Tafsir of Saba' 34:22-23

Surah Saba' (34): Verses 22-23

When Allah Almighty had clarified the state of the thankful and the state of the disbelievers, and reminded them of those who passed before, He returned to addressing them. He commanded His Messenger (peace be upon him) to tell the polytheists:

"Say: 'Call upon those whom you claim besides Allah...'" (34:22)

This is a form of mockery. He then clarified that they possess nothing by saying:

"...They do not possess, down to the weight of an atom, in the heavens or on the earth." (34:22)

Know that there are four doctrines that lead to polytheism:

The First Doctrine: The belief that Allah Almighty created the heavens and what is in them, and He made the earth and what is in it subject to their rule. They claim that since they are among the inhabitants of the earth, they worship the stars and the angels in the heavens, considering them their gods, while Allah is their God.

• Allah's Refutation: He refuted this by saying they possess nothing in the heavens (as they admitted), "...nor on the earth," contrary to what they claimed.

The Second Doctrine: The belief that the heavens originate from Allah by absolute decree, but the things on earth originate through the mediation of the stars. They claim that Allah created the elements and compositions through the conjunctions, movements, and ascensions of the stars, thus making others partners with Allah concerning the earth. The first group attributed the earth to others and the heaven to Allah, but this group attributes the earth to others via the stars.

• Allah's Refutation: He refuted this by saying: "...And they have no share in either [the heavens or the earth]," meaning the earth, like the heaven, belongs solely to Allah, and no one else has a portion in it.

The Third Doctrine: The belief that all compositions and contingent events originate from Allah Almighty, but He delegated the execution of these matters to the stars. They argue that the action permitted by the authority is attributed to the authority itself, and the one permitted to act is absolved. For example, if a king commands his slave to strike someone, and the slave strikes, it is conventionally said, "The king struck him."

• Allah's Refutation: In refuting this, He said: "...Nor does He have any helper from among them." Allah has not delegated anything to anyone; rather, He is the Guardian, Watcher over all things.

The Fourth Doctrine: The belief that they worship idols which are the images of angels, seeking their intercession.

• Allah's Refutation: He refuted this by saying: "...And intercession is not effective with Him except for whom He permits." Therefore, worshipping others besides Allah is useless, as Allah does not permit intercession for those who worship others. By seeking their intercession, they forfeit the possibility of receiving intercession from Allah.

"...Until, when fear is removed from their hearts, they will say, 'What has your Lord said?' They will say, 'The Truth.'" (34:23)

"Until fear is removed from their hearts": Meaning the terror is taken away from them. It is said, qurida al-ba'eer (the camel was infested with ticks), and this is called an intensification of the removal (of the negative state).

There are several interpretations for the verse: "Until, when fear is removed from their hearts, they will say, 'What has your Lord said?' They will say, 'The Truth.'"

1. Fear at Revelation: The fear that occurs when Allah reveals (revelation). When Allah reveals, everyone in the heavens is terrified. Then Allah removes the fear from them, and they ask Gabriel (peace be upon him): "What has Allah said?" He replies: "The Truth," meaning the revelation.
2. Fear of the Hour (Qiyamah): The fear associated with the Hour. This is because when Allah revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him), "Fear will seize those in the heavens" (An-Naml: 87), because the sending of Muhammad (PBUH) is one of the signs of the Hour. When this fear subsides, they ask: "What has Allah said?" Gabriel says: "The Truth," meaning the revelation.
3. Fear at Death: Allah removes the fear at the time of death from the hearts, and everyone confesses that what Allah said is the Truth. This confession benefits the one whose prior actions were in agreement with it, and his soul is taken upon the agreed-upon faith between him and Allah. Conversely, this confession harms the one whose prior actions contradicted it, and his soul is taken upon the disbelief agreed upon between him and Allah.

Connecting the Clause:

If we adopt the first two interpretations, the word "Until" is a limit related to the command "Say," because the command to "Say" is for the purpose of warning, so that the addressed person hears what is said, and then says what is required after this speech. Thus, when the command "Say" is given, the inhabitants of the heavens are seized by fear, and then the fear is removed from them.

If we adopt the third interpretation (fear at death), then "Until" is related to what they "claimed" (i.e., their disbelief) up to the point of terror, after which they abandon what they claimed and say, "He said the Truth."

Regarding the first two interpretations, the subject of "They will say, 'What...?'" are the angels asking Gabriel. Under the third interpretation, they are the disbelievers asking the angels. The subject of "He said, 'The Truth'" in the first two interpretations are the angels, while in the third interpretation, it is the polytheists.

Know that The Truth (Al-Haqq) is that which exists. Since the existence of Allah is not subject to non-existence, He is the Absolute Truth, which cannot be nullified by falsehood (Al-Batil), which is non-existence.

Speech that is true (sādiq) is called Haqq because it relates to an external reality via its connection to what is in the mind. What is in the mind relates to what is external. If someone says, "Zayd has come," this utterance relates to the speaker's mind, and the speaker's mind relates to the external reality. Thus, truthfulness has an external referent, granting it continuous existence. Falsehood, however, has a referent that does not exist externally. In this case, either it has no referent in the mind (making it like non-existence from the start, as in the speech of a deliberately lying denier), or it has a referent in the mind contrary to external reality (making it a false belief due to ignorance or conjecture). However, since its referent lacks external connection, that speech dissolves and becomes void.

The speech of Allah is not void initially, as is the speech of a deliberate liar, nor is it subject to falsehood, as is the speech of one based on conjecture.

"...And He is the Most High, the Great." (34:23)

We have previously explained in the exegesis of Surah Luqman (31:30), "That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Great," that "The Truth" indicates His perfection, lacking no deficiency, thus accepting the attribution of non-existence (i.e., He is not subject to it). He is above all perfect beings, because every perfect being has a being more perfect above him. Therefore, "And He is the Most High, the Great" indicates that He is above all perfect beings in His Essence and Attributes.

This refutes the view that He is a body occupying space (jism or ḥayyiz). Any entity occupying space is subject to pointing (indication by gesture), and the indication stops at it because if the indication did not reach it, it would not be the indicated object. Once the indication reaches it, the indication terminates there. At every point where indication stops, the intellect can conceive of a greater distance, leading to the conclusion that the indicated object is higher relative to something else, not absolutely higher. He is absolutely higher.

If He were a body, He would have a measurable dimension (miqdār). Any dimension can be conceived to be larger than it, making it "Great" relative to something else, not absolutely Great. He is absolutely Great.

"Say: 'Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?' Say: 'Allah.' And indeed, either we or you are upon guidance or in manifest error." (34:24)