Verses 39–45
This is a polemic over the oneness of lordship, as in He is the one who has made you successors on the earth… () and Allah upholds the heavens and the earth lest they cease to be… (), and a denial that any partners have lordship, as in Say: “Have you considered your partners whom you call upon other than Allah?...” (). It is also a reproval and threat to them for breaching what they settled on and for plotting evil.
Then it sets into words that nothing is difficult for God. He grants these wrongdoers respite for a fixed term. Then, when their time comes, He will recompense them for what they deserve. With that, the chapter concludes.
Commentary
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلائِفَ فِي الأَرْضِ فَمَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ وَلا يَزِيدُ الْكَافِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ إِلاَّ مَقْتًا وَلا يَزِيدُ الْكَافِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ إِلاَّ خَسَارًا ٣٩
(35:39) He is the one who has made you successors (khalāʾif) on the earth. So whoever disbelieves, his disbelief is to his detriment. Their disbelief increases the disbelievers with their Lord in naught but hatred, and their disbelief increases the disbelievers in naught but loss.
Khalāʾif is the plural of khalīfah (“successor”, “caliph”). When it says that people are khalāʾif on the earth, it means that each of them has the responsibility and authority of the previous generations to make use of and benefit from the earth as the previous generations did. They attained this position of successorship due to the way they were created—namely, with the faculty of generation—and this faculty of generation divides people into past and future.
Placing people in authority over the earth is a means of managing the creation, not of ceding this authority from Himself. Therefore, it is used as an argument for the oneness of God’s lordship, for it is a quality specific to Him; there is no place to attribute it to another.
He is the one who has made you successors on the earth: It is an argument for His oneness in lordship and the absence of any partners. His decision was to make them earthly successors in the human world; however, He is their Lord who manages their affairs, and just because He made them the successors does not mean that He has delegated this function away from Himself. For the creator of the human is the Lord of the human. And the creator is God—exalted be He—even in the face of His adversaries. So He is the Lord of the human.
So whoever disbelieves, his disbelief is to his detriment: This means that God is the Lord of the human Whoever denies that and conceals that truth and attributes lordship to someone else will suffer the harm of his own doings.
Their disbelief increases the disbelievers with their Lord in naught but hatred (maqt), and their disbelief increases the disbelievers in naught but loss: This explains that their denial is upon them. Their denial only results in odium and severe distaste (maqt) before their Lord. For, in their denial, they are turning away from serving Him and mocking the divine honor. Loss shall be bequeathed to them, for they traded human happiness for misery and unwholesomeness which shall befall them as they transverse their way to the abode of recompense.
The word “increases” is used for the effect of kufr (“disbelief”, “denial”) because human nature is simple and straightforward, desirous of attaining perfection and increase. When a human being submits to God, he increases in perfection and nearness to God; and if he denies God, he increases in dislike by God and loss.
Hatred is conditioned by with their Lord, rather than loss, because loss is one of the natural consequences of exchanging faith for denial, and happiness for misery. It is a matter pertaining to themselves. However, hatred refers to the perspective of God.
Love and hate are both attributed to God. They are attributes of act (ṣifāt al-afʿāl). Both of them are external to His essence; that is, they do not actually exist in Him. When it says that God loves someone, it means that He spreads His mercy over him and enwraps that person in His mercy. When it says that God hates someone, it means that He restricts His mercy from that person and distances it from that person.
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ شُرَكَاءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا مِنَ الأَرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ أَمْ آتَيْنَاهُمْ كِتَابًا فَهُمْ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْهُ بَلْ إِن يَعِدُ الظَّالِمُونَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًا إِلاَّ غُرُورًا ٤٠
(39:40) Say: “Have you considered your partners whom you call upon other than Allah? Show me what part of earth they have created. Or do they have share of the heavens? Or have We given them a book, and thus they follow clear guidance in it? Nay, the wrongdoers promise one another naught but delusion.”
The partners are described figuratively as “theirs” [rather than as “God’s”] because they are the ones who are claiming that they are partners to God.
In this verse, the Prophet is instructed to present this argument as to why their demigods that they worshipped are not lords. He is instructed to present this argument to them—that were there deities other than God, they would have a hand in the management of the universe and would be creating what they manage, for creation and management are inseparable. Were they creators, there would be evidence for it, either in the physical universe, or from God [that is, revelation]. However, there is no trace of their hand in creating the physical universe whatsoever or anything even remotely suggesting a sort of sharing in that capacity. Thus, the verse says: Show me what part of the earth they have created. Or do they have a share in the heavens?
As for what comes from God, if this were the case, a divine book would have been revealed from Him confessing to their lordship and permitting people to worship them and take them as gods. However, no such book has been revealed—and they admit this. Or have We given them a book, and thus they follow clear guidance in it?
It speaks of them not creating any part of the earth (Show me what part of the earth they have created) rather than saying they lack any share or partnership (shirk) in the earth, whereas it uses the word shirk (“share”, “partnership”) with respect to the heavens (Or do they have a share in the heavens?) and does not say that they did not create any part of the heavens.
Perhaps, the point here is as follows. By “earth”—according to its usage in this argument—is meant the physical world and everything upon it, whereas by “heavens” is meant the heavenly realms and all that are in them. When it says what part of the earth you created, it means, “Do they have a share in the earth even though they did not create any of it?” And when it says do they have a share in the heavens?, it means, “What part of the heavens did they create?” It is sufficient to mention “creating” once with respect to the earth to indicate sharing in lordship, for this can only be done through the act of creation.
Or have We given them a book, and thus they follow clear guidance in it? Meaning, “Have We given them a book which they follow clear guidance from?” That is, “Does this book give them clear proofs that We have partners and thus does it offer proofs that there are partners to God?”
It says Have We given them a book? rather than “Do they have a book?” or something similar to emphasise that the answer is “no”. If it had said “Do they have a book?” or something similar, it would only deny the existence of a book, whereas Have We given them a book? denies that they have a divinely revealed book.
Them in Have We given them a book? and thus they follow clear guidance refers to the polytheists; one should not pay heed to those who say that it refers to the partners themselves.
Nay, the wrongdoers promise one another naught but delusion: This hits the crux of the argument. They have no proof that they can stand on for the partners they took. Instead, they are deluding each other by promising intercession and flattery. Those who came before deceived those who came after. Their chiefs and leaders deceive their flocks and followers. They swear that these partners will offer intercession before God, but there is no truth to that.
The argument in the verse is general and applies to those who worshipped idols as well as those who worshipped angels, jinn, and saints, and took them as deities, turning to them. It also applies to those who worshipped the spirits of the planets and stars, turned to the planets and stars, and took them as deities. It also applies to those who worshipped the angels and other beings and took them as deities, as is said to have happened among the ancient Persians. And it applies to those who worshipped humans, such as the Christians who worshipped Jesus.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ أَن تَزُولا وَلَئِن زَالَتَا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِهِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا ٤١
(35:41) Allah upholds the heavens and the earth lest they cease to be. If they were to disappear, no one after Him could maintain them. He has always been clement, forgiving.
The following view has been put forth:
This verse initiates a new discussion and is not related to what passed before it. It disproves that God has any partners and indicates that this is something appalling—meaning that God protects the heavens and earth lest they cease to be or dwindle away. This is because for something possible to come into being, the necessary preconditions must be present, both to create it, and to sustain its existence.
What is apparent here is that when God presents proof for the oneness of His lordship and grants successorship (khilāfah) to the human race (He is the one who has made you successors on the earth…), then denies that He has any partners whatsoever, the argumentation is generalized to encompass all creation—meaning the heavens and the earth. The argument for God’s oneness includes the continuance of creation after its instantiation. For it is clear that there is no doubt in the fact that creating a thing—first clothing it in existence after nothingness—is different from making it last, and enwrapping it in existence after existence in order for it to persist. So the continued existence of a thing after its creation requires a creational act after a creational act, in order to result in continuity.
Causing a thing to persist after its creation is thus similar to one act of creation after another. Thus is the management of a thing. If you look keenly, you will see a continual order in creation, continuing from the moment of creation throughout its perpetuation.
The one who brought it into being, and its creator, are God, exalted be He. Even opponents acknowledge that. For God is the creator and administrator of the heavens and the earth—alone with no partners.
Allah upholds (yumsik) the heavens and the earth lest they cease to be (an tazūlā): Yumsik (or imsāk) has its normal meaning (“to hold”, “to grasp”). They cease to be: The implied meaning here is that He holds them because He would hate for them to disintegrate. [There is no equivalent to lest in the Arabic text; a literal rendition would be Allah holds the heavens and earth that they continue.] This phrase is attached to the previous. Some exegetes say that yumsik means “preventing” or “protecting”. Regardless, the language is figurative and conveys the meaning of perpetuation. It refers to the continual act of bringing things into being to keep the universe alive. Ceasing to be would entail its evanescence or destruction.
Some exegetes say that “not ceasing to be” (an tazūlā) means that the heavens and earth remain distinct. That is, God fixed them in place and prevents the heavens from sinking to the earth or the earth from rising to the heavens. The idea in mind here seems sound, anyway.
If they were to disappear, no one after Him (min aḥad min baʿdihi) could maintain them: The context here indicates that disappear means “waning away” rather “vanishing”, because being upheld and disappearing cannot happen at once. It means, “I swear, if they were to wane away, none could uphold them other than God, exalted be He. There is no one else to bestow existence upon them.” Perhaps, disappear is meant in its literal sense, in which case “upholding” the universe would mean “having the power to uphold it”. The first min is for emphasis and the second is to denote a range [min aḥad min baʿdihi, lit. “from one from after Him”; this literality is not expressed in translation]. The pronoun Him refers to God, albeit some exegetes say that it refers to the concept of disappearance [meaning “after its disappearance”].
He has always been clement, forgiving: It is due to His forbearance that He does not hasten the final end, and it is out of His forgivingness that staves off nothingness. These two divine names imply that God upholds the heavens and earth so that they do not perish until the final time has come.
In Irshād al-ʿAql al-Salīm, it says:
He has always been clement, forgiving, the one who does not rush to give people what they deserve for their crimes. Instead, He upholds them [the heavens and the earth] strongly and keeps them tranquil, as He says: The heavens are on the verge of bursting and the earth is on the verge of splitting ().
وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ لَئِن جَاءَهُمْ نَذِيرٌ لَّيَكُونُنَّ أَهْدَى مِنْ إِحْدَى الأُمَمِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ نَذِيرٌ مَّا زَادَهُمْ إِلاَّ نُفُورًا ٤٢
(35:42) And they swore by Allah with their strongest oaths (jahd aymānihim) that if a warner came to them, they would be better guided than any of the other nations. But when a warner came to them, it increased them in naught but aversion (nufūr).
Al-Rāghib says:
Jahd and juhd mean “effort” and “exertion”… And they swore by God with their strongest oaths means that they swore and strove in their swearing to do it to the best of their ability…. Nafr (nufūr) means to be averse from a thing or to flee from it, and, like the word fazaʿ (“to be frightened of”), can be used with the preposition ilā or the preposition ʿan. Nafr is used in it increased them in naught but aversion (nufūr).
It is related:
Before the Prophet was formally appointed as a prophet, the Quraysh heard that the People of the Book had denied their messengers. Thus, they said, “May God curse the Jews and the Christians! Messengers came to them, and they denied them. By God, if a messenger came to us, we would be the most guided of peoples.”
The context of the verse supports this account.
And they swore by Allah with their strongest oaths: They refers to the Quraysh. The next part of the verse—but when a warner came to them—indicates that had sworn this before the appointment of the Prophet. What they swore is that they would be better guided than any of the other nations.
And they swore…that if a warner came to them, they would be better guided than any of the other nations: Meaning that they would be better guided than any of the other nations that received a warner, such as the Jews and the Christians. It says they would be better guided than any of the other nations rather than better guided than them [with the pronoun “them”] to indicate that they were a people who had never received warner; therefore, if a warner came to them, they would be like the peoples who had received warners and, through believing in their warner, they would become more guided than the others. This is what is meant by better guided than any of the other peoples; understand that.
Some exegetes say that the verse is general, and any of the other peoples (iḥdā al-umam) is generic, although it is it is an indefinite phrase in a positive sentence. Thus, the al- in al-umam signifies something already known (for ʿahd)and means, “So that it may be more guided than every single one of those nations who denied their messengers, among the Jews, Christians, and others.”
Some exegetes say that it means, “So that they may be more guided than a people who are called the one people” to distinguish them from all other people; just as it is said, the single person of the community or the singular of his time.
The last interpretation is somewhat imposed and farfetched.
But when a warner came to them, it increased them in naught but aversion (nufūr): By “warner” is meant the Prophet. Nufūr means “to distance one’s self from” and “to flee”.
اسْتِكْبَارًا فِي الأَرْضِ وَمَكْرَ السَّيِّئِ وَلا يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ إِلاَّ بِأَهْلِهِ فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلاَّ سُنَّتَ الأَوَّلِينَ فَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلا وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ اللَّهِ تَحْوِيلا ٤٣
(35:43) Arrogance in the land, and evil plots (makr). And an evil plot does nothing but turn back on its plotters. What are they waiting for except for [a repeat of] what happened to the ancients? You shall not find any change in the wont of Allah. You shall not find any difference in the wont of Allah.
Al-Rāghib says:
Makr means “treating others deceptively to attain one’s ends”. There are two types of makr: (a) a praiseworthy plot—that is, a scheme to do good—as mentioned in the verse And Allah is the best of planners (), and (b) a blameworthy plot—that is, a scheme to do evil, as in the verse And an evil plot does nothing but turn back on its plotters ().
He also said:
And an evil plot does nothing but turn back on its plotters means that it only afflicts the plotters.
Some say that the verb yaḥīq originally came from the root ḥ-q-q [instead of ḥāq], and the short vowel plus the doubled letter turned into a long vowel followed by a single letter, like the verb zall and zāl, which has been read both as fa-azallahummā al-shayṭān and fa-azālhummā al-shayṭān [Satan made them both slip, , referring to Adam and Eve]. A similar example is the verb dhammahu and dhāmahu (both meaning “to censure”).
Arrogance in the land is a verbal noun providing the reasoning behind aversion (nufūr), meaning “They distance themselves from him in order to be arrogant on the earth.” Evil plot is linked with arrogance via a conjunction and similarly provides the reason for their aversion. Some say that it is linked to aversion, in a genitive (iḍāfah) construction whereby what is being described is appended to the description, as evinced by and an evil plot does nothing but turn back…
And an evil plot does nothing but turn back on its plotters: This means that the evil plot only ultimately afflicts those who are plotting it. Yes, it may sometimes afflict those it is aimed at, but it will eventually pass away and will not persist; however, the evil effects will remain with the plotters. The evil effects will remain in their souls and be visible upon them, and they will be requited justly for their plots, either in this world or in the next. For this reason, Majmaʿ al-Bayān says: “It means that the recompense of this evil plot will only fall back on those who plotted it.”
Thus, the verse should be taken as a proverb, as in the verses: Your insolence is against your own souls () and whoever breaks his oath does so to the harm of his own soul ().
What are they waiting for (fa-hal yanẓurūn) except for [a repeat of] what happened to the ancients? Naẓr and intiẓār (yanẓurūn) mean “to wait for” or “to expect”. The fāʾ [in fa-hal] indicates that this is a consequence. The sentence itself is a rhetorical question expressing the natural consequence of the sentence before. It means, “If they plot an evil plot, and an evil plot falls back upon its plotters, then they are only waiting for God to treat them the same way that He did the ancient peoples—that is, for divine chastisement to rain down upon them as a result of their plots and belying the signs of God.”
You shall not find any change in the wont (sunnah) of Allah. You shall not find any difference in the wont (sunnah) of Allah: “Changing the sunnah” (tabdīl al-sunnah) would mean exchanging safety and blessings for punishment. “A difference in the sunnah” (taḥwīl al-sunnah) would be to lift divine punishment from a people who deserved it and inflict it on another [who did not deserve it]. God’s sunnah is never changed or altered, for God is on the straight path; his decrees are not subject to the consideration of other opinions or exception.
God punished those polytheists who plotted on the Day of Badr and killed many of them.
This verse is either addressed directly to the Prophet or to all listeners.
أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَكَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعْجِزَهُ مِن شَيْءٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلا فِي الأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَلِيمًا قَدِيرًا ٤٤
(35:44) Have they not travelled in the land and seen the end of those who came before them, even though they were mightier? Nothing escapes Allah in the heavens or the earth; He is knowing, powerful.
This bears witness to the perpetuation of God’s sunnah with respect to the ancient peoples. They were more powerful than the Meccan polytheists, yet God punished them when they plotted and denied [the truth].
Nothing escapes Allah in the heavens or the earth: This finishes off the previous point with the effect of inspiring more of a sense of warning and more fear. The net result is that they should fear God, believe in Him, not plot against Him, and not deny [the truth], for if the sunnah of God is to punish and destroy people who do that—as what happened to the past nations demonstrates, even though those people were mightier—then nothing and no plot can escape God’s power in the heavens or on the earth. For He is omniscient, never heedless or unaware of anything. He will never been deceived or deluded by their plots and schemes. He is omnipotent, and nothing can overwhelm omnipotence.
وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَابَّةٍ وَلَكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ بَصِيرًا٤٥
(35:45) Were Allah to take people to account for what they have done, not a single creature would be left upright on its face. However, he grants them respite until an appointed term. And when their term comes—Allah sees His servants.
Here, by “taking people to account” is meant taking them to account in this world; this is demonstrated by the subsequent statement he grants them respite until an appointed term…
By people is meant “all people”, even though the previous verse speaks of punishing some of them—namely, the plotters who denied God. Since the verses are speaking about divine punishment, taken to account for what they have done refers to the accumulation of sins. A similar verse is: Were Allah to seize people for their wrongdoing, not a single creature would be left on earth ().
By its face (ẓahrihā, lit. “its back”) is meant the face of the earth which human beings live upon. The earth was previously mentioned [as the antecedent of the pronoun its] in the previous verse.
Creature (dābah) here refers to every person who walks upon the earth, whether they be male or female, old or young. Possibly, it may refer to every animal that creeps or crawls along the earth, not just the human, and refer to the destruction of animal life in general. This is because they have been created for the human being, as this verse indicates: He created for you everything that is on the earth ().
Some exegetes say that this is because of the evil portents of sinfulness. God says: Beware of a distress that does not only not seize those of you who do wrong (). This view is rejected because the evils of sinfulness should only afflict the wrongdoers. God says: None shall bear the burden of another (). However, the previous verse (that is, beware of a distress that does not only seize those of you who do wrong) indicates what has been explained before—namely, that there is a punishment to befall the wrongdoers specifically, not the masses in general. (Refer back to some of our previous explanations.)
However, He grants them respite until an appointed term: This refers to death, or the resurrection.
And when their term comes—Allah sees His servants: This means that all shall be requited for all they have done, for He sees them and knows their deeds. They are His servants; how could the creator be unaware of His creation, or a lord be unaware of the deeds of His servants?
From what came before, it is clear that Allah sees His servants is a construction in which the cause and effect are inverted; it means that they shall be requited.
Were Allah to take people to account for what they have done…: This verse is constructed as an answer to an implied question lingering from the previous verse. God warned the plotters and deniers among the polytheists about divine punishment, and cited evidence of what had happened to past peoples. He reminded them that He has full power over the heavens and the earth. It is as if He was saying: “And if nothing in the heavens or earth can escape His grasp, how could the rest of human beings be left alone to perpetrate the evils that they are committing? What will stop them from being destroyed for what they have done?” Then, it provides a response: “Were God to obliterate people for what they have done, just like He destroyed those previous plotters and beliers, not a single soul would be left on the face of the earth to creep about. However, God, the Exalted, has decreed that they should live upon the earth and grants them their lifespan when He said You have a place of rest on the earth and a livelihood, for a time (). So He does not take them to account; instead, he delays it until an appointed time, and that is death or the resurrection. So when their time comes, treat them according to what they have wrought; for He always saw what His servants did.”
Examining Narrations
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Abī Ḥātim relates via Sufyān from Abū Zakariyā al-Kūfi that a man related that the Prophet said:
Beware of evil schemes, for they only fall back on those who plot them, and God will be the one to enact vengeance upon them.
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, al-Qummī relates from his father from al-Nawfalī from al-Sakūnī from Jaʿfar [al-Ṣādiq] from his father [Imām al-Bāqir]:
The Messenger of God said, “God knew beforehand. The pen has dried, and fate has come to pass. Destiny has been fulfilled—through the actualization of the book and the messengers having been proven true; with felicity from God for whoever believed and was conscious of Him, and misery for those who denied and disbelieved; with nearness to [wilāyah] and protection from God, the Mighty and Glorious, for the believers, and with His disavowal of the polytheists.”
Then the Messenger of God said, “God, the Mighty and Glorious, says, ‘O son of Adam! My will enabled you to will things on your own. My desire enabled you to desire things on your own. My grace and blessings upon you empowered you to disobey Me. My power, protection, and security enabled you to fulfill the required acts. So I am more worthy of your good deeds than you, and you are more worthy of your sins than Me. Good comes from Me to you because of what I have gifted you, and evil comes from you to yourselves due to what you have committed, as a recompense. You came to obey Me because of My immense dominance over you, and you despaired of My mercy because of your ill hopes in Me. So Mine is the praise, and I have the argument over you by giving you clear proof. I am the one who has a way against you for your transgression, but you have a good reward with me for goodness. I did not abandon warning you and I do not take you to account at your times of ignorance’—and this is what God, the Mighty and Glorious, says: Were Allah to take people to account for what they have done, not a single creature would be left upright on its face (). ‘I do not charge you with that which is beyond your ability, and I do not hold you to account for any trust that you have not already confessed to. And I am pleased with you in My self about what you are pleased with in Me.’ Then He said: However, he grants them respite until an appointed term. And when their term comes—Allah sees His servants ().”