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Tafsir of At-Takweer 81:20

Surah At-Takweer 81:20

ﲖ ﲗ ﲘ ﲙ ﲚ ﲛ

[Who is] possessed of power and with the Owner of the Throne, secure [in position],

Tafsir

Ruh al-Ma'ani

Verse range: 81:20

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(Possessor of power) Meaning, strong, as He, the Glorified, said: "Mighty in power." Regarding his strength, it has been narrated that he (peace be upon him) was sent to the cities of Lot—which were four cities, each containing four hundred thousand combatants, excluding the children—and he lifted them with all who were within them from the lowest earth, such that the inhabitants of the heavens heard the sounds of the chickens and the barking of the dogs; then he cast them down and destroyed them.

It has also been said that the meaning is strength in performing the obedience of Allah the Exalted and refraining from failing in it, from the beginning of creation until the end of the time of religious obligation. It has also been said that it is not unlikely that the intended meaning is the power of preservation and immunity from forgetfulness and confusion.

(With the Lord of the Throne) Possessor of a lofty status and honor in the sight of Allah, the Great, majestic is His majesty. The "with-ness" (al-'indiyyah) here denotes honor and ennoblement, not the "with-ness" of place. Thus, the adverbial phrase is attached to *makin* (having status). It is a *fa'il* form derived from *al-makanah* (status), and its usage has become so frequent—as noted in *al-Sihah*—that it was thought the 'meem' was a radical letter of the root, and from it, *tamakkuna* (to be established) was derived, just as *tamaskuna* (to become wretched) was derived from *al-maskanah* (wretchedness).

It has also been permitted that it is a masdar mimi (a gerund starting with 'meem') from al-kawn (being/existence). Its original form was ma-kawn with a kasra on the waw, which then became makin through transfer and transformation. By "kawn," existence is intended, as if he, by the perfection of his existence, became the essence of existence. The first interpretation is the most apparent.

It has also been said that the adverbial phrase is attached to an implied word acting as another attribute for the "Messenger," meaning: existing with the Lord of the Throne in a manner of being that is appropriate—and this is as you see it [to be less plausible].