In The Name of Allah,
the Beneficent and the Most Merciful
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Volume 4: Surah Baqarah, Verse
255
ALLAH is He besides Whom there is no
god, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber
does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is the heavens and whatever is
in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His
Permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they
cannot comprehend anything of His Knowledge except what He pleases; His
Chair (Knowledge) extends over the heavens and the
earth; and the preservation of them both tires Him not; and He is the Most
High, the Great (255).
COMMENTARY
QUR’AN: Allah is He besides Whom there is no
god, the Everliving, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist:
In the chapter of the Opening,
some explanation was given of the name, “Allah”, and it was mentioned that
it ultimately means “The Being Who concentrates in Himself all the attributes of perfection"; it makes
no difference whether it is derived from alaha 'r-rajul (the man
was bewildered; yearned for) or from alaha (= worshipped).
"He besides Whom there is no god": It has been explained under verse
2:163. Its literal translation is, "there is no god except He". It shows
that other deities worshipped besides Allah, in fact have no existence at
all.
"Ever-living": "al-hayy" is on
a paradigm which denotes perpetuity; the word, therefore, means not only
living but Ever-living. Man, in the very beginning, found out that there
were two kinds of things around him: first, those things whose condition
do not change as long as they exist, like stones and other such materials;
second, those which go on changing, like trees, animals and man himself.
He also found that after sometimes such things start to deteriorate, and
even lose consciousness; still they exist: until at a certain point when
their existence come to an end. Thus he realized that there was something
else, besides the senses, which keeps one alive and which is the source of
all the senses and their perceptions. He called it "life", and its absence
was named "death". It is life which is the source of knowledge
(perception) and power.
Allah has mentioned this life in many places as
an accepted fact: Know that Allah
gives life to the earth after its death (29:17); And among His
signs is this, that you see the earth still, but when We send down on it
the water, it stirs and swells; most surely He who gives it life is the
Giver of life to the dead (41:39); Neither are the living and the
dead alike (35:22); We have made of water every thing living
(21:30). These verses describe all three kinds of
living things, the vegetable, the animal and the human
being.
Likewise, Allah describes various types of life;
. . . and are pleased with the
world's life and are content with it . . . (10:7);
They shall say: "Our Lord! twice
didst Thou make us subject to death and twice hast Thou given us life. . .
" (40:11), The two lives referred to in
this verse are the life of
al-barzakh = the period after death in this world
and before the Day of Resurrection) and the life on the Day of Resurrection.
Thus, there
are various types of life, as there are various types of living
things.
Although Allah mentions the life
of this world as an accepted fact, in various other verses of the Qur'an
He describes it as an unsound, imperfect and insignificant thing, as He
says: . . . this world's life
is nothing compared with hereafter but (only a) means (13:26); . . .
coveting the (transitory) goods of this world's life . . . (4:94); . .
. desiring the adornments of this world's life . . . (18:28) ; And this world's life is naught but a play
and an idle sport . . . (6:32); . . .
and this world's life is naught
but means of deception (57:20). So these are the attributes used for this world's life. It
is a means, and a means is sought to obtain an end and to reach a goal, it
is not an end in itself. It is a transitory thing, and transitory things
go away soon. It is an adornment, and an adornment is used to attract eyes
towards the things adorned: in other words, what catches the eyes is not
the real thing, and the real thing does not attract the eyes. It is a
play, and a play keeps you oblivious of the really important
responsibilities. It is a vain sport, and a vain sport is indulged in for
imaginary, not real, reasons. And it is a means of deception, and such a
thing deceives man.
A comprehensive verse, which
also explains the abovementioned ones, is the
following:
And this life of the world is nothing but a
sport and a play; and as for the next abode, the most surely is the life -
did they but know! (29:64).
The life of this world, in
comparison to the life hereafter is not a real life, as the
above-mentioned verse shows. It is transitory, while the life hereafter is
the real life, because that life will not end; death will not reach it.
Allah says: . . . in
security; they shall not taste therein death except the first death
(44:55-56); They shall have therein what they wish and with Us
is more yet (50:35).
Thus, there will be no death in
the life hereafter, and there shall be no deficiency in that life nor
there shall be any annoyance for them. But the first factor, that is,
security is the basic characteristic of that real life.
The life hereafter, therefore, is the real life
because there is no death in it; and, as Allah Himself has declared in
many other verses, it is He Who controls it. Obviously, the life hereafter
is also dependent and not independent. It has not got this characteristic
of eternity by itself; it is a gift given to it by God.
Going a step further, it will be realized that
the real life is only that which 'cannot' be overtaken by death. The life
hereafter 'will not' be overtaken by death; but it 'can' be
overtaken, if God so pleases. Therefore, that also is not "real" life.
Real life is that in which non-existence at any stage is impossible; which
is essential being; in other words, where life is not acquired by the
person, but the person is life itself and life is the person himself.
Allah says: and rely on the
Ever-living Who dies not (25:58). Thus, the only
real life is Divine Life, Essential Being.
The above discourse shows that the exclusiveness
in the verse: He is the Living,
there is no god but He (40:65) is real, not
relative: In reality, He is the only Living One, because real life,
unconquered by death or deterioration, is His alone.
In the verse under discussion, as in a similar
verse: Allah there is no god but
He, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting . . . (3:2),
the word "Allah" is the subject, "there is no god
but He" is its first predicate, "the Ever-living" is the second and "the
Self-subsisting . . ." the third predicate. Accordingly, the meaning would
be "Allah is the Ever-living. . ." ; and life would be reserved for Allah
only; others would get life only when He bestows it on
them.
"al-Qayyum"
(the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist) is on
the paradigm of fay 'ul from the verb al-qiyam to stand); as is
al-qayyam on the paradigm of fay'al,
in the same meaning. It is a paradigm which is used to
show the maximum degree of a quality. The original meaning of the verb (to
stand) has, by association, been extended and now it is used for
protecting a thing, accomplishing a task and managing it, bringing up
a thing, looking after it and having power over it. Allah clearly said
that He "stands" with the affairs of His creation, that is, watches it,
looks after it and brings it up and has all power over it. He says:
Is it He then
who
stands over (i.e., watches) event soul
as to what it earns? (13:33). Another verse is
more comprehensive: Allah bears witness that there is no god but He
(and so do the angels and those possessed of knowledge), standing
with (maintaining) justice, there is no god but He, the Mighty, the
Wise (3:18). He maintains His creation with justice. He does
not give and does not withhold but with justice - and existence is nothing
except giving and withholding. He gives to everything what it deserves.
Lastly, He declares that this maintaining with justice is according to His
two great names, the Mighty, the Wise: by His Might He maintains every
thing; and by His Wisdom He does justice to it.
Allah is the origin of every
thing. Existence as well as all attributes, qualities and the effects of
every thing begin from Him. All other "origins" originates from Him. He
stands over every thing in the real and comprehensive sense of "standing",
as explained above. There is no weakness or flaw in His "standing": and
other things cannot stand except by Him. This attribute is reserved for
Him in both ways: "Standing" cannot be found except in Allah, and Allah is
never anything but standing. The former is understood by the syntax of the
sentence: Allah is the "Standing". The latter is understood by the next
sentence: "Slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep".
This discourse leads us to
believe that the name al-qayyum
(The
Standing) is the basis for all the divine names which refer to His
attributes of action in any way, like the Creator, the Sustainer. the
Originator, the Resurrector, the Bestowal of life, the Giver of death, the
Forgiver, the Compassionate, the Affectionate and so on.
QUR'AN: Slumber does not overtake Him
nor sleep:
"as-Sinah" means drowsiness,
"an-nawm" is sleep, the inert condition in which the muscles are relaxed and
the consciousness suppressed by natural factors in the body of an animal
or a human being. "ar-Ru'ya"
(dream)
is something else; it is the vision which passes through the mind in
sleep.
A criticism has been leveled
against this sentence that is contrary to the sequence demanded by
rhetoric: when two things are thus mentioned in an affirmative sentence
the weaker point is mentioned first and then one progress to the stronger
one; for example, we say, "Zayd can carry a load of fifty
kilogram, even a hundred." But in a negative sentence the sequence is
reversed: it goes from stronger to weaker point: for example, "he cannot
carry a load of a hundred kilogram, let alone fifty "he does not spend
hundreds of pounds on himself, let alone tens.'' According to this rule,
as the sentence here is negative, it should have been written thus: "Sleep
does not overtake Him nor slumber".
REPLY: The sequence does not always
follow the affirmativeness or negativeness of the sentence. Look, for
example. as the sentence, "he is too weak to carry a load of twenty
kilogram or even ten." It is an affirmative sentence, and still the
stronger point comes first. It would he against the norms of rhetoric, if
the weaker point, that is. 10 kilogram were mentioned first. In fact. the
only correct procedure is to look at the context and see what it demands.
Now, look at this Qur'anic sentence. Sleep is more contrary to the
attribute of "Standing" in comparison to
slumber. Therefore, eloquence demanded that, first, slumber he denied, and
then the stronger point, sleep, be negated. The meaning, thus will be: The
weaker factor (slumber) has no effect on His power and standing, nor does
even the stronger one (sleep).
QUR'AN : Whatever is in the heavens
and whatever is in the earth is His, who is he that can intercede
with Him but by His Permission?
The perfect and comprehensive
"Standing" of Allah means that He owns, in real ownership, the heavens and
the earth and what is in them. That is why His attribute of "Standing" is
followed here by a declaration of that ownership. It was for the same
reason that the attribute of "Standing" was joined with the declaration of
His Oneness: His Oneness would not be complete if He were not
"Standing".
There are two sentences here,
both of which are followed by other sentences to remove chances of
misunderstandings. The sentence. "whatever is in the heavens and whatever
is in the earth is His", is followed by the sentence, "who is he that can
intercede with Him but by His permission?" And the next sentence, "He
knows what is before them and what is behind them", is followed by the
words, "and they cannot comprehend anything of His Knowledge except what
He pleases."
"Whatever is in the heavens and
whatever is in the earth is His": Allah owns everything, and has authority
over them all. Things and all their attributes, properties and traits
exist because of God and by Him. The verse, from the word "the
Self-subsisting" up to this sentence, proves that the total authority is
Allah's alone. There is no work connected with anything, right from its
existence up to its ultimate end, that is not done by Him and does not
proceed from Him.
On realizing this eternal truth,
one might wonder about the system of "cause-and-effect" prevalent in this
world. What is the significance of these causes? How could they have any
influence on any effect when nothing has any effect or power except
Allah?
The sentence, "who is he that
can intercede with Him but by His permission?" answers this speculation.
These causes are intermediaries in such affairs. In other words, they are
intercessors who cause the bringing of a thing or effect into being, by
the permission of Allah. Intercession means being an intermediary in
bringing about a good or averting an evil. There is no doubt that an
intercessor has some influence on the affairs of the thing for which he
intercedes. Such influence could be contrary to the complete authority and
total sovereignty of Allah, had it not been based on the permission of
Allah Himself. But every cause draws its effectiveness only from the
decree of Allah Himself. There is no cause and no instrument which is
independent of the will of Allah. Every cause is a cause, because Allah
has made it so. Therefore, whatever effect and influence it has on
anything is in fact done by Allah. Ultimately, there is no authority
except that of Allah, and no "standing" except His.
As already explained,
intercession means being an intermediary in the world of cause and effect
- it may be a creative intercession, that is, being an intermediary cause
of creation; or a legislative intercession, that is, interceding in the
award of recompense on the Day of Judgment, as is clearly mentioned in the
Qur'an and sunnah
(as was
described in the commentary on verse 2:48). The sentence, "who is he that
can intercede with Him . . ." is preceded by a description of His
"Standing"
and total authority; these two attributes cover His
power and authority in both creation and legislation. Therefore, the
intercession mentioned in this sentence must cover both creative and
legislative intercessions.
The context of this verse, so far as intercession is
concerned, is like the following verses: Surely your Lord is Allah Who
created the heavens and the earth in six periods, and He is firmly
established on the 'Arsh (Throne) regulating the affair; there is no intercessor except after His
permission; this is Allah, your Lord; therefore worship Him; will you not
then ponder? (10:3); Allah is He Who created the heavens and the
earth and what is between them in six periods, and He is firmly
established on the 'Arsh (Throne); you have not besides Him any
guardian or any intercessor; will you not then ponder? (32:4).
It was described in the topic
of intercession that it includes creative causation as well as legislative
intercession. Every cause intercedes with Allah for its effect, and
becomes a medium for bestowing the grace of existence on it, by adhering
to the divine attributes of grace and mercy. The system of
"cause-and-effect" is found in intercession as well as in prayer and
invocation. Allah says: All those who are in the heavens and the earth do beseech Him;
every day He is in a (new)
splendor
(55:29);
And He gave you of all that you ask Him (14:34).
This aspect has been described in
the commentary on verse 2:186.
QUR'AN: He knows what is before them and
what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His
knowledge except what He pleases:
The sentence comes after the topic of intercession,
and in its context it is like the following verses: Nay! They are honored servants;
they do not precede Him in speech and (only) according to His commandment do they act. He knows what is before
them and what is behind them, and they do not intercede except for him
whom He approves, and for fear of Him they tremble (21:26-28).
Apparently, the pronouns of the third person plural in
the verse under discussion refer to the intercessors, who are implied in
the preceding sentence. To say that "He knows what is before them and what
is behind them" is to say that He encompasses them completely. He has given
them permission to intercede: but it does not mean that they can do
anything without His prior permission. Nor may others take undue advantage
of that intercession.
The following two verses throw
light on the same subject: And we do not come down but by the command
of your Lord; His is whatever is before us and whatever is behind us and
whatever is between these, and your Lord is not forgetful
(19:64); The Knower of the unseen! So He does not reveal His secret to any,
except to him whom He chooses of an apostle; for surely He makes a guard
to march before him and after him, so that He may know that they have
indeed delivered the messages of their Lord, and He encompasses what is
with them and He takes account of every thing (72:26-28). These two verses
show that Allah encompasses the angels and the prophets, so that they
cannot do anything without His permission; they cannot descend unless
bidden to do so, and cannot deliver except what He wishes them to deliver.
It may be inferred that "what is before them" refers to what is seen by
them; and "what is behind them" to what is not seen by them and is far
away from them. In other words, the two phrases refer to the seen and the
unseen. In short, the sentence says that Allah knows very well what is
present with them and what is yet to come to them; and then the talk is
completed by the words, "and they cannot comprehend any thing out of His
knowledge except what He pleases". He knows them and encompasses what they
know, but they cannot comprehend His knowledge except what He
pleases.
We have proved that the
intercessor, in this verse, means both creative causes and legislative
interceders. The pronouns used in three places in this verse are those of
the third person plural, masculine gender, normally used for rational
beings. Someone might think that these pronouns could not be used for
creative causes (as these causes are not "people" or rational beings). It
is not so. Intercession, interceding, glorifying the Creator and offering
thanks to Him are normally the acts of rational beings; and for this
reason the Qur'an mostly uses such pronouns even for inert or lifeless
things, when it declares them
to perform such deeds. Allah says:. . .
and there is not
a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not
understand their glorification (17:44); Then He directed Himself to the
heaven and it was vapor, so He said to it and to the earth; Come both
willing or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly
(41:11). In both verses the
pronouns of rational beings have been used for "everything" and for the
heaven and the earth. There are many similar verses.
The sentence, "and they cannot comprehend anything out of His
knowledge except what He pleases", shows total authority and perfect
management. Perfect management demands that the subordinate should not
know what is to happen next; otherwise, he might try to wriggle out of a
forthcoming unpleasant situation, and the plan of the manager might be put
in disorder. It is easy to see in the light of the above discussion the
import of this sentence: it wants to show that the management of all
affairs is in the hands of Allah only, and it is done by His knowledge and
by His control of the intermediary causes which He Himself has created. So
far as these intermediary causes are concerned (and especially those with
life and intellect), their effectiveness and their knowledge is derived
from His knowledge, will and pleasure - and ultimately is a reflection of
divine knowledge and power. And none of them can proceed against the will
and decree of Allah in any way.
The sentence, moreover, shows that knowledge (not "the thing
known") is of Allah only. No creature has any knowledge except what Allah
is pleased to bestow upon him. It is the same as when Allah has said that
power, honor and life belongs to Him only. For example: ... and 0 that those who are unjust could see, when they see the
chastisement, that the power is wholly Allah's, and that Allah is severe
in requiting (evil)
(2:165); Do they seek honor from them? Then
surely all honor is for Allah (4:139); He is the Living, there is no god but He (40:65). The following verses
also may be brought as evidence that knowledge belongs to Allah only:
surely He
is the Knowing, the Wise (12:83) ; and Allah knows while you do not
know (3:66). There are many other verses of the same
meaning.
The verb of knowledge in the preceding sentence
has been changed to the verb of comprehension here and it has raised the
verse to a very high plane of eloquence.
QUR'AN: His Chair (knowledge)
extends over the heavens and the
earth:
"al-Kursi" means chair. Metaphorically it sometimes is used for kingdom; thus
the chair of king means the sphere of his authority and the region under
his sovereignty.
The preceding sentences show that the whole universe
belongs to Allah and is encompassed by His knowledge. This sentence also
says that His "Chair" extends over the whole universe. It is reasonable to
believe that the extension of the "Chair" refers to all-encompassing
divine authority. The "Chair", thus, would mean the divine position by
which the heavens and the earth are maintained, possessed, managed and
known. Ultimately, the "Chair" would be a degree of divine knowledge. And
extension of the chair would mean maintenance and preservation of
everything that is in the heavens and in the earth, with all its
characteristics; and that is why the sentence is followed by the words,
"and the preservation of them both tires Him not."
QUR'AN: "and the preservation of them both tires Him not,
and He is the Most High, the Great":
"al-Awd" means to tire, to weigh down, to depress. Although,
the objective pronoun after the verb "tires" is generally taken to refer
to "Allah" (as is seen in the translation), equally correctly it may be
taken to refer to the "Chair" and then it would be translated as "tires it
not". The declaration at the end of the verse that 'the preservation of
the heavens and the earth tires Him not' is befitting to its beginning:
"Slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep".
This verse, in short, says that there is no god
except Allah, for Him is Life and to Him belongs the attribute of
al-qayyumiyyah (Standing, Self-subsisting by
Whom all subsist), in its unrestricted sense without any weakness or
defect. That is why the verse ends on the words, "and He is Most High, the
Great". He is Most High: the hands of creatures cannot reach Him and can
in no way weaker His authority or enfeeble His being. He is Great: the
great number of the creatures does not overwhelm Him, and the magnitude of
the heavens and the earths does not tire Him.
This sentence also shows that eminence and greatness
in their true sense are for Allah only. This restriction is real, because
eminence and greatness are parts of perfection, and every perfection
in its real sense is found in Allah only. Also, the restriction may have
been used to strengthen the claim that the eminence and greatness are
reserved for Allah only - the heavens and the earth are insignificant
before His majesty and greatness.
TRADITIONS
al-'Ayyashi narrates in his at-Tafsir from as-Sadiq (a.s.) "Abu Dhaka
said: 'O Messenger of Allah! What is the best of that which has been
revealed to you?' He said: 'The verse of the "Chair". The seven heavens
and the seven earths in the "Chair" are but like a ring thrown in a vast
open space.' Then he said: 'And surely the excellence of al-'Arsh
(the Throne) over the chair is like that of the open space over the
ring.' "
The author says: as-Suyuti has quoted the first part of this tradition in
ad-Durru 'l-manthur from
Ibn Rahwayh (in his al-Musnad) who has narrated it from 'Awf ibn Malik from Abu Dhaka; and also he
has quoted Ahmad, Ibnu 'd-Daris and al-Hakim (who said that it is correct)
and al-Bayhaqi (in his Shu'abu'l-'iman) who have narrated it from
Abu Dharr.
Ahmad and at-Tabarani have narrated from Abu
Amamah who said: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Which (verse) revealed to
you is the greatest?' He said: 'Allah is He besides Whom there is no god,
the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; the verse
of the Chair.' " (ad-Durru
'l-manthur)
The author says: as-Suyuti has also narrated the same thing through al-Khatib
al-Baghdadi (in his Tarikh) from Anas from the Prophet.
In the same book he quotes ad-Darimi who has narrated
from Ayfa' ibn 'Abdullah al-Kala'i that he said: "A man said: 'O Messenger
of Allah! Which verse in the Book of Allah is the greatest?' He said: 'The verse
of the Chair; Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the
Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist ... . '
"
The author says:
This
verse was named "the verse of the Chair" in the early period of Islam
during the lifetime of the Prophet; and was thus described by the Prophet
himself as the traditions quoted from him and the Imams of
Ahlu
'l-bayt and the companions prove. That this verse was given a special name
shows how much importance was attached to it. It could only be because of
the highest nobility of its meaning and the elegance and grace of its
style. It establishes the pristine belief of the Oneness of God
(Allah
is He besides Whom there is no god), and then goes on to the
attribute of "standing" which is the foundation of all His names which
describe His attributes of action. Then it gives details of those
attributes in all small and big things and affairs of the universe,
showing that whatever emanates from His authority is a part of that
authority. It is because of these fine points that the traditions have
called it "the greatest verse of the Qur'an". It deals in detail with
various aspects of monotheism and divine authority. Of course, there are
some other verses which deal with this subject, for example;
Allah is
He besides Whom there is no god; His are the very best names
(20:8). But it lacks the details which
have been given in this verse of the Chair. It is for this reason that
some traditions have said that the verse of the Chair is the chief of all
the verses of the Qur'an. See for the proof the tradition narrated in
ad-Durru
'I-manthur from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet. Some other traditions say:
Every thing has a summit, and the summit of the Qur'an is the verse of the
Chair. It has been narrated in at-Tafsir
of
al-'Ayyashi from 'Abdullah ibn Sinan from as-Sadiq
(a.s.).
at-Tusi has narrated in his
al-Amali, through his chains from Abu
Amamah al-Bahili that he heard 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) say: "I do not
think that a man who enters into Islam on attaining wisdom, or was born in
Islam (i.e., in a Muslim family) should pass a night's darkness . . . "
(At this juncture Abu Amamah interrupted by asking, "and what is the
meaning of a night's darkness?" 'Ali [a.s.] said: "the whole night") "until he recites
this verse: Allah is He besides
Whom there is no god. . . "; and he recited the
complete verse up to the end: and
the preservation of them both tires Him not; and He is the Most High, the
Great. Then he said: "If you but knew what it is
(or, as another version says, "what is in it") you would not leave it on
any condition. Surely, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said, 'I have
been given the verse of the Chair from the treasure (that is) below
al-'Arsh (the Throne) ; and no prophet before me was given it."' Then 'Ali
(a.s.) continued: "I have not spent a single night, since I heard it from
the Messenger of Allah, without reciting it . . ."
The author says:
This has been narrated in ad-Durru 'Imanthur quoting 'Ubayd, Ibn Abi Shaybah, ad-Darimi, Muhammad ibn Nasr, Ibnu
'd-Darts and ad-Daylami, all from 'Ali (a.s.). There is a multitude of
traditions, from both Sunni and Shiite sources, about the excellence of
this verse. The tradition of the Prophet quoted in this tradition ("I have
been given the verse of the Chair from below the Throne") has been
narrated in adDurru
'l-manthur on the authority of al-Bukhari (in his
at-Tarikh) and Ibnu 'd-Daris from the Prophet. It may be inferred from it that
the Chair is below al- Arsh
and is encompassed by it. We shall describe it
later.
Zurarah said: "I asked Abu 'Abdillah (a.s.)
about the words of Allah: His
Chair extends over the heavens and the earth - whether the heavens and the earth encompass the Chair or the Chair
extends over the heavens and the earth? He said: 'Verily, every thing is
in the Chair.' " (al-Kafi)
The author says: In many traditions the same
point has been emphasized in reply to similar questions. This question
looks strange, because nobody has ever recited the verse in a way which
could justify such confusion. Apparently, the questions were based not on
the recital of the Qur'an but on the common understanding that the Chair
was a particular body kept over the heavens or over the seventh heaven
(i.e. above the material world), and from there the affairs of the
material world were managed. That being the picture of the Chair in their
minds, it was reasonable to suppose that the heavens and the earth
encompassed the Chair because it
was placed over the heavens as a wooden or iron chair is placed over a
floor. And with this background it would seem more appropriate to say that
the heavens and the earth encompassed the Chair. And that gave rise to the
question as to why Allah, instead, said: "His Chair extends over the
heavens and the earth?" A question of the same type was asked about the
Arsh and
the reply was given that the extension (or encompassing) was not as a
material thing encompasses another material thing.
Hafs ibn al-Ghiyath said: "I asked Abu 'Abdillah
(a.s.) about the words of Allah: His Chair extends over the heavens
and the earth. He said:
'His knowledge.' " (Ma'ani
'l-akhbar)
There is another tradition in the same book from the
same Imam about this verse which says: "The heavens and the earth and
whatever is between them is in the Chair, and the Throne is that knowledge
which no one can measure."
The author says: These two traditions show that the Chair is one of the
levels of the knowledge of Allah. Many other traditions supports this
interpretation.
As will be explained later, there exists a level
of knowledge which is not limited or measured. In other words, there is a
world, on a higher plane than ours, whose constituents are not bound by
material dimensions. They exist and at the same time are known to Allah.
And that knowledge also is unlimited. God willing, we shall describe it in
detail when commenting on the verse 10:61: . . . and there does not lie concealed from your Lord
the weight of an atom in the earth or in the heaven, nor any thing than
that nor greater, but it is in a clear book. This
boundless knowledge has been referred to in the tradition of the Imam in
these words, "and the Arsh is
that knowledge which no one can measure." The
import of the tradition is not to show the great number of the known
things, because number is not unlimited and anything which is created is
finite. What the tradition wants to say is that the limitations and
restrictions of this material world are not found in that world.
Existence, on that level, is perfect and the conditions, dimensions and
distinctions of this material world are not found there. It is as Allah
says: And there is not a thing but
with Us are the treasures of it, and We do not send it
down but in a known measure (15:21).
When those existing things are known by
unlimited knowledge, that is, when they exist without any limitation
attached to them, that knowledge is called al-Arsh
(The Throne); and when they exist in the world of
limitations and known with those limitations, that knowledge is called
al-Kursi (The Chair).
At this stage we may probably say that the words, "He
knows what is before them and what is behind them" allude to this plane of
knowledge. What is before them (i.e. the future) and what is behind them
(i.e. the past) is not what is with them (i.e. the present). It refers to
a plane where past, present, and future loose their limitations of time,
and are all equally present.
Hannan said: "I asked Abu 'Abdillah (a.s.) about
the Throne and the Chair. He replied: 'Verily, the Throne has many diverse
attributes. Allah uses in the Qur'an various adjectives to describe its
various aspects. He says: the Lord of the great Throne (9:129).
It means; Lord of the great kingdom or authority. And He says: The
Beneficent (God) on the Throne is firm (20:5). It means
that He is firm in His kingdom. And it is the knowledge of the "how" of
the things. Also, the Throne, although together with it, is distinct from
the Chair; because they are two of the greatest doors of the unseen, and
they both are unseen. And they are together in the unseen, because the
Chair is the manifest door of the unseen, from which appears creation
and from which all the things come. And the Throne is the concealed door
of the unseen in which is found the knowledge of the states, conditions
and existence; of measure and limit; of will and intention; as well
as the knowledge of words, actions and omissions, and the knowledge of the
beginning and the return. Thus, the two are two gates of knowledge joined
together, because the dominion of the Throne is other than the dominion of
the Chair, and its (the Throne's) knowledge is more hidden than the
knowledge of the Chair. That is why Allah said, "the Lord of the great
Throne"; that is, its attribute is greater than that of the Chair, and
both are joined in it.' " (Hannan says) "I said: 'May I be your ransom,
then why did it become associated with the Chair in excellence?' He (the
Imam) said: It was associated with it because the knowledge of
the state and condition is found
in it. And in it are found the manifest
doors of al-bada' (the decree hidden from other); as well as its
reality and the dimensions of its joining and separating. Therefore, they
are two neighbors, one of which contains the other in itself. And by
similitude are turned those who know, and so that they may offer proof for
the truth of their claims. Because He chooses especially whom He pleases
for His mercy, and He is the Mighty, the Powerful.' "
(at-Tawhid)
The author says: The words of the tradition, "the Chair is the manifest
door of the unseen", may be understood in the light of the short
explanation given earlier. The level of the knowledge of measured things
is nearer to our material world than infinite knowledge which has no
limits. Further explanation will be given under verse 7:54:
Surely your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens
and the earth in six periods of time, and He is firm on the Throne.
"And by similitude are turned
those who know": It is an indication that the words, throne, chair and
similar other expressions, are similitude which have been given to people
for their understanding, and only those who have knowledge understand
this.
as-Sadiq (as.) said, inter alia, in a
tradition: "Every thing which Allah has created is in the receptacle of
the Chair, except His Throne, because that is too great for the Chair to
encompass." (al-Ihtijaj )
The author says: Its meaning may be understood from the earlier
discourse. And it is in conformity with other traditions. Contrary to it
there is a tradition which says that the Throne is that knowledge which
Allah gave to His prophets and apostles and the Chair is that knowledge
which no one was made aware of. It has been narrated by as-Saduq through
Mufaddal from as-Sadiq (a.s.). But in view of all other traditions, it can
only be surmised that the narrator was confused and changed the names,
Throne and Chair, from their proper places. If this is not accepted then
the tradition will have to be discarded like the one that is attributed to
Zaynab al-'Attarah.
al-'Ayyashi narrates in his at-Tafsir
from 'Ali (a.s.) that he said: “Verily the heavens and the earth and
whatever is between them is created in the hollow of the Chair; and it has
four angels who bear it by the order of Allah.”
The author says: as-Saduq has narrated it from ‘Ali (a. s.) through
Asbagh ibn Nubatah. It is the only tradition narrated from Ahlu‘l-bayt which says
that there are angels who bear the Chair. But other traditions mention
such bearers only for the Throne; and it is in conformity with the Book of
Allah, as He says: Those who bear
the Throne and those around it celebrate the praise of their Lord . . .
(40:7); and above them eight shall bear on that day the
Throne of your Lord (69:17). It may be said that
the Chair is somewhat joined with the Throne, as a manifest side of a
thing is joined with its hidden side; and in this way the bearers of one
may be called the bearers of the other.
al-‘Ayyashi narrates in his at-Tafsir from
Mu’awiyah ibn ‘Ammar that he asked as-Sadiq (a.s.)
about (the verse), Who is it that
can intercede with Him but by His permission? He
said: “We are those intercessors.”
The author says: It has also been narrated by al-Barqi
in
al-Mahasin. You know that the intercession in this verse is common to
creative and the legislative interceding, and therefore includes the
intercession of the Prophet and the Imams. This tradition, thus, gives an
example of the intercessors.
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