96). These blessings are called barakāt (plural of barakah) because of the aspect of fixedness and stability of good in them, just like the fixedness and stability of water in a pond (birkah). Mubārak (blessed) means “that in which good is established.” This is what is meant in the verse: And this is a blessed (mubārak) reminder which We have revealed (21:50)…

14:68meaning would be: “We have revealed a blessed book so that it may verify and so that you (or it) may warn…” (Trans.)

Now, God’s good is rooted in the unseen, cannot be measured, and is unlimited. Therefore, [even though barakah primarily means divine good, ] sometimes mubārak and barakah are used for any non-physical abundance. This sense [of immaterial abundance] is what is meant in the narration, “No charity reduces from wealth.” Upon hearing this, a loser said: “Let the scale judge between us!” However, the narration does not refer to apparent and visible reduction.…

God is called tabāraka (blessed), which refers to the exclusivity of all good to Him.

Given the above, the reality of barakah is “established good in something.” Here are some examples of this: (1) Having barakah in progeny means having abundant descendants, or having one’s [good] name remain through one’s descendants. (2) Having barakah in food means feeding a large number of people to satiation. (3) Having barakah in time means being able to perform a task in a timespan that it is not typically doable in.

Meanwhile, in the context of religion, goals and objectives are strictly restricted to either spiritual happiness or worldly achievements that result in eternal happiness in the hereafter [as opposed to transient material endowments]. Therefore, the barakah (blessing) of material things is the spiritual good that is either found directly in them, or that ensues from them. For example, when the angels descended upon Abraham they told him: The mercy of Allah and His blessings are on you, O people of the house (11:73), where God’s “blessings” (barakāt) can refer to a variety of spiritual goods such as religion and divine proximity, as well as worldly goods such as wealth, extensive progeny, and persistence of one’s remembrance—all of which would again reduce to spiritual goods.

If something has barakah, it means that it fulfills the benefit that is desired from it and brings about the good that is sought in it. This makes barakah relative: it differs according to one’s objective and expectation of things. For example, there are several possible objectives that can be expected from food, such as: (1) to satiate hunger; (2) to not harm the eater; (3) to cure someone or make the person healthy; (4) to become spiritual light in the soul and help the person serve God. The barakah of food in each case would be the establishment of the respective good in it. This can occur if God gathers the different causes and factors of that good congruously and removes its impediments.

14:69This should clarify that when God gives barakah to something and establishes good in it, it does not cancel the rest of causes and factors that affect it. As we have repeatedly said before, when God wills a quality or condition in something, it does not annul the entire system of causes and effects which govern that thing. That would be the case if God’s will (irādah) stands in a parallel or horizontal (ʿarḍī) position compared to the other means and causes. But that is not true. Instead, God’s will has a vertical or longitudinal (ṭūlī) relationship with other means and causes.¹ For example, when God sends barakah upon food, it means that He aligns the different relevant factors in such a way that the person does not suffer any harm from eating that food. Similarly, His barakah in wealth is that He sets the different factors in line with each other, such that the wealth is not wasted, lost, stolen, plundered and so on. It does not mean that He annuls the rest of the means and causes, and instead takes charge of creating the desired good in that thing without the involvement of any intermediaries. The reader should reflect on this.

The concept of barakah (blessing) has been repeatedly used in various forms in several verses of the Holy Qur’an, as it has also been used frequently in hadith. Similarly, we see this term used frequently in the two Testaments, where God blesses certain prophets, or some priests bless certain individuals. In fact, giving barakah is an ongoing custom in the Old Testament.

The above should clarify the error of those who deny the truth behind barakah. We read about one of these deniers in what we quoted from al-Rāghib above. Their argument against barakah is that the working of natural causes in things leaves no room for any other cause to have another impact or to undo their impact. Their error is that they have failed to realize that God’s impact on things takes causal precedence over the other causes. It is not another cause on the same plane, so it is not applicable to talk about interference, annulment, obstruction and so on.

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ قَالَ أُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ وَلَمْ يُوحَ إِلَيْهِ شَىْءٌ وَمَن قَالَ سَأُنزِلُ مِثْلَ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ فِى غَمَرَٰتِ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ بَاسِطُوٓا۟ أَيْدِيهِمْ أَخْرِجُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمُ ۖ ٱلْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ غَيْرَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَكُنتُمْ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ۝٩٣

14:706:93 And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him, and he who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed? And if you had seen when the unjust shall be in the agonies of death and the angels stretching out their hands: Give up your souls; today shall you be recompensed with an ignominious chastisement because you spoke against Allah other than the truth and (because) you showed pride toward His communications.

This verse lists three forms of wrongdoing that rank highest in terms of injustice. No sound intellect would doubt their enormity and abomination, and that is why they are presented in form of a rhetorical question.

The verse effectively invites the audience to settle with the rule of sound intellect, be fair, and submit to explicit truth. It says to the Prophet: “Tell them that both I and you should not defy the truth and should not transgress against God by committing the greatest and most heinous injustice, which is injustice with regards to God. So how can you forge a lie against God by claiming that He has associates and referring to them for intercession? And how could I make claims to prophethood and say that ‘it has been revealed to me’ if I were not truly a prophet to whom God has revealed? And how can someone say that ‘I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed,’ when—in doing so—he derides God’s rules and mocks His communications?”

The result of these instructions is that the audience would end up accepting prophethood [of the Prophet Muḥammad]. If they stop forging the false claim of polytheism against God; if one does not vainly claim that I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed; and if the Prophet continues his claim to revelation, then what remains would be his claim without any challenge.

14:71“Forging a lie against God” includes the claim that “it has been revealed to me” while it has not. Therefore it has been said that the second injustice mentioned in the verse is a particular example of the first, which is mentioned separately to show the significance and high status of the subject of revelation. However, if we contemplate the context of the verse and the fact that it is directed at the polytheists, it can be inferred that “forging a lie against God” primarily refers to “assuming partners for God.” The whole message of the verse is to encourage fairness and put down the bigotry of the pre-Islamic era (jāhiliyyah). Therefore, it does not make sense for the second injustice mentioned in the verse to be a particular example of the first [because that would itself be an unfair way of expression]. The verse only makes a vague and overall reference to its intended meaning without explicitly specifying it in order to not stimulate any bigotry and fanaticism in the audience.

In short, the first and second forms of injustice mentioned in the verse—he who forges a lie against Allah and or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him—differ in terms of their intent, even though it appears that one is a particular example of another. This interpretation is confirmed by what comes next, which threatens the audience with punishment and asks them about their partners and intercessors [that they had assumed besides God, as we shall see in the next verse].

Some exegetes have said that the second form of injustice—or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him— was revealed in reference to Musaylimah who claimed to be a prophet. However, this does not match the theme of the verse, as we explained above. Rather, this form of injustice apparently refers to the Prophet himself. Of course, the verse still retains its general meaning which is applicable to anyone if we take it by itself and irrespective of its specific context.

We should also add that this chapter is Meccan, while Musaylimah’s claim to prophethood occurred after the Prophet’s migration to Medina. Those who have offered the above interpretation believe that this verse was revealed in Medina, not Mecca. We shall discuss this view under our following examination of narrations, by God’s will.

14:72… and he who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed?. . . : This part of the verse apparently recounts a statement that was actually made at the time. That is, there was someone who claimed that “I shall reveal something similar to what God has revealed.” This expression makes mock of the Qur’an as “what God has revealed” because the person claims that “I can also reveal the like of it.” Otherwise, [if his claim were concerning the content of the Qur’an, ] he should have said: “I will say the like of what Muḥammad has said” or “I will bring to you the like of what he has brought to you.”

Some exegetes have said that this claim refers to what is narrated elsewhere from the polytheists: If we wished we could say the like of it; this is nothing but the fables of the ancients (8:31).

Others have said that the verse was revealed in Medina about ʿAbd-Allāh b. Saʿd b. Abī Sarḥ, who said, “I reveal the like of what God reveals.” Other suggestions have also been made which we shall discuss in our examination of narrations, by God’s will. Overall, apparently the verse does not match any of these views. The structure of the claim mentioned in the verse shows that it is a promise concerning the future, while the claim if we wished… (8:31) is a conditional statement, and ʿAbd-Allāh’s claim—assuming that its narration is authentic—refers to something in the present.

Either way, this third form of injustice—and he who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed—relates a claim that some Arab polytheist made in defiance of God’s revelation. It should be noted that the Arabic particle man (he who) is repeated for the third type of injustice, but not the second type: he who (man) forges a lie…or says…and he who (man) says: I will reveal…. Based on this point, the three forms of injustice in the verse can be classified under two categories: in the first two types, the person admits and submits to God and His revelation as an overall idea, but in the third type he equates himself with God and denies the truth of divine revelation altogether.

… And if you had seen when the unjust shall be in the agonies (ghamarāt) of death and the angels stretching out their hands (bāsiṭū aydīhim): Give up your souls; today shall you be recompensed with an ignominious (al-hūn) chastisement because you spoke against Allah other than the truth and (because) you showed pride toward His communications: The root meaning of ghamr is “to cover something and not leave any trace of it.” Thus ghamrah is used in the following meanings: (1) a great amount of water that covers what is underneath it; (2) total ignorance; and (3) a difficulty that envelops someone. Ghamarāt means shadāʾid (difficulties, intensities, adversities), as used in this verse: shall be in the agonies (ghamarāt) of death (6:93). Hūn and hawān mean dhillah (humiliation, dishonor, abasement).

14:73The literal meaning of basṭ al-yad is clear [that is: opening, extending or spreading one’s hand], but it is often used metaphorically, where its meaning differs according to context. For instance, when it is said that a rich person “stretches out his hand,” it refers to his generosity and financial aid toward the needy. If a king “has an open hand,” it means that he can govern the affairs of his nation without any conflict or opposition. If a rough and tough agent “extends his hand” toward a culprit who is arrested, it refers to the agent beating and dragging the culprit.

Therefore, the angels stretching out their hands refers to the angels starting to punish the wrongdoers. The flow of the verse suggests that the next part of the verse explains what the angels will do with these wrongdoers: Give up your souls; today shall you be recompensed with an ignominious chastisement…. In other words, these are the words of the angels, not the words of God. The implied meaning is: “The angels will tell them: Give up your souls….” This means that the angels will capture their souls in a painful way that makes them taste an intense punishment. This is their punishment upon death, when they move from this world to the realm that is beyond. Then they shall have another punishment later upon the Resurrection, as God says elsewhere: and before them is a barrier until the day they are raised (23:100).

Given the above, “today” in today shall you be recompensed means “the day of their death”—or in other words, the barzakh (the intermediate realm between this life and the Resurrection). That is when they will be given the chastisement mentioned in the verse. It should also be clear that “the unjust” refers to those who have committed one of the three greatest forms of injustice that God counted in the first part of the verse: (1) forging a lie against God; (2) falsely claiming to be a prophet; and (3) mocking God’s revelation. These three forms of injustice closely tie into the next part of the verse, which explains two reasons for their chastisement. The first reason is: because you spoke against Allah other than the truth. This refers to one who forges a lie against God by attributing a partner to Him, or by falsely ascribing a legal rule or revelation to Him. The second reason is: and (because) you showed pride toward His communications. This refers to one who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed.

14:74It also follows that give up your souls is an existential or creational command (al-amr al-takwīnī), ² because death and giving up one’s soul is not something in one’s control so that the person may be ordered [legislatively and authoritatively] to do it. The same is true about life, as the Qur’an says: It is He Who causes death and gives life (53:44). Therefore, the command in this verse is an existential one, and the angels are the means and agents that implement it. The command to give up your souls is meant figuratively as is a metaphorical image: It is as though the human soul is something inside the body through which the body lives; and if it leaves the body, the person will die. This view is according to God’s Book, which clearly suggests that the soul is not of the same nature as the body, meaning that it is not physical or material. It is a different form of being, but is united with and attached to the body through some immaterial form of union and attachment. We discussed this in the first volume of this book, ³ and we shall discuss it further under other relevant verses, by God’s will. Overall, give up your souls refers to the detachment of their souls from their bodies, which marks their death. The context suggests that this is part of the angels’ speech [not God’s].

The meaning is: “I wish you could see the time when these wrongdoers shall experience the pangs and agonies of death, when the angels will start to chastise them by seizing their spirits firmly and informing them that they shall enter the realm of death, where they will be punished with humiliation and dishonor as their retribution for speaking against God other than the truth and showing pride toward His communications.”

وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فُرَٰدَىٰ كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكْتُم مَّا خَوَّلْنَـٰكُمْ وَرَآءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ ۖ وَمَا نَرَىٰ مَعَكُمْ شُفَعَآءَكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّهُمْ فِيكُمْ شُرَكَـٰٓؤُا۟ ۚ لَقَد تَّقَطَّعَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنكُم مَّا كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ ۝٩٤ ۞

14:756:94 And certainly you have come to Us alone (furādá) as We created you at first, and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave you (khawwalnākum, from takhwīl), and We do not see with you your intercessors about whom you asserted that they were (Allah’s) associates in respect to you; certainly the ties between you are now cut off and what you asserted is gone from you.

Furādá is the plural of fard (individual, alone, single), which means “someone or something that is detached from mixing with others in some aspect.” Its opposite is zawj (pair, couple, joined), which means “someone or something that is mixed with others.” The two are respectively similar in meaning to witr (odd, solo) and shaf ʿ (even), because witr is “that which is not attached to something else,” while shaf ʿ is “that which is attached to something else.” Takhwīl means “to give someone possession, authority and control over some wealth or the like.”

What is meant by “intercessors” in this verse is the lords that they used to worship besides God in order to intercede for them before God. They assumed them to be God’s partners in His creation so that they may intercede for them. This verse talks about the reality of human life, which will become evident to them when they return to their Lord by death. At that point they will behold the reality of themselves: that their life and all their affairs have ever been subject to God’s direction alone, just as they were when they were first created. They adopted partners for God in order to intercede for them; they spent their life trying to secure various means and connections for themselves; and they endeavored to back and strengthen themselves by their wealth, children, spouses, relatives and communities. However, at that point they will realize that all these things which they used to seek were futile thoughts and false illusions without any impact in the realm of creation whatsoever.

Humankind is a part of the universe like any other part: they are all under God’s direction, moving toward the end that God has set for them. Nothing has any influence or say in God’s direction and facilitation of affairs except as a means or factor whose impact traces back to Him, without the thing having any independent impact of its own.

14:76The thing is that once human beings are created and come to existence, they see the adornment of this world, take note of the apparent means and intercessors that seem to be at work, and are attracted to the pleasures of life. Thus their souls become attached to these pleasures, and in order to reach these pleasures, they chase after the apparent means of this life and become subservient to them. This distracts them from turning their attention to the Creator and Facilitator of these means, Who is the Cause of the causes and the Director of all affairs. As a result, they deem these apparent means to be independent in their impact, and their only concern and objective becomes achieving the pleasures of this material life by submitting to the apparent system of means and instruments which seems to govern this world. This is how their entire life in this world is spent playing and sporting with these illusions and imaginations, all because of their carnal souls that are so fascinated with the glamor of the material life. Hence their life is immersed in playing with false illusions which distract them from the truth. This is what God says: And this life of the world is nothing but a sport and a play (29:64).

Based on the teachings of the Qur’an, when people take off the robe of servitude [to God], they forget their Lord, which in turn leads them to forget themselves. The Qur’an says: those who forgot Allah, so He made them forgot their own souls: these it is that are the transgressors (59:19).

When the soul leaves the body at death, the person will be disconnected from all material means, causes and instruments to which he was linked through his body and was connected to in this life. At that point the person will see how the presumed independence, grandeur and influence of these means all fade away. There he will realize that his affair from the beginning to end was up to nobody and nothing but his Lord. He will learn that has no lord other than God, and no one else has any influence on him. Given the above explanations, the verse can be interpreted as follows: And certainly you have come to Us alone as We created you at first…: This part expresses the fact of the matter [about the creation and reality of humans].

… and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave you…: This refers to the annulment of the means which engage the person from his Lord as he is busy with them from the onset of his creation until when he is captured upon death and taken to his Lord.

14:77… certainly the ties between you are now cut off and what you asserted is gone from you: This explains why the person is severed from the means and why they cease to have any impact of their own. It is because of an unveiling for the person, whereby he will realize that the presumed means which he was busy playing with throughout his life were nothing but false illusions.

Thus it should be clear that the apparent means and accessories in human life have no share of reality other than toys that people play with, and illusions that occupy their lives.

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ فَالِقُ ٱلْحَبِّ وَٱلنَّوَىٰ ۖ يُخْرِجُ ٱلْحَىَّ مِنَ ٱلْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِجُ ٱلْمَيِّتِ مِنَ ٱلْحَىِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ ۝٩٥

6:95 Surely Allah is the Splitter (fāliq, from falq) of the grain and the date-stone [to germinate]; He brings forth the living from the dead and He is the bringer forth of the dead from the living; that is Allah! How are you then turned away.

Falq is synonymous with shaqq (to split, to crack). The last verse said that the apparent means in this world are not independent in their impact, and the lords which people have taken are not intercessors so that people may worship them besides God. This verse moves on to say that these things which have preoccupied the people are nothing but creatures of God that are subject to His direction. They have no impact or action that improves human life and leads to the goal of their creation except by God’s measurement and direction. God, and only God, is the sole director of all affairs in the universe; hence there is no lord other than Him.

God is the One Who splits the grain and stones, which then grow into plants and trees that feed the people with seeds and fruits. He is the One Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living. We discussed what this means under verse 3:27.⁴ This is God and no one else! So what turns you away?! Until when will you be diverted from the truth toward falsehood?

فالِق الِصباحِ و جعل الليل سكنا و الشمس و القمر حسبانا ذلِك تقدِير ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ ۝٩٦

14:786:96 Splitter of the dawn (al-iṣbāḥ); and He has made the night for rest (sakanan), and the sun and the moon for reckoning (ḥusbānan); this is an arrangement of the Mighty, the Knowing.

Iṣbāḥ here means ṣubḥ (morning, dawn), but it is originally an infinitive (to dawn, to start the morning). Sakan is “where one rests.” Ḥusbān is the plural of ḥisāb (measurement, count, calculation). It has also been defined as an infinitive that means “to count, to calculate.” The conjunction “and” in and He has made the night for rest joins the sentence to splitter of the dawn. This is a permissible conjunction even though the first part of the verse [splitter of the dawn] has no verb unlike the second part [He has made the night for rest] because the first part effectively has a verbal meaning [that is, “He causes the dawn to break”]. The second part has also been recited as “and the Maker (jāʿil) of the night.…”⁵

The verse mentions a few things: (1) the splitting of the dawn; (2) making the night for rest, when animals rest from their activity to recover their lost energy and discharge the weariness, lassitude and fatigue that they have accumulated due to their daily activity; (3) making the sun and the moon a means of reckoning because we can discern nights, days, months and years based on their movements which are visible to us. These resemble an astonishing arrangement and measurement of things in a world that is constantly subject to change and movement. These signs facilitate and give order to the life of humankind. This is why the verse ends by saying: this is an arrangement of the Mighty, the Knowing. Since He is Mighty, nothing can overcome Him and ruin how He regulates the affairs. Since He is Knowledgeable, He is not ignorant of any requirement for the well-functioning of His kingdom, such that His system may fall apart and cease to continue.

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلنُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا۟ بِهَا فِى ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ۝٩٧

6:97 And He it is Who has made the stars for you that you might follow the right way thereby in the darkness of the land and the sea; truly We have elaborated the signs (al-āyāt) for a people who know.

14:79The meaning of the verse is clear. The elaboration of āyāt (signs, communications) can have two meanings: (1) providing detailed signs in the realm of creation (takwīn); or (2) explaining communications in detail [where communications would be verbal signs of God].

God has two wills with respect to these enormous heavenly bodies: (1) He has ordained that they should serve the welfare of humans through the movements that they seem to have in our senses. (2) He has an independent will that governs each of them [irrespective of the human world]. These wills do not negate one another because they pertain to different aspects. The occurrence of one aspect of God’s will does not nullify the occurrence of another aspect. At the same time, all pieces of the universe are connected to one another in a uniform network.

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَفْقَهُونَ ۝٩٨

6:98 And He it is Who has produced you from a single soul, and (has given you) a dwelling-place (mustaqarr) and a repository (mustawdaʿ); indeed We have elaborated the signs for a people who discern.

The verse has been recited with both mustaqarr and mustaqirr. Mustaqarr is ism makān (noun of place, locative noun), meaning “the place of rest and settlement.” In that case mustawdaʿ would also be a noun of place, meaning “the place where something is stored for a while.” These two words are also mentioned in the verse: And there is no animal in the earth but on Allah is the sustenance of it, and He knows its dwelling-place (mustaqarrahā) and its repository (mustawdaʿahā); all is in a manifest book (11:6). Based on this recitation [of mustaqarr], the verse would involve some omission for the purpose of brevity. The implied meaning is: “Then of you some are in a dwelling-place, and some are in a repository.” If the word is recited as mustaqirr, which is semantically preferred, it would be an active participle noun as a subject, while mustawdaʿ would be a passive participle noun as an object. The implied meaning would be: “Then of you there are some who have settled, and some who have been deposited temporarily but not settled yet.”

And He it is Who has produced you (anshaʾakum, from inshāʾ) from a single soul…: Apparently what is meant here is that the human population, despite its multitude and spread, all go back to Adam, who, according to the Qur’an, was the origin of the current generation of human beings. Mustaqirr refers to those human beings who have been born and have settled in the earth, which is the mustaqarr of humankind, as He says: and there is for you in the earth an abode (mustaqarr) (2:36). Mustawdaʿ refers to those human beings who are not born yet, but are still deposited in the loins of men and wombs of women, to be born later. This interpretation is most appropriate given the verse’s theme about how all members of this species have come forth from a single person. It is also possible to interpret mustaqarr and mustawdaʿ as verbal nouns (sing. maṣdar).⁶ The verse uses inshāʾ (to produce, to originate) as opposed to khalq (to create) and other similar terms, because inshāʾ suggests a sudden origination as opposed to a gradual one.⁷

14:80Note: the interpretation that we offered here [for mustaqarr and mustawdaʿ] also fits another verse where both words have appeared, which we already quoted: And there is no animal in the earth but on Allah is the sustenance of it, and He knows its dwelling-place (mustaqarrahā) and its repository (mustawdaʿahā) (11:6). It means: “He knows those which have settled in the earth by being already created, and He also knows those that are not yet created and have not settled in the earth but are on the way to being created.”

The meaning of the current verse [6:98] is: “And He is the One Who brought you into being, O community of humankind, all from a single soul. He made you build the land until an appointed time. Thus the land is always occupied by you as long as your species is not extinct. At any given time, some of you are dwelling in the land, and some of you are deposited in the loins of men and the wombs of women, or only the loins of men, heading to dwell in the land later.”

Here is a list of other interpretations suggested by the exegetes:

“Being produced from a single soul” means that everyone has the same kind of soul, which is the human soul.

14:81It means that everyone is of the same species, which is a combination of soul and body. This is the reality of the human being, which consists of a human soul and a human body.

Mustaqarr means the wombs, and mustawdaʿ means the loins.

Mustaqarr means the earth, and mustawdaʿ means the graves.

Mustaqarr means the wombs, and mustawdaʿ means the earth or the graves.

Mustaqarr means the spirit, and mustawdaʿ means the body.

There are more interpretations to add to this list, but there is not much benefit in discussing them.

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِۦ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُّتَرَاكِبًا وَمِنَ ٱلنَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ وَجَنَّـٰتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَٱلزَّيْتُونَ وَٱلرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَـٰبِهٍ ۗ ٱنظُرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِۦٓ إِذَآ أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكُمْ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ۝٩٩

6:99 And He it is Who sends down water from above (al-samāʾ), then We bring forth with it plants of every kind, then We bring forth from it green (foliage) (khaẕiran) from which We produce grain piled up (mutarākiban) (in the ear); and of the palm-tree, of the sheaths of it (ṭalʿihā), come forth clusters (qinwān) (of dates) within reach (dāniyah), and gardens of grapes and olives and pomegranates, alike and unlike; behold the fruit of it when it yields the fruit and the ripening of it (yanʿihi); most surely there are signs in this for a people who believe.

Samāʾ here means “up, above.” Anything that is above someone and shades the person is samāʾ [for that person]. Khaḍir means akhḍar (green, as in the color). It is apparently a contraction of khāḍir (greens, as vegetables). When grains are laid one on top of another they are called mutarākib, as in an ear. Ṭalʿ is the first part of a palm’s fruit that appears. Qinwān is the plural of qinw, which means ʿidhq, which is a cluster of dates just like ʿunqūd (a bunch of grapes). Dāniyah is synonymous with qarībah (close, near). Alike and unlike means fruits that are similar and dissimilar in terms of kind, shape and other properties. Yanʿ means “the ripening of a fruit.”

… then We bring forth with it plants (nabāt) of every kind…:Nabāt (plant, vegetation) here has been interpreted as the blossoming and growth that is found in anything with vegetative power. The meaning would be: “By means of the water which We send down from above, We make this hidden faculty manifest.” In other words, “Through rain We grow anything that grows, including plants, trees, humans and other animals.”

14:82In these verses [6:95-99], God lists certain parts of His creation for those possessed of sight and insight to see and reflect upon, so that they may be guided to His oneness. These can be classified into a few categories:

Things that have to do with the earth, such as splitting the grain and stones [6:95];

Things that have to do with the heaven, such as the night, the day, the sun, the moon and the stars [6:96-97];

Things that have to do with humankind, such as creating their species from a single soul, and their members having already settled [in the earth] or else deposited there [for the time being] [6:98];

Things that have to do with all of the above, such as sending rain from above, thereby producing food in the form of plants, grains and fruits, and growing things that have a vegetative faculty such as plants, animals and humans [6:99].

Stars are specifically described as a sign for a people who know (6:97); the production of human souls is specifically described as a sign for a people who discern (6:98); and the system of vegetation is specifically described as a sign for a people who believe (6:99). The connection should be clear: the system of vegetation in the universe is something clear and simple. One only needs to look at it in order to understand it, without any further effort. The only condition is that person’s gaze must be illuminated by the fairness of faith, not defiled by the impurity of defiance and stubbornness. As with observing the stars and heavenly events, it is not something that an ordinary mind can comprehend without effort. It is rather the people of knowledge who appreciate it and understand the position of the stars and what happens in the heavens. Finally, coming to know the human souls and the secrets of their creation is something that requires not only theoretical knowledge and mental learning, but also inward consciousness, intense contemplation and arduous perseverance—which amount to fiqh (discernment, deep understanding).

وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ٱلْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ ۖ وَخَرَقُوا۟ لَهُۥ بَنِينَ وَبَنَـٰتٍۭ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ۝١٠٠

14:836:100 And they make (jaʿalū, from jaʿl) the jinn associates with Allah, while (wa) He created them, and they falsely attribute to Him sons and daughters without knowledge; glory be to Him, and highly exalted is He above what they ascribe (to Him).

The verb jaʿl (make, assign) can have either one or two objects. In the first case, its object would be associates, and the jinn would be interpretive of that. In the second case, the jinn would be the first object and associates would be the second.⁸ Apparently the particle wa (and, but, while) here means “while.” Some grammarians have not permitted such a usage, but their argument is not clear. At any rate the statement while He created them (or and He created them) is meant to refute the polytheists. The meaning is: “They have ascribed the jinn as partners to God while He is the One Who has created the jinn.” It is not possible for the created to be a partner of its Creator and at His level.

The jinn here would be “the devils.” An example of their association with God would be the dualistic belief in Yazdān (the good principle) and Ahriman (the evil principle) that is attributed to the Majūs (Magians, Zoroastrians). Another example would be Yazīdiyyah, who believed in Satan (Iblīs) as a deity (which they call Peacock Angel and consider to be the king of all angels). The jinn may also refer to the well-known creatures [in Qur’anic terminology]. This would match a belief that is attributed to the polytheists: that God married a jinn lady, and from them angels were born. This possibility flows better with the next part of the verse: And they make the jinn associates with Allah, while He created them, and they falsely attribute (kharaqū) to Him sons and daughters without knowledge (6:100). Given this interpretation, sons and daughters would both be angels. They have “cut” (kharaqū) these angels for Him, meaning that they have falsely come up with them and attributed them to God. Glory be to Him, and highly exalted is He above what they ascribe (to Him).

If sons and daughters are more inclusive than the angels, then they would refer to what people of other religions held. For example, Hindus and Buddhists have beliefs similar to those of Christians who believe that the Christ is God’s son. Similarly, archaeological discoveries show that other ancient idolaters believed in sons and daughters for God, whom they used to worship. The Arab polytheists also believed that the angels are God’s daughters. We discussed these views under verses 3:79-80.⁹

بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ صَـٰحِبَةٌ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ۝١٠١

14:846:101 Originator (badīʿ) of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort, and He (Himself) created everything, and He is the Knower of all things.

This verse is a response to the polytheists’ belief in God having sons and daughters [mentioned in the last verse]. The verse provides two arguments in negation of this view: (1) The only way for God to have a real child is to have a spouse; given that He has no spouse, how can He have a child? (2) He is the Creator and Originator of everything, but a child is part of the parents which grows [into another independent being] through fertilization. Clearly a part of something cannot be created by it.

These two arguments are summed up in the fact that He is the original Creator of the heavens and the earth, where nothing in the universe is similar to Him in any aspect.¹⁰ Thus, how can He have a spouse that He has married or children that are of the same kind as Him? We are informed of this by God Who is completely free from ignorance: He is the Knower of all things. Referring to our discussion under verse 3:79 (It is not meet for a mortal that Allah should give him…) would be helpful here.¹¹

ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ خَـٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ ۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَكِيلٌ ۝١٠٢

14:856:102 That is Allah, your Lord, there is no god but He; the Creator of all things, therefore serve Him, and He is Guardian over all things.

This verse is a conclusion that is made following the previous verses. It means: “Since the matter is as We said above, your Lord is Allah Whom We described for you, not anyone else.”

… there is no god but He…: This is an explicit statement of God’s unity which was implicit in the first part of the verse. At the same time it explains and justifies the previous statement. That is: “He is the Lord and there is no other lord besides Him because He is God and there is no god besides Him. After all, can someone be a lord (rabb) without being a god (ilāh)?”

… the Creator of all things…: This sentence explains and justifies the last sentence, that there is no god but He. That is: “There is no other god but Him because He is the Creator of everything without any exception.” Since there is no other creator of anything, nothing can be His partner in being a god who deserves to be served. Since all things are His creatures, they are all subservient servants and worshipers of Him [existentially], which means that they are not His equals and associates in being worshiped.

… therefore serve Him…: This is stated as a conclusion of that is Allah, your Lord. It means: “Since no one else is your Lord but God, you must serve Him.”

… and He is Guardian over all things: That is: “He is the One Who watches over everything, directs its affairs, and organizes its existence and life.” Given this, one must fear Him and not associate partners with Him out of ignorance. Therefore, this sentence effectively emphasizes therefore serve Him. In other words, “Do not disdain to serve Him because He is a guardian over you, and He is not heedless of your actions.”

لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ ۝١٠٣

6:103 No vision comprehends Him, but He comprehends all vision; and He is the All-Subtle, the All-Aware.

The last verse was addressed to the polytheists, whose simple understanding would interpret He is Guardian over all things (6:102) in a physical sense. They would assume God to be a physical being like other physical beings that act in the corporeal world. Hence this verse addresses and refutes such a misconception by saying: No vision comprehends Him. He is not comprehended by the eyes because He is transcendent of physicality and its properties.

14:86… but He comprehends all vision…: This clarifies another misconception that would spring to the minds of the polytheists because of being accustomed to thinking about everything materially, and because of being immersed in their five senses and physical objects. They would assume that if the eyes do not comprehend God, then He is detached from the senses and physical objects, without any existential connection with them to know and observe them. As a result, He must be severed from His creatures: He cannot know them just as they do not know Him, and He cannot see anything just as nothing sees Him. God clarifies this misunderstanding by saying: but He comprehends all vision.

… and He is the All-Subtle (al-laṭīf), the All-Aware (al-khabīr): This justifies the previous claim. Laṭīf means “something fine that penetrates something else.” Khabīr is derived from khubrah (expertise, awareness, cognizance). Since God encompasses all things in the real sense of it, He witnesses everything; neither the outward nor the inward aspect of anything escapes from Him.¹² At the same time He possesses knowledge and awareness, meaning that He knows the outward and inward aspect of everything without anything engaging Him or veiling Him from another. Thus He comprehends both the faculty of sight and what the faculty sees, as opposed to ordinary vision which only beholds the seen.

Instead of saying that God comprehends the people who have sight, it says that He comprehends the sights. This is because God’s comprehension is different from our sensory perceptions which comprehend the outward aspects of things, which are accidental to them.¹³ Our sight, for example, comprehends light, color, farness, nearness, largeness, smallness, movement and stillness. For God, however, the accidents as well as the substances that carry them are fully present, both outwardly and inwardly. They are all patent to Him without being veiled or absent from Him in any way. Thus He comprehends the total reality of sight, while no sight can comprehend Him.

These two verses [6:102-103] are fascinating in terms of their brilliant expression, easy flow, and brevity. They also lead one who reflects upon them to hidden mysteries.

Discussion on the Universality of Creation and its Inclusion of Everything

14:87That is Allah, your Lord, there is no god but He; the Creator of all things: The apparent meaning of this sentence is the universality of creation, meaning that anything with any share of existence and reality has been created and brought to existence by God. God’s description as the Creator of all things has also appeared in other places in His Book, and nowhere is there any evidence to restrict or limit its universality in any way whatsoever. The other verses are: Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Dominant (13:16); Allah is the Creator of all things and He is a Guardian over everything (39:62); That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of all things; there is no God but He (40:62).

This topic has kindled astonishing quarrels among the followers of different sects and schools, leading to a variety of views on the subject. This is not something exclusively limited to Muslim theologians and philosophers, but has also been a subject of hot debate among Jewish and Christian thinkers. We are not concerned with presenting the views and arguments of the scholars here, because this is an exegesis of the Qur’an. Our job here is to infer the Qur’an’s view on the topic based on other relevant verses.¹

When we look at the things which exist in the universe—such as the sky, the planets, the stars, the earth, the mountains, the lowlands, the fields, the oceans, the deserts, the elements, the minerals, the clouds, the thunder, the lightning, the thunderbolt, the rain, the hail, the plants, the trees, the animals and the humans—we find them to have certain properties and effects which they cause and create, and which can be attributed to these beings as an action is attributed to its actor, or an effect to its cause. The Qur’an verifies this view and ascription.

It also confirms that humans have certain actions that are attributable to them like any other being, such as eating, drinking, walking, sitting, growing, understanding, realizing, rejoicing, delighting, being healthy and falling ill. The Qur’an does not make any difference between the human being and the other species in this sense. It talks about the different actions of human beings and gives them commands and prohibitions. None of these would make sense if humans did not have actions that are attributable to them. This means that the Qur’an views human beings just as we view them in our societies: we believe them to have certain actions and effects that are attributable to them; we hold them accountable for some of their actions which go back to their choice and volition in one way or another, such as eating, drinking, and walking; and we overlook some of their other properties that are not based on their free will, such as health, illness, youth, and age.

14:88Therefore, the Qur’an’s view of the system at work in the universe matches our primary understanding of the world it based on our sensory observations and rational experience. It is a system of beings of different kinds and natures, each of which has certain functions, has certain impacted on other beings, and is also affected by them. This is how the entire universe is arranged, where each part of it is completely related to all other parts. This is the universal law of causality which governs all contingent beings. According to this law, whenever we have something that may or may not exist [in and of itself], it should be given existence by another being [that is, it should be existentiated externally, from an outside source]. If the cause of something is absent, then the existence of that thing—the effect—is impossible. The Qur’an confirms this law and its universal application. Had this not been true or not universally applicable, one could not argue by it at all in any capacity. This is while the Qur’an has argued by it to prove the existence of the Creator and His qualities of oneness, power, knowledge, and so on.

Just as it is impossible for an effect to exist without its cause, it is also necessary for it to exist given its cause—because of the necessary existential relation between the two. God has approved this by using it in many places in His Book, where He states His noble attributes in order to prove their effects, consequences and implications. For example He says: and He is the One, the Dominant (13:16); Surely Allah is Mighty, Avenger (14:47); Then surely Allah is Mighty, Wise (2:209); Surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (2:173). He has also established many events and matters by referring to their consequences and implications that have occurred afterwards. For example He says: But they would not believe in what they had rejected before (10:74). Likewise, there are many other verses which talk about the believers, the disbelievers and the hypocrites. If it were possible for an effect to deviate from and fail its cause—assuming that the required conditions of its occurrence are met and its impediments are absent—then certainly none of these arguments would hold.

14:89Hence, the Qur’an accepts that the world of existence is governed by the universal law of causality. It confirms that there is one or many causes for any being or accident that exists and for any event that occurs, such that if the cause is there then the effect must necessarily exist, and if the cause is not there then the effect cannot exist. This is the first observation that can be made when contemplating the Qur’an [in this regard].

Then, upon further study, we notice that God extends His creation to anything in the universe which can be called a “thing” (shayʾ). He says: Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Dominant (13:16), as well as the other verses in this regard which we quoted above [6:102, 39:62, 40:62]. This is based on the fact that His causality (ʿilliyyah) and agency (fāʿiliyyah) encompass all things despite the causal relationships that exist among the [contingent] beings at their own level—which we discussed above.² For example the Qur’an says: He, Whose is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth…and Who created everything, then ordained for it a measure (25:2); He Who gave to everything its creation, then guided it (to its goal) (20:50); Who created and shaped, and Who measured and guided (87:2-3).

We see another expression in these verses, where things are described as being created. Their actions, effects, movements and states are attributed to God’s measurement and guidance. This means that the specific actions and properties of things trace to God’s decree and measurement. One example is the movement of human beings who walk from one place to another, the fish which swim in the sea, and the birds which fly with their wings, as He says: of them [the living creatures] is that which walks upon its belly, and of them is that which walks upon two feet, and of them is that which walks upon four; Allah creates what He wills (24:45). There are numerous verses to this effect. According to these verses, the specific actions of all beings are defined and measured by God. Similarly, the goals and ends that the beings seek—despite their differences, disagreement and variety— are set for them by God’s measurement, and they move toward them by God’s guidance which accompanies them from the onset of their creation until their end. All of these go back to the arrangement of the Mighty, the Knowing (6:96).

14:90Therefore, we can distinguish two aspects in things: (1) their [unchanging] substance and essence; and (2) their existential limits as well as the transformations, stages and goals that they experience throughout their period of life or existence. The first aspect is attributable to God’s creation (khalq, khilqah), and the second aspect goes back to God’s measurement (taqdīr), which can be matched with the specifications of God’s creation. Yet, there are another set of verses saying that the different parts of universe are connected to one another, harmonious with each other, and united together in existence. They are all governed by a single system that has no director other than God. This is sometimes referred to as “the argument of uniformity of direction” (burhān ittiṣāl al-tadbīr).

The above is what we can deduce by contemplating the Book of God. However, there remain three further points that one should take note of when studying and contemplating this subject:

(1) Ascription of Sins to God

According to some scholars, there are certain things that are undoubtedly evil and abhorrent, such as various forms of wrong and injustice. The intellect would never attribute them to God’s Holy Precinct. Likewise, the Noble Qur’an has declared God to be clear and free from every kind of wrong and injustice in several verses, such as: And your Lord is not in the least unjust to the servants (41:46); Say: Surely Allah does not enjoin indecency (7:28). This contradicts the idea that everything has been created by God. Thus, the idea of universality of creation is subject to this exception which is backed by both rational and transmitted evidence. This means that human actions are created by human beings, but everything else beyond that is created by God, including the essence and effects of things.

These scholars have further added that if human actions are created by God, then it means that they are beyond human volition, which contradicts God’s entire system of command, prohibition, obedience, disobedience, reward, punishment, sending messengers, revealing scriptures, and enacting divine laws.

14:91However, these scholars have missed a fine distinction between real matters [which exist as external entities] versus conventional matters [which are our mental constructions]. The latter are things that have no external existence, but they are things that human beings need to conceive (taṣawwur) or confirm (taṣdīq) in order to have a comfortable and functional social life. This means a confusion between existential and nonexistential aspects of things. We addressed this subject in our discussion of jabr (compulsion, determinism, predestination) and tafwīḍ (delegation, entrustment) under verses 2:26-27.¹

What can be said in this regard is that the Qur’an apparently implies the universality of God’s creation where it says: Allah is the Creator of all things (kulli shayʾ) (6:102, 13:16, 39:62, 40:62). However, the Qur’an also says: He Who made good everything (kulla shayʾ) that He has created (32:7), which states that everything that God has created is good and beautiful. The two verses together express two points: (1) anything other than God which can be called a “thing” (shayʾ) is created by Him; and (2) anything that is created by Him is good. Therefore, “creation” and “goodness” are concomitant in existence, meaning that everything is good in the sense that it is a creation of God. In other words, the real and existential aspect of everything [which is what is attributable to God as His creation] is good and fair. The evil aspects of things are always accidental to their essence, not intrinsic. Things are evil only in a relative sense, in relation to other things, but not in their essence and reality, which is attributable to God.

It is true that the Qur’an talks about sin, injustice, evil and other similar terms [as apparently and existential realities]. However, building on what we said above, we should say that these are not real concepts and titles. They are not part of the existential properties of things which can be attributed to God and described as His creation. These concepts and descriptions [of evil and sin] rather apply to things with certain actions and effects in terms of some conventional, relational or proportional aspect [not in terms of their existential aspect in reality]. Indeed, for every disobedience and injustice there is some similar act that is not disobedience. The difference between the two is that one of them goes against some legal or rational rule, causes disorder in the society, or fails to achieve an objective [all of which are conventional and/or relative properties]. For example consider adultery versus marriage: they are two similar acts that do not differ from one another in terms of their external reality and existence. Their only difference is in terms of their conformity and non-conformity with divine law, social customs, and/or collective interest. All of these are conventional and relational matters which apply to things based on how they conform to social welfare. Then they are used in turn as a basis for praise, rebuke, reward and punishment. Such relative aspects and conventional labels are only derived and determined mentally, by practical wisdom and collective human reason. They are only applicable in the realm of social conventions, but they have nothing to do with creation to begin with, except for some existential consequences that are tied to them such as reward and punishment. Creation (khilqah) and existentiation (ījād), on the other hand, pertain to the external world of existence and reality [as opposed to mental derivations and conventional classifications].

14:92Consider an act that is viewed as injustice. It is only at the plane of convention that this act is called injustice, is considered to be evil, is viewed as a sin, and is followed by rebuke and punishment. But in the world of existence, it is only one or some effects, such as some movements made by a human being. The existential or created aspect of this act is caused by external causes, which all boil down to the Original Divine Cause [which is behind every existential reality]. The description of this act as “evil” and its subsequent implications are only a result of some legal or rational classification, but not an existential entity in the external world. Suppose, for instance, that Zayd is the manager of some organization. “Manager” is a social title that Zayd has in his interactions with us, and because of this title he is entitled to certain privileges such as being respected, being in charge of affairs, and having authority and priority over others. However, in terms of his existential reality, Zayd is only a human like all other humans. There is no difference whatsoever between him as a manager and his subordinates. At this plane there is no such thing as management and its implications. The same goes with other titles such as rich, poor, master, slave, honorable, ignoble, higher-class, lower-class, and numerous other titles.

Overall, even though God’s creation encompasses everything, it applies to the various acts that occur in society only in terms of their external existence and reality. Meanwhile, actions also have another aspect, which is how they are characterized in society as good, evil, obedience, disobedience and other similar labels. This aspect is not subject to creation and existentiation. These titles and qualities have no existence except in the field of social legislation and assessment, and the plane of mental derivation and convention.

14:93Given the above, it should be clear that conventional titles and classifications—such as command, prohibition, good, evil, obedience, disobedience, reward, punishment, the connection between actions and their retribution, lordship, servitude, supervision, subordination, honor, dishonor and so on—are not existential entities that are created in the external world, meaning that they are not things that are created and existentiated. Thus it follows that the universality of God’s creation does not necessitate any of the above-mentioned problems which the scholars have posed. For instance, it does not invalidate the system of religious command, prohibition, reward, punishment and so on.

After all, how can someone advocate such duality while God’s Book repeatedly emphasizes the following ideas: (1) He is the Creator of all things; (2) He is the One, the Dominant; (3) His decree, determination, lordship, regulation and existential guidance embrace all things, without falling short of anything; (4) His kingdom, authority, capacity and rule include all things; and (5) everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him, whether apparent or hidden? How can these Qur’anic teachings—which inform us of a monotheistic lordship in the universe— comply with the existence of infinitely many creatures of other creators among His creatures?²

(2) The Theory of God’s Habitual Custom (ʿĀdah)

According to some scholars, since the Noble Qur’an attributes the creation of all things to God as their sole efficient cause (al-ʿillat al-fāʿiliyyah), it necessarily means the negation of a causal relationship between other things. There is no cause in the world of existence but God. As with other apparent causes, it is rather God’s ʿādah (habitual custom, common practice, normal course) to create what we know as “effect” after what we know as its “cause.” Otherwise, in reality there is no causal relationship between them which would necessitate the occurrence of the so-called “effect” after the “cause.” For example, even though fire is a source of heat, it has an equal relationship with both heat and cold in and of itself. Similarly, heat has an equal relationship with both fire and snow. The only thing is that God’s ʿādah is such that He creates heat where there is fire, and cold where there is snow, without there being any necessity or requirement between them in any way whatsoever.

14:94The above view leads to a negation of the universal law of causality which is the basis of all logical statements. With this negation, one cannot prove the existence of the Creator either, which means that we cannot refer to God’s Book in the first place in search for evidence for the negation of causal relationships between things! Besides, how could it be that the Glorious Qur’an disproves the most basic rule of reason and deposes the intellect from making conclusions? This is while the truth and authority of the Qur’an is proven only by the rule of reason and fiṭrah (primary human nature, innate disposition). This is nothing but contradiction, because the conclusion refutes the premise, which effectively has no result but to refute that very conclusion.

What has led these scholars into this fallacy is failing to distinguish between causes where one embraces the other in a ṭūlī relationship (vertical, longitudinal, causal), and causes that are at the same level in an ʿarḍī relationship (horizontal, latitudinal, parallel). It is impossible for something to have two causes if those two causes are parallel to one another, at the same level and horizon (called ʿarḍī causes), but not if one is in continuation of another and subordinate to it (called ṭūlī causes). For example, the complete cause (al-ʿillat al-tāmmah) of fire necessitates not only the existence of fire, but also the existence of heat. This does not mean that heat is subject to two necessities and affected by two complete causes that act independently from one another. Instead, it is caused by a cause which is itself caused by another cause.¹

14:95To be more accurate, the source of their mistake is not distinguishing between two senses of agent (fāʿil): (1) “that from which something emanates (mā minhu)” versus (2) “that through which something emanates (mā bihi).”² The complete analysis of this topic would be beyond the scope of the current discussion.³

(3) The Retired Architect

Some scholars have realized that on the one hand, God attributes the creation of everything to Himself, and on the other hand He also recognizes the existence of causal relationships between things. Thus they have concluded that whenever an event has a clearly known cause, then that is its cause; God on the other hand, is the cause of unknown events. This would evade the problem of having two independent causes for a single event. According to this view, God’s role in giving existence comes down to two categories: (a) the initial creation and origination of things; and (b) the existence and occurrence of unknown events such as life and spirit in organic beings (that is, humans, animals and plants).

Following the first category, they would prove the Creator’s existence by relying on the temporal origination of things.¹ For example, they say that there was a time when humankind did not exist, then it came to existence; there was a time when the earth did not exist, then it came to existence; and there was a time when the universe did not exist, then it came to existence.

14:96God’s causation is horizontal and parallel to any other conceivable causation. If causes are horizontal and parallel to one another, then any inferior event can be an effect of only one of them. (Trans.)

Following the second category, they would prove God’s existence by referring to events that we have not yet discovered their causes of existence and occurrence. The more primitive societies with this mentality used to include many other events that were unknown to the general public on the list, such as clouds, snow, rain, shooting stars, earthquake, famine, dearth, pandemics and so on. Then as they found out about the natural causes of these events, they would take up another unknown event and focus on that [to prove God’s existence], or submit to the opponents [and concede that there is no God].

This view can be philosophically expressed by saying that a contingent being relies on the Necessary Being only for its ḥudūth (origination, createdness), but not for its baqāʾ (continuation, subsistence). In fact, a large number of theologians insist on this view, to the point that some of them have said, “If it were permissible for God to cease existing, then His nonexistence would not harm the existence of the universe.” However, God is far exalted and clear of this view! It seems to me that this is rooted in Jewish cosmology, which has then spread to some Muslim thinkers. It is based on this view that they consider badāʾ and naskh (abrogation) to be impossible.² Nevertheless, this view is still common and alive among people.

14:97Whatever its roots may be, this is one of the most baseless illusions and clearly against the Qur’an’s arguments. God proves the Creator’s existence and oneness by referring to His visible signs in the universe, which means the ongoing system that governs every kind of creature throughout its life, such as the changes and transformations that it goes through, the acts that it does or are done to it, and the benefits that it gives to others or receives from them. Some examples of these signs in the Qur’an are: (1) the sun, the moon, the stars, as well as their rise, fall and the subsequent benefits that people derive from them; (2) the change of seasons in earth; (3) the seas, the rivers and the ships that sail in them; (4) the clouds, the rain and their subsequent benefits for humans, animals and plants; (5) the natural stages of human creation, including sperm, fetus, childhood, youth, maturity and age.

All of these pertain to the continuation and subsistence (baqāʾ) of things, which are identified as the actions and effects of God. At the same time these events are causes for events that occur afterwards and subsequent to them. Today’s events are the causes of tomorrow’s events, just as they are the effects of yesterday’s events. If these events were needless of God in their subsistence, and if the universe were self-sufficient in pursuing its course by its internal system and set of causes, then none of these Qur’anic arguments and proofs would hold. It should be clarified that the Qur’an pursues two objectives in referring to these signs: (1) to prove God as their cause and agent (fāʿil); and (2) to prove God as their end and goal (ghāyah). Let us will analyze how the Qur’an argues through each of these two channels:

(1) With regards to God being the cause and agent of everything, the Qur’an says: Is there any doubt about Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth? (14:10). It is evident that no being in the contingent world has created itself. Nor has another being like itself given it existence, because that other being would be equally needy of being created. It must be that existence traces back to something that exists by the virtue of itself, such that it cannot possibly be characterized by nonexistence. Otherwise, none of these things would come to existence. Hence, all beings are brought to existence by God Who subsists by Himself, without being subject to any loss or change whatsoever.

However, the beings are not needless of God even after they are created. Existentiation is not like heating and other similar processes. Once something is warmed up by fire, it retains its heat for while even if the fire is removed. However, if we assume the same thing about existence, then it would mean that once something is given existence, it all of a sudden turns into a necessary being which subsists by itself. An implication of this is that the object cannot possibly be annihilated, because otherwise it would contradict our assumption. This is something that we can understands by our basic and innate human nature (fiṭrah): that if the beings had their existence for themselves and were independent of their Lord in one way or another, then they would never undergo death and decay, because it is impossible for something to rule its own destruction and wretchedness.

14:98This idea [that the beings are not independent of God in their subsistence] can be inferred from verses like: Everything is perishing except His Face (28:88); And they control not for themselves any harm or profit, and they control not death nor life, nor raising (the dead) to life (25:3). This is also referred to by many other verses which state that God is the sole Possessor of all things; there is no other owner for anything; and nothing has any status other than being His property.

Therefore, just as beings receive existence from God at the onset of their creation and origination, they continue to receive existence from Him as long as they live and subsist. A being exists as long as God bestows existence upon it; but the moment God cuts off His bestowment, the name of that thing is wiped off from the tablet of existents. God says: All do We aid—these as well as those—out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined (17:20). There are many more verses in this regard.

(2) The idea that God is the end and goal of everything is found in verses which describe the uniform and harmonious system which governs the universe. The beings and events in the universe are ordered as a congruous chain, such that when one member of this system advances toward its perfection and happiness, it also helps the other members to advance. For example, human beings benefit from the system which governs the animals and plants. Similarly, plants benefit from the system that governs the earth and the atmosphere. Earthly beings benefit from the heavenly beings and vice versa. This means that all beings in the universe are incorporated in a single connected system which moves every species toward its existential perfection and bliss. If one’s reason is awake and his innate human nature remains unadulterated, then the person will only conclude that all this must be by the design and direction of a Planner Who is certainly Mighty, Knowledgeable, Wise and Aware.

14:99This design and direction is based on creating, existentiating and fashioning the essence, being and identity of every thing in a mold that determines its effects and keeps it on its desired track from the onset of its creation throughout the stages of its journey that are planned for it, until the point where it is supposed to end. The existents carry through these stages while being mounted on means and instruments, driven from behind by God’s measurement (qadar), and led from the front by His decree (qaḍāʾ).³ The Qur’an says: Surely His is the creation and the command (7:54); Surely His is the judgment (6:62); And everyone has a direction to which he turns (2:148); And Allah judges; there is no repeller of His judgment (13:41); He Who watches over every soul as to what it earns (13:33).

How can someone contemplate the likes of these verses [which are many] and then turn them away from their clear and explicit meaning? That would be the case if one has the following view of the creation:

God only created the beings at the first stage, but then left them on their own and sat aside watching them, like a retired architect. After all, what else could He do beyond that stage? Then the beings started to move around and interact with each other according to causal relationships between them, while being independent as causes and effects. This is all while their Creator is watching them on the side and awaiting the day when all of them perish, so that He may give them a new creation where He rewards those who listened to His call in their life, and punishes those who arrogantly defied Him. Before then He simply tolerates their mischief, except that sometimes His wrath is kindled because of what He sees from some of them, whereby He prevents them from what they wish to do and stops their plots as a barrier and opponent that works parallel to them at the same level. What this means is that God steps in and stops being an impartial spectator in certain cases that the independent set of causes and effects in the universe pursues a goal that displeases Him or does not please Him. Thus He interrupts the causes at work in the world by creating His desired outcome. This can only be by suspending the law of causality in that certain case, because if He brings about what He wants through the ordinary causes and means, then the outcome would be an effect of the causes at work in the universe, not an effect of God.

14:100In the same light, these thinkers have insisted that things like miracles and supernatural acts occur only by God’s will, without complying with the universal law of causality. This reduces to negating the law of causality in the universe, which negates their initial belief that all things need God for their origination, but not for their subsistence.

Hence, these thinkers must choose one of two views:

(1) The universe is completely needless of God; it operates independently by its own orderly system; and He has no impact in any part of it or any event that happens in it. The only need of the universe to God was for its initial origination, but now that it has been created, it no longer depends on Him.

(2) God is the Creator of anything which can be called a “thing” (shayʾ); He bestows existence on all things both upon their origination and ever after that, as long as they subsist; and no being or event is needless of Him even for the twinkling of an eye.

The reader should realize by now that the Qur’an rejects the first view because there are many verses which talk about the applicability of God’s creation to everything, and His invisible dominance over the outward, inward, beginning and end of every being and event, both in origination and subsistence. Therefore, the Qur’an leaves us only with the second view, which is also confirmed by a meticulous rational discussion [which we presented above].

Given all of what we said above, it should be clear that Allah is the Creator of all things (13:16) retains its apparent universality, without being subject to any rational or transmitted exception.

قَدْ جَآءَكُم بَصَآئِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَنْ عَمِىَ فَعَلَيْهَا ۚ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ عَلَيْكُم بِحَفِيظٍ ۝١٠٤

6:104 Indeed there have come to you clear proofs (baṣāʾir) from your Lord; whoever will therefore see, it is for his own soul, and whoever will be blind, it shall be against himself, and I am not a keeper over you.

14:101Majmaʿ al-bayān says: “Baṣīrah means some proof or evidence by which one can see something. Its plural is baṣāʾir.” It has also been said that baṣar is for the eye [that is, sight], while baṣīrah is for the heart [that is, insight]. Either way, the root meaning is to perceive something by sight, which is the strongest of the senses, and to receive something from the visible world. “Seeing and blindness” in this verse refer respectively to “knowledge and ignorance” or “belief and disbelief ” by extension.

Indeed there have come to you clear proofs from your Lord …: Here, God is apparently referring to the clear arguments in the previous verses, asserting that He is One and without any associates. The meaning is: “These arguments are clear proofs that have come to me from God by means of revelation.” The verse is stated as a speech by the Prophet, addressed to the polytheists. The Prophet then tells them that they should decide for themselves: “If they want they can choose to see [the truth] by these proofs, and if they want they can choose to be blind to them. It is up to them to choose, but seeing will be in their advantage while blindness will be against them.”

… and I am not a keeper over you: Given the above interpretation, what is meant here is that the people’s minds and hearts are not under the control of the Prophet. Therefore, “keeping” here means having a creational and existential (takwīnī) influence, which is negated from the Prophet. Instead, he is only a sincere admonisher and advisor for them [on the legislative plane].

This verse is more of a side note or parenthetical remark that is mentioned between the verses before and after. It is an address by God but through the tongue of His Prophet. It is as if a messenger is sent to his people to convey God’s message to them, but in the midst of delivering the message he adds a few points about himself being an earnest advisor for them and being free from any evil intention or personal interest. This serves to urge and encourage them to listen, obey and submit to his message.

وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ وَلِيَقُولُوا۟ دَرَسْتَ وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُۥ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ۝١٠٥

6:105 And thus do We repeat (nuṣarrifu, from taṣrīf) the communications and that they may say: You have read (darasta); and that We may make it clear to a people who know.

14:102Darasta has also been recited as dārasta and durisat. Taṣrīf is defined as expressing an idea in different terms in order to convey it from different angles. Darasta is derived from dars, which means “to learn,” or more specifically “to learn by reading.” Dārasta would mean the same, except that the extra letter implies a stronger sense of the meaning.⁴ The word is also recited as durisat, which is a derivative of durūs, meaning to “wear out and disappear.” Then their claim would be similar to what is narrated from the polytheists in other verses, where they call the Qur’an “fables of the ancients” (asāṭīr al-awwalīn).⁵

The meaning is: “It is in this manner that We reiterate Our communications with different expressions in order to achieve many objectives.⁶ One of these objectives is that the wretched folk may completely actualize their wretchedness by accusing you that you have learnt these from the People of the Book, or by saying that these speeches are meaningless today because they are extinct and worn out. Another objective is to clarify these communications for those who know through purifying their hearts and expanding their breasts by it.” Thus, this verse is similar to the verse: And We reveal of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and to the unjust—it only adds to their perdition (17:82).

Examining Narrations

(1) Imam al-Ṣādiq said: God cannot be described. How can He be described while He says in His Book: And they have not measured Allah with His due measure (6:91)? It means that whenever He is described by any measure, He is greater than that.¹

(2) Concerning And they have not measured Allah with His due measure (6:91) Ibn ʿAbbās said: This refers to the infidels who did not believe in God’s power over them. If one believes that God is Powerful over all things, then he has measured the power of God with its due measure, but if one does not believe in this, then he has not believed in God as He deserves.

14:103When they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal: This refers to the Israelites. The Jews said, “O Muḥammad! Has God revealed a book to you?”

He replied, “Yes.”

They said, “By God, God has not revealed anything from heaven.” Thus God revealed: “Say—O Muḥammad—Who revealed the Book which Moses brought, a light and guidance for the people… nor your fathers. Say: Allah—revealed it.”²

Author’s comment: The interpretation at the beginning of this narration is contrary to the apparent meaning of the verse, as we discussed above. Instead, the apparent meaning of the verse is that those who said Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal are the same people who have not measured Allah with His due measure.

(3) Concerning when they say: Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal (6:91) Al-Suddī said: It was a Jew called Finḥāṣ who said, “God has not revealed anything to Muḥammad.”³

Author’s comment: The difference between what the Qur’an says and what is narrated from Finḥāṣ ruins the meaning [of the verse in its context]. It is also unlikely that the above narration is not a literal quote of what he said because of its obvious difference from the verse.

(4) Saʿīd b. Jubayr said: A Jewish man named Mālik b. al-Ṣayf came to the Prophet and started debating with him. The Prophet told him, “I ask you by the One Who sent the Torah upon Moses: does the Torah say that God detests a corpulent scholar?”

The man was indeed an obese scholar, so he was enraged and said, “By God, Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal!”

His fellow companions told him, “What are you saying? Not even to Moses?”

He repeated, “Allah has not revealed anything to a mortal.”

14:104Thus God revealed the verse: And they have not measured Allah with His due measure… (6:91).⁴

(5) The Messenger of God said: Umm al-Qurá (the Mother of Cities, in 6:92) is Mecca.⁵

(6) Once Imam al-Bāqir was asked, “Why is the Prophet called ummī?”⁶ He replied: “Because he was from Mecca. This is based on God’s words: that you may warn the Mother of Cities and those around her (6:92). The Mother of Cities (Umm al-Qurá) refers to Mecca, and those around her refers to Taif (al-Ṭāʾif).⁷

Author’s comment: Based on this narration, the verse [6:92] would be similar to: And warn your nearest relations (26:214), which means that the Prophet should warn a specific group of people. This specific command does not contradict the universality of the his message, as indicated in other verses such as: that with it [the Qur’an] I may warn you and whomsoever it reaches (6:19), it [the Qur’an] is nothing but a reminder to the nations (6:90) and Say: O people! Surely I am the Messenger of Allah to you all (7:158).

(7) Once Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked about verse 6:91 (Say: Who revealed the Book…which you make into parchment that you show while you conceal much?). He said: They used to conceal whatever they wished, and reveal whatever they wished.⁸

(8) In another narration the Imam said: “They used to write it [the Torah] on parchment; then they would reveal whatever they wished and conceal whatever they wished.” The Imam then added, “Any book that has been revealed [by God] is with the people of knowledge (ahl al-ʿilm).”⁹

14:105Author’s comment: “People of knowledge” alludes to the Imams from the Ahl al-Bayt.

(9) Concerning verse 6:93 (And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie…) Shuraḥbīl b. Saʿd said: It was concerning ʿAbd-Allāh b. Abī Sarḥ that this verse was revealed: And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him (6:93). Then when the Messenger of God entered Mecca, he [ʿAbd-Allāh] took refuge with ʿUthmān, who was his brother through nursing. ʿUthmān hid him until the people of Mecca were granted safety, then ʿUthmān interceded so he would be granted safety as well.¹⁰

(10) Concerning And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him (6:93) ʿIkrimah said: “This was revealed about Musaylimah who used to prophesize and speak in rhyme.” Concerning “and he who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed” (6:93) he said: “This was revealed about ʿAbd-Allāh b. Saʿd b. Abī Sarḥ. He used to be one of the Prophet’s scribes, but when the Prophet would dictate him to write the Mighty, the Wise he would instead write ‘the Forgiver, the Compassionate.’ Then he would recite it to the people and tell them, ‘They are both the same.’ Finally he relinquished Islam and joined the Quraysh [polytheists in Mecca].”¹¹

(11) Imam al-Ṣādiq said: ʿAbd-Allāh b. Saʿd b. Abī Sarḥ was ʿUthmān’s brother through nursing. He migrated to Medina and accepted Islam. Since he had beautiful handwriting, when the Messenger of God received revelation, he would summon ʿAbd-Allāh to write what had been revealed to him. However, when the Messenger of God would tell him to write and God is Hearing, Seeing he would write “Hearing, Knowing” [that is, he would write ʿalīm instead of baṣīr]; and when he would dictate and Allah is Aware of what you do he would write “and Allah Sees what you do” [that is, he would write baṣīr instead of khabīr]. He also used to differentiate between letters tāʾ and yāʾ [in writing], ¹² whereby the Messenger of God said, “They are the same.”¹³

14:106Then he apostatized and returned to Mecca. He told the Quraysh [tribe], “By God Muḥammad does not know what he says! I say the like of what he says and he does not refute it. So I reveal the like of what God has revealed.” In response to this, God revealed to His Prophet: And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him, and he who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed? (6:93).

When the Messenger of God conquered Mecca, he ordered ʿAbd-Allāh to be killed. But then ʿUthmān took him by the hand to the Holy Mosque where the Messenger of God was. He said, “O Messenger of God! Pardon him!” The Messenger of God remained silent. When ʿUthmān repeated his request a second time, the Prophet replied, “He is yours.”

When they went away, the Messenger of God told his Companions,

14:107“Did I not tell you that whoever sees him should kill him?”

A man replied, “O Messenger of God! My eyes were fixed on you, waiting for your hint to kill him right away.”

The Messenger of God said, “Indeed the prophets do not kill anyone by hinting.” Thus ʿAbd-Allāh became one of those who were freed in the conquest of Mecca.¹⁴

Author’s comment: One exegete has narrated the same story on the authority of ʿIkrimah and al-Suddī, and then comments:

These two narrations are apocryphal, because nowhere in the Meccan chapters does it say “Hearing, Knowing,” “Knowing, Wise” or “Mighty, Wise.” The only exception is Sūrah Luqmān [which says God is Mighty, Wise in verse 31:27], but even that was revealed after Sūrah al-Anʿām, according to Ibn ʿAbbās. Not only that, but the verse in that chapter which ends with “Mighty, Wise” and the two verses after it were actually revealed in Medina, as specified in [Suyūṭī’s] al-Itqān….

Some have said that perhaps this verse [6:93] was revealed in Medina, but there is no need to consider this view when the narration is unauthentic.

Some have said: “When ʿAbd-Allāh b. Saʿd apostatized, he started mocking the Qur’an. It could be that some of what is found in these accounts are things that he forged as a lie and attributed to God, because none of the narrated phrases that he presumably altered are found in the chapters that were revealed during the time that he was a scribe. He doubted the Prophet’s revelation [and apostatized] because of his alterations, but he went back to Islam before the conquest of Mecca [which means that he accepted Islam again voluntarily]. If the Prophet had approved of and kept those alterations, then he would not have accepted Islam again.”

The reader should know a few points with respect to the above: (1) That the story of Ibn Abī Sarḥ is also mentioned in authentic narrations from Imams al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq, which explicitly say that this story happened in Medina after the Prophet’s migration, not in Mecca. The accounts narrated through Sunni chains also suggest that it occurred in Medina, and there is no explicit mention that it was in Mecca. (2) What is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās about the order of revelation of the Qur’anic chapters is no more authentic than the narrations which the above exegete has rejected. (3) The above exegete has claimed that Ibn Abī Sarḥ returned to Islam voluntarily before the conquest of Mecca. However, as we presented above, both Shia and Sunni accounts state that he did not return to Islam until the fall of Mecca, when the Messenger of God declared that his blood was liable, until ʿUthmān interceded for him and the Prophet pardoned him. (4) God says, and he who says:I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed (6:93), which does not exactly match what is narrated from Ibn Abī Sarḥ: “I reveal the like of what God has revealed.”¹⁵

14:108Moreover, there is a clear uniformity between this entire verse and the next verse. This refutes the idea that part of this verse—And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him, and he who says: I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed? (6:93)—was revealed in Medina. If that were the case, then it would make more sense for both verses to be entirely Medinite.

There is yet another narration that offers another context and circumstance for the revelation of this verse, as follows.

(12) ʿIkrimah said: When God revealed, By the emissaries that blow! By the hurricanes that rage!...”(77:1-2), al-Naḍr from Banī ʿAbd al-Dār tribe said in response: “By the grinders that grind! By the kneaders that knead!” and he kept making up several statements like this. Then God revealed the verse: And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him… (6:93).¹⁶

(13) Concerning today shall you be recompensed with an ignominious chastisement (6:93) Imam al-Bāqir said: That is the thirst on the Day of Resurrection.¹⁷

(14) Similarly Imam al-Ṣādiq said: It means thirst.¹⁸

(15) Imam al-Ṣādiq said: When God wanted to create Adam, he commissioned Gabriel in the first hour of Friday, who stretched his hand, extending from the seventh heavens to the lowest heaven, picking up a handful of dust from each heaven. He stretched another hand from the seventh earth on the top to the seventh earth at the bottom, picking up another handful [from each earth]. Then God commanded His word [that is, Gabriel] to hold the first handful in his right hand and the other in his left.¹⁹ Thus the clay was cleaved into two: one part was taken from the earth[s] and one part was taken from the heavens. God then said to the clay in his [Gabriel’s] right hand: “From you will come out the messengers, the prophets, their successors [of prophets], the saints, the believers, the felicitous, and those whom I will to honor.” Thus what He said about them was fixed for them as He said. He then said to that which was on his [Gabriel’s] left hand: “From you will come out the tyrants, the polytheists, the disbelievers, the transgressors, and those for whom I decree humiliation and misfortune.” Thus what He said about them was fixed for them as He said.

14:109Thereafter the two clays mixed together, as God says: Surely Allah is the Splitter of the grain (al-ḥabb) and the date-stone [to germinate] (al-nawá) (6:95). Ḥabb (lit. “grain, seed”) refers to the clay of the believers, upon which God has cast His love (ḥubb). Nawá (lit. “date-stone, pit”) is the clay of the disbelievers who have distanced (naʾaw) themselves from every good. It is called nawá because it has gone far away from every good and from God. God says: He brings forth the living from the dead and He is the bringer forth of the dead from the living (6:95). “The living [from the dead]” refers to the believers whose clay comes out from the clay of disbelievers, and “the dead who come out of the living” are the disbelievers who come out from the clay of the believers. Thus, “the living” are the believers and “the dead” are the disbelievers. This is the meaning of His words: Is he who was dead then We raised him to life… (6:122), where “being dead” refers to one’s clay being mixed with the clay of the disbelievers, and “life” refers to the separation that God makes between them by His word [that is, His will and decree]. In this way when a believer is born, God takes him out from darkness to light, while he was in darkness before; and He takes a disbeliever out from light to darkness after having been in light. This is the meaning of His words: So that it may warn whosoever is living, and (that) the word may be fulfilled against the disbelievers (36:70).

14:110Author’s comment: This is among the narrations that talk about ṭīnah (substance, nature). We shall discuss them in their appropriate place, by God’s will. The meanings offered in this hadith for ḥabb (grain) and nawá (date-stone) should be viewed as hidden meanings of the terms, not as an apparent and direct interpretation. The same idea is found in other narrations.

(16) Concerning and He has made the night for rest (sakanan) (6:96) Imam al-Riḍā said: Indeed God made the night for sakan (calmness, rest, serenity) and also made women for sakan. Thus it is part of the Sunnah²⁰ to marry (tazwīj)²¹ at night and to feed others.²² (17) Imam al-Ṣādiq said: Marry at night, for indeed God has made it for rest. Do not go after your needs at night.²³

(18) Imam al-Kāẓim said: “Indeed God created the prophets on prophethood, thus they cannot be but prophets. He created the believers on belief, thus they cannot be but believers. He also entrusted a group with faith [temporarily]. If He wants, He will finish it for them [to the end of their life], and if He wants He will take it away from them. About them it can be applied: a dwellingplace (mustaqarr) and a repository (mustawdaʿ) (6:98).”

14:111The Imam then said: “So-and-so was only entrusted with faith temporarily. Hence, when he attributed a lie to us God took away his faith.”²⁴

Author’s comment: There are many narrations from the Imams in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī and Tafsīr al-Qummī which interpret mustaqarr and mustawdaʿ as these two forms of faith [that is, permanently fixed vs. temporarily entrusted, respectively]. The above narration clarifies that these narrations present a case of application and conformity (jary wa inṭibāq).²⁵ (19) Concerning a dwelling-place and a repository (6:98) Imam al-Ṣādiq said: That is, dwelling in the womb and entrusted in the loins.²⁶ Sometimes it means one who is entrusted with faith which is then taken away from it…²⁷

(20) Once Ḥumrān asked Imam al-Bāqir about Originator (badīʿ) of the heavens and the earth (6:101). The Imam replied: [It means that] He originated everything as per His knowledge without any model from before. He originated the heavens and the earths while previously there were no heavens or earths. Have you not heard His words: and His Throne was upon the water (11:7)?²⁸

(21) Concerning No vision comprehends Him (6:103) Imam al-Ṣādiq said: It means rational and conceptual comprehension.²⁹ Don’t you see that in the verse: Indeed there have come to you clear proofs (baṣāʾir, from baṣar) from your Lord; whoever will therefore see (abṣara, from baṣar), it is for his own soul (6:104), baṣar (lit. “eyesight, vision”) does not mean the seeing of eyes. Similarly, and whoever will be blind, it shall be against himself (6:104) does not mean blindness of the eyes. Instead, what is meant is rational comprehension. It is like when one says, “So-and-so is baṣīr (insightful, perceptive, discerning, expert) in poetry; so-and-so is baṣīr in jurisprudence; so-and-so is baṣīr in coins; so-and-so is baṣīr in clothes.” God is far greater than being seen by the eye.³⁰ (22) Ṣafwān b. Yaḥyá says: Once Abū Qurrah—the scholar of hadith— asked me to take him to Abū al-Ḥasan al-Riḍā. I asked the Imam’s permission for this, which he granted. So he came and asked the Imam some legal questions about what is lawful and unlawful, until he got to ask about tawḥīd (monotheism). There Abū Qurrah said, “It has been narrated to us that God divided [His] sight and [His] speech between two prophets: He gave speech to Moses, and sight to Muḥammad.”

14:112Abū al-Ḥasan replied, “Who brought God’s message to the two weighty creatures—the jinn and humankind—that: No vision comprehends Him (6:103), while they do not comprehend Him in knowledge (20:110) and: Nothing is as His likeness (42:11)? Was it not Muḥammad?”

He answered, “Yes.”

The Imam continued, “How could it be that a man comes to all people and tells them that he has been sent from God and he calls them to God by His command—and that: No vision comprehends Him (6:103), while they do not comprehend Him in knowledge (20:110) and: Nothing is as His likeness (42:11)—but then he claims that ‘I have seen Him with my eyes and have comprehended Him in knowledge; He has the form of a human being’? Have you no shame? Even the atheists could not come up with such allegation against him [the Prophet]—that he brought something from God but then brought something contrary to it from another angle.” Abū Qurrah said, “But He says: And certainly he [the Prophet] saw him in another descent (53:13).”

14:113Abū al-Ḥasan said, “The verse after that clarifies what he saw. God first says: The heart did not deny what he saw (53:11), meaning that Muḥammad’s heart did not deny what his eyes saw. Then He tells us what he saw: Certainly he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord (53:18). Certainly the signs of God are not the same as God. If the eyes see God [as opposed to His signs], then it means that the person has comprehended Him in knowledge and has realized [encompassing] divine gnosis, while God says: they do not comprehend Him in knowledge (20:110).”

Abū Qurrah said, “So would you discard these narrations?”

Al-Riḍā said, “When these narrations are against the Qur’an, I discard them. They are also against the consensus of the Muslims that God cannot be comprehended in knowledge; that sight does not comprehend Him; and that nothing is as His likeness.”³¹

Author’s comment: The same idea is found in other narrations from the Imams. Yet there are some other narrations which affirm a more subtle sense of seeing God which befits His Holy Precinct. We shall present them in Sūrah al-Aʿraf [under verse 7:143]. The emphatic rejection of seeing God in this hadith is because at the time of the Imams this idea was widely interpreted as a physical vision with the physical eye, which is clearly against the explicit text of the Qur’an and solid rational proof. This can be seen in the following narration.

(23) ʿIkrimah once narrated that Ibn ʿAbbās said, “Indeed the Prophet saw his Lord.”

Then someone asked, “But doesn’t God say: No vision comprehends Him (6:103)?”

ʿIkrimah replied, “Do you not see the sky?”

The man said, “Sure I do.”

He asked, “Do you see all of it?”³²

Author’s comment: There are other similar narrations that explicitly assert physical vision by the physical eye, which contravenes both rational and transmitted proofs. What ʿIkrimah missed was that if the meaning of this verse— No vision comprehends Him (6:103)—was that sight cannot see all sides of God, then that would not be anything exclusive to Him. Rather, it equally applies to any physical thing that has multiple sides and layers, such as humans, animals and other earthly and heavenly objects. The physical eye cannot see any of these beings except the part of them that is aligned with one’s view and within one’s direction of sight, as discussed today in the science of optics. For example, when we see a person, we only see some of the many sides of his body which can be classified as above, below, front, back, right or left. It is impossible for our look to [directly] encompass the person from every side [at once]. So if the verse No vision comprehends Him (6:103) is meant to negate this kind of visual encompassment—which is impossible anyway, whether about God or other beings—then it would be a pointless statement.

14:114(24) Ismāʿīl b. al-Faḍl says: Once I asked Imam Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, “Will God be seen in the hereafter?”

He said: “God is far exalted and glorified above that! O Ibn al-Faḍl, the eyes only comprehend things that have colors and qualities, but God is the Creator of colors and qualities.”³³