Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:73

(And it is He who created the heavens and the earth), meaning these two great affairs. It is likely that by their creation, He also intended the creation of what is within them, for the lack of explicit mention of that is due to the obviousness that they encompass all the celestial and terrestrial things. His saying—Exalted is He—(in truth) is connected to an omitted element, acting as a circumstantial qualifier (hal) from the agent of "created"; that is, "established in truth." The meaning of the verse, then, is as has been said: like His saying—the Almighty—"And We did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them in vain."

It is permissible for it to be a circumstantial qualifier from the object, meaning: "clothed in truth," or it may be an adjective for the emphatic cognate object of the verb, meaning: "a creation clothed in truth."

(And the day He says, 'Be,' and it is, His word is the truth) is a conclusion (tadhil) for what has preceded. The "wa" is for initiation (isti'naf), and "the day" (al-yawm)—meaning "the time"—is connected to an omitted element that functions as a fronted predicate. "His word" (qawluhu) is the subject, and "the truth" (al-haqq) is its adjective. What is meant by the "word" is the semantic sense of the infinitive, meaning: the correct decree that proceeds in accordance with wisdom. Therefore, it is valid to predicate about it using a temporal adverb, meaning: His decree—Exalted is He—which is known for its truthfulness, occurs at the time when He—Exalted is He—says to a thing among the things, "Be," and that thing comes to be. The fronting of the predicate is for emphasis on the universality of the time, as has been said. Al-Sa'd denied that it was for restriction due to its lack of suitability, and held that the fronting was because it is common usage. This was rebutted by the fact that what is known and common is the fronting of a prepositional predicate when the subject is an indefinite noun, whether described or not; but as for when it is a definite noun, no one has claimed this.

It has been said: "His word is the truth" is a subject and predicate, and "the day" is an adverb for the content of the sentence, and the "wa" is, in terms of meaning, included within it. The fronting is for care and attention to it, as it is the axis of truthfulness, and the omission of the one to whom the command is addressed is because of the utmost clarity of it. The word is the command "Be," whether in reality or as an allegory. The meaning is: His command—Exalted is He—which relates to everything He desires to create among the things, at the moment of its relation to it—not before it, nor after it from among the individual moments—is the Truth, i.e., that which is witnessed for its truthfulness.

It is said that the "wa" is for conjunction, and "the day" is conjoined to "the heavens," so it is an object for "created" like it, and what is meant by it is the Day of Gathering. That is: He is the One who brought into existence the heavens, the earth, and what is in them, and brought into existence the Day of Gathering and the Return. If it is attached to the "hu" in "fear Him," it is also an object like it, and the speech is based on the omission of a genitive, meaning: Fear Allah—the Almighty—and fear the terror of that day, its punishment, and its panic. Or it is connected to an omitted element indicated by "in truth," meaning: "He stands in truth on the Day of Resurrection." This is a convoluted parsing, as Abu Hayyan has stated.

It is said that it is conjoined to "in truth," and it is an adverb for "created," meaning: He created the heavens and the earth with their greatness when He said "Be," and they were. The expression in the past tense is to bring the wondrous matter to the presence [of the mind]. In this, it depends on the validity of conjoining an adverb to a circumstantial qualifier, based on the fact that the circumstantial qualifier is an adverb in meaning; this is a strain.

His saying "the truth" is a subject and predicate, or it is the agent of "it is" (yakun), in the sense of: "And at the time He says to His word—the Truth, i.e., His decree—'Be,' it comes to be." What is meant by it is the time He brings things into being and manifests them, or the time the Resurrection stands, and the "bringing into being" (al-takwin) is the quickening of the dead for the gathering. Other things have been said; so reflect on it.

(And to Him is the dominion on the day the Trumpet is blown), meaning: dominion is established for Him on that day, in form and meaning, by the severance of the metaphorical connections that exist in the world, which validate ownership in a general sense; thus, no one else claims it in any way. The Trumpet (al-sur) is a horn into which one blows, as is established in the traditions. Allah—Exalted is He—knows best its reality, and its states have been detailed in the books of the Sunnah. Its blower is Israfil—peace be upon him—according to the popular view. Al-Bazzar and Al-Hakim extracted from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri in a marfu' narration that two angels are appointed to the Trumpet, waiting for when they are commanded, and then they shall blow. Qatada read "al-suwar" as the plural of "surah" (form/image). What is meant by it are the bodies that stand up after the blowing of the spirit into them for the Lord of the worlds.

(Knower of the unseen and the witnessed), meaning: all that is unseen and witnessed. (And He is the Wise) in everything He does, (the Acquainted) with all affairs, hidden and manifest. The sentence is a conclusion to what has preceded, and it contains an orderly distribution (laff wa nashr).

(And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him). Know that some of our Sufi masters—may Allah sanctify their secrets—mentioned that the Unseen has ranks. The first is the "Unseen of the Unseen," which is the knowledge of Allah—Exalted is He—called the "First Providence." The second is the "Unseen of the World of Spirits," which is the engraving of the image of everything that has existed and will exist from eternity to eternity in the first intellectual world, which is the soul of the world, named the "Mother of the Book," in a universal way; this is the "Prior Decree." The third is the "Unseen of the World of Hearts," which is that very engraving detailed with a scientific detail, universally and particularly, in the world of the Universal Soul, which is the heart of the world, named the "Preserved Tablet." The fourth is the "Unseen of the World of Imagination," which is the engraving of the entire existing beings in the particular celestial souls, imprinted in their bodies, specific and determined, accompanying their times according to what happens exactly. That world is what is expressed as the "Lowest Heaven," for it is the closest of the ranks of the Unseen to the world of witnessing, and it is the Tablet of the Divine Destiny, which is the detail of His decree—Exalted is He.

They mentioned that the knowledge of Allah—Exalted is He—which is the "First Providence," is an expression of His encompassing—Exalted is He—of the totality through Presence (huduran). Thus, the treasuries containing all the Unseens are present to His Essence, and there is nothing extra there, and none knows them except Him—Exalted is He. Likewise, the doors of those treasuries are locked, their keys are in the hand of Allah—Exalted is He—and no one other than Him—Mighty and Majestic—is informed of what is in them. He may open from them what He wills for whom He wills.

This, and it may be said: Many of those firmly rooted in knowledge have verified that the realities of things and their essences are fixed in eternity, and in their fixity, they are not "created" (maj'ul); rather, what is created are the existential forms. They do not change, nor do they transform, nor are they ever described as perishing, as indicated by His saying—Exalted is He—"Everything will perish except His Face," based on the return of the pronoun to the "thing" and the interpretation of the "Face" as the "Reality." And the knowledge of Allah—Exalted is He—of them is a "Presence-based" (huduri) knowledge, and they are like mirrors for their contingent forms. Thus, those forms are witnessed by Allah—Exalted is He—eternally, while not being present in themselves, neither in the mind nor in the outside. They have clarified the folding of the knowledge of them into the knowledge of the Essence in all its aspects, among which is that He—Exalted is He—is the source for the effusion of their existences upon them according to the requirements of wisdom.

Therefore, it is possible to say: The "keys" in the sense of "treasuries" is an allusion to those eternal essences that are like mirrors for the forms that are hidden from us. Those are present with Him—Exalted is He—eternally, and none knows them with a Presence-based knowledge—not needing a shadow-form—except Him—Mighty and Majestic. This is apparent to the one whose hand has been taken by Providence.

(And He knows what is in the land), meaning the land of the souls, of the varieties of desires and their ranks, (and the sea), meaning the sea of the hearts, of the pearls of wisdom and the coral of Gnosis. (And no leaf falls) from the leaves of the trees of grace and power in the path of the soul and the chest of the heart, (but He knows it) in all its states. (And no grain) from the seeds of Majesty and Beauty (in the darkness of the earth), which is the world of natures and phantoms, (nor anything moist) from the inspirations that come to the heart with grace without disturbance, (nor anything dry) from the whisperings and thoughts that the soul dreads when they come upon it, (except it is in a clear Book), which is His comprehensive knowledge—Exalted is He. Some of them did not interpret any of the mentioned items, and interpreted the "Book" as the "Lowest Heaven," because these particulars are determined within it.

It is possible to say that the "Book" is an allusion to the essences of things, which are called the "Fixed Entities" (al-a'yan al-thabita). The meaning of them being "in it" is what we have alluded to, that those entities are like mirrors for these external existents.

(And it is He who takes your souls by night), meaning: He puts you to sleep. It is said: He takes your souls by the soaring of your spirits in the Kingdom (malakut) and their journeying in the gardens of the presences of the Divine (lahut). It is also said: It is possible the meaning is: He who constricts you to the point where your souls almost expire in the night of Power and the manifestation of Majesty. (And He knows what you commit), meaning: what you earn (by day) from deeds in general. It is said: from the deeds that are arduous for the soul and painful to it, such as acts of obedience. It is said: it is possible the meaning is: He knows what you earned during the day of Beauty-based manifestation, of intimacy or the rarities of Gnosis. (Then He resurrects you therein), meaning: in what you have committed of the forms of your deeds and your earnings, good and ugly. It is said: the good. It is said: in what you earned during the day of manifestation. The first of these statements here, and in what has preceded, is more appropriate. (To fulfill an appointed term), meaning: determined with Him, (then to your Lord is your return) in the eye of Absolute Union, (and He will inform you of what you used to do) by showing you the forms of your deeds and your recompense for them.

(And He is the Overcomer above His servants) because He is the Absolute Existence, even above the constraint of "absoluteness" itself, and to Him belongs the manifestation as wisdom requires; the manifestations do not constrain Him. (And Allah is surrounding from behind them). (And He sends upon you guardians), and this refers to the powers in which good and evil are imprinted, becoming His agents, appearing upon the sloughing off of the spirit, and manifesting in a suitable form; or the celestial powers in which the particular forms are engraved, and they do not leave out a small one or a great one. (Until when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him). It is said: they are those very guardians, and Allah—Exalted is He—has deposited in them the power to "take" (tawaffi). (Then they are returned to Allah) in the eye of Absolute Union, (their Master), meaning: their Owner who manages all their states, since they have no existence except through Him. (The Truth), and everything other than Him is false.

Some of the People of Allusion mentioned that this is the most hopeful verse in the Book of Allah—Exalted is He—based on the fact that Allah—Exalted is He—has informed of the return of the servant to Him—Exalted is He—and his exit from the prison of the world and the hands of the scribes, describing Himself to him as his "True Master," which signals that other than Him—Exalted is He—is not considered a true master. There is no doubt that there is nothing more precious to the servant than that his return be to his Master. (Unquestionably, to Him belongs the judgment, and He is the swiftest of accountants), for the appearance of deeds in suitable forms is the moment of the spirit's parting from the body.

(Say: "Who saves you from the darkness of the land), which are the soul's veils, (and the sea), which are the veils of the attributes of the heart, (calling upon Him) to remove them, (humbly) in your souls, (and secretly) in your innermost secrets, 'If You save us from these veils and coverings, we will surely be among the grateful' for the blessing of salvation by steadfastness and establishment? (Say: "Allah saves you from them) by the lights of the manifestations of His attributes, and from every distress other than that, by bestowing upon you the grace of Annihilation. (Then you), after your knowledge of His power—Exalted is He—over that, (associate others) with Him, [associating] your selves and your whims, so you worship them.

(Say: "He is the Able to send upon you punishment from above you) by veiling you from looking into the Kingdom (malakut), or by overcoming you through your being veiled by rationalities and spiritual veils; (or from beneath your feet) by not making it easy for you to stand at the door of Lordship with the trait of servitude and the seeking of connection, or by veiling you with natural veils; (or to confuse you in sects), different factions, each faction having a creed, one power opposing the other, or He makes your souls possess different beliefs, each faction following the religion of a Dajjal; (and make some of you taste the violence of others) through disputes and arguments as required by the difference. (For every piece of information), i.e., what is informed about, (is a limit), meaning: a place of occurrence and establishment, (and you will come to know) when your body-veils are removed.

(And when you see those who engage in [offensive] discourse concerning Our verses) by manifesting the attributes of their souls and affirming knowledge and power for them, (then turn away from them) because they are veiled and associate others with Allah. (And not upon those who fear), and they are those who are stripped of their attributes, (from their account), meaning: from the account of those veiled ones, (anything, but a reminder), meaning: they should remind them through prohibition and deterrence, perhaps they might fear and refrain from the engagement.

It is permitted that the meaning is that the stripped ones are not veiled by mixing with the veiled ones, but we have reminded them so that perhaps they may increase in piety.

(And leave those who took their religion as play and amusement), meaning: leave those whose habit is play and amusement, for they have been veiled by what has taken root in them of hearing the warning and its effect upon them. (And remind with it), meaning with the Quran, out of dislike (lest a soul be destroyed by what it has earned), meaning: be veiled by its earning so that it becomes a fixed habit. I.e., remind those whose religion was not play and amusement, lest their religion become that. As for those who have reached that limit, reminders do not benefit them. (Those are they who are destroyed by what they earned; for them) is (a drink of scalding water), which is the intensity of longing for perfection, (and a painful punishment), which is the deprivation from it due to being veiled by what they earned.

Say: "Do we call upon other than Allah that which does not benefit us or harm us?" meaning: Shall we worship that which has no power over anything at all, as it has no existence in reality? ("And are we to turn back on our heels) in polytheism after (Allah has guided us) to the True Monotheism, (like one whom the devils have enticed) from illusion and imagination (in the earth), meaning the earth of nature and the wilderness of the soul, (confused), not knowing where to go, (while he has companions), from the intellect and theoretical powers, (inviting him to guidance), the True one, saying, ("Come to us"), for the true path is with us; but he does not hear. Say: "Indeed, the guidance of Allah", which is the path of Monotheism, (is the guidance), and what is other than it is not it. (And we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds) by erasing our attributes, (and that: 'Establish prayer'), the True one, which is the Presence of the Heart. Ibn ‘Ata said: "Establishing prayer is preserving it with Allah—Exalted is He—in the secrets." (And fear Him), meaning: make Him—Exalted is He—a shield by freeing yourself from your own existence. (And it is He to whom you will be gathered) by annihilation in Him—Exalted is He.

And it is He who created the heavens—the heavens of the spirits—and the earth—the earth of the body—in truth, meaning: established in the justice that is the requirement of His Essence. (And the day He says, "Be," and it is), which is the time of the relation of His ancient will to manifestation in the distinct entities, (His word is the truth), because it requires what it requires according to the best system, and there is nothing in possibility more wonderful than what has been. (And to Him is the dominion on the day the Trumpet is blown), which is the time of the effusion of spirits onto the forms of the hidden things, which are dead in themselves; nay, they have no existence or life. (Knower of the unseen), meaning: the realities of the world of spirits, and it is called the Malakut, (and the witnessed), meaning: the forms of the world of phantoms, and it is called the Mulk. (And He is the Wise), who effused upon the recipients according to their capacities, (the Acquainted) with their states and the measure of their capacities; there is no wise one other than Him, and no acquainted one besides Him.