Hud: (7) And He it is Who created...

Know that when the Almighty established, through the preceding proof, His being the Knower of all knowables, He established through this proof His being capable of all that is possible. In reality, each of these two proofs indicates the perfection of Allah's knowledge and the perfection of His power.

Know that the Almighty's saying: {And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days} has already been explained exhaustively in Surah Yunus. What remains here is to mention: {And His Throne was upon the water}.

Ka'b said: Allah created a green jewel, then He looked upon it with awe, and it turned into trembling water. Then He created the wind and placed the water upon its surface, then He placed the Throne upon the water.

Abu Bakr al-Asamm said: The meaning of {And His Throne was upon the water} is like the saying, "The sky is upon the earth." This is not in the sense of one being physically attached to the other. Whatever the reality of the event, it indicates that the Throne and the water existed before the heavens and the earth.

The Mu'tazilah said: In the verse is evidence for the existence of angels before their creation, because it is not permissible for Him to create them while no one benefits from the Throne and the water. This is because when He created them, He either created them for a benefit or not for a benefit. The latter is futile. Thus, the former remains: He created them for a benefit, and that benefit must return to someone other than Allah, as He is exalted above needing benefit or harm. That other being must be living, because the non-living cannot benefit. Everyone who holds this view said that this living being was of the kind of angels.

As for Abu Muslim al-Isfahani, he said the meaning of {And His Throne was upon the water} is that the structure of the heavens was upon the water. This has been explained in Surah Yunus, where it was shown that when Allah builds the heavens upon the water, it is more wondrous and amazing. For a weak structure, if not founded on solid ground, will not remain firm; how much more so this great matter if it is spread out upon water?

Here are some questions:

Answer: It indicates the perfection of power in several ways:

1. The Throne, being greater than the heavens and the earth, was upon the water. If Allah were not capable of holding the heavy without a support, this would not be sound.
2. Allah held the water without a resting place (foundation), otherwise, the divisions of the world would have to be infinite, which indicates what we mentioned.
3. The Throne, which is the greatest of created things, Allah held it above seven heavens without a pillar beneath it or a connection above it, which also indicates what we mentioned.

Answer: This narration is weak. The famous report is more worthy of acceptance, which is the Prophet's saying, peace be upon him: "Allah was, and there was nothing with Him, then He created His Throne upon the water."

Answer: The meaning of this statement is clear: Allah created this vast world for the benefit of the accountable. A group of rationalists held this view, and each group has a different perspective other than the others. Explaining those views is not suitable for this book. Those who say that His actions and rulings are not conditioned by benefits say that the lām of causation is used in its apparent sense, meaning that Allah did an action which, if He were one who observed benefits in His actions, He would not have done it except for this purpose.

Answer: This matter has been exhaustively discussed in our commentary on His saying at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah: {that you may become righteous} (Al-Baqarah: 21).

Know that when the Almighty clarified that He created this world for the purpose of testing and trying the accountable, this necessitates certainty regarding the resurrection and gathering, because testing and trial require singling out the doer of good for mercy and reward, and singling out the doer of evil for punishment. This cannot be fully realized except by acknowledging the Hereafter and the Resurrection.

At this point, He addresses Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and says: {And if indeed you should say, "Indeed, you are going to be resurrected after death," those who disbelieve would surely say, "This is not but apparent magic."} The meaning is that they deny this statement and judge the saying of resurrection to be false.

If it is said: That which can be described as magic must be a specific action. How can this saying be described as magic?

We say: The answer to this is in several ways:

1. Al-Qaffal said: The meaning is that this saying is a deception you have fabricated to prevent people from worldly pleasures and to bring them under your obedience and submission.
2. The meaning of {This is not but apparent magic} is that magic is a false matter. Allah says, recounting Moses, peace be upon him: {What you have brought is magic, and indeed, Allah will expose its falsehood} (Yunus: 81). So His saying {This is not but apparent magic} means "apparent falsehood."
3. The Qur'an is the judge establishing the resurrection, and they attack the Qur'an by calling it magic, because attacking the origin implies attacking the branch.
4. Hamzah and Al-Kisā'ī recited it as {This is not but a sorcerer}, meaning the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and a sorcerer is a liar.