Al-Anbiya (The Prophets): (16 - 18) And We did not create the heaven...

Issue 1: Connection of this Verse to the Preceding One

There are two perspectives on how this verse connects to what came before it:

The First View: When Allah mentioned the destruction of the people of the town due to their denial, He followed it up with what indicates that He acted justly and as retribution for their deeds. He said: {And We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in play} (21:16). This means: We did not fashion this elevated ceiling and this laid-out floor, and the wonders and marvels between them, as tyrants fashion their ceilings and furnishings for amusement and play. Rather, We created them for religious and worldly benefits.

• Religious benefits: So that the thinker may reflect upon them, as stated in: {And they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth} (Al 'Imran: 191).
• Worldly benefits: Due to the countless benefits associated with them. This is similar to His saying: {And We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in vain} (Sad: 27), and {We did not create them except in truth} (Ad-Dukhan: 39).

The Second View: The purpose is to affirm the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and refute those who deny it. This is because Allah manifested miracles through him. If Muhammad were a liar, manifesting miracles through him would be a form of play, which is negated from Allah. If he is truthful, then what is sought is established, and all the criticisms they raised become invalid.

Issue 2: The Meaning of "Play" and the Refutation of the Mu'tazilite View

Al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbār said: This verse indicates that play is not attributable to Allah, for if it were, He would be a player. The word for "player" in the language is the name for the doer of play. Negating the noun designated for the action implies negating the action itself.

The Response: This is invalidated by the issue of the caller (to truth) that has been discussed previously.

As for His saying: {If We had wished to take a pastime, We would have taken it from Us, had We been a doer} (21:17):

• Know that His saying {We would have taken it from Us} means from the perspective of Our power.
• It is also said that lahw (pastime/amusement) means offspring in the dialect of Yemen.
• Another opinion is that it means a woman.
• Or, {from Us} means from the angels, not from humankind, as a refutation against those who claimed the divinity of the Messiah or 'Uzaiz.

As for His saying: {Rather, We cast the truth upon falsehood} (21:18):

• Know that the word {Rather} (بل) is a turning away from taking amusement and play, and a purification of His Essence from it. It is as if He is saying: Glorified are We from taking amusement and play. Rather, it is the custom and the necessary consequence of Our wisdom to overcome play with seriousness and to crush falsehood with truth.
• He used the metaphor of "casting" (نقذف) and "smashing" (ندمغ) to depict its nullification, making it seem like a solid object, like a rock, cast upon a soft object, thus smashing it.

As for His saying: {And woe to you for what you describe} (21:18):

• This means woe to those who persist in denying the Messenger (peace be upon him) and attribute the Qur'an to magic, confused dreams, and other falsehoods. This is what is meant by {what you describe}.

{7 < And His are all who are in the heavens and the earth. And those near Him are not too proud to worship Him, nor do they weary. * They glorify the night and the day, not ceasing. > 7

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(Note: The provided excerpt ends here, transitioning to verse 19, which is implicitly referenced by the structure.)