Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:2

(He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth), meaning: To Him, Exalted is He, belongs exclusively—without any other—neither independently nor by way of partnership—the overpowering authority and the overwhelming sovereignty over them. This implies absolute power and total disposal over them and everything within them, by way of bringing into existence, annihilating, giving life, causing death, commanding, and prohibiting, according to what His will requires, which is founded upon wisdom and interests.

The grammatical position of the relative pronoun alladhi (He to whom) is nominative as the predicate of an omitted subject (the implied subject being Huwa or Allahu), and the sentence is an initiation (beginning of a new thought) confirming what preceded it. Alternatively, it is an adjective for the relative pronoun [in the previous verse], or an exposition of it, or a substitution for it. That which lies between them [i.e., the clauses preceding it] is not foreign to it, for it is part of the completion of the connection (the silah) and relates to it, so the separation between the follower and the followed does not cause harm, as stated in al-Bahr. Or, its position is nominative or accusative as a form of praise, by estimating [the verb] "He is" or "I praise."

Al-Tayyibi chose the view that its position is nominative by way of substitution, justifying it by saying: "It is the right of the silah (relative clause) to be known to the addressee, and that silah was not known to the obstinate ones; therefore, '[He] to whom belongs...' was substituted as an exposition and explanation." But this is far from the stature of the [previous] scholar—and Glory be to Him to whom no fault is attributed.

(And He has not taken a son), meaning: He has not assigned anyone the position of a son. It is also said: It means He has no son at all, as is claimed by those who say what they say regarding the Messiah, Uzayr, and the angels—peace be upon them. Glory be to God, far above what they describe. This sentence is conjoined to the preceding adverbial sentence, and likewise is His saying, Exalted is He: (And there is no partner for Him in the dominion), meaning: the dominion of the heavens and the earth.

He singled this out for mention—even though the aforementioned exclusivity of the ownership of the heavens and earth to Him, Exalted is He, necessitates it decisively—in order to declare the invalidity of the claim of the Dualists (the Thaniwiyya) who believe in the multiplicity of gods, and to strike back at them. The negation of taking a son was placed in between them to draw attention to His independence and originality, and to guard against the misconception that it is a continuation of the first [clause].

(And He created everything), meaning: He brought everything into existence in a manner proceeding according to the laws of estimation and proportioning, as required by His will, which is founded upon perfect wisdom, such as the creation of man from specific materials and in specific forms and shapes.

(Then He proportioned it), meaning: He prepared it for whatever He willed for it, in terms of the characteristics and actions appropriate to it, (with a [precise] proportioning)—far removed from being capable of being estimated or reaching its essence; such as preparing man for understanding, perception, contemplation, and reflection upon the affairs of this life and the hereafter, the deduction of various crafts, and the practice of different works, and so on.

Therefore, there is no redundancy in the verse, because it has become clear that taqdir (proportioning), indicated by "creation" in the sense of "making even/straight" (taswiyah) and expressed by the word itself in the sense of "preparation," are two distinct things. Upon this interpretation, "creation" is in its literal sense. It is also permissible that "creation" is used metaphorically—or is a conventional transfer—to mean "bringing into existence and originating," without observing the sense of "proportioning" therein, even if it is not devoid of it; for this reason, the metaphorical usage is valid. Thus, the explicit mention of "proportioning" serves as an indication that each one is intended in itself. It is as if it were said: "He brought everything into existence, then He proportioned it in its bringing into existence; He did not create it disparate, but rather He created it balanced and harmonious."

It is also said that the second "proportioning" is the estimation for remaining until an appointed term; as if it were said: "He brought everything into existence according to the laws of proportioning, then He sustained it until the appointed term." The first view is the one chosen by al-Zajjaj, and it is—as is stated in al-Kashf—the most manifest. The fa (then) in this context is for sequence with ordering.

Some have claimed that there is inversion (qalb) in the speech, but even on that view, it does not repel the necessity of redundancy without one of the mentioned aspects, as is not hidden. The sentence (created) and so on, is a conjunction to what preceded it, and within it is a rebuttal to the Dualists who claim that the creator of evil is not the creator of good. It does not harm that this is known from what preceded, because it yields a new benefit due to the increase in meaning. It is said: It is a rebuttal to those who hold the belief of the Mu'tazilah regarding the voluntary actions of living beings.

In Irshad al-'Aql al-Salim, it is stated that it runs in the course of the evidence for what preceded it, from the sentences organized in the thread of the silah (relative clause). For His, Exalted is He, creation of all things in a marvelous pattern—just as it necessitates His, Exalted is He, independence in being qualified with the attributes of divinity—it necessitates that all that is other than Him is organized, being under His overpowering sovereignty, such that nothing deviates from that. And whoever is as such, how can it be imagined that he is a son to Him, Exalted is He, or a partner in His, Mighty and Majestic is He, dominion?

Al-Tayyibi mentioned that His, Exalted is He, saying: (To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth) is a preamble and foundation for His, Exalted is He, saying: (He has not taken a son and there is no partner for Him in the dominion). He followed it with His, Exalted is He, saying: (And He created everything) because His, Exalted is He, being the Originator of the heavens and the earth, their Creator, and their Owner is contradictory to the taking of a son or a partner. He, Exalted is He, says: (The Originator of the heavens and the earth, how can He have a son?) [6:101]. It is sometimes said: This sentence is an explicit statement of what was already known, so that the denunciation of the polytheists by His, Exalted is He, might be more severe.