Fatir

Having stated that the ultimate destiny of the followers of Iblis will be the blazing Fire, Allah then tells us that for those who disbelieve there will be a severe punishment. This is because they obeyed the Shaytan and disobeyed Ar-Rahman. And He tells us that those who believed in Allah and His Messengers

(and do righteous good deeds, theirs will be forgiveness) meaning, from whatever sins they did,

and a great reward for the good deeds that they did. Then Allah says:

(Is he, then, to whom the evil of his deeds is made fairseeming, so that he considers it as good) meaning, `such as disbelievers or immoral persons who do evil deeds and believe that they are doing something good, i.e., a person who is like that has been misguided by Allah, so what can you do for him You cannot help him at all.'

(Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.) means according to His decree.

(So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them.) means, do not grieve about that, for Allah is Wise in His decree and He leaves astray whomsoever He leaves astray, and He guides whomsoever He guides, and in doing so He has perfect knowledge and wisdom. Allah says:

(Truly, Allah is the All-Knower of what they do!)

(9. And it is Allah Who sends the winds, so that they raise up the clouds, and We drive them to a dead land, and revive therewith the earth after its death. As such (will be) the Resurrection!) (10. Whosoever desires Al-`Izzah then to Allah belongs Al-`Izzah. To Him ascend the good words, and the righteous deeds exalt it, but those who plot evils, theirs will be a severe torment. And the plotting of such will perish.) (11. And Allah did create you from dust, then from Nutfah, then He made you pairs. And no female conceives or gives birth but with His knowledge. And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah.)

(And Allah did create you from dust, then from Nutfah,) means, He initiated the creation of your father Adam from dust, then He created his offspring from semen of worthless water.

then He made you pairs. means, male and female, as a kindness and a mercy from Him, He gave you partners from your own kind, that you may find repose in them.

(And no female conceives or gives birth but with His knowledge.) means, He knows about that and nothing is hidden from Him at all, but,

(not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.) (6:59) We have already discussed in this respect in the Ayah:

(Allah knows what every female bears, and by how much the wombs fall short or exceed. Everything with Him is in (due) proportion. All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Most Great, the Most High.) (13:8-9).

(And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book.) means, some of those sperm are granted a long life, which He knows and it is recorded with Him in the First Book.

nor is a part cut off from his life, Here the pronoun (his) refers to mankind in general, not to a specific person, because the long life which is recorded in the Book and is known by Allah will not be cut off. It was reported via Al- Awfi that Ibn Abbas said concerning the Ayah,

(And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah.) There is no one for whom Allah has decreed a long life but he will reach the age that has been decreed for him. When he reaches the time that has been decreed for him, he will not surpass it. And there is no one for whom Allah has decreed a short life but it will end when he reaches the age that has been decreed for him. Allah says:

(nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah.) He said, "That is recorded in a Book with Him.'' This was also the view of Ad-Dahhak bin Muzahim. On the other hand, some of them said, "The phrase

(And no aged man is granted a length of life) means, what He decrees for him of life, and

nor is a part cut off from his life means, his time is constantly decreasing. All of this is known to Allah year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day, hour after hour. Everything is written with Allah in His Book. This was reported by Ibn Jarir from Abu Malik, and was also the view of As-Suddi and Ata' Al-Khurasani. In the Tafsir of this Ayah, An-Nasa'i recorded that Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say:

(Whoever would like to have ample provision and a long life, let him uphold the ties of kinship.)'' It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud.

Surely, that is easy for Allah. means, that is very easy for Him, and He has detailed knowledge of all His creation, for His knowledge encompasses all things, and nothing at all is hidden from Him.

(12. And the two seas (kinds of water) are not alike: this is palatable, sweet and pleasant to drink, and that is salty and bitter. And from them both you eat fresh tender meat (fish), and derive the ornaments that you wear. And you see the ships cleaving, that you may seek of His bounty, and that you may give thanks.)

Allah says, pointing out His mighty power in creating different things, how He has created the two seas (kinds of water). The fresh, palatable sea (kind of water) refers to the rivers which flow among people, rivers great and small according to people's needs in all regions and areas and lands. This water is sweet and palatable for whoever wants to drink it.

and that is salty and bitter. means, unpalatable. This is the ocean in which the big ships sail, and is salty and undrinkable. Allah says:

(and that is salty and bittery.) Then Allah says:

(And from them both you eat fresh tender meat,) meaning, fish.

(and derive the ornaments that you wear.) This is like the Ayah:

(Out of them both come out pearl and coral. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both (Jinn and men) deny) (55:22-23).

And you see the ships cleaving, means, they travel through it, plowing through the water with their beak-shaped bows. Mujahid said, The wind drives the ships, and the wind cannot drive any ships except the big ones.

that you may seek of His bounty, means, through your journeys to engage in trade from one land to another.

and that you may give thanks. means, that you may give thanks to your Lord for subjugating this mighty creation -- the sea -- to you, so that you can travel through it as you wish and go wherever you want, and nothing stops you؛ His power has subjugated for you whatever is in the heavens and on earth, and all of this is by His grace and mercy.

(13. He merges the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah, your Lord; His is the kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a Qitmir.) (14. If you invoke them, they hear your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.)

Allah says, pointing out His mighty power in creating different things, how He has created the two seas (kinds of water). The fresh, palatable sea (kind of water) refers to the rivers which flow among people, rivers great and small according to people's needs in all regions and areas and lands. This water is sweet and palatable for whoever wants to drink it.

and that is salty and bitter. means, unpalatable. This is the ocean in which the big ships sail, and is salty and undrinkable. Allah says:

(and that is salty and bittery.) Then Allah says:

(And from them both you eat fresh tender meat,) meaning, fish.

(and derive the ornaments that you wear.) This is like the Ayah:

(Out of them both come out pearl and coral. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both (Jinn and men) deny) (55:22-23).

And you see the ships cleaving, means, they travel through it, plowing through the water with their beak-shaped bows. Mujahid said, The wind drives the ships, and the wind cannot drive any ships except the big ones.

that you may seek of His bounty, means, through your journeys to engage in trade from one land to another.

and that you may give thanks. means, that you may give thanks to your Lord for subjugating this mighty creation -- the sea -- to you, so that you can travel through it as you wish and go wherever you want, and nothing stops you؛ His power has subjugated for you whatever is in the heavens and on earth, and all of this is by His grace and mercy.

(13. He merges the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah, your Lord; His is the kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a Qitmir.) (14. If you invoke them, they hear your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.)

Another aspect of His perfect power and might is that He has subjugated the night with its darkness and the day with its light. He takes from the length of the one and adds it to the shortness of the other, until they become equal. Then He takes from the latter and adds to the former, so one becomes long and the other becomes short, so they take from one another in summer and in winter.

(And He has subjected the sun and the moon,) and the stars and planets, with their light. All of them run in their appointed courses and in the manner prescribed for them, as decreed by the Almighty, All-Knowing.

each runs its course for a term appointed. means, until the Day of Resurrection.

Such is Allah, your Lord? means, the One Who has done all this is the Almighty Lord besides Whom there is no other true God.

(And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him,) means, `the idols and false gods whom you claim to be in the form of angels who are close to Allah,'

own not even a Qitmir. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ata' , 'Atiyah Al- Awfi, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said, This is the thread that is attached to the pit of a date. In other words, they do not possess anything in the heavens or on earth, not even anything equivalent to this Qitmir. Then Allah says:

(If you invoke them, they hear not your call;) means, `the gods upon whom you call instead of Allah, do not hear your supplication, because they are inanimate and have no soul in them.'

(and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it to you.) means, `they are not able to do any of the things that you ask them for.'

And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them means, `they will disown you.' This is like the Ayat:

(And who is more astray than one who calls on besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls to them And when mankind are gathered, they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) (46:5-6), and

(And they have taken gods besides Allah, that they might give them honor, power and glory. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.) (19:81-82)

(And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.) means, no one can tell you about the consequences of things and how they will end like the One Who is the All-Knower of them. Qatadah said, "He is referring to Himself, may He be blessed and exalted, for He undoubtedly tells the truth.''

(15. O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise.) (16. If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.) (17. And that is not hard for Allah.) (18. And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden; and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin. You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah. And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of himself. And to Allah is the Return (of all).)

Another aspect of His perfect power and might is that He has subjugated the night with its darkness and the day with its light. He takes from the length of the one and adds it to the shortness of the other, until they become equal. Then He takes from the latter and adds to the former, so one becomes long and the other becomes short, so they take from one another in summer and in winter.

(And He has subjected the sun and the moon,) and the stars and planets, with their light. All of them run in their appointed courses and in the manner prescribed for them, as decreed by the Almighty, All-Knowing.

each runs its course for a term appointed. means, until the Day of Resurrection.

Such is Allah, your Lord? means, the One Who has done all this is the Almighty Lord besides Whom there is no other true God.

(And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him,) means, `the idols and false gods whom you claim to be in the form of angels who are close to Allah,'

own not even a Qitmir. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ata' , 'Atiyah Al- Awfi, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said, This is the thread that is attached to the pit of a date. In other words, they do not possess anything in the heavens or on earth, not even anything equivalent to this Qitmir. Then Allah says:

(If you invoke them, they hear not your call;) means, `the gods upon whom you call instead of Allah, do not hear your supplication, because they are inanimate and have no soul in them.'

(and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it to you.) means, `they are not able to do any of the things that you ask them for.'

And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them means, `they will disown you.' This is like the Ayat:

(And who is more astray than one who calls on besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls to them And when mankind are gathered, they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) (46:5-6), and

(And they have taken gods besides Allah, that they might give them honor, power and glory. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.) (19:81-82)

(And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.) means, no one can tell you about the consequences of things and how they will end like the One Who is the All-Knower of them. Qatadah said, "He is referring to Himself, may He be blessed and exalted, for He undoubtedly tells the truth.''

(15. O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise.) (16. If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.) (17. And that is not hard for Allah.) (18. And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden; and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin. You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah. And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of himself. And to Allah is the Return (of all).)

Another aspect of His perfect power and might is that He has subjugated the night with its darkness and the day with its light. He takes from the length of the one and adds it to the shortness of the other, until they become equal. Then He takes from the latter and adds to the former, so one becomes long and the other becomes short, so they take from one another in summer and in winter.

(And He has subjected the sun and the moon,) and the stars and planets, with their light. All of them run in their appointed courses and in the manner prescribed for them, as decreed by the Almighty, All-Knowing.

each runs its course for a term appointed. means, until the Day of Resurrection.

Such is Allah, your Lord? means, the One Who has done all this is the Almighty Lord besides Whom there is no other true God.

(And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him,) means, `the idols and false gods whom you claim to be in the form of angels who are close to Allah,'

own not even a Qitmir. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ata' , 'Atiyah Al- Awfi, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said, This is the thread that is attached to the pit of a date. In other words, they do not possess anything in the heavens or on earth, not even anything equivalent to this Qitmir. Then Allah says:

(If you invoke them, they hear not your call;) means, `the gods upon whom you call instead of Allah, do not hear your supplication, because they are inanimate and have no soul in them.'

(and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it to you.) means, `they are not able to do any of the things that you ask them for.'

And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them means, `they will disown you.' This is like the Ayat:

(And who is more astray than one who calls on besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls to them And when mankind are gathered, they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) (46:5-6), and

(And they have taken gods besides Allah, that they might give them honor, power and glory. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.) (19:81-82)

(And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.) means, no one can tell you about the consequences of things and how they will end like the One Who is the All-Knower of them. Qatadah said, "He is referring to Himself, may He be blessed and exalted, for He undoubtedly tells the truth.''

(15. O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise.) (16. If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.) (17. And that is not hard for Allah.) (18. And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden; and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin. You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah. And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of himself. And to Allah is the Return (of all).)

Another aspect of His perfect power and might is that He has subjugated the night with its darkness and the day with its light. He takes from the length of the one and adds it to the shortness of the other, until they become equal. Then He takes from the latter and adds to the former, so one becomes long and the other becomes short, so they take from one another in summer and in winter.

(And He has subjected the sun and the moon,) and the stars and planets, with their light. All of them run in their appointed courses and in the manner prescribed for them, as decreed by the Almighty, All-Knowing.

each runs its course for a term appointed. means, until the Day of Resurrection.

Such is Allah, your Lord? means, the One Who has done all this is the Almighty Lord besides Whom there is no other true God.

(And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him,) means, `the idols and false gods whom you claim to be in the form of angels who are close to Allah,'

own not even a Qitmir. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ata' , 'Atiyah Al- Awfi, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said, This is the thread that is attached to the pit of a date. In other words, they do not possess anything in the heavens or on earth, not even anything equivalent to this Qitmir. Then Allah says:

(If you invoke them, they hear not your call;) means, `the gods upon whom you call instead of Allah, do not hear your supplication, because they are inanimate and have no soul in them.'

(and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it to you.) means, `they are not able to do any of the things that you ask them for.'

And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them means, `they will disown you.' This is like the Ayat:

(And who is more astray than one who calls on besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls to them And when mankind are gathered, they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) (46:5-6), and

(And they have taken gods besides Allah, that they might give them honor, power and glory. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.) (19:81-82)

(And none can inform you like Him Who is the All-Knower.) means, no one can tell you about the consequences of things and how they will end like the One Who is the All-Knower of them. Qatadah said, "He is referring to Himself, may He be blessed and exalted, for He undoubtedly tells the truth.''

(15. O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise.) (16. If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.) (17. And that is not hard for Allah.) (18. And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden; and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin. You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah. And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of himself. And to Allah is the Return (of all).)

Allah tells us that He has no need of anyone or anything else, but all of creation is in need of Him and is in a position of humility before Him. He says:

(O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah.) meaning, they need Him in all that they do, but He has no need of them at all. Allah says:

But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise. meaning, He is unique in His being Free of all needs, and has no partner or associate, and He is Worthy of all praise in all that He does, says, decrees and legislates.

(If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.) means, if He wanted to, He could destroy you and bring forth another people, and this is not difficult or impossible for Him. He says:

(And that is not hard for Allah.) Allah's saying:

(And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden;) means, on the Day of Resurrection.

(and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, ) means, if the person who is carrying a heavy burden calls someone else to help him carry his load, all or part of it,

(nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin.) means, even if he is closely-related to him, even if he is his father or son, for each person will be preoccupied with his own self and his own situation. Then Allah says:

(You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah.) means, `the only ones who will draw a lesson from what you have brought are those who are possessed of insight and wisdom, who fear their Lord and who do as He commands.'

(And he who purifies himself, then he purifies only for the benefit of himself.) means, who does righteous deeds, the benefit of that will come back to him,

And to Allah is the Return. means, to Him everything will ultimately return, and He is swift in bringing to account. He will reward or punish everyone according to his deeds: if they are good, then the end will be good, and if they are bad, then the end will be bad.

(19. Not alike are the blind and the seeing.) (20. Nor are (depths of) darkness and light.) (21. Nor are the shade and the sun's heat.) (22. Nor are the living and the dead. Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.) (23. You are only a warner.) (24. Verily, We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.) (25. And if they deny you, those before them also denied. Their Messengers came to them with clear signs, and with the Scriptures, and with the Book giving light.) (26. Then I took hold of those who disbelieved, and how terrible was My denial!)

Allah tells us that He has no need of anyone or anything else, but all of creation is in need of Him and is in a position of humility before Him. He says:

(O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah.) meaning, they need Him in all that they do, but He has no need of them at all. Allah says:

But Allah is the Rich, Worthy of all praise. meaning, He is unique in His being Free of all needs, and has no partner or associate, and He is Worthy of all praise in all that He does, says, decrees and legislates.

(If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.) means, if He wanted to, He could destroy you and bring forth another people, and this is not difficult or impossible for Him. He says:

(And that is not hard for Allah.) Allah's saying:

(And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden;) means, on the Day of Resurrection.

(and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, ) means, if the person who is carrying a heavy burden calls someone else to help him carry his load, all or part of it,

(nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin.) means, even if he is closely-related to him, even if he is his father or son, for each person will be preoccupied with his own self and his own situation. Then Allah says:

(You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah.) means, `the only ones who will draw a lesson from what you have brought are those who are possessed of insight and wisdom, who fear their Lord and who do as He commands.'

(And he who purifies himself, then he purifies only for the benefit of himself.) means, who does righteous deeds, the benefit of that will come back to him,

And to Allah is the Return. means, to Him everything will ultimately return, and He is swift in bringing to account. He will reward or punish everyone according to his deeds: if they are good, then the end will be good, and if they are bad, then the end will be bad.

(19. Not alike are the blind and the seeing.) (20. Nor are (depths of) darkness and light.) (21. Nor are the shade and the sun's heat.) (22. Nor are the living and the dead. Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.) (23. You are only a warner.) (24. Verily, We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.) (25. And if they deny you, those before them also denied. Their Messengers came to them with clear signs, and with the Scriptures, and with the Book giving light.) (26. Then I took hold of those who disbelieved, and how terrible was My denial!)