Surah Sad 38:66
ﱧ ﱨ ﱩ ﱪ ﱫ ﱬ ﱭ
Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver."
Tafsir of Sad 38:66
Tafsir
Ruh al-Ma'ani
Verse range: 38:66
(The Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them) From among the existing things, which were created by Him, glorified be He, and to Him belongs the management of all their affairs.
(The Exalted in Might) He who overcomes and is never overcome in any of His affairs—glorified be His status—and this includes the act of retribution.
(The Perpetual Forgiver) He who is excessive in forgiveness, forgiving what He wills for whom He wills. This is a confirmation of Monotheism (Tawhid). As for the first description, it is manifest in this regard and needs no explanation.
As for Him being (The Prevailing) over everything: if there were a god other than Him—glorified be He—that being would necessarily not be Al-Qahhar (The Prevailing). This is because, in such a case, that being would not be a god; rather, it might even be necessitated that he is a subjugated being, which contradicts Divinity—exalted be God far above that.
As for (The Lord of the heavens), etc., it is because if another could exist alongside Him—exalted be His status—the proof of mutual hindrance (al-tamanu') would arise, referred to by His saying: "Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah, they both would have been ruined." Thus, the heavens, the earth, and what is between them would not have come into existence. It is also said: the meaning of "Lord of the heavens," etc., is the Lord of every existing thing, so it encompasses everything other than Him, and thus [no other] could be a god.
As for (The Exalted in Might), it implies that He overcomes others and is never overcome; with the presence of partners, this cannot be fulfilled.
As for (The Perpetual Forgiver), it implies that He forgives what He wills for whom He wills. If He desired forgiveness for one, and another deity desired punishment for him, then if His will prevailed, the other is not a god; and if the other's will prevailed and His did not, then He would not be a god—exalted be God far above that. Whatever is said regarding the argument of mutual hindrance, in terms of questions and answers, applies here as well.
These descriptions contain an evident indication of both promise and threat. Because the preceding text was explicitly limited to the description of warning, the description of "The Prevailing" (Al-Qahhar) was placed before "The Perpetual Forgiver" (Al-Ghaffar) here. It has been suggested that the intent is to substantiate the warning, and the second [attribute] was brought to complete it and clarify its ambiguity—meaning: say to them, "I am only a warner to you regarding what I know, and I have warned you of the punishment of One who possesses these attributes, for One like Him is worthy of having His punishment feared, just as He is worthy of having His reward hoped for."
The first viewpoint is more consistent with the demands of the context, because the sequence of these attributes—in demonstrating that the call to Monotheism is the primary intended goal—is a matter that cannot be denied. Furthermore, this section serves in relation to what preceded it from the beginning of the Surah, like a person who, after completing his argument, says: "Thus, the result is..." Therefore, it is more appropriate that it be in line with the expanded discourse, which contains the words of the Exalted: "Has he made the gods one God?" So, understand this.