Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:21

"And there is not a thing..."

The "An" (أن) is negative, and the "Min" (من) is redundant for emphasis. "Shay'" (thing) is in the nominative case as an initial subject. That is to say: there is no thing among the possible things—thus what was mentioned [in the context of rain] is included as a primary entry, and to limit it to that is a deficiency. Ibn Jurayj and others claimed that "the thing" here refers specifically to rain.

"...except that with Us are its storehouses."

The prepositional phrase [with Us] is the predicate of the initial subject, and "storehouses" (khaza'inuhu) is in the nominative case due to it, as it acts as its subject because of the reliance [of the agent on the preceding predicate], or it is an initial subject and the prepositional phrase is its predicate, and the sentence [as a whole] is the predicate of the first initial subject.

"Khaza'in" is the plural of "khizanah" (a treasury or vault), which is not opened. It is the name for the place where precious valuables are kept. It has become predominant—as it is said in custom—to refer to what kings and sultans possess as treasure houses of people's sustenance.

God's hidden possibilities—which are subsumed under His comprehensive power—are likened to precious assets stored in royal vaults, in that they are concealed from the knowledge of all worlds and protected from reaching their hands, despite their intense desire for them. They are also ready and prepared for His bringing them into existence and forming them, such that whenever His will attaches to their existence, they come into being without delay. Thus, the mention of "storehouses" is by way of a metaphorical imagery (isti'arah takhyiliyyah); this was stated by more than one scholar.

It is also permitted that He has likened His power over all things and His bringing into existence whatever He wills to storehouses in which things are deposited, prepared so that He may bring forth from them whatever He wills. Thus, it is mentioned by way of a representational metaphor (isti'arah tamthiliyyah). The meaning is: there is no thing except that We are able to bring it into existence and form it.

It has been said: The most appropriate interpretation is that it refers to His—Exalted is He—knowledge of every known thing. The way to view this, according to what has been said, is that "thing" remains in its generality, covering both the Necessary [Being] and the possible, unlike [the interpretation of] power. Furthermore, "with" ('ind) is more suitable for knowledge, because the determined thing is not "with Him" except after its existence. This has been countered by the argument that the existence of determined things in the "storehouses of power" is not in terms of external existence, but rather in terms of scientific [or ontological] existence.

Some have said: The storehouses are to be taken literally, as the places where things are kept; the wind has a place, and rain has a place, and every place has guardians from among the angels—peace be upon them. It is not hidden that this is impossible when maintaining the generality of "thing."

"...and We do not send it down..."

That is, We do not bring into existence and We do not form any of those things while it is clothed in anything of things...

"...except in a known measure."

That is: except clothed in a specific measure that wisdom necessitates and the will—which follows that wisdom—demands, from among the infinite possibilities. For the specification of every thing with a particular quality, a specific measure, and a limited time, rather than otherwise—while all are equal in their forms and the validity of power's attachment to them—must necessarily have a wisdom that demands the particularization of each of them with what it is characterized by.

This is to explain the secret of why things do not come into existence in a state of profusion as they are in the storehouses. This [phrase] is either a conjunction to an implicit element—meaning: "We do not send it down, and We do not send it down except in a measure..."—or it is a circumstantial qualifier (hal) from what preceded: meaning, "With Us are the storehouses of every thing, while We do not send it down except in a measure..." The first is to explain the vastness of Power, and the second is to explain the perfection of Wisdom; this was stated by our master, the Shaykh al-Islam.

Al-A'mash recited: "And We do not send it out (nursiluhu) except..." and according to [the book] al-Bahr, this is an interpretative reading, as it contradicts the script of the Uthmanic Codex. The best [interpretation] is what we have mentioned. The creation and origination of these things is expressed as "sending down" (tanzil) because it is a matter of grace from the higher world to the lower world. It is also said: because it involves bringing a thing out from what its essence tends toward—non-existence—to what its essence does not tend toward—existence. This is like His—Exalted is He—saying: "And He sent down for you of the grazing livestock eight mates," and His saying: "And We sent down iron, wherein is great military might." It is as if the one who interpreted "the thing" as rain was misled by the literal appearance of "sending down," and thus fell into a interpretation quite contrary to its literal meaning. It is as if, because that [rain] occurs gradually, it was expressed as "sending down." The present tense was used to indicate continuity.

Some of those who believe in the "thing-ness" (shay'iyyah) of the non-existent have used this verse as evidence, and its aspect has been clarified; the Imam [Fakhr al-Din al-Razi] responded to it, and we are with those who believe in [the concept of] shay'iyyah.