Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:14-16

Al-Hajj (22:14-16)

[14] Indeed, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds into Gardens beneath which rivers flow. Indeed, Allah does what He wills.

Know that after He, the Exalted, clarified in the previous verse the state of the hypocrites' worship and their object of worship, in this verse He clarifies the description of the believers' worship and their object of worship.

As for the hypocrites, their worship was on a path that cannot be correct, and their object of worship neither harms nor benefits.

As for the believers, their worship is real, and their object of worship grants them the greatest benefits: Paradise. He then clarified the perfection of Paradise, which combines vegetation and trees, and that rivers flow beneath it. He exalted Himself, stating that He does what He wills concerning them of various kinds of grace and favor, in addition to their rewards, as He the Exalted said: {that He may give them their rewards in full and increase them of His bounty} (Al-Kahf: 31).

Our scholars used His saying, {Indeed, Allah does what He wills}, as evidence for the creation of actions. They argued: We are agreed that He, the Exalted, wills faith, and the word mā (what) implies generality, so it must be that He is the Doer of faith, based on His saying: {Indeed, Allah does what He wills}.

Al-Ka'bi responded by saying that Allah the Exalted does what He wills to do, not what others will that He should do.

The reply is: His saying mā (what) is more general than our saying "what He wills to do" and "what others will that He should do." Thus, imposing a restriction contradicts the explicit text.

[15] Whoever thought that Allah would not support him [the Prophet] in this world and the Hereafter—let him extend a rope to the sky and then cut it off and see if his plan removes that which enrages him.

Regarding His saying, {Whoever thought that Allah would not support him...}, to whom does the pronoun hu (him) refer? There are two views:

1. The First View: This is the view of Ibn Abbas, Al-Kalbi, Muqatil, Al-Dahhak, Qatadah, Ibn Zayd, and Al-Suddi, and it is the chosen view of Al-Farra' and Al-Zajjaj. It refers to Muhammad (peace be upon him). It means: whoever thought that Allah would not support Muhammad (PBUH) in this world by elevating His word and manifesting His religion, and in the Hereafter by raising his rank and taking vengeance on those who denied him. Although the Prophet (PBUH) was not explicitly mentioned in the verse, there is evidence pointing to him: the mention of faith in His saying: {Indeed, Allah will admit those who believe...}, and faith is not complete except through Allah and His Messenger. Therefore, two matters must be investigated here:
   • Who was it that thought Allah would not support Muhammad (PBUH)?
   • What is the meaning of His saying: {let him extend a rope to the sky and then cut it off}?

Regarding the First Investigation: Several explanations were given: * One: Some Muslims, due to their intense anger and resentment towards the polytheists, were impatient for the victory Allah had promised His Messenger, so this verse was revealed. * Two: Muqatil said it was revealed concerning a group from Asad and Ghatafan who said, "We fear that Allah will not support Muhammad, and thus the bond between us and our Jewish allies will be severed, and they will not supply us with provisions." * Three: His envies and enemies expected that Allah would not support him or elevate him above his enemies, so when they saw that Allah supported him, it enraged them.

Regarding the Second Investigation: Know that there are two opinions concerning the word sabab (rope/means): * One Opinion: It means a literal rope. Those who hold this view differed regarding "the sky": * Some said it refers to the ceiling of the house. * Others said it refers to the actual sky. They interpreted the meaning as: Whoever thought Allah would not support him, and then became enraged that he would not achieve his goal, let him exert all his effort to remove what enrages him by doing what he does when rage overwhelms him—to the extent that he extends a rope to the ceiling of his house and strangles himself. Let him then see if doing that will remove the divine support that enrages him. Concerning the cutting off, some said strangulation is called qat'un (cutting) because the strangled person severs his own vital passages, and his action is called kayd (plotting) because he resorted to it when he could do nothing else, or as a form of mockery, but he only plotted against himself, not his envied one. The meaning is that he has no recourse except what will not remove what enrages him. This is the view of Al-Kalbi and Muqatil. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He ties the rope around his neck to the roof of the house, then cuts the rope until he chokes and perishes. This is all if we interpret "sky" as the ceiling of the house, which is the view of many commentators. * Others said it means the actual sky, as applying the statement to the actual sky is more appropriate than applying it to the ceiling of the house, because the latter implies a restricted meaning, and the purpose is not to command him to do that, but rather that this action should divert him from rage towards obedience to Allah. If so, the more remote the possibility of the mentioned action, the more likely it is to be the intended meaning. Extending a rope to the sky of the lowest heaven and strangling oneself with it is more remote from possibility than extending it to the ceiling of the house, because the latter is possible.

• Those who said sabab is not a rope mentioned two views: * One: It is as if He said: Let him extend a means to the sky, then let him cut the distance by that means, and then let him see, for he will realize that even if he endures hardship in what he thought was a losing bargain, it is as if he did nothing. This is the view of Abu Muslim. * Two: It is as if He said: Let him seek a means to reach the sky, then let him cut off Allah's support for His Prophet, and let him see if he can reach the sky by trickery, and if he can thereby cut off Allah's support from His Messenger. If this is impossible, then his rage is futile.

Know that the objective, based on all these interpretations, is clear: it is a reprimand to the disbelievers against futile rage, similar to His saying: {If you can find a tunnel into the earth or a ladder into the sky...} (Al-An'am: 35), clarifying that they have no stratagem regarding the signs they demanded.

2. The Second View: The pronoun hu in {that Allah would not support him} refers back to the one mentioned at the beginning of the verse (the one who thinks so), as it is proper for a pronoun to refer to a mentioned antecedent if possible. Those who hold this view interpret "support" as provision (Rizq). Abu Ubaydah narrated that a beggar from Banu Bakr stopped by him and said, "Whoever supports me, Allah will support him," meaning, "Whoever gives me, Allah will give him." It is as if He meant: Whoever thought that Allah would not provide for him in this world and the Hereafter, because of this thought, he turns away from adhering to the religion of Muhammad (PBUH), as described by Him: {And whoever turns on his heel...} (Al-Hajj: 11). He reaches the extreme of distress—strangulation—but that will not overcome the decree that he will be provided for.

[16] And thus We have sent it down as clear verses, and indeed, Allah guides whom He wills.

Regarding His saying: {And thus We have sent it down as clear verses}, the meaning is: And like this sending down, We sent down the entire Qur'an as clear verses.

Regarding His saying: {and indeed, Allah guides whom He wills}, our scholars used this as evidence, arguing: The intended meaning of guidance is either the presentation of proofs or the creation of knowledge. The first is not permissible because Allah the Exalted has done that for all accountable persons, and because His saying {guides whom He wills} indicates that guidance is not obligatory upon Him, but is contingent upon His will. Presenting proofs, according to the opponent (Al-Mu'tazila), is obligatory. Thus, what remains is that the intended meaning is the creation of knowledge.

Al-Qadi Abd al-Jabbar, in his defense, suggested several possibilities:

1. He commands whomever He wills, because whoever commands someone to do something has described and clarified it for him.
2. It means He guides to Paradise and reward whomever He wills among those who believe and do righteous deeds.
3. It means Allah the Exalted shows kindness to whomever He wills among those whom He knows will remain steadfast in their faith if He increases their guidance, like His saying: {And those who are guided - He increases them in guidance} (Muhammad: 17). This third view is what Al-Hasan alluded to when he said: Allah guides those who accept before, not those who do not accept.

The reply to the first two views: The first view is refuted because Allah mentioned this after clarifying the proofs and responding to the doubts, so it cannot be restricted to mere obligation. As for the last two views, they are refuted because, according to [the Mu'tazila], they are obligatory upon Allah, whereas {guides whom He wills} implies non-obligation.

[17] Indeed, those who believed, and those who were Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who associated others with Allah—indeed, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, Allah is over all things a Witness.

[18] Have you not seen that to Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth—the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the beasts, and many of the people? But many [of the people] have deserved punishment. And he whom Allah humiliates - for him there is no one to honor. Indeed, Allah does what He wills.