Al-Isra: (110 - 111) Say, "Call upon Allah..."

Commentary on "Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful" (110)

The author of Al-Kashshaf [Al-Zamakhshari] states that what is meant here are the names themselves, not the named entity (the musamma). The conjunction 'or' (أو) implies choice: "Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Merciful." This means: "Mention Him by this name, or by this name."

The indefinite suffix (أيا) is in place of a possessive suffix (the mudaf ilayh), and ما is an emphatic particle used for ambiguity, reinforcing the choice implied in أي (which of the two names). The meaning is: "Whichever of these two names you call upon Him by, it is good."

Then follows: "For to Him belong the Best Names" (فله الاسماء الحسنى).

The pronoun in "For to Him" (فله) does not refer back to either of the two mentioned names, but rather to the entity they signify—His Essence, the Glorified and Exalted. The meaning is: "Whichever way you call upon Him, it is good, because His Names are Beautiful." This phrase is placed there because if His Names are beautiful, then these two names (Allah and Ar-Rahman) must also be beautiful, as they are included among them.

The beauty of God's names lies in their conveying meanings of praise and sanctification. We have previously detailed this in the commentary on the verse "And to Allah belong the Best Names, so invoke Him by them" (Al-A'raf: 180) at the end of Surah Al-A'raf.

Al-Jubba'i used this verse as proof, arguing: If God were the creator of injustice and tyranny, it would be valid to call Him "O Unjust One" (يا ظالم). If that were true, the statement in this verse—that all His names are beautiful—would be invalidated.

The Response: We do not concede that if He were the creator of human actions, He could rightly be described as unjust or tyrannical. Just as His being the creator of movement, stillness, blackness, and whiteness does not necessitate calling Him "O Mover," "O Still," "O Black," or "O White," similarly, even if He creates injustice, He is not described by it. If they argue that it is necessary to call Him "Creator of Injustice and Tyranny," we respond: Then you must also say "Creator of Filth, Worms, and Pigs." Just as you acknowledge that calling Him these things is true in reality but inappropriate etiquette (it is better to say "Creator of the Heavens and the Earth"), so too is the case here.

Then the Almighty said: "And do not utter your prayer aloud nor keep it entirely quiet" (ولا تجهر بصلاتك ولا تخافت بها). There are several discussions regarding this:

The First Opinion: Reported from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to raise his voice in recitation. When the polytheists heard him, they would curse him and curse the one who brought him. So, Allah revealed to him: "Do not utter your prayer aloud," lest the polytheists hear and curse Allah without knowledge. "Nor keep it entirely quiet," lest your companions do not hear you. "And seek a way between that."

The Second Opinion: It is reported that the Prophet (PBUH) walked around the houses of the Companions at night. Abu Bakr used to conceal his voice in prayer, while Umar used to raise his voice. When morning came, Abu Bakr and Umar approached the Prophet (PBUH). He asked Abu Bakr: "Why did you conceal your voice?" He replied: "I am conversing with my Lord, and He already knows my need." He asked Umar: "Why did you raise your voice?" He replied: "I drive away the devil and awaken the sleepy one." The Prophet (PBUH) then instructed Abu Bakr to raise his voice slightly, and Umar to lower his voice slightly.

The Third Opinion: It means: Do not recite the entire prayer aloud, and do not recite the entire prayer quietly. Instead, seek a middle path by reciting the night prayer aloud and the day prayer quietly.

The Fourth Opinion: What is meant by Salat (prayer) here is supplication (الدعاء). This is the view of Aisha (RA), Abu Hurayrah, and Mujahid. Aisha (RA) said: "It concerns supplication." It is narrated in a marfu' report that the Prophet (PBUH) said regarding this verse: "This is only concerning supplication and asking. Do not raise your voice so that you mention your sins and they are heard, leading to your being scorned. Raising the voice in supplication is forbidden, and excessive secrecy is not permissible. The recommended approach is moderation—that you hear yourself, as narrated from Ibn Mas'ud: 'He has not been quiet who has not made his own ears hear.'"

The Fifth Opinion: Al-Hasan said: "Do not show it off with overtness, nor be deficient with secrecy."

Salat (prayer) is the sum of actions and remembrances. Loudness (الجهر) and quietness (المخافتة) are accidents of the voice. Therefore, what is meant here by Salawat (prayers) is only some parts of the essence of prayer, namely the remembrances and the Qur'an recitation. This is an instance of using the name of the whole to refer to a part.

The verb خفت صوته يخفت خفتاً وخفوتاً means his voice weakened and became still. A quiet voice (صوت خفيض) is derived from this. Similarly, when a man dies, it is said قد خفت (his speech ceased). خفت الزرع means the crop withered. يخافت بقراءته means he recites without clarifying the recitation by raising the voice. تخافت القوم means they whispered among themselves.

I assert that the books of ethics establish that extremes in all matters are blameworthy, and justice lies in observing the middle path. For this reason, Allah praised this Ummah by saying: "And thus We have made you a middle nation" (Al-Baqarah: 143). He praised the believers: "And those who, when they spend, are neither wasteful nor tight-fisted but keep the balance between that" (Al-Furqan: 67). Allah commanded His Messenger: "And do not make your hand chained to your neck, nor extend it all out" (Al-Isra: 29). Similarly here, He forbade the two extremes—loudness and quietness—and commanded moderation between them: "And seek a way between that."

Some say this verse is abrogated by the verse: "Call upon your Lord humbly and secretly" (Al-A'raf: 55), but this view is remote.

Commentary on "And say: Praise be to Allah..." (111)

After commanding that Allah should only be called upon by His Best Names, He taught the manner of praising Him: "And say: Praise be to Allah, who has not taken a son, nor has He any partner in His dominion, nor has He any protecting ally out of weakness" (وقل الحمد لله الذى لم يتخذ ولدا ولم يكن له شريك فى الملك ولم يكن له ولى من الذل).

Here, He mentions three types of negative attributes (negations of imperfection) related to Majesty:

The First Type: The negation of having a son (لم يتخذ ولدا). There are several reasons for this:

1. A son is something generated from a part of another entity. Whoever has a son is composed of parts, and anything composed is contingent (created) and dependent, thus incapable of perfect bestowal, and therefore not deserving of perfect praise.
2. Whoever has a son must reserve all blessings for that son. If He has no son, He bestows all those blessings upon His servants.
3. A son is what replaces the parent upon their passing away. If He had a son, He would be subject to passing away, and one who is subject to passing away cannot bestow perfect blessings at all times, thus not deserving absolute praise.

The Second Type: The negation of having a partner in dominion (ولم يكن له شريك فى الملك). The reason for affirming this attribute is that if He had a partner, His deservingness of praise and gratitude would not be absolute.

The Third Type: The negation of having a protecting ally out of weakness (ولم يكن له ولى من الذل). The reason for affirming this attribute is that if it were possible for Him to have an ally due to weakness, then His being worthy of thanks would be conditional, as someone else might have compelled that bestowal or prevented it.

If He is purified from having a son, from having a partner, and from needing an ally to manage His affairs, then He deserves the greatest forms of praise and the highest degrees of gratitude.

Then the Almighty said: "And magnify Him with great magnification" (وكبره تكبيرا). This means that the praise (Tahmid) must be accompanied by Takbir (magnification). This carries several meanings:

1. Magnification in His Essence: Believing that He is necessarily existent by Himself (واجب الوجود لذاته) and self-sufficient, needing nothing else.
2. Magnification in His Attributes: This has several aspects:
   • Believing that every attribute belonging to Him is an attribute of Majesty, Glory, Greatness, and Perfection, and He is purified from all attributes of deficiency.
   • Believing that each of His attributes relates to an infinite amount of knowledge, and His power relates to an infinite amount of things possible and contingent.
   • Believing that just as His Essence is purified from contingency, change, cessation, transformation, and transition, so too are His attributes eternal, ancient, everlasting, and purified from change, cessation, transformation, and transition.
3. Magnification in His Actions: Here, the views of the Jabriyyah (Determinists) and the Qadariyyah (Free Will proponents) diverge.
   • Ahl al-Sunnah (Sunnis) say: We praise and magnify Him because nothing occurs in His dominion contrary to His decree, will, and intention; everything happens by His decree, destiny, will, and intention.
   • The Mu'tazilah say: We magnify Him as being purified from being the doer of these vile and shameful acts; rather, we believe His wisdom necessitates purification from them and from willing them.
   • It is related that the scholar Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini was sitting in the house of Al-Sahib Ibn 'Abbad when the Judge 'Abd al-Jabbar ibn Ahmad al-Hamadhani entered. Upon seeing him, the Judge said: "Glory be to Him who is purified from indecency!" Professor Abu Ishaq replied: "Glory be to Him by Whom nothing occurs in His kingdom except what He wills."
4. Magnification in His Rulings: Believing that He is a King obeyed, possessing command and prohibition, elevation and abasement, and that no one has the right to object to any of His rulings; He honors whom He wills and humiliates whom He wills.
5. Magnification in His Names: Believing that He should only be mentioned by His Best Names and described only by His exalted, sanctified, and pure attributes.
6. The Final Degree of Magnification: After a person reaches the limit of his intellect, understanding, and thought in magnifying, glorifying, purifying, and sanctifying Him, he must then confess that his intellect and understanding are insufficient to grasp the majesty of Allah, his tongue is insufficient to thank Him, and his limbs are insufficient to serve Him. Thus, Allah is magnified beyond the capacity of his magnification to encompass the reality of His glory and might.

This is the utmost a weak servant can achieve in magnification and glorification. We ask Allah for mercy before death, at death, and after death. Indeed, He is the Generous, the Merciful. In Allah is protection and success. Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs.