Al-Baqarah: (29) It is He who created . . . . .

"It is He who created for you all that is in the earth" is conjoined to His saying, Exalted be He: "And you were," and the conjunction particle was omitted either because it is like a consequence of it, or to alert to the independence in conveying what it conveys. It is mentioned as an explanation of another blessing following the first, and by "following" it is meant that the benefit from it depends upon it, for a blessing is only called a blessing in terms of the benefit derived from it.

"He" is for other than the speaker and the addressee. It has dialects: lightening the waw while it is fatha; omitting it in poetry; hardening it (tashdid) for the Hamdan tribe; and giving it sukun for the Asad and Qays tribes. "He" is, according to the People of Allah (the Gnostics), one of the names of the Exalted, indicating the essence of His specific reality that is cleared of all aspects of multiplicity. "He" is a noun composed of two letters: the ha and the waw. The ha is fundamental, and the waw is additional, as evidenced by its dropping in the dual and plural forms. In truth, there is only one letter indicating the One, the Individual, to whom there is no existence other than Him; "Everything will perish except His Countenance." For the intensity of the mysteries it contains, the eminent ones took it as a focal point for their remembrance and a lamp for their inner self; it runs with every breath, and its named referent is absent from intuition and analogy.

In "He [is the One] who created," making the pronoun the subject (mubtada) and the relative noun (al-mawsul) the predicate (khabar) contains a manifestation of Majesty that is not hidden. The prepositional phrase is placed before the direct object to hasten the joy. The lam (in lakum) is for causation and benefit, meaning: He created for you all that is in the earth so that you may benefit from it in your worldly affairs, either directly or indirectly, and in your religious affairs through deduction and contemplation. Many of the Sunni scholars, both Hanafis and Shafi'is, cited this verse as evidence for the permissibility of useful things before the arrival of religious law. This is also the position of the majority of the Mu'tazilah, and it was chosen by the Imam in al-Mahsul and al-Baydawi in al-Minhaj.

It has been challenged that the lam comes for other than benefit, such as in: "If you do evil, it is for [the sake of] it," but it was answered that this is figurative, as the masters of language agree that it denotes ownership, and its meaning here is "beneficial exclusivity." Another challenge is that the intent is benefit through deduction [not utility], but this was answered by saying that such specification is contrary to the apparent meaning, especially since that [benefit] is already obtained by every accountable person from their own self, so it is applied to something else. A group held that the original state of things is permissibility before [the law] prohibits them, and others said to withhold judgment because the evidences are conflicting in their view. The "permissibility" proponents (al-Ibahiyyah) used the verse as evidence for their claim, saying it indicates that what is in the earth is created for all, so no one can have exclusivity over anything at all. This is refuted by the fact that it indicates the whole is for all, but it does not negate the exclusivity of some to others for a valid cause; thus, there is a resemblance of distribution, and specific designation is derived from separate evidence. It does not necessitate that every person is exclusive to a single thing, as the Sialkoti supposed.

"What" (ma) encompasses all that is in the earth for its own sake, as a thing cannot be a container for itself unless "earth" is intended to mean the "lower direction," just as "heaven" is intended to mean the "higher direction," and it is sufficient for the descent that it be the encompassing Throne, or that the direction be considered conceptually. Indeed, it is said that it covers every part of the earth, for it is among its necessities, as the existence of the part is necessary in the whole, and the distinction is conceptual.

The statement that the speech is based on an elliptical conjunction—meaning "He created what is in the earth and the earth"—is not something I am satisfied with. Some did not go to such lengths and were satisfied with the prior mention of the favor of the earth in His saying, Exalted be He: "Who made the earth a resting place for you." "All together" is a state (hal) emphasizing the word "what," and it does not have the indication—as some have mentioned—of temporal gathering; it is unlike the word "together" (ma'an). Making it a state of the pronoun "for you" is weakened by the context, as that is for enumerating blessings, not for enumerating those upon whom the blessing is bestowed, especially since the station of showing favor is suited to exaggeration in the abundance of blessings. For the sake of the meaning of exaggeration, they did not make it a state of the "earth" either.

"Then He directed Himself to the heaven" means He ascended to it and rose without takyif (specifying the modality), without resemblance, and without limitation; this was said by al-Rabi'. Or, He intended it with His will, a direct intention without any distraction to turn Him away or any affection to bend Him, from the saying "He istawa (leveled) toward him like a launched arrow," meaning he aimed at him directly without veering toward anything else; this was said by al-Farra'. It is also said it means He overcame and took possession, as in the saying: "When we rose and istawayna (overcame) them, we left them lying for the eagle and the vulture." This is contrary to the apparent meaning, as it requires "to" (ila) to be in the sense of "over" ('ala). Also, overcoming is subsequent to the existence of the one overcome, so it would require saying that the meaning is "He overcame the creation of the heaven," which does not necessitate the precedence of existence—and the implications of that are not hidden.

The "heaven" means the celestial bodies or the direction of height. "Then" (thumma) is used for chronological delay, or for the disparity between the two creations, and the excellence of the creation of the heaven over the creation of the earth. People differ regarding the creation of the heaven and what is in it, and the earth and what is in it, in terms of precedence and sequence due to the conflict of apparent meanings in that. Some have gone to the view that the creation of the heavens preceded, due to His saying: "Are you more difficult to create, or is the heaven which He built? He raised its ceiling and fashioned it, and He darkened its night and brought out its morning. And the earth after that He spread out; He extracted from it its water and its pasture, and the mountains He set firm." Others went to the view that the creation of the earth preceded, due to His saying: "Do you indeed disbelieve in the One who created the earth in two days..." up to His saying: "And He placed therein firmly set mountains over it, and blessed it and determined therein its sustenance in four days, equal for those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth, 'Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion.' They said, 'We have come willingly.' And He completed them as seven heavens in two days and inspired in each heaven its command."

Some have reconciled them by saying: "He extracted from it its water" is a substitute or explanatory conjunction for "He spread it out" (i.e., He leveled it), clarifying what is meant by it; thus its being "after" is not in the sense of the delay of its essence, but in the sense of the delay of creating what is within it, its completion, and its arrangement—rather, the creation of enjoyment and benefit from it. For the "afterness," just as it can be in terms of the thing itself, it can be in terms of its final part and the mentioned restriction, like if you said: "I sent you a messenger, then I had sent so-and-so to see what he would deliver." The second was sent, and although it preceded, the thing for which he was sent is delayed, so he made himself delayed. What al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi narrated with a sound chain from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, regarding the reconciliation between the two verses points to this. It is not contradicted by what Ibn Jarir and others narrated—and deemed sound—that the Jews came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked him about the creation of the heavens and the earth, and he said: "Allah created the earth on Sunday and Monday, created the mountains and the benefits in them on Tuesday, and created on Wednesday the trees, water, cities, cultivation, and ruin—this is four days." He said: "Are you indeed disbelieve..." up to "equal for those who ask." "And He created on Thursday the heaven, and on Friday the stars, the sun, the moon, and the angels." It is possible to interpret this as His having created the substance and foundations of those things, for cities, cultivation, and ruin are not conceivable before [the earth's preparation], so his connecting it to it is an indication of that.

The Imam al-Razi’s questioning of the delay of the "spreading out" (dahw) compared to the creation of the heaven—on the basis that the earth is a great body, and thus the creation of it could not be separated from the dahw—is based, as it has been said, on negligence. For one who says the dahw is delayed after its creation does not say it was "great" from the beginning; rather, he says that at the beginning of creation it was like a millstone, then it was spread out, so the separation is achieved and the delay of its dahw from its creation becomes valid. His (the author's) saying—may his secret be sanctified—that the creation of things in the earth is not possible except if it were spread out is not hidden in its rebuttal, based on the fact that the intent of that is the creation of substances and foundations, not the creation of the things in it as it is today.

Some investigators said: The commentators differed on whether the creation of the heaven precedes the creation of the earth or is delayed. The Imam al-Wahidi reported from Muqatil the first, and the investigators chose it. They did not differ that all that is in the earth which you see is delayed after the creation of the seven heavens; rather, they agreed upon it. Thus, the "creation" in the noble verse is taken to mean "estimation" (taqdir) not "bringing into existence" (ijad), or by its meaning, and the "will" is estimated. The meaning would be: He intended the creation of what is in the earth for you, similar to "When you stand for prayer" and "When you read the Quran." His saying "And the earth after that He spread out" does not contradict it, for what preceded the creation of the heaven is the estimation of the earth and all that is in it, or the will to bring it into existence. What is delayed after the creation of the heaven is the bringing into existence of the earth and all that is in it, so there is no problem. As for His saying, Exalted and Majestic be He, "Created the earth in two days," it is on the basis of estimation of the will, and the meaning is: He willed the creation of the earth. Likewise, "And He placed therein firmly set mountains" should be in the sense of "He willed to place." This is supported by His saying: "And said to it and to the earth, 'Come [into being] willingly or by compulsion.' They said, 'We have come willingly'." The apparent meaning is: "Come into existence." If the earth were already existing previously, this would not be valid. It is as if He, Exalted be He, said: "Do you indeed disbelieve in the One who willed the bringing into existence of the earth and what is in it of mountains and sustenance in four days, then directed Himself to the heaven, so His will attached to bringing the heaven and the earth into existence, so they obeyed by the command of creation, and He brought into existence seven heavens in two days and brought into existence the earth and what is in it in four days."

(It remains here to state the subtlety in changing the style, as He placed the creation of the earth and what is in it before the creation of the heavens here and in Ha-Mim al-Sajdah, and reversed it in al-Nazi'at. Perhaps this is because the context in the first two is a context of showing favor, so its requirement is to present what is a blessing with a view toward the addressees. It is as if He, Exalted and Majestic be He, said: "He who managed your affair before the creation of the heaven, then created the heaven." And the context in the third is a context of demonstrating perfect power, so its requirement is to present what is more indicative of its perfection.)

This is what is understood from some of the expressions of the people—may Allah sanctify their secrets—that the "Limited" (and it is also called heaven) was created before the earth and what is in it, and that the earth itself was created after, then after its creation, the seven heavens were created, then after the seven, what is in the earth of minerals and plants was created, then the world of animals appeared, then the world of humans. The meaning of "He created for you what is in the earth" then is: He estimated it, or willed its existence, or created its substances. And the meaning of "And He placed therein firmly set mountains" etc., in the other verse is along these lines. And "Created the earth in it" is taken on its apparent meaning, and His saying, Majestic be He, "And said to it and to the earth 'Come'," etc., does not forbid it, because of the possibility of interpreting it as: "Come with what has been created in you of effect and being affected, and bring forth what I have deposited in you of different positions and varied beings," or "the heaven's coming is its occurrence, and the earth's coming is to become spread out," or "let each of you come to the other in the occurrence of what I intended to be generated from you." After all this, the investigation is not free from difficulty, and people have always found it difficult since the time of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, until now. We have, if Allah the Exalted wills, a return after a return, and we ask Allah the Exalted for success.

"And He fashioned them"—the pronoun refers to "the heaven" if it is interpreted as the bodies, and it is permissible to refer back to it based on it being a plural or interpreted as such. Otherwise, it is an indefinite noun explained by what follows, similar to "Yes of a man [he is]..." In this there is a type of glorification, suspense, and establishing in the soul that is not hidden. There are five ways to parse the accusative "seven": as a substitute for the indefinite noun, or referring back to the "heaven," or as a direct object (meaning He fashioned from them seven), or as an estimated state, or as a specification (tamyiz), or as a second object for "fashioned" based on it being in the sense of "made." It has not been proven [as a second object], and the substitution is more worthy because of the lack of derivation; after it, the state, as in al-Bahr. By "fashioned them" is intended: He perfected them, balanced them, and created them from the beginning protected from crookedness and fissure, not that He, Exalted be He, fashioned them after they were not such. It is along the lines of their saying: "The mouth of the well is narrow" and "The house is spacious." The harmony between the taswiya (fashioning) and the istiwa (directing oneself) has a beauty that is not hidden.

It should not be said: "The observers of the stars established nine spheres, and are they not heavens?" because we say: They are doubtful until now regarding the decrease and increase, for what they found of movements can be regulated by eight, seven, or even one. Some of them established between the sphere of the fixed stars and the Atlas sphere a sphere to regulate the total inclination. Some of their investigators said: "It has not become clear to me until now whether the sphere of the fixed stars is one sphere or spheres folded one within the other." The Imam al-Razi spoke at length on this and excelled, stating that if what became famous is true, there is nothing in the verse that indicates the negation of the extras, based on what the Imam chose—that the concept of a number is not a proof. The speech of al-Baydawi in his commentary points to this, contrary to what is in his Minhaj, which agrees with what the Imam al-Shafi'i is upon and which al-Ghazali reported from him in al-Mankhul. The Sialkoti mentioned that the truth is that specifying a number in mention does not indicate the negation of the extra, and the disagreement in that is famous. If we say that the Throne and the Footstool are spherical, there is no more speech.

"And He is, of all things, Knowing" is a concluding sentence confirming what preceded it of the creation of the heavens and the earth and what is in it, in this wondrous pattern and strange style: "You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency. So return [your] vision [to the sky]; do you see any breaks? Then return [your] vision twice; [your] vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued." In "Knowing" ('alim) there is an intensity of meaning that is not in "knower" ('alim—though here the form is the same, he refers to the intensive structure). This does not return to the attribute itself, because His knowledge, Exalted be He, is one, with no multiplicity in it. But when it attached to the general and the specific, the existent and the non-existent, the finite and the infinite, He described Himself, Exalted be He, with that which indicates intensity. The "thing" here is general, remaining on its generality, with no specification in it in any way, contrary to those who went astray from the straight path.

The prepositional phrase is connected to "Knowing." It is put in the accusative with the ba (in bi-kulli) even though it is from "to know" ('alima), which is transitive by itself. Strengthening is usually done with the lam, because the forms of intensity—as they said—contradict their verbs because they resemble the superlative (af'al al-tafdil) due to the indication they contain of increase. Thus, they are given its ruling in transitivity: if its verb is transitive, if it implies knowledge or ignorance, it is put in the accusative with the ba, like a'lamu bi-hi (most knowing of it) and ajhalu bi-hi (most ignorant of it), and 'alimun bi-hi and jahulun bi-hi. And a'lamu man yadillu (most knowing of who strays) [is used] based on interpretation. Otherwise, it is put in the accusative with the lam, like adribu li-zayd (I hit for Zayd) and "Effective for what He intends." Otherwise, it is put in the accusative with what its verb is put in the accusative with: asbiru 'ala al-nar (I am patient regarding the fire) and saburun 'ala kadha (patient regarding such). Perhaps that is general, for it is said: rahimun bi-hi (merciful to him).