The Majesty And The Glory Of God

CHAPTER TWO THE MAJESTY AND GLORY OF GOD INTRODUCTION TO THEISM Belief in a God is a natural feature of most religions and is included under the general term theism. Belief in one god alone is monotheism and is seen in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and in some of the most important religious groups in Hinduism and elsewhere. When people began to reflect upon the universe and its gods they sought some unifying principle to explain it. A famous dialogue in the Indian Upanishads reduces the gods from 3,306 to one and that one is Brahman, the holy power. From this unification came pantheism the idea that ever thing is god and god is everything. Perhaps this is more accurately termed monism the doctrine that only one reality exists. Hindu thinkers called it non-dualism, meaning that there is no duality or difference between the human and the divine. Hinduism’s prolific images are as obvious proof that this religion has never really approached the worship of one God only. In another direction dualism was illustrated in the ancient Zoroastrianism of Iran, which postulated two principal spirits, one good and one evil. Belief in many gods is polytheism and these gods together are said to form a pantheon. However, within a pantheon one god may be supreme, a ‘president of the immortals’, like Zeus in ancient Greek mythology, who in theory dominates all others. Those who deny the existence of any-superhuman power are called atheists, while agnostics hold that the existence of God cannot be known or established with certainty. CONCEPT OF ALLAH (GOD) As in other high religions, everything in Islam centers in the primal fact of single God or Allah, who overshadows the entire universe with his power and grace. The indelible contribution of Islam was monotheism to the religion of man in its entirety. The word Allah is formed by joining the definite article al (meaning “the”) with Illah (God). Literally, Allah means “the God” for there is only one God. (The Christian Arabs of today have no other word for ‘God’ than Allah). Islam is so well known for its recognition of the majesty and might of one God. Allah is almighty, omnipotent, Lord of the worlds, the Author of heaven and earth, the Creator of life and death in whose hand is dominion and all power. He who is Lord of the worlds is also the Holy the Peaceful, the Faithful, the Guardian over His servants, the Shelterer of the orphan, the Guide of the erring, the De1iverer from every affliction, the Friend of the bereaved, the Consoler of the afflicted; in His hand is good, and He is the generous Lord, the gracious, the Hearer, the Near-at-Hand, the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Very-forgiving, whose love for man is more tender than that of the mother-bird for her young. The words of a supplication of the Holy Prophet sum up the concept of Allah: “You alone are the First, none is before you; You alone are the last, none is after you; You alone are the Exalted, none is above you; You alone are the Hidden, none is more hidden than you.” The existence of God in the realm beyond the reach of human perception is meant to give human beings the choice or free will; for if God is obvious as the Sun or the Moon then the freedom to accept or reject God will be negated. Many of the Prophet Muhammad’s contemporaries were atheists or agnostics and they did not believe in afterlife. Some believed in Supreme Being (Allah) but also worshipped idols; only a few of them believed in one God alone. The Quran’s formulates its arguments as to why human beings should believe and worship one God alone. (The translation of the Quran is presented in bold letters and the explanation in parentheses.) MAN’S INTUITIVE COGNITION OF DIVINE (7:172-4) And whenever thy Sustainer brings forth their offspring from the loins of the children of Adam, He [thus] calls upon them to bear witness about themselves: “Am I not your Sustainer?” - to which they answer: “Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto!” [Of this We remind you,] lest you say on the Day of Resurrection, “Verily, we were unaware of this”;

[According to the Quran, the ability to perceive the existence of the Supreme Power is inborn in human nature and it is this instinctive cognition - which may or may not be subsequently blurred by self-indulgence or adverse environmental influences that makes every sane human being “bear witness about himself” before God. As so often in the Quran, God’s “speaking” and man’s “answering” is a metonym for the creative act of God and of man’s existential response to it.] or lest you say, “Verily, it was but our forefathers who, in times gone by, began to ascribe divinity to other beings beside God; and we were but their late offspring: wilt Thou, then, destroy us for the doings of those inventors of falsehoods?” And thus clearly do We spell out these messages; and [We do it] so that they [who have sinned] might return [unto Us].

GOD IS UNIQUE AND INDEFINABLE DEFINING GOD EQUALS CONFINING GOD The Quranic references to God’s as a Being indefinable, infinite in time and space, and utterly beyond any creature’s comprehension. Far from being able to imagine Him, we can only realize what He is not: namely, not limited in either time or space, not male or female, not definable in terms of comparison, and not to be comprised within any category of human thought. The very concept of “definition” implies the possibility of a comparison or correlation of an object with other objects; God, however, is unique, there being “nothing like unto Him” (42:11) and, therefore, “nothing that could be compared with Him” (112:4) - with the result that any attempt at defining Him or His “attributes” is a logical impossibility and, from the ethical point of view, a sin. The fact that He is indefinable makes it clear that the “attributes” of God mentioned in the Quran do not circumscribe His reality but, rather, the perceptible effect of His activity on and within the universe created by Him. GOD IS NOT A PERSON Many Western critics of the Quran frequently point to the allegedly “incoherent” references to God - often in one and the same phrase - as “He”, “God”, “We” or “I”, with the corresponding changes of the pronoun from “His” to “Ours” or “My”, or from “Him” to “Us” or “Me”. These changes are not accidental, and not even what one might describe as “poetic license”, but a deliberate linguistic device meant to stress the idea that God is not a person and cannot, therefore, be really circumscribed by the pronouns applicable to finite beings. Hence, only very generalized metaphors can convey to us, though most inadequately, the idea of His existence and activity. When the Quran speaks of Him as being “in the heavens” or “established on His throne (alarsh)”, we cannot possibly take these phrases in their literal senses, since then they would imply that God is limited in space: and since such a limitation would contradict the concept of an Infinite Being, we know that the “heavens” and the “throne” and God’s being established on it are but linguistic vehicles meant to convey an idea which is outside all human experience, namely, the idea of God’s almightiness and absolute sway over all that exists. Similarly, whenever He is described as “all-seeing”, “all-hearing” or “all-aware”, we know that these descriptions have nothing to do with the phenomena of physical seeing or hearing but simply circumscribe, in terms understandable to man, the fact of God’s eternal Presence in all that is or happens. And since (6:103) “No human vision can encompass Him”, man is not expected to realize His existence otherwise than through observing the effects of His unceasing activity within and upon the universe created by Him. SYMBOLIC EXPRESSIONS OF GOD’S ACTIVITY We find in the Quran many symbolical expressions referring to the evidence of God’s activity. Owing to the limitations of human language - which, in their turn, arise from the inborn limitations of the human mind - this activity can only be circumscribed and never really described. Just as it is impossible for us to imagine or define God’s Being, so the true nature of His creativeness and, therefore, of His plan of creation - must remain beyond our grasp. But since the Quran aims at conveying to us an ethical

teaching based, precisely, on the concept of God’s purposeful creativeness, the latter must be, as it were, translated into categories of thought accessible to man. Hence the use of expressions, for instance, God’s wrath or condemnation; His pleasure at good deeds or love for His creatures; or His being oblivious of a sinner who was oblivious of Him; or asking a wrongdoer on Resurrection Day about his wrongdoing; and so forth. All such verbal “translations” of God’s activity into human terminology are unavoidable as long as we are expected to conform to ethical principles revealed to us by means of a human language; but there can be no greater mistake than to think that these “translations” could ever enable us to define the Indefinable. (6:100-101) In their ignorance they have invented for Him sons and daughters! [A reference to the beliefs of the pre-Islamic Arabs who regarded the angels as God’s daughters, a designation which they also applied to certain of their goddesses, as well as to the Christian view of Jesus as the son of God.] Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition: [I.e., utterly remote is He from all imperfection and from the incompleteness which is implied in the concept of having progeny.] the Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could it be that He should have a child without there ever having been a mate for Him - since it is He who has created everything, and He alone knows everything? (37:159-163) Limitless is God in His glory, above anything that men may devise by way of definition! Not thus, however, [behave] God’s true servants: for, verily, neither you [blasphemers] nor the objects of your worship can cause anyone to fall prey to your temptation unless it be such as rushes towards the blazing fire [of his own accord]! [True belief in God precludes all temptation to define Him who is indefinable, or to associate, conceptually, anyone or anything with Him; conversely, the blasphemy inherent in such attempts destroys the potential value of one’s belief in God and, thus, brings about the spiritual ruin of the person concerned.] GOD IS INCOMPARABLE (PARABLES OF TWO MEN) (16:74-76) Hence, do not coin any similitude for God! Verily, God knows [all], whereas you have no [real] knowledge. [I.e., do not blaspheme against God by regarding anyone or anything as comparable with Him, or by trying to define Him in any terms whatsoever - since definition is equivalent to a delimitation of the qualities of the object thus to be defined in relation to, or in comparison with, another object or objects: God, however, is sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition (6:100).] God propounds [to you] the parable of [two men -] a man enslaved, unable to do anything of his own accord, and a [free] man upon whom We have bestowed goodly sustenance [as a gift] from Ourselves, so that he can spend thereof [at will, both] secretly and openly. Can these [two] be deemed equal? [The obvious answer is that they cannot. The implication is that even these two kinds of man cannot be deemed equal, how could any created being, with its intrinsic, utter dependence on other created beings, or any force of nature conceivable or imaginable by man, be thought of as possessing powers comparable with those of God, who is almighty, limitless, unconceivable - the self-sufficient fount of all that exists? (This argument is continued and further elaborated in the subsequent parable.)] All praise is due to God [alone]: but most of them do not understand it. And God propounds [to you] the parable of two [other] men - one of them dumb, unable to do anything of his own accord, and a sheer burden on his master: to whichever task the latter directs him, he accomplishes no good. [The term dumb signifies both in the literal, physiological sense and (as in colloquial English) in the sense of being unable to speak properly on account of intellectual weakness.] Can such a one be considered the equal of [a wise man] who enjoins the doing of what is right and himself follows a straight way? [I.e., who is not only wise and righteous but also has the strength and authority to enjoin a righteous way of living upon others. Thus, while in the first parable the main issue is the contrast

between freedom and bondage or - more generally - between dependence and independence, in the second parable we are given the antithesis of incompetence, on the one hand, and wisdom, justice and competence, on the other; and in both parables the implication is the same.] PARABLE OF MASTER AND SLAVE (30:28-30) He propounds unto you a parable drawn from your own life: Would you [agree to] have some of those whom your right hands possess [I.e., slaves or persons otherwise subject to ones authority.] as [full-fledged] partners in whatever We may have bestowed upon you as sustenance, so that you [and they] would have equal shares in it, and you would fear [to make use of it without consulting] them, just as you might fear [the more powerful of] your equals? [The question is, of course, rhetorical, and must be answered in the negative. But if (so the implied argument goes) a human master would not willingly accept his slaves as full-fledged partners - even though master and slave are essentially equal by virtue of the humanness common to both of them - how can man regard any created beings or things as equal to Him who is their absolute Lord and Master, and is beyond comparison with anything that exists or could ever exist?] Thus clearly do We spell out these messages unto people who use their reason. But nay - they who are bent on evildoing follow but their own desires, without having any knowledge [of the truth]. [The phrase “they who are bent on evildoing” relates to those who deliberately ascribe divinity or divine powers to anyone or anything beside God, thus yielding to a desire for divine or semi-divine “mediators” between themselves and Him. Such a desire offends against the concept of God’s omniscience and omnipresence, its very existence shows that the person concerned does not really believe in Him and, therefore, does not have the least knowledge of the truth.] And who could guide those whom God has [thus] let go astray, and who [thereupon] have none to succor them? [For an explanation of God’s “letting man go astray”, see 14:4, and 2:7.] And so, set your face steadfastly towards the [one ever-true] faith, [I.e., surrender your whole being; the term “face” is often used metonymically in the sense of one’s whole being.] turning away from all that is false, [For this rendering of hanif, see 2:135.] in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into man: [for,] not to allow any change to corrupt what God has thus created - this is the [purpose of the one] ever-true faith; but most people know it not. [See 7:172 above. The term “natural disposition”, connotes man’s inborn, intuitive ability to discern between right and wrong, true and false, and, thus, to sense God’s existence and oneness. The famous saying of the Prophet: “Every child is born in this natural disposition; it is only his parents that later turn him into a ‘Jew’, a ‘Christian’, or a ‘Magian’.” These three religious formulations, best known to the contemporaries of the Prophet, are thus contrasted with the natural disposition which, by definition, consists in man’s instinctive cognition of God and self-surrender (Islam) to Him. (The term “parents” has here the wider meaning of social influences or environment).]

ONENESS OF GOD THERE IS NO DEITY SAVE GOD (3:2) God - there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being! (3:18) God [Himself] proffers evidence [i.e., through the nature of His creation, which shows that it has been brought into being by a consciously planning Power.] - and [so do] the angels and all who are endowed with knowledge - that there is no deity save Him, the Upholder of Equity: there is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the Truly Wise. (16:1-2) Limitless is He in His glory and sublimely exalted above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity! He causes the angels to descend with this divine inspiration, [bestowed] at His behest upon whom-ever He wills of His servants: “Warn [all human beings] that there is no deity save Me: be, therefore conscious of Me!” [The term ruh

(spirit, soul or breath of life) is often used in the Quran in the sense of inspiration - and, more particularly, divine inspiration. As with the above verse as well as 42:52, inspiration gives life to hearts that were as dead in their ignorance, and has in religion the same function as a soul has in a body. The earliest instance in which the term ruh has been used in this particular sense is 97:4.] (16:51-52) And God has said: “Do not take to worshipping two [or more] deities. [The double dual (two deities) serves to emphasize the prohibition of worshipping more than one deity - i.e., anything but the One God.] He is the One and Only God: hence, of Me, of Me alone stand in awe!” [This is an example of the fluctuation to which personal pronouns are subjected in the Quran whenever they refer to God. Such abrupt changes of pronoun (He, I, We, Us, Me, etc.) indicate that God is Limitless and, therefore, beyond the range of definition implied in the use of personal pronouns.] And His is all that is in the heavens and on earth, and to Him [alone] obedience is always due: will you, then, pay reverence to aught but Him? (18:110) Say [O Prophet]: “I am but a mortal man like all of you. It has been revealed unto me that your God is the One and Only God. Hence, whoever looks forward [with hope and awe] to meeting his Sustainer [on Judgment Day], let him do righteous deeds, and let him not ascribe unto anyone or anything a share in the worship due to his Sustainer!” (23:116-118) God is sublimely exalted, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: there is no deity save Him, the Sustainer, in bountiful almightiness enthroned! Hence, he who invokes, side by side with God, any other deity [- a deity] for whose existence he has no evidence - shall but find his reckoning with his Sustainer: [and,] verily, such deniers of the truth will never attain to a happy state! Hence, [O believer,] say: “O my Sustainer! Grant [me] forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy [upon me]: for Thou art the truest bestower of mercy!” (51:49) And in everything have We created opposites, [Or every thing have We created pairs] so that you might bear in mind [that God alone is One]. (59:22-24) God is he save whom there is no deity: the One who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception, as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind: He, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace. God is He save whom there is no deity: the Sovereign Supreme, the Holy, the One with whom all salvation rests, the Giver of Faith, the One who determines what is true and false, the Almighty, the One who subdues wrong and restores right, the One to whom all greatness belongs! [The term jabbar combines the concepts of setting right or restoring (e.g., from a state of brokenness, ill-health, or misfortune) and of subduing someone or something to one’s will.] Utterly remote is God, in His limitless glory, from anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity! He is God, the Creator, the Maker who shapes all forms and appearances! [The two terms al-bari (the Maker) and al-musawwir (the Shaper, i.e., of all forms and appearances) constitute here one single unit.] His [alone] are the attributes of perfection. All that is in the heavens and on earth extols His limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise! (89:3 and 5) Consider the multiple and the One! [Or the even and the odd: i.e., the multiplicity of creation as contrasted with the oneness and uniqueness of the Creator. The concept of the even number implies the existence of more than one of the same kind: in other words, it signifies every thing that has a counterpart or counterparts and, hence, a definite relationship with other things. As against this, the term al-witr - primarily denotes that which is single or one and is, hence, one of the designations given to God.] Considering all this - could there be, to anyone endowed with reason, a [more] solemn evidence of the truth? [I.e., a convincing evidence of the existence and oneness of God] MULTIPLE DEITIES WILL CAUSE CHAOS

(21:19-25) Unto Him belong all [beings] that are in the heavens and on earth; and those that are with Him are never too proud to worship Him and never grow weary [thereof]: [This refers to the angels; but it is possible to understand the expression “those who are with Him” in a wider sense, comprising not only the angels but also all human beings who are truly God-conscious and wholly dedicated to Him. In either case, their “being with Him” is a metaphorical indication of their spiritual eminence and place of honor in God’s sight, and does not bear any spatial connotation of nearness, because God is limitless in space as well as in time.] they extol His limitless glory by night and by day, never flagging [therein]. And yet some people choose to worship certain earthly things or beings as deities [I.e., from among the things or beings found on earth: an expression which alludes to all manner of false objects of worship - idols of every description, forces of nature, deified human beings, and, finally, abstract concepts such as wealth, power. etc.] that [are supposed to] resurrect [the dead; and they fail to realize that], had there been in heaven or on earth [Or: in those two realms] any deities other than God, both [those realms would surely have fallen into ruin! But limitless in His glory is God, enthroned in His awesome almightiness [far] above anything that men may devise by way of definition! He cannot be called to account for whatever He does, whereas they will be called to account: and yet, they choose to worship [imaginary] deities instead of Him! Say [O Prophet]: “Produce an evidence for what you are claiming: [I.e., for the existence of deities other than God, as well as for the intellectual and moral justification of worshipping anything but Him.] this is a reminder [unceasingly voiced] by those who are with me, just as it was a reminder [voiced] by those who came before me.” [I.e., the earlier prophets, the purport of whose messages was always the stress on the oneness of God] But nay, most of them do not know the truth, and so they stubbornly turn away [from it] [In other words, most people’s obstinate refusal to consider a reasonable proposition on its merits is often due to no more than the simple fact that it is not familiar to them.] and [this despite the fact that even] before your time We never sent any apostle without having revealed to him that there is no deity save Me, - [and that,] therefore, you shall worship Me [alone]!

GOD’S ATTRIBUTES AL-FATIHAH (THE OPENING) The very first chapter or surah AL-FATIHAH (THE OPENING) from the Quran illustrates some of the God’s attributes. This surah is repeated several times in the course of each of the five daily prayers. According to Bukhari, the designation Umm alKitab was given to it by the Prophet himself because it contains, in a condensed form, all the fundamental principles laid down in the Quran: the principle of God’s oneness and uniqueness, of His being the originator and fosterer of the universe, the fount of all life-giving grace, the One to whom man is ultimately responsible, the only power that can really guide and help; the call to righteous action in the life of this world (guide us the straight way); the principle of life after death and of the organic consequences of man’s actions and behavior (expressed in the term Day of Judgment); the principle of guidance through God’s message-bearers (evident in the reference to “those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings”) and, flowing from it, the principle of the continuity of all true religions (implied in the allusion to people who have lived - and erred - in the past); and, finally, the need for voluntary self-surrender to the will of the Supreme Being and, thus, for worshipping Him alone. It is for this reason that this surah has been formulated as a prayer, to be constantly repeated and reflected upon by the believer.

(1:1-7) In the name of God, the Most gracious, the Dispenser of grace. [Both the divine epithets rahman and rahim are derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies mercy, compassion, loving tenderness and, more comprehensively, grace. From the very earliest times, Islamic scholars have endeavored to define the exact shades of meaning, which differentiate the two terms. The term rahman circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept of God’s Being, whereas rahim expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, His creation - in other words, an aspect of His activity.] All praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds, [In this instance, the term “worlds” denotes all categories of existence both in the physical and the spiritual sense. The Arabic expression rabb - rendered as Sustainer - embraces a wide complex of meanings not easily expressed by a single term in another language. It comprises the ideas of having a just claim to the possession of anything and, consequently, authority over it, as well as of rearing, sustaining and fostering anything from its inception to its final completion. Thus, the head of a family is called rabb ad-dar (master of the house) because he has authority over it and is responsible for its maintenance; similarly, his wife is called rabbat ad-dar (mistress of the house). Preceded by the definite article al, the designation rabb is applied, in the Quran, exclusively to God as the sole fosterer and sustainer of all creation - objective as well as conceptual - and therefore the ultimate source of all authority.] The Most gracious, the Dispenser of grace, Lord of the Day of Judgment! Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we turn for aid. Guide us the straight way - the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, [i.e., by vouchsafing to them prophetic guidance and enabling them to avail themselves thereof] not of those who have been condemned [by Thee], nor of those who go astray! [God’s condemnation (ghadab or wrath) is synonymous with the evil consequences which man brings upon himself by willfully rejecting God’s guidance and acting contrary to His injunctions. As regards the two categories of people following a wrong course, some of the greatest Islamic thinkers (e.g., Al-Ghazali and Muhammad Abduh) held the view that the people described as having incurred God’s condemnation - that is, having deprived themselves of His grace - are those who have become fully cognizant of God’s message and, having understood it, have rejected it; while by those who go astray are meant people whom the truth has either not reached at all, or to whom it has come in so garbled and corrupted a form as to make it difficult for them to recognize it as the truth.] THE SEVEN MOST OFTEN REPEATED VERSES (15:87) And, indeed, We have bestowed upon you seven of the oft-repeated [verses], and [have, thus, laid open before you] this sublime Quran: [Namely, the revelation of the divine writ, destined to serve as a moral guidance to man, who cannot, as yet, discern the meaning and purpose of God’s creation.]

PERFECTION AND PRAISE BELONGS TO GOD ALONE GOD ONLY IS PERFECT AND WORTHY OF WORSHIP (7:180) And God’s [alone] are the attributes of perfection; [The “attributes of perfection” is a term reserved in the Quran for God alone.] invoke Him, then, by these, and stand aloof from all who distort the meaning of His attributes: they shall be requited for all that they were wont to do! [By applying them to other beings or objects or by trying to define God in anthropomorphic terms and relationships, like father or son.]

(17:43-44) Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely, immeasurably exalted above anything that men may say [about Him]!” The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all that they contain; and there is not a single thing but extols His limitless glory and praise: but you [O men] fail to grasp the manner of their glorifying Him! Verily, He is forbearing, much forgiving! [I.e., although everything in creation bears witness to the existence of a conscious Creative Will, man is only too often blind and deaf to this overwhelming evidence of God’s ever-present almightiness.] (17:109-111) And so they fall down upon their faces, weeping, and [their consciousness of God’s grace] increases their humility. Say: “Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious: by whichever name you invoke Him, [He is always the One - for] His are all the attributes of perfection.” [The epithet ar-rahman - rendered throughout as the Most Gracious - has an intensive significance, denoting the unconditional, all-embracing quality and exercise of grace and mercy, and is applied exclusively to God.] And say: “All praise is due to God, who begets no offspring, [God is free of the imperfection inherent in the concept of begetting a child as an extension of ones own being. This statement not merely refutes the Christian doctrine of Jesus as the son of God but, beyond that, stresses the logical impossibility of connecting such a concept with God.] and has no partner in His dominion, and has no weakness, and therefore no need of any aid” - and [thus] extol His limitless greatness. EXTOLLING HIS LIMITLESS GLORY (37:164-166) [All forces of nature praise God and say:] “Among us, too, there is none but has a place assigned to it [by Him]; and, verily, we too are ranged [before Him in worship]; and, verily, we too extol His limitless glory!” [The metaphorical saying is in tune with many other Quranic passages which speak of even inanimate objects as praising God, e.g.: The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all that they contain (17:44), or We caused the mountains to join David in extolling Our glory (21:79), or O you mountains! Sing with him the praise of God! (34:10); similarly, even the shadows of material things are spoken of as prostrating themselves before God (16:48).] THE SURAH 112 AL-IKHLAS (THE DECLARATION OF GOD’S PERFECTION) As reported in a great number of authentic Traditions, the Prophet himself described the hundred-twelfth surah Al-Ikhlas (the declaration of God’s perfection) as “equivalent to one-third of the whole Quran”. It seems to have been revealed in the early part of the Mecca period. (112:1-4) Say: “He is the One God: “God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of All That Exists.” [The term as-samad occurs in the Quran only once, and is applied, to God alone. It comprises the concepts of Primary Cause and eternal, independent Being, combined with the idea that everything existing or conceivable goes back to Him as its source and is, therefore, dependent on Him for its beginning as well as for its continued existence.] “He begets not, and neither is He begotten; “and there is nothing that could be compared with Him.” [The fact that God is one and unique in every respect, without beginning and without end, has its logical correlate in the statement that there is nothing that could be compared with Him - thus precluding any possibility of describing or defining Him. Consequently, the quality of His Being is beyond the range of human comprehension or imagination: which also explains why any attempt at depicting God by means of figurative representations or even abstract symbols must be qualified as a blasphemous denial of the truth.]

LAW OF GRACE AND MERCY (6:12-16) Say: “Unto whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth?” Say: “Unto God, who has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy.” [The expression “God has willed upon Himself as a law” occurs in the Quran only twice –

here and in verse 54 of this surah – and in both instances with reference to His grace and mercy (rahmah); none of the other divine attributes has been similarly described. This exceptional quality of God’s grace and mercy is further stressed in 7:156 – “My grace overspreads everything” – and finds an echo in the authentic Tradition in which, according to the Prophet, God says of Himself, “Verily, My grace and mercy outstrips My wrath”.] He will assuredly gather you all together on the Day of Resurrection, [the coming of] which is beyond all doubt: yet those who have squandered their own selves – it is they who refuse to believe [in Him], although His is all that dwells in the night and the day, and He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing. Say: “I am bidden to be foremost among those who surrender themselves unto God, and not to be: among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him.” Say: “Behold, I would dread, were I [thus] to rebel against my Sustainer, the suffering [which would befall me] on that awesome Day [of Judgment].” Upon him who shall be spared on that Day, He will indeed have bestowed His grace: and this will be a manifest triumph.

GOD THE ONLY PROTECTOR (9:116) Verily, God’s alone is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; He [alone] grants life and deals death; and there is none besides God who could protect you or bring you succor. PROTECTION FROM DARK DANGER (6:63-67) Say: “Who is it that saves you from the dark dangers of land and sea [when] you call unto Him humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts, ‘If He will but save us from this [distress], we shall most certainly be among the grateful’?” Say: “God [alone] can save you from this and from every distress – and still you ascribe divinity to other powers beside Him!” Say: “It is He alone who has the power to let loose upon you suffering from above you or from beneath your feet, [I.e., from any direction or by any means whatsoever.] or to confound you with mutual discord and let you taste the fear of one another.” [Or: the violence of one against another - inner disintegration, fear, violence and tyranny being the inevitable consequences of a society’s departure from spiritual truths.] Behold how many facets We give to these messages, so that they might understand the truth; and yet, to all this your people have given the lie, although it is the truth. [I.e., the unbelieving compatriots of the Prophet and, by implication, all who deny the truth] Say [then]: “I am not responsible for your conduct. Every tiding [from God] has a term set for its fulfillment: and in time you will come to know [the truth].” SANCTUARY SECURE IN GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS (29:67) Are they, then, not aware that We have set up a sanctuary secure [for those who believe in Us], the while all around them men are being carried away [by fear and despair]? Will they, then, [continue to] believe in things false and vain, and thus deny God’s blessings. [In contrast to the sanctuary secure the inner peace and sense of spiritual fulfillment which God bestows on those who truly believe in Him - the atheist or agnostic is more often than not exposed to fear of the unknown and a despair born of the uncertainty as to what will happen to him after death.] PARABLE OF STORM AT SEA (31:31-32) Are you not aware how the ships speed through the sea by God’s favor, so that He might show you some of His wonders? Herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grateful [to God]. For [thus it is with most men:] when the waves engulf them like shadows [of death], they call unto God, sincere [at that moment] in their faith in Him alone: but as soon as He has brought them safe ashore, some of them stop half-way [between belief and unbelief] Yet none could knowingly reject Our messages unless he be utterly perfidious, ingrate. [See

17:67 and 29:65, which says that “they begin to ascribe to imaginary powers a share in His divinity”. The parable of a storm at sea is, of course, a metonym applying to every kind of danger that may beset man in life.] PROTECTION FROM NATURAL CATASTROPHES (67:16-23) Can you ever feel secure that He who is in heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you up when, lo and behold, it begins to quake? [This expression “who is in the heaven” is, of course, purely metaphorical since God is limitless in space as well as in time. Its use here is meant to stress the unfathomable quality of His existence and power, which penetrates, and reveals itself in, every aspect of His cosmic creativeness, symbolized in the term “heaven”.] Or can you ever feel secure that He who is in heaven will not let loose against you a deadly storm wind, whereupon you would come to know how [true] My warning was? And, indeed, [many of] those who lived aforetime did give the lie [to My warnings]: and how awesome was My rejection [of them]! [This personal pronoun relates to people of all times, who are herewith reminded of what happened to deniers of the truth in earlier times.] [And] is there any, besides the Most Gracious, that could be a shield for you, and could succor you [against danger]? They who deny this truth are but lost in self-delusion! Or is there any that could provide you with sustenance if He should withhold His provision [from you]? Nay, but they [who are bent on denying the truth] stubbornly persist in their disdain [of God’s messages] and in their headlong flight [from Him]! But then, is he that goes along with his face close to the ground better guided than he that walks upright on a straight way? [Lit., “prone upon his face” - i.e., seeing only what is immediately beneath his feet, and utterly unaware of the direction into which his path is taking him: a metaphor of the spiritual obtuseness which prevents a person from caring for anything beyond his immediate, worldly concerns, and thus makes him resemble an earthworm that goes along prone upon its face.] Say: “[God is] He who has brought you [all] into being, and has endowed you with hearing, and sight, and hearts: [yet] how seldom are you grateful!” [I.e., with the faculty of feeling as well as of rational thinking] GOD’S PROTECTION IN AFTERLIFE (67:24-30) Say: “It is He who has multiplied you on earth; and it is unto Him that you shall be gathered [on resurrection].” But they [only] ask, “When is this promise to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if you are men of truth!” Say you, [O Prophet:] “Knowledge thereof rests with God alone; and I am only a plain warner. Yet in the end, when they shall see that [fulfillment] close at hand, the faces of those who were bent on denying the truth will be stricken with grief; and they will be told, “This it is that you were [so derisively] calling for!” Say [O Prophet]: “What do you think? Whether God destroys me and those who follow me, or graces us with His mercy [I.e., Whether we succeed in spreading God’s message or not, what have you unbelievers to gain?] - is there anyone that could protect [you] deniers of the truth from grievous suffering [in the life to come]?” Say: “He is the Most Gracious: we have attained to faith in Him, and in Him have we placed our trust; and in time you will come to know which of us was lost in manifest error.” Say [unto those who deny the truth]: “What do you think? If of a sudden all your water were to vanish underground, who [but God] could provide you with water from [new] unsullied springs?” [Apart from a further reminder of God’s providential power, the above verse has a parabolic significance as well. Just as water is an indispensable element of all organic life, so is a constant flow of moral consciousness an indispensable prerequisite of all spiritual life and stability: and who but God could enable man to regain that consciousness after all the older ethical stimuli have dried up or vanished underground?]

GOD’S GUIDANCE IS THE ONLY GUIDANCE

(6:71-72) Say: “Shall we invoke, instead of God, something that can neither benefit us nor harm us, and [thus] turn around on our heels after God has guided us aright? - like one whom the satans have enticed into blundering after earthly lusts, the while his companions, trying to guide him, call out unto him [from afar], ‘Come thou to us!’ ” [Whom the satans have enticed with lusts on earth, rendering him bewildered, while he has companions who call him unto guidance.] Say: “Verily, God’s guidance is the only guidance: and so we have been bidden to surrender ourselves unto the Sustainer of all the worlds, and to be constant in prayer and conscious of Him: for it is He unto whom you all shall be gathered.” GOD ONLY ENJOINS GOOD (7:28-29) And [so,] whenever they commit a shameful deed, they are wont to say, “We found our forefathers doing it,” and, “God has enjoined it upon us.” Say: “Behold, never does God enjoin deeds of abomination. Would you attribute unto God something of which you have no knowledge?” Say: “My Sustainer has [but] enjoined the doing of what is right; and [He desires you to] put your whole being into every act of worship, and to call unto Him, sincere in your faith in Him alone. As it was He who brought you into being in the first instance, so also [unto Him] you will return. [The term “face” is often used, in the abstract sense, to denote a person’s entire being or entire attention - as, for instance, in the phrase “I have surrendered my whole being unto God” (3:20). The word masjid, which usually signifies the time or place of prostration in prayer (sujud), evidently stands in this context - for any act of worship.] (7:186) For those whom God lets go astray, there is no guide; and He shall leave them in their overweening arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro. [The expression “he whom God lets or causes to go astray” indicates the natural law instituted by God (sunnat Allah), whereby a willful neglect of one’s inborn, cognitive faculties unavoidably results in the loss of all ethical orientation: that is, not an act of predestination but a result of one’s own choice.]

GOD IS UNFATHOMABLE AND ALL-AWARE HUMAN VISION CANNOT ENCOMPASS GOD (6:102-103) Such is God, your Sustainer: there is no deity save Him, the Creator of everything: worship, then, Him alone for it is He who has everything in His care. No human vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all human vision: for He alone is unfathomable, all-aware. [The term latif denotes something that is extremely subtle in quality, and therefore intangible and unfathomable. Since human mind is finite, it is incapable of understanding infinite. Whenever this term occurs in the Quran with reference to God in conjunction with “all-aware”, it is invariably used to express the idea of His inaccessibility to human perception, imagination or comprehension, as contrasted with His Own all-awareness (see also 22:63, 31:16, 33:34 and 67:14). The above expression has the meaning of He alone is unfathomable - implying that this quality of His is unique and absolute.]

GOD IS THE ULTIMATE WISDOM AND TRUTH (13:12-13) He it is who displays before you the lightning, to give rise to [both] fear and hope, and calls heavy clouds into being; [I.e., hope of rain, which in the Quran frequently symbolizes faith and spiritual life.] and the thunder extols His limitless glory and praises Him, and [so do] the angels, in awe of Him; and He [it is who] lets loose the thunderbolts and strikes with them whom He wills. And yet, they stubbornly argue about God, [I.e., about His transcendental existence or the quality of His Being.] notwithstanding [all evidence] that He alone has the power to contrive whatever His unfathomable wisdom wills! [The expression shadid al-mihal (which occurs only in this one place) signifies powerful in contriving, in a manner hidden from man, that wherein wisdom lies.]

GOD IS ALL-POWERFUL (OMNIPOTENT) THOU HAST THE POWER TO WILL ANYTHING (3:26-27) Say: “O God, Lord of all dominion! Thou grant dominion unto whom Thou wiliest, and take away dominion from whom Thou wiliest; and Thou exalt whom Thou wiliest, and abase whom Thou wiliest. In Thy hand is all good. Verily, Thou hast the power to will anything. Thou bring forth the living out of that which is dead, and Thou bring forth the dead out of that, which is alive. And Thou grant sustenance unto whom Thou wiliest, beyond all reckoning.” (6:17-18) And if God should touch you with misfortune, there is none who could remove it but He; and if He should touch you with good fortune – it is He who has the power to will anything: for He alone holds sway over His creatures, and He alone is truly wise, all-aware. (6:73) And He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth - and whenever He says, “Be,” His word comes true; and His will be the dominion on the Day when the trumpet [of resurrection] is blown. (10:107) And [know that] if God should touch you with misfortune, there is none who could remove it save Him; and if He intends good for you, there is none who could turn away His bounty: He causes it to alight upon whomsoever He wills of His servants. And He alone is truly forgiving, truly a dispenser of grace. (16:79) Have, then, they [who deny the truth] never considered the birds, enabled [by God] to fly in mid-air, with none but God holding them aloft? In this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who will believe. POWER OVER NATURAL PHENOMENA (22:61-66) Thus it is, because God [is almighty - the One who] makes the night grow longer by shortening the day, and makes the day grow longer by shortening the night; and because God is all-hearing, all-seeing. [I.e., it is He who knows what is in the hearts of men, and nevertheless, in His unfathomable wisdom, allows the darkness of oppression to grow at the expense of the light of freedom, and then causes the light to overcome the darkness: an eternal, cyclical recurrence which dominates the life of mankind.] Thus it is, because God alone is the Ultimate Truth, so that all that men invoke beside Him is sheer falsehood, and because God alone is exalted, great! Are you not aware that it’s God who sends down water from the skies, whereupon the earth becomes green? Verily, God is unfathomable [in His wisdom], all-aware. [Latif (unfathomable), see 6:103.] Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and, verily, God - He alone - is selfsufficient, the One to whom all praise is due. Are you not aware that it is God who has made subservient to you all that is on earth, and the ships that sail through the sea at His behest - and [that it is He who] holds the celestial bodies [The sky is used here as a metonym for the stars and planets, which are held on their courses by the God-willed laws of cosmic movement.] [in their orbits], so that they may not fall upon the earth otherwise than by His leave? [I.e., at the Last Hour, which - as the Quran so often states - will manifest itself in a universal cosmic catastrophe.] Verily, God is most compassionate towards men, a dispenser of grace - seeing that it is He who gave you life, and then will cause you to die, and then will bring you back to life: [but,] verily, bereft of all gratitude is man! (28:71-73) Say: “Have you ever considered [this]: If God had willed that there should always be night about you, without break, until the Day of Resurrection - is there any deity other than God that could bring you light? [Obviously implying that no such deity exists] Will you not, then, listen [to the truth]?” Say: “Have you ever considered [this]: If God had willed that there should always be daylight about you, without break, until the Day of Resurrection - is there any deity other than God that could bring you [the darkness of] night, wherein you might rest? Will you not, then, see [the truth]?” [I.e., Will

you not recognize the miracle of planned and purposeful creation?] For it is out of His grace that He has made for you the night and the day, so that you might rest therein as well as seek to obtain [what you need] of His bounty: and [He gave you all this] so that you might have cause to be grateful. POWER OVER LIFE AND DEATH (39:42) It is God who causes all human beings to die at the time of their [bodily] death, and [causes to be as dead], during their sleep, those that have not yet died: thus, He withholds [from life] those upon whom He has decreed death, and lets the others go free for a term set [by Him]. In [all] this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! [It is a reminder of God’s almightiness, and especially of His exclusive power to create and to withdraw life. The traditional likening of sleep to death is due to the fact that in both cases the body appears to be devoid of consciousness, partially and temporarily in the former case, and completely and permanently in the latter. The popular translation of anfus (p1. of nafs) as “souls” is certainly inappropriate in the above context, since, according to the fundamental teaching of the Quran, man’s soul does not “die” at the time of his bodily death but, on the contrary, lives on indefinitely. Hence, the term anfus must be rendered here as human beings.)] (53:42-55) And that with thy Sustainer is the beginning and the end [of all that exists]; [The utmost limit circumscribing the beginning and the end of the universe both in time and in space, as well as the source from which everything proceeds and to which everything must return.] and that it is He alone who causes [you] to laugh and to weep; and that it is He alone who deals death and grants life; and that it is He who creates the two kinds - the male and the female - out of a [mere] drop of sperm as it is poured forth, and that [therefore] it is within His power to bring about a second life; [I.e., resurrection] and that it is He alone who frees from want and causes to possess; and that it is He alone who sustains the brightest star; [The Sirius, a star belonging to the constellation Canis Major. Because it is the brightest star in the heavens, it was widely worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia.] and that it is He who destroyed the ancient [tribes of] Ad and Thamud, leaving no trace [of them], [For the story of the tribe of Ad and Thamud, see the chapter on pre-Islamic Arabian prophets.] as well as the people of Noah before them - [since,] verily, they all had been most willful in their evildoing and most overweening - just as He thrust into perdition those cities that were overthrown and then covered them from sight forever. [A reference to Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of Lot’s people] About which, then, of thy Sustainer’s powers can you [still] remain in doubt? [This rhetorical question is evidently addressed to the agnostics.]

GOD IS ALL-KNOWING (Omniscient) SECRETS OF HEARTS (2:255) He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to aught of His knowledge save that which He wills [them to attain]. [The meaning of the idiomatic expression “that which lies open between one’s hands” is that which is evident, or known, or perceivable; similarly, “that which is behind them”, means that which is beyond one’s ken or perception.] NOT A LEAF FALLS BUT GOD KNOWS IT (3:5-6) Verily, nothing on earth or in the heavens is hidden from God. He it is who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. There is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the Truly Wise. (6:59) For, with Him are the keys to the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception: none knows them but He. And He knows all that is on land and in the sea; and not a leaf falls but He knows it; and neither is there a grain in the earth’s deep darkness; nor anything living or dead, but is recorded in [His] clear decree. (6:73) He knows all that is

beyond the reach of a created being’s perception, as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind: for He alone is truly wise, all-aware. [The term ash-shahddah (that which is or can be witnessed) is used in this and similar contexts as the exact antithesis of al-ghayb (that which is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception). Thus, it circumscribes those aspects of reality, which can be sensually or conceptually grasped by a created being.] INTERCESSION AS DENIAL OF GOD’S OMNISCIENCE (10:18) And [neither will] they [who] worship, side by side with God, things or beings that can neither harm nor benefit them, saying [to themselves], “These are our intercessors with God!” [It should be noted that the “they” elliptically referred to here obviously believe - albeit in a confused manner - in life after death and man’s responsibility before God, as is evident from the statement that they worship imaginary “intercessors with God”.] Say: “Do you [think that you could] inform God of anything in the heavens or on earth that He does not know? Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!” [Thus, belief in the efficacy of anyone’s unqualified intercession with God, or mediation between man and Him, is here equated with a denial of God’s omniscience (all knowing), which takes all the circumstances of the sinner and his sinning a priori into consideration..] GOD IS WITNESS TO EVERYTHING (10:61-65) And in whatever condition you may find yourself, [O Prophet,] and whatever discourse of this [divine writ] you may be reciting, and whatever work you [all, O men,] may do - [remember that] We are your witness [from the moment] when you enter upon it: [The specific reference to the Prophet and his recitation of the Quran (implied in the singular form of address in the first part of this sentence) is meant to stress the supreme importance of divine revelation in the context of human life.] for, not even an atom’s weight [of whatever there is] on earth or in heaven escapes thy Sustainer’s knowledge; and neither is there anything smaller than that, or larger, but is recorded in [His] clear decree. Oh, verily, they who are close to God - no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve: [The verb waliya (from which the noun wali, pl. awliya, is derived) signifies, primarily, the nearness or closeness of one thing to another: thus, God is spoken of in the Quran (e.g., in 2:257 and 3:68) as being “near unto (wali) those who believe”. Although the term wali, when applied to God, as well as to the relationship between one created being and another, is often used in the Quran in the sense of helper, friend, protector, guardian, etc., none of these secondary meanings can properly - i.e., without offending against the reverence due to God - describe man’s attitude to, or relationship with, Him. Consequently, the above reference to the believers as awliya of God is best rendered as “they who are close to God”, in the sense of their being always conscious of Him.] they who have attained to faith and have always been conscious of Him. For them there is the glad tiding [of happiness] in the life of this world and in the life to come; [I.e., the happiness born of the feeling of closeness to God and, hence, of spiritual fulfillment.] [and since] nothing could ever alter [the outcome of] God’s promises, this, this is the triumph supreme! And be not grieved by the sayings of those [who deny the truth]. Behold, all might and glory belong to God alone: He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing. [The noun izzah comprises the concepts of superior might as well as of honor and glory.] ENSHROUDING HEARTS FROM GOD (11:5-6) Oh, verily, they [who are bent on denying the truth of this divine writ] are enshrouding their hearts in order to hide from Him. [Since the people referred to in this verse do not believe in the divine origin of Muhammad’s message, their “hiding from God” is a metaphor for their unwillingness to listen to the truth which emanates from Him. This also explains the statement that they are “enshrouding their hearts”, i.e., are allowing their hearts and minds to remain wrapped-up in prejudices,

thus making them impervious to spiritual perception.] Oh, verily, [even] when they cover themselves with their garments [in order not to see or hear], He knows all that they keep secret as well as all that they bring into the open - for, behold, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]. SECRETS OF WOMB (13:8-11) God knows what any female bears [in her womb], and by how much the wombs may fall short [in gestation], and by how much they may increase [the average period]: [The term untha denotes any female being, whether human or animal. The “failing short” may refer either to a shortening of the usual period of gestation or to a falling short of the completion of pregnancy, i.e., a miscarriage. The noun ghayd signifies “an abortive fetus”, i.e., in human beings, a fetus less than seven months old. The “increase”, on the other hand, may mean either the completion of gestation or its being in excess of the average period. In addition to this, God’s knowledge of “what any female bears in her womb”, obviously relates also to the sex of the unborn embryo as well as to the number of offspring involved in one pregnancy. As the sequence shows, this reference to the mysteries of gestation, fully known only to God, is meant to bring out the idea that He who knows what is in the wombs knows also the innermost disposition of every human being and the direction in which that human being will develop.] for with Him everything is [created] in accordance with its scope and purpose. [I.e., in accordance with the particular purpose for which it has been created, the exigencies of its existence and the role which it is destined to play within God’s plan of creation.] He knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind - the Great One, the One far above anything that is or could ever be! [Gods attribute al-muta al. which occurs in the Quran only in this one instance, denotes His infinite exaltedness above anything existing or potential; also, above anything that could be circumscribed by human definitions.] It is all alike [to Him] whether any of you conceals his thought [The term qawl denotes, primarily, “a saying” or “an utterance”, but it is also used in the sense of an idea, irrespective of whether it is expressed in actual words (as a statement, an assertion, a formulated doctrine, etc.) or merely conceived in the mind (e.g., an opinion, a view, or a connected set of ideas). In the above verse this term obviously refers to unspoken thoughts.] or brings it into the open, and whether he seeks to hide [his evil deeds] under the cover of night or walks [boldly] in the light of day, [I.e., commits evil deeds openly.] [thinking that] he has hosts of helpers - both such as can be perceived by him and such as are hidden from him [The expression “between his hands” denotes “something that is perceivable by him” or “evident to him”, while that which is “behind him” is a metonym, for something beyond his ken or hidden from him.] - that could preserve him from whatever God may have willed. [[It is all alike in God’s knowledge, deeds done secretly or openly, as well as he who hides in the darkness of night and he who walks boldly in the light of day for he that resorts to the cover of night can never elude God’s will, just as he that walks in the light of day, surrounded by hosts of helpers - that is, guards and aids - meant to protect him: for those guards of his cannot save him from the will of God. The worldly “guards and aids” on which a sinner relies may be tangible (like wealth, progeny, etc.) or intangible (like personal power, high social standing, or the belief in one’s “luck”).] ONLY GOD IS ALL-KNOWING (angels and prophets have limited knowledge) (22:75-77) [In His almightiness,] God chooses message-bearers from among the angels as well as from among men. But, behold, God [alone] is all-hearing, all-seeing: [I.e., the prophets and the angels are but created beings having no share whatever in His omniscience and, hence, no claim to being worshipped.] [whereas their knowledge is limited,] He knows all that lies open before them and all that is hidden from them - for all things go back to God [as their source]. O you who have attained to faith! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Sustainer [alone], and do good, so that you might

attain to a happy state! EVERYTHING IS RECORDED IN HIS CLEAR DECREE (27:73-75) Now, verily, thy Sustainer is indeed limitless in His bounty unto men - but most of them are bereft of gratitude. But, verily, thy Sustainer knows all that their hearts conceal as well as all that they bring into the open: for there is nothing [so deeply] hidden in the heavens or on earth but is recorded in [His] clear decree. NOT AN ATOM WEIGHT IN THE HEAVENS OR ON EARTH ESCAPES HIS KNOWLEDGE (34:2) He knows all that enters the earth and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. [This definition comprises things physical and spiritual: waters disappearing underground and reappearing; the metamorphosis of seed into plant, and of decaying plant into oil and coal; traces of old artifacts and entire civilizations buried in the earth and then reappearing within the sight and consciousness of later generations of men; the transformation of dead bodies of animals and men into elements of nourishment for new life; the ascent of earthy vapors towards the skies, and their descent as rain, snow or hail; the ascent towards the heavens of men’s longings, hopes and ambitions, and the descent of divine inspiration into the minds of men, and thus a revival of faith and thought and, with it, the growth of new artifacts, new skills and new hopes: in short, the endless recurrence of birth, death and re-birth which characterizes all of God’s creation.] Not an atom’s weight [of whatever there is] in the heavens or on earth escapes His knowledge; and neither is there anything smaller than that, or larger, but is recorded in [His] clear decree. (41:47) And no fruit bursts forth from its calyx, and no female ever conceives, nor ever gives birth, save with His knowledge. GOD IS CLOSER TO MAN’S NECK-VEIN (50:16-18) Now, verily, it is We who have created man, and We know what his innermost self whispers within him: for We are closer to him than his neck-vein. [And so,] whenever the two demands [of his nature] come face to face, contending from the right and from the left, [The classical commentators interpret the passage as: “… the two angels that are charged with recording man’s doings do record them, sitting on his right and on his left”. The second possible meanings of the above verse corresponds better with the preceding verse, which speaks of what man’s innermost self “whispers within him”, i.e., voices his subconscious desires. The two fundamental motive forces within man’s nature: his primal, instinctive urges and desires, both sensual and non-sensual (all of them comprised in the modern psychological term “libido”), on the one side, and his reason, both intuitive and reflective, on the other. The “sitting on the right and on the left” is a metaphor for the conflicting nature of these dual forces which strive for predominance within every human being.] not even a word can he utter but there is a watcher with him, ever-present. [I.e., his conscience. The “uttering of a word” is conceptually connected with the “whispering” within man’s psyche spoken of in the preceding verse.] HE CREATED ALL AND KNOWS ALL (67:13-14, 19) And [know, O men, that] whether you keep your beliefs secret or state them openly, [The noun qawl is “a saying” or “an utterance”, it is often used in the sense of “a statement”, i.e., of a belief, an opinion, a teaching, a doctrine, etc. In the present context it relates to man’s beliefs in general, be they affirmative or negative: hence the plural form in the rendering of this term.] He has full knowledge indeed of all that is in [your] hearts. [I.e., He knows why one person believes in Him and another rejects this belief; hence, He takes man’s innermost motivations, abilities and inabilities fully into account.] How could it be that He who has created [all] should not know [all]? Yea, He alone is unfathomable [in His wisdom], all-aware! Have

they, then, never beheld the birds above them, spreading their wings and drawing them in? None but the Most Gracious upholds them: for, verily, He keeps all things in His sight.

GOD OF LIGHT AND HOPE PARABLE OF GOD’S LIGHT (24:35) God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were, that of a niche containing a lamp; [It alludes to the impossibility of defining God even by means of a metaphor or a parable. Hence, the parable of “the light of God” is not meant to express His reality - which is inconceivable to any created being and, therefore, inexpressible in any human language - but only to allude to the illumination which He, who is the Ultimate Truth, bestows upon the mind and the feelings of all who are willing to be guided. In this context: It is the parable of His light in the heart of a believer.] the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: [The “lamp’’ is the revelation which God grants to His prophets and which is reflected in the believer’s heart - the “niche” of the above parable, after being received and consciously grasped by his reason (the glass shining brightly like a radiant star): for it is through reason that true faith can find its way into the heart of man.] [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree - an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west [This is an allusion to the organic continuity of all divine revelation which, starting like a tree from one “root” or proposition - the statement of God’s existence and uniqueness - grows steadily throughout man’s spiritual history, branching out into a splendid variety of religious experience, thus endlessly widening the range of man’s perception of the truth. The association of this concept with the olive-tree apparently arises from the fact that this particular kind of tree is characteristic of the lands in which most of the prophetic precursors of the Quranic message lived, namely, the lands to the east of the Mediterranean: but since all true revelation flows from the Infinite Being, it is “neither of the east nor of the west” - and especially so the revelation of the Quran, which, being addressed to all mankind, is universal in its goal as well.] - the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! [The essence of the Quranic message is described elsewhere as “clear in itself and clearly showing the truth” (12:1) and it is this aspect of the Quran that the above sentence alludes to. Its message gives light because it proceeds from God; but it would well-nigh give light of itself even though fire had not touched it: i.e., even though one may be unaware that it has been “touched by the fire” of divine revelation, its inner consistency, truth and wisdom ought to be selfevident to anyone who approaches it in the light of his reason and without prejudice.] God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things. [I.e., because of their complexity, certain truths can be conveyed to man only by means of parables or allegories.] GOD OF ETERNAL HOPE Because of God’s grace the world of the Quran, despite its heavy warnings to the unrighteous, is a world of joy. There is eternal hope and a confidence not only in ultimate justice but also in help along the way and pardon for the contrite. Standing beneath God’s gracious skies, the Muslim can at any moment lift his heart directly into the divine presence, there to receive both strength and guidance for the living of his days. He has, such ready access to the divine because between man and God stands nothing. Is He not closer than the vein of thy neck? (50:16) You need not raise your voice for He knows the secret whisper, and what is yet more hidden. (30:46, 48-51, 58-60) For among His wonders is this: He sends forth [His messages as He sends forth] the winds that bear glad tidings, so that He might give you a taste of His grace [through life-giving rains], and that ships might sail at His behest, and that you might go about in quest of some of His bounties, and that you might have cause to be grateful. It is

God who sends forth the winds [of hope], [As in verse 46 above, the reference to “the winds” has here a symbolic significance, namely, spiritual life and hope.] so that they raise a cloud - whereupon He spreads it over the skies as He wills, and causes it to break up so that you see rain issue from within it: and as soon as He causes it to fall upon whomever He wills of His servants - lo! they rejoice, even though a short while ago, [just] before it was sent down upon them, they had abandoned all hope! Behold, then, [O man,] these signs of God’s grace - how He gives life to the earth after it had been lifeless! Verily, this Selfsame [God] is indeed the One that can bring the dead back to life: for He has the power to will anything! But thus it is: if We send a wind [that scorches their land], and they see it turn yellow, they begin, after that [erstwhile joy], to deny the truth [of Our almightiness and grace]! And, indeed, We have propounded unto men all kinds of parables in this Quran. But thus it is: if you approach them with any [such] message, those who are bent on denying the truth are sure to say, “You are but making false claims!” In this way does God seal the hearts of those who do not [want to] know [the truth]. [For an explanation of God’s “sealing” the hearts of such people, see 2:7.] Remain, then, patient in adversity: verily, Gods promise [of resurrection] is true indeed - so let not those who are devoid of all inner certainty disquiet your mind!

GOD THE CREATOR PRIMARY CAUSE OF ALL THAT EXIST (6:14) Say: “Am I to take for my master anyone but God, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, when it is He who gives nourishment and Himself needs none?” (7:185) Have they, then, never considered [God’s] mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth, and all the things that God has created, and [asked themselves] whether, perchance, the end of their own term might already have drawn nigh? In what other tiding, then, will they, after this, believe? [Apart from a reminder of man’s utter dependence on God, the implication of the above passage is this: Since everything in the observable or intellectually conceivable universe is obviously caused, it must have had a beginning and, therefore, must also have an end. Since the universe is not eternal in the sense of having had no beginning, and since it cannot possibly have evolved by itself out of nothing, and since nothingness is a concept devoid of all reality, we are forced to predicate the existence of a Primary Cause which is beyond the limits of our experience and, hence, beyond the categories of our thought - that is, the existence of God: and this is the meaning of the “tiding” to which this verse refers.] HE BUT SAYS UNTO IT, “BE” - AND IT IS (40:61-68) It is God who has made the night for you, so that you might rest therein, and the day, to make [you] see. Behold, God is indeed limitless in His bounty unto man - but most men are ungrateful. Such is God, your Sustainer, the Creator of all that exists: there is no deity save Him. How perverted, then, are your minds! [O you who deny this truth] [For] thus it is: perverted are the minds of those who knowingly reject God’s messages. It is God who has made the earth a resting- place for you and the sky a canopy, and has formed you - and formed you so well [I.e., in accordance with the exigencies of human life] - and provided for you sustenance out of the good things of life. Such is God, your Sustainer: hallowed, then, is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds! He is the Ever-Living; there is no deity save Him: call, then, unto Him [alone], sincere in your faith in Him. All praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the worlds! Say: “Since all evidence of the truth has come to me from my Sustainer, I am forbidden to worship [any of] those beings whom you invoke instead of God; and I am bidden to surrender myself to the Sustainer of all the worlds.” It is He who creates you out of dust, and then out of a drop of sperm, and then out of a germ-cell; and then He brings you forth as children; and then [He ordains] that you reach

maturity, and then, that you grow old - though some of you [He causes to] die earlier -: and [all this He ordains] so that you might reach a term set [by Him], [Or: a term known only to Him] and that you might [learn to] use your reason. It is He who grants life and deals death; and when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, “Be” - and it is. CONSCIOUS CREATIVE POWER (3:189-191) And unto God belongs the dominion over the heavens and the earth: and God has the power to will anything. Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed messages for all who are endowed with insight, [and] who remember God when they stand, and when they sit, and when they lie down to sleep and [thus] reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: “O our Sustainer! Thou hast not created [aught of] this without meaning and purpose.” (25:45-50) Are you not aware of thy Sustainer [through His works]? - how He causes the shadow to lengthen [towards the night] when, had He so willed, He could indeed have made it stand still: but then, We have made the sun its guide; and then, [after having caused it to lengthen,] We draw it in towards Ourselves with a gradual drawing-in. [I.e., We cause it to contract in accordance with the laws of nature which We Ourselves have instituted. The abrupt change from the third-person pronoun “He” to “We” is meant to illustrate the fact that God is indefinable, and that it is only the inadequacy of human speech and, hence, of the human mind - that makes it necessary to refer to the Supreme Being by pronouns which in reality are applicable only to finite, created persons.] And He it is who makes the night a garment for you, and [your] sleep a rest, and causes every [new] day to be a resurrection. And He it is who sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace; and [thus, too,] We cause pure water to descend from the skies, so that We may bring dead land to life thereby, and give to drink thereof to many [beings] of Our creation, beasts as well as humans. And, indeed, many times have We repeated [all] this unto men, so that they might take it to heart: but most men refuse to be aught but ingrate. [This is a reference to the frequent, many-faceted reiteration, in the Quran as well as in earlier revelations, of all the evidence unmistakably pointing to the existence of a conscious Creator.] (27:59-65) Say: “All praise is due to God, and peace be upon those servants of His whom He chose [to be His messagebearers]!” Is not God far better than anything to which men [falsely] ascribe a share in His divinity? [Including, by implication, not only deified beings or forces of nature, but also false social and moral values to which custom and ancestral tradition have lent an almost religious sanction.] Nay - who is it that has created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you [life-giving] water from the skies? For it is by this means that We cause gardens of shining beauty to grow [whereas] it is not in your power to cause [even one single of] its trees to grow! Could there be any divine power besides God? Nay, they [who think so] are people who swerve [from the path of reason] Nay - who is it that has made the earth a fitting abode [for living things], and has caused running waters [to flow] in its midst, and has set upon it mountains firm, and has placed a barrier between the two great bodies of water? [Between fresh and sea water] Could there be any divine power besides God? Nay, most of those [who think so] do not know [what they are saying]! Nay - who is it that responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and who removes the ill [that caused the distress], and has made you inherit the earth? [See 2:30. In the present instance the accent is on God’s having caused man to inherit the earth by endowing him with specific faculties and abilities - an implicit denial of man’s claim that he is independent and master of his fate.] Could there be any divine power besides God? How seldom do you keep this in mind! Nay - who is it that guides you in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea, [I.e., metonymically, through all the seemingly insoluble complexities of human life.] and sends

forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace? Could there be any divine power besides God? Sublimely exalted is God above anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity! Nay - who is it that creates [all life] in the first instance, and then brings it forth anew? [This relates to man’s life on earth and his resurrection after bodily death as well as to this-worldly cycle of birth, death and regeneration manifested in all organic nature.] And who is it that provides you with sustenance out of heaven and earth? [The term sustenance (rizq) has here both a physical and a spiritual connotation; hence the phrase, “out of heaven and earth”.] Could there be any divine power besides God? Say: “[If you think so,] produce your evidence - if you truly believe in your claim!” [Most people who profess a belief in a multiplicity of divine powers, or even in the possibility of the one God’s incarnation in a created being, do so blindly, sometimes only under the influence of inherited cultural traditions and habits of thought, and not out of a reasoned conviction.] Say: “None in the heavens or on earth knows the hidden reality [of anything that exists: none knows it] save God.” [In this context, the term al-ghayb - rendered as the hidden reality - relates to the “how” of God’s Being, the ultimate reality underlying the observable aspects of the universe and the meaning and purpose inherent in its creation.] (29:61) And thus it is [with most people]: [The people spoken of in the sequence are such as do acknowledge the existence of God but have only a vague idea as to what this acknowledgment implies on should imply.] if you ask them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth, and made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws]?” - they will surely answer, “God.” How perverted, then, are their minds! [The perversion consists in their thinking that they really “believe in God” and nevertheless worshipping false values and allegedly divine powers side by side with Him: all of which amounts to a virtual denial of His almightiness and uniqueness.] Say: “[Then you ought to know that] all praise is due to God!”- for most of them do not know [what this implies]. [I.e., they give the above answer unthinkingly that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth, following a vague habit of thought, without realizing that a cognition of God as the Ultimate Cause of all existence logically postulates one’s full surrender to Him and to Him alone.] (31:25) And thus it is [with most people]: if thou ask them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth?” - they will surely answer, “God.” Say: “[Then you ought to know that] all praise is due to God!”- for most of them do not know [what this implies]. [I.e., they give the above answer unthinkingly, following a vague habit of thought, without realizing that a cognition of God as the Ultimate Cause of all existence logically postulates one’s full surrender to Him, and to Him alone.] (31:26) Unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. Verily, God alone is self-sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due! (45:3-6) Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there are indeed messages for all who [are willing to] believe. [I.e., visible signs of a consciously creative Power convey a spiritual message to man.] And in your own nature, and in [that of] all the animals which He scatters [over the earth] there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty. [The intricate structure of human and animal bodies, and the life-preserving instincts with which all living creatures have been endowed, make it virtually impossible to assume that all this has developed “by accident”; and if we assume that a creative purpose underlies this development, we must conclude, too, that it has been willed by a conscious Power which creates all natural phenomena “in accordance with an inner truth” (see 10:5).] And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of subsistence which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [I.e., rain, with the symbolic connotation of physical and spiritual grace often attached to it in the Quran.]

[in all this] there are messages for people who use their reason. These messages of God do We convey unto you, setting forth the truth. In what other tiding, if not in God’s messages, will they, then, believe? (52:35-38) [Or do they deny the existence of God?] [I.e., implicitly, by denying the fact of His revelation] Have they themselves been created without anything [that might have caused their creation]? [I.e., by spontaneous generation, as it were.] - or were they, perchance, their own creators? [And] have they created the heavens and the earth? [This is their unwillingness to admit the existence of a conscious Primary Cause underlying all creation.] Nay, but they have no certainty of anything! [How could they?] Are thy Sustainer’s treasures with them? [I.e., the treasures of His infinite knowledge and power] Or are they in charge [of destiny]? Or have they a ladder by which they could [ascend to ultimate truths and] listen [to what is beyond the reach of human perception]? Let, then, any of them who have listened [to it] produce a manifest proof [of his knowledge]! GOD IS OMNIFICENT (creator of all things) (13:16) Or do they [really] believe that there are, side by side with God, other divine powers [I.e., beings that supposedly have a share in God’s divinity and/or His creative power] that have created the like of what He creates, so that this act of creation appears to them, to be similar [to His] Say: “God is the Creator of all things; and He is the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists.” [Although the term khalq (creation or act of creation) is often used metaphorically with reference to human achievements, there is an intrinsic difference between the “creation” of an artist, a poet or a philosopher, and the act of creation as attributed to God: for whereas the human creator produces his work out of already-existing elements and does no more than bring those elements together in a (possibly) new combination, God alone has the power to create in the true sense of the word - that is, to bring into being something that did not exist, either in its entirety or in its components, before this particular act of creation (2:117 - “when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, ‘Be’ and it is”). The significance of the above verse is the erroneous belief that any other power or being could ever have created the like of what He creates.] (31:10-11) He [it is who] has created the skies without any supports that you could see, and has placed firm mountains upon the earth, lest it sway with you, and has caused all manner of living creatures to multiply thereon. And We [This is another of the many Quranic instances where the personal pronoun relating to God is suddenly changed - in this instance, from “He” to “We” - in order to indicate that God, being infinite, cannot be circumscribed by any pronoun applicable to created, finite beings, and that the use of such pronouns with reference to Him is no more than a concession to the limited nature of every human language.] send down water from the skies, and thus We cause every noble kind [of life] to grow on earth. [All] this is God’s creation: show Me, then, what others than He may have created! Nay, but the evildoers [Those who ascribe divine powers to beings or things other than God.] are obviously lost in error! (31:20) Are you not aware that God has made subservient to you all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and has lavished upon you His blessings, both outward and inward? [This refers to both visible and invisible benefits, as well as physical, intellectual and spiritual endowments.] And yet, among men there is many a one that argues about God without having any knowledge [of Him], without any guidance, and without any light-giving revelation. (87:1-4) Extol the limitless glory of thy Sustainer’s name: [the glory of] the All-Highest, who creates [every thing], and thereupon forms it in accordance with what it is meant to be, [I.e., He endows it with inner coherence and with qualities consistent with the functions which it is meant to perform, and thus adapts it a priori to the exigencies of its existence.] and who

determines the nature [of all that exists], and thereupon guides it [towards its fulfillment], and who brings forth herbage, and thereupon causes it to decay into rust-brown stubble! [I.e., metonymically, “who brings forth life and deals death”.] SUSTAINER OF HEAVENS AND EARTH (2:255) God - there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is there that could intercede with Him, unless it be by His leave? His eternal power: overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. And he alone is truly exalted, tremendous. [Lit., “His seat of power”. Some of the commentators interpret this as “His sovereignty” or “His dominion”, while others take it to mean “His knowledge” or God’s majesty and indescribable, eternal glory.] (11:6) And there is no living creature on earth but depends for its sustenance on God. (29:60, 62-64) And how many a living creature is there that takes no thought of its own sustenance; [I.e., is either too weak to fend for itself or does not store up provisions for the morrow.] [the while] God provides for it as [He provides] for you since He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing. God grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, to whichever He wills of His creatures: for, behold, God has full knowledge of everything. [And, hence knows what is really good and, from the viewpoint of His unfathomable plan, necessary for each living being.] And thus it is: if you ask them, “Who is it that sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless?” - they will surely answer, “God.” Say you: “[Since this is so,] all praise is due to God [alone]!” But most of them will not use their reason: for, [if they did, they would know that] the life of this world is nothing but a passing delight and a play - whereas, behold, the life in the hereafter is indeed the only [true] life: if they but knew this! (55:29-30) On Him depends all creatures in the heavens and on earth; [I.e., all depend on Him for their safety and sustenance.] [and] every day He manifests Himself in yet another [wondrous] way. Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow? GOD THE BEST OF ARTISANS: MAN AS MASTER PIECE OF CREATION (23:12-16) Now, indeed, We create man out of the essence of clay, and then We cause him to remain as a drop of sperm in [the wombs] firm keeping, [Creation of human being from reproductive cells is meant to stress man’s humble origin, and hence the debt of gratitude which he owes to God for having endowed him with a conscious soul. The past tense in verses 12-14 (lit., “We have created”, “We have caused him to remain”, etc.) emphasizes the fact that all this has been ordained by God and has been happening again and again ever since man was brought into being by Him; in the above context, this recurrence is brought out best by the use of the present tense.] and then We create out of the drop of sperm a germ-cell, and then We create out of the germ-cell an embryonic lump, and then We create within the embryonic lump bones, and then We clothe the bones with flesh - and then We bring [all] this into being as a new creation: [I.e., existing independently of the mother’s body.] hallowed, therefore, is God, the best of artisans! [Lit., “the best of creators”, since God is the only Creator in the real, primary sense of this word. The Arabs apply the designation “creator” to every artisan - a usage also current in European languages with reference to the creation of works of art and imagination.] And then, behold! after all this, you are destined to die; and then, behold! you shall be raised from the dead on Resurrection Day. GOD CAN BRING FORTH A NEW MANKIND IN YOUR STEAD (4:132-133) And unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. If He so wills, He can cause you, O mankind, to disappear, and bring forth other beings [in your stead]: for God has

indeed the power to do this. (14:19) Are you not aware that God has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth? He can, if He so wills, do away with you and bring forth a new mankind [in your stead]: [Or “new people”, the term khalq denotes not merely creation or act of creation but also people or mankind, which seems to be its meaning here.] CHALLENGE TO CREATE A FLY (22:73-74) O men! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, then, to it! Behold, those beings whom you invoke instead of God cannot create [as much as] a fly, even were they to join all their forces to that end! And if a fly robs them of anything, they cannot [even] rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and [weak] the sought! No true understanding of God have they [who err in this way]: for, verily, God is most powerful, almighty!

GOD IS OMNIBENEVOLENT God is perfectly good that is being good in all ways at all time and towards all other beings. (4:134) If one desires the rewards of this world, [let him remember that] with God are the rewards of [both] this world and the life to come: and God is indeed all-hearing, all-seeing. (14:34) And [always] does He give you something out of what you may be asking of Him; [I.e., God satisfies every one of man’s desires, provided that His unfathomable wisdom regards its satisfaction as ultimately beneficial to the human being concerned: this is the meaning of the preposition min (lit., “out of”, but in this context, “something out of”) preceding the phrase “what you may be asking”.] and should you try to count God’s blessings, you could never compute them. [And yet,] behold, man is indeed most persistent in wrongdoing, stubbornly ingrate! (35:2-3) Whatever grace God opens up to man, none can withhold it; and whatever He withholds, none can henceforth release: for He alone is almighty, truly wise. O men! Call to mind the blessings which God has bestowed upon you! Is there any creator, other than God, that could provide for you sustenance out of heaven and earth? There is no deity save Him: and yet, how perverted are your minds! [As you attribute divine qualities or powers to anyone or anything beside Him] (67:15) He it is who has made the earth easy to live upon: go about, then, in all its regions, and partake of the sustenance which He provides: but [always bear in mind that] unto Him you shall be resurrected. [Who has made the earth submissive to you: i.e., yielding to the intelligence with which He has endowed man.] GOD CHOOSES BEST FOR MANKIND (28:68) And [thus it is:] thy Sustainer creates whatever He wills; and He chooses [for mankind] whatever is best for them. Limitless is God in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity! [God chooses for mankind whatever is best and most beneficial for them, for He knows better than they themselves do what is good for them. This explanation is consistent with man’s responsibility for (and, hence, on relative freedom in) choosing between right and wrong - and side by side with the stress on God’s unlimited power to determine the factual course of events.]

SECOND CREATION (afterlife) God’s creative abilities are not limited to the creation of the material world alone. The existence of this universe is but only a small segment of reality open to man’s perception and imagination and there exist “a realm, which is beyond the reach of human perception,” (al-ghayb) or afterlife. It is logically impossible to believe in God as a conscious Creative Power without believing in the reality of a life after death as well. It is meant to illustrate God’s almightiness and creativeness, as if to say, “Is not He who has

created the universe equally able to resurrect and re-create man in whatever form He deems necessary?” Again, these arguments were directed towards pagans of Arabia who did not believe in afterlife. (13:5) But if you are amazed [at the marvels of God’s Creation], amazing, too, is their saying, “What! After we have become dust, shall we indeed be [restored to life] in a new act of creation?” [I.e., while it is amazing that one can refuse to believe in God despite all the evidence, accessible to human observation, of the existence of a definite purpose in all lifephenomena, and thus of the existence of a conscious Creative Power, it is no less amazing to see people who, while vaguely believing in God, can yet refuse to believe in individual resurrection: for, if God has created the universe and the phenomenon of life as such, He obviously has the power to re-create life - and its requisite physical vehicle - in a new act of creation.] It is they who [thus show that they] are bent on denying their Sustainer; [By denying the possibility of resurrection, they implicitly deny God’s almightiness, and thus, in effect, His reality.] and it is they who carry the shackles [of their own making] around their necks; [A metaphor of man’s willful self-abandonment to false values and evil ways, and of the resulting enslavement of the spirit.] and it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to abide. PARABLE OF RAIN (LIFE–DEATH–LIFE) (7:57-58) And He it is who sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace - so that, when they have brought heavy clouds, We may drive them towards dead land and cause thereby water to descend; and by this means do We cause all manner of fruit to come forth. Even thus shall We cause the dead to come forth: [and this] you ought to keep in mind. [This is the key-sentence of the parable set forth in verses 57-58: by the exercise of the same life-giving power by which God causes plants to grow, He will resurrect the dead at the end of time. The next sentence continues the parable by likening those whose hearts are open to the voice of truth to fertile earth, and those who are bent on denying it, to barren earth.] As for the good land, its vegetation comes forth [in abundance] by its Sustainer’s leave, whereas from the bad it comes forth but poorly. Thus do We give many facets to Our messages for [the benefit of] people who are grateful! (88:17-20) Do, then, they [who deny resurrection] never gaze at the clouds pregnant with water, [and observe] how they are created? [Implying that a denial of resurrection and life in the hereafter renders the concept of a conscious Creator utterly meaningless. The miraculous, cyclic process of the evaporation of water, the skyward ascension of vapor, its condensation and, finally, its precipitation over the earth is definitely more in tune with the subsequent mention (in verses 18-20) of sky, mountains and earth.] And at the sky, how it is raised aloft? And at the mountains, how firmly they are reared? And at the earth, how it is spread out? BIRTH AND RE-BIRTH OF MAN (31:26, 28) Unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. Verily, God alone is self-sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due! [For Him,] the creation of you all and the resurrection of you all is but like [the creation and resurrection of] a single soul: for, verily, God is all-hearing, all-seeing. [I.e., in view of His almightiness, there is no difference between the creation and resurrection of many and of one, just as every single soul is as much within His ken as is all mankind.] (36:77-83) Is man, then, not aware that it is We who create him out of a [mere] drop of sperm - whereupon, lo! he shows himself endowed with the power to think and to argue? [From its humble origin (germ cell) man evolves into an articulate or rational being (contender in argument), the highest manifestation of his intellect.] And [now] he [argues about Us, and] thinks of Us in terms of comparison, and is oblivious of how he himself was created! [Lit., “he coins for Us a simile” - an elliptic allusion to the unwillingness of those who deny the truth to conceive of a transcendental Being, fundamentally different from all

that is graspable by man’s senses or imagination, and having powers beyond all comparison with those which are available to any of the created beings. (See 42:11, “there is nothing like unto Him”, and 112: 4, “there is nothing that could be compared with Him”.) Since they are enmeshed in a materialistic outlook on life, such people deny - as the sequence shows - all possibility of resurrection, which amounts to a denial of God’s creative powers and, in the final analysis, of His existence.] [And so] he says, “Who could give life to bones that have crumbled to dust?” Say: “He who brought them into being in the first instance will give them life [once again], seeing that He has full knowledge of every act of creation: He who produces for you fire out of the green tree, so that, lo! you kindle [your fires] therewith.” [The ancient Arabian proverb, “In every tree there is a fire”: evidently an allusion to the metamorphosis of green - i.e., water-containing - plants into fuel, be it through desiccation or man-made carbonization (charcoal), or by a millennial, subterranean process of decomposition into oil or coal. In a spiritual sense, this fire seems also to symbolize the God-given warmth and light of human reason spoken of above.] Is, then, He who has created the heavens and the earth not able to create [anew] the like of those [who have died]? Yea, indeed - for He alone is the all-knowing Creator: His Being alone is such that when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, “Be” - and it is. [The exclusiveness of God’s creative Being is stressed by the restrictive particle innama.] Limitless, then, in His glory is He in whose hand rests the mighty dominion over all things; and unto Him you all will be brought back! (43:9-11) Yet thus it is [with most people]: if you ask them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth?” - they will surely answer, “The Almighty, the All-Knowing has created them.” He it is who has made the earth a cradle for you, and has provided for you ways [of livelihood] thereon, so that you might follow the right path. And He it is who sends down, again and again, waters from the sky in due measure: and [as] We raise therewith dead land to life, even thus will you be brought forth [from the dead]. (85:12-16) Verily, thy Sustainer’s grip is exceedingly strong! Behold, it is He who creates [man] in the first instance, and He [it is who] will bring him forth anew. And He alone is truly forgiving, all-embracing in His love, in sublime almightiness enthroned, a sovereign doer of whatever He wills. [Or, He of the sublime throne of almightiness (al-arsh almajid)]

GOD’S JUDGMENT (15:49-50) Tell My servants that I - I alone - am truly forgiving, a true dispenser of grace; and [also,] that the suffering which I shall impose [on sinners] will indeed be a suffering most grievous. [The statement relating to God’s forgiveness and grace contains a threefold emphasis - expressed by the repetition of the personal pronoun ana relating to God, and the definite article al before each of the two participial adjectives - whereas there is no such stress in the mention of His chastisement of recalcitrant sinners. (See 6:12 and 6:54, both of which verses state that God “has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy”.) (21:107-112) And [thus, O Prophet,] We have sent you as [an evidence of Our] grace towards all the worlds. Say: “It has but been revealed unto me that your God is the One and Only God: will you, then, surrender yourselves unto Him?” But if they turn away, say: “I have proclaimed this in equity unto all of you alike; [The expression “in an equitable manner” comprises in this context two distinct concepts: that of fairness as regards the clarity of the above announcement, as well as of equality, implying that it is being made to all human beings alike.] but I do not know whether that [judgment] which you are promised [by God] is near or far [in time]. “Verily, He knows all that is said openly, just as He [alone] knows all that you would conceal. But [as for me,] I do not know whether, perchance, this [delay in God’s judgment] is but a trial for you,

and a [merciful] respite for a while.” [Enjoyment of life for a while or a chance, mercifully granted by God, to attain to faith] Say: “O my Sustainer! Judge Thou in truth!” - and [say]: “Our Sustainer is the Most Gracious, the One whose aid is ever to be sought against all your [attempts at] defining [Him]!” [Against all that you attribute to Him by way of description or of definition: implying that only God’s grace can save man from the blasphemous attempts - prompted by his inherent weakness - to bring God closer to his own, human understanding by means of humanly-conceived definitions of Him who is transcendent, infinite and unfathomable.] (34:2-4) And He alone is a dispenser of grace, truly-forgiving. And yet, they who are bent on denying the truth assert, “Never will the Last Hour come upon us!” [The assertion of the godless that the universe is without beginning and without end: it can only change, but can never cease to exist - which amounts to a denial of the fact that God alone is eternal; and there is no resurrection and divine judgment as symbolized by the Last Hour - which amounts to a denial of life after death and, hence, of all significance and purpose attaching to human life as such.] Say: “Nay, by my Sustainer! By Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception: it will most certainly come upon you!” To the end that He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds: [for] it is they whom forgiveness of sins awaits, and a most excellent sustenance. (42:8) Whereas the evildoers shall have none to protect them and none to succor them [on Judgment Day]. (42:9) Did they, perchance, [think that they could] choose protectors other than Him? But God alone is the Protector [of all that exists], since it is He alone who brings the dead to life, and He alone who has the power to will anything. GOD THE MOST JUST OF JUDGES (10:109) And [as for yourself, O Muhammad,] follow but what is being revealed unto you, and be patient in adversity, until God shall give His judgment: for He is the best of all judges. (28:69-70) And thy Sustainer knows all that their hearts conceal as well as all that they bring into the open: for He is God, save whom there is no deity. Unto Him all praise is due, at the beginning and at the end [of time]; [Or: “in this first [i.e., present life] as well as in the life to come”.] and with Him rests all judgment; and unto Him shall you all be brought back. (95:4-8) Verily, We create man in the best conformation, [I.e., endowed with all the positive qualities, physical as well as mental, corresponding to the functions which this particular creature is meant to perform. The concept of “the best conformation” is related to the Quranic statement that everything which God creates, including the human being, is formed in accordance with what it is meant to be (see 91:7 and 87:2). This statement does not in any way imply that all human beings have the same best conformation in respect of their bodily or mental endowments: it implies simply that irrespective of his natural advantages or disadvantages, each human being is endowed with the ability to make the best possible use of his inborn qualities and of the environment to which he is exposed.] and thereafter We reduce him to the lowest of low – [This “reduction to the lowest of low” is a consequence of man’s betrayal - in another word, corruption - of his original, positive disposition: that is to say, a consequence of man’s own doings and omissions. Regarding the attribution, by God, of this “reduction” to His Own doing, see 2:7.] excepting only such as attain to faith and do good works: and theirs shall be a reward unending! What, then, [O man,] could henceforth cause you to give the lie to this moral law? Is not God the most just of judges? [I.e., to the validity of the moral law - this is the meaning of the term din in this context and outlined in the preceding three verses. (For this specific significance of the concept of din, see 109:6.) The above rhetorical question has this implication: Since the moral law referred to here has been stressed in the teachings of all monotheistic religions, its truth ought to be self-evident to any unprejudiced person; its negation, moreover, amounts to a negation of all freedom of moral choice on man’s part and, hence, of justice on the part of

God, who is the most just of judges.]

GOD IS TRANSCENDENT AND ETERNAL God is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon of His creation. (Transcendence means that one who is independent of the universe and immanent – one who exists within the universe.) God is omnipresent that He is present in all places at all times. (21:16-18) And [know that] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in mere idle play: [I.e., without meaning and purpose] [for,] had We willed to indulge in a pastime, We would indeed have produced it from within Ourselves - if such had been Our will at all! [Meaning that, had God ever willed to indulge in a pastime (which, being almighty and self-sufficient, He has no need to do), He could have found it within His Own Self, without any necessity to create a universe which would embody His hypothetical - and logically inconceivable - will to “please Himself”, and would thus represent a projection, as it were, of His Own Being. In the elliptic manner of the Quran, the above passage amounts to a statement of God’s transcendence.] Nay, but [by the very act of creation] We hurl the truth against falsehood, [I.e., the truth of God’s transcendence against the false idea of His existential immanence in or co-existence with, the created universe.] and it crushes the latter: and lo! it withers away. [The obvious fact that everything in the created universe is finite and perishable effectively refutes the claim that it could be a projection of the Creator, who is infinite and eternal.] But woe unto you for all your [attempts at] defining [God]. [Lit., “for all that you attribute to God by way of description” or “of definition” - implying that the idea of God’s “immanence” in His creation is equivalent to an attempt to define His Being.] (57:1-9) All that is in the heavens and on earth extols God’s limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise! His is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; He grants life and deals death; and He has the power to will anything. He is the First and the Last, [I.e., His Being is eternal, without anything preceding His existence and without anything outlasting its infinity: an interpretation given by the Prophet himself, as recorded in several well-authenticated Traditions. Thus, “time” itself - a concept beyond man’s understanding - is but God’s creation.] and the Outward as well as the Inward: and He has full knowledge of everything. [I.e., He is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon of His creation - the oft-repeated Quranic phrase, “all things go back unto God as their source”; or He is closer to everything than anything else could be. Another - perhaps supplementary - rendering could be, “He is the Evident as well as the Hidden”, i.e., His existence is evident in the effects of His activity, whereas He Himself is not perceptible to our senses.] And He is with you wherever you may be; and God sees all that you do. He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]. And why should you not believe in God, seeing that the Apostle calls you to believe in [Him who is] your Sustainer, and [seeing that] He has taken a pledge from you? [God’s “taking a pledge” is a metonymic allusion to the faculty of reason with which He has endowed man, and which ought to enable every sane person to grasp the evidence of God’s existence by observing the effects of His creativeness in all nature and by paying heed to the teachings of His prophets. See in this connection 7:172.] [Why should you not believe in Him] if you are able to believe [in anything]? [Implying, if you can believe in anything on the basis of sound evidence] It is He who bestows from on high clear messages unto [this] His servant, to lead you out of the deep darkness into the light: for, behold, God is most compassionate towards you, a dispenser of grace. GOD IS ETERNAL (28:88) Everything is bound to perish, save His eternal Self. (55:26-28) All that lives on earth or in the heavens is bound to pass away: but forever will abide thy Sustainer’s Self, full of

majesty and glory. [Lit., “face”, or “countenance”, a term used metonymically in classical Arabic to denote the “self” or “whole being” of a person - in this case, the essential Being, or Reality, of God.] Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow? MANY WAYS OF ASCENT TO GOD (70:1-4) One who is minded to ask might ask [Or might inquire] about the suffering which [in the hereafter] is bound to befall those who deny the truth. [In view of the fact that many of “those who deny the truth” - and, by implication, do evil in consequence of that deliberate denial - prosper in this world, a doubter might well ask whether or when this state of affairs will really he reversed and the values adjusted in accord with divine justice. An answer to the “whether” is given next; and to the “when”, elliptically, at the end of verse 4.] [Know, then, that] nothing can ward it off, [since it will come] from God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent: [Lit., “He of the (many) ascents”: a metonymical phrase implying that there are many ways by which man can “ascend” to a comprehension of God’s existence, and thus to spiritual nearness to Him - and that, therefore, it is up to each human being to avail himself of any of the ways leading towards Him.] all the angels and all the inspiration [ever granted to man] ascend unto Him [daily,] [The “ascent” of the angels and of all inspiration may be understood in the same sense as the frequently-occurring phrase “all things go back to God (as their source)”.] in a day the length whereof is [like] fifty thousand years. [The very concept of “time” is meaningless in relation to God, who is timeless and infinite: see 22:47 - “in thy Sustainer’s sight a day is like a thousand years of your reckoning”: in other words, a day, or an eon, or a thousand years, or fifty thousand years are alike to Him, having an apparent reality only within the created world and none with the Creator. And since in the hereafter time will cease to have a meaning for man as well, it is irrelevant to ask as to “when” the evildoers will be chastised and the righteous given their due.] BELIEF IN ONE GOD (See also in the chapter “idol-worship in pre-Islamic Arabia”: why worship one God alone and not idols.) (4:131) And, indeed, We have enjoined upon those who were granted revelation before your time, as well as upon yourselves, to remain conscious of God. And if you deny Him - behold, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and God is indeed self-sufficient, ever to be praised. (51:20-21) And on earth there are signs [of God’s existence, visible] to all who are endowed with inner certainty, just as [there are signs thereof] within your own selves: can you not, then, see? The Quran takes its stand as the grand advocate of God’s unity. The strength of the Arab’s arms was to wax and wane but again and again the Prophet’s vision of a single God triumphed over peoples like the Mongols and the Turks who would subdue his followers in physical combat. Almost every page of the Quran cries out with burning fervor: “Your God is one God. There is no God but He - the Living, the Eternal” (2:158).