Tafsir of At-Tur 52:35

"Or were they created from nothing?" That is: Or did they bring themselves into existence and determine this wondrous determination without a creator? Others have dissented; Al-Tabari said: The meaning is, were they created from nothing living, so they are neither commanded nor forbidden, like inanimate objects? It has also been said: The meaning is, were they created without a cause or an end—for reward or punishment—and thus they do not listen?

The particle "min" (from) relates to causality in one view, and to the beginning of an end in the previously mentioned view. The most reliable of these positions is what we have presented first, and further clarification of it will follow, if Allah the Exalted wills. This is supported by His, the Glorified, saying:

That is: Are they the ones who created themselves, and therefore they do not worship Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—nor do they pay attention to His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace? For based on the [previous] two opinions, the beauty of the antithesis does not appear, whereas the intent of "they created themselves" is signaled by His, the Exalted’s, saying: