| An-Nahl (The Bees): (3) He created the heavens and the earth...

Know that when the Almighty previously established that the knowledge of Truth for its own sake (which is intended by His saying: {that there is no god but I}) and the knowledge of good for acting upon it (which is intended by His saying: {so fear Me} (An-Nahl: 2)) are the spirit of spirits, the source of all happiness, and the spring of all goodness and nobility, He followed this by mentioning the proofs for the existence of the Divine Creator, the Exalted, and the perfection of His power and wisdom.

Know that we have explained that the proofs for Divinity are either by appealing to the possibility (in essence) or to the attributes, or by appealing to contingency/origination (in essence) or in the attributes, or by combining possibility and contingency in essence or attributes. These are six paths. The path mentioned in the revealed Books of God is appealing to the contingency of attributes and the changes in states.

This path occurs in two ways:

1. Appealing from the most apparent to the most hidden: This path is mentioned at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah. There, the Almighty said: {Worship your Lord Who created you}, making the change in the state of every individual a proof of their need for a Creator. He then followed this by reasoning based on the states of fathers and mothers, indicated by {and those who came before you} (Al-Baqarah: 21). Then, He followed that by reasoning based on the state of the Earth: {Who made the earth a resting place for you}, because the Earth is closer to us than the heavens. Then, in the fourth rank, He mentioned: {and the heaven as a structure}. Then, in the fifth rank, He mentioned the states arising from the composition of the heaven and the earth: {And sent down from the sky water and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you} (Al-Baqarah: 22).

2. Appealing from the most noble to the most base: This path is mentioned in this Surah. The Almighty began by arguing for the existence of the chosen God by mentioning the high celestial bodies. Then He followed it by reasoning based on the states of humankind, then by reasoning based on the states of animals, then by reasoning based on the states of plants, and finally by reasoning based on the four elements. This arrangement is supremely excellent.

If you grasp this introduction, we say:

The first type of proof mentioned for the existence of the Wise God is the reasoning based on the states of the heavens and the earth, where He says: {He created the heavens and the earth in truth. Exalted is He above what they associate with Him [in worship]}.

We have already explained in the commentary on His saying: {Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth} (Al-An'am: 1) how the term creation (Khalq) indicates the need for a Wise Creator. It is appropriate to reiterate those points here.

Creation means determination according to a specific measure. This meaning is present in the heavens in several ways:

1. Every body is finite; the body of the heaven is finite. Anything finite in size and measure, its specification to that exact measure—neither more nor less—is a contingent matter. Everything contingent must have a determiner and a specifier, and everything dependent on another is originated (created).
2. Eternal motion is impossible because motion implies preceding non-existence, which contradicts eternity. Therefore, combining motion and eternity is impossible.

If this is established, we say: Either the celestial bodies and objects were non-existent eternally and then originated, or they existed eternally but were stationary and then began to move. In both scenarios, their motion has a beginning. The origination of motion from that starting point, and not before or after it, is creation and determination. Thus, it necessitates dependence on a determiner, a Creator, and a specifier for it.

3. The body of the celestial sphere is composed of parts, some located deep within the sphere and some on its surface. What is in the depth could have been on the surface, and vice versa. Once this is established, the specification of each part to its specific location is a contingent matter, thus requiring a specifier and determiner. The rest of the arguments are mentioned at the beginning of Surah Al-An'am.

Know that after He argued for the origination of the heavens and the earth through creation and determination, He followed it with: {Exalted is He above what they associate with Him}. This means that those who assert the eternity of the heavens and the earth are, as it were, establishing a partner for God in being eternally ancient. Thus, He purifies Himself from that, showing that nothing is eternal except Him.

By this explanation, it becomes clear that the purpose sought by saying {Exalted is He above what they associate with Him} (Yunus: 18) at the beginning of the Surah is different from the purpose sought by mentioning this phrase here. There, the goal is to refute those who say that idols intercede for the disbelievers to avert punishment from them. Here, the purpose is to refute those who say that bodies are eternal and that the heavens and the earth are everlasting. Thus, God, the Exalted, purifies Himself from having any partner in eternity and ancientness. And God knows best.

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