ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ
And he had over them no authority except [it was decreed] that We might make evident who believes in the Hereafter from who is thereof in doubt. And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian.
Tafsir
Verse range: 34:21
{And it was not for him [Satan] over them any authority...}
We have previously explained, concerning the verse: {And Allah will surely know those who are truthful and will surely know the liars} (Al-'Ankabut: 3), that Allah's Knowledge, from eternity to eternity, encompasses everything knowable, and His essence as Knower does not change. However, what changes is the attachment of His Knowledge.
Knowledge is a revealing attribute that manifests everything as it truly is. In eternity, Allah's Knowledge was that the world would come into existence. When it exists, His Knowledge finds it existing by that very Knowledge. When it ceases to exist, He knows it as non-existent by that Knowledge.
The analogy is: A polished mirror possesses clarity. If Zayd faces it, his image appears. If 'Amr then faces it, his image appears. The mirror itself has not changed in its essence, nor have its attributes been altered; the change occurs only in what is external to it.
Similarly here, His statement: {so that We may know} means so that the commission of disbelief by the disbeliever and faith by the believer may occur in knowledge. Previously, it was known that Zayd would disbelieve and 'Amr would believe.
His statement: {And he had no authority over them} indicates that Satan does not compel them; rather, he is merely a sign and a mark created by Allah to clarify what is already present in His prior Knowledge.
His statement: {And your Lord is a Guardian over all things} confirms this. It means that Allah Almighty is capable of preventing Iblis from influencing them, and He is fully aware of what will occur. Thus, the concept of "Guardian" (Hafiz) inherently includes both Knowledge and Power, as one who is ignorant of a matter cannot guard it, nor can one who is powerless.
{7 < Say, "Call upon those you claim besides Allah. They do not possess [power over] even an atom's weight in the heavens or on the earth, nor do they have any partnership in either, nor does He have from them any supporter. * Nor is intercession beneficial with Him except for one whom He permits. Until, when fear is removed from their hearts, they will say, 'What has your Lord said?' They will say, 'The Truth.' And He is the Most High, the Great. } 7 ! <}
