Surah Az-Zumar (The Crowds): Verse 17

Know that when Allah, the Exalted, mentioned the warning for the worshippers of idols and statues, He followed it with the promise for those who avoid worshipping them and abstain from Shirk (polytheism). This is to ensure that the promise is always coupled with the warning, thus achieving the perfection of encouragement and deterrence. There are several issues concerning this verse:

The author of Al-Kashshaf states that Taghut is derived from Tughyān (transgression), similar to Malakūt (sovereignty) and Rahamūt (mercy), but with a transposition where the Lām (the second radical) precedes the ʿAyn (the middle radical). This word carries several layers of emphasis:

1. Naming it after the verbal noun (Maṣdar): It is as if the essence of that thing is transgression itself.
2. The structure of exaggeration: The form Faʿlūt (like Rahamūt for extensive mercy, or Malakūt for expansive dominion) implies exaggeration.
3. The transposition mentioned above. Such linguistic structures are only employed for extreme emphasis.

There is a difference of opinion regarding whether Taghut here refers to Satan or to the idols.

• Opinion 1: It refers to Satan. If one argues that they worshipped idols, not Satan, we reply: Since Satan is the instigator leading to the worship of idols, engaging in idol worship is, in effect, worshipping Satan.
• Opinion 2: It refers to the idols. They are called Ṭawāghīt metaphorically because they possess no agency. The transgressors are those who worship them. However, since transgression occurs upon beholding or approaching them, the idols are described with this attribute as a superficial attribution of the effect (transgression) to the apparent cause (the idol).
• Opinion 3: Everything worshipped and obeyed besides Allah is Taghut.

Historically, the origin of idol worship is said to be that people held anthropomorphic beliefs (Mushabbihah): they believed the Divine Essence was a great light, and the angels were lights varying in size. They fashioned statues and images according to these imaginations, worshipping the statues while believing they were worshipping Allah and the angels.

My view is that the essence of the statement in {O My servants, fear Me} and {And those who avoid Taghut} is: Turn away from the servitude of everything other than Allah.

The Almighty’s statement {and turn back to Allah} means returning completely to Allah. I read in the fifth book of the Torah that Allah said to Moses: "O Moses, answer your God with all your heart."

As long as the heart has any inclination toward other than Allah, one has not answered his God with his whole heart. When is this complete answering achieved? It is when the heart turns away from everything besides Allah, even in acts of obedience.

But how can the heart turn away from things when, through sensory perception, one witnesses the causes leading to effects in this world?

We reply: The meaning of the heart turning away is not to judge these causes as non-existent, as that would lead to sophistry, which is false. Rather, it means recognizing that the Necessary Existent (Wājib al-Wujūd) in essence is One, and everything else is contingent upon existence (Mumkin al-Wujūd). Anything contingent upon existence can only exist through the creation and origination of the Necessary Existent.

Furthermore, Allah, the Exalted, has made the creation of things in two ways:

1. Directly, without intermediaries (the realm of the heavens and the spiritual entities).
2. Indirectly, through intermediaries (the realm of the elements and the lower world).

When you know things in this manner, you know that everything is from Allah, by Allah, and through Allah, and that there is no administrator but Him, and no true agent other than Him. At that point, one’s gaze is cut off from these contingent beings, and the heart remains occupied with the First Agent and the First Originator. If that Agent has established spiritual and physical means leading to the desired outcome, the thing occurs. If He has established means that do not lead to its occurrence, it does not occur. Through this path, one’s gaze is cut off from everything, and no inclination remains in the heart toward anything except the First Existent.

It once happened that I was advising some young men regarding the preservation of honor and wealth. They countered me, saying: "It is permissible, even obligatory, to rely on effort and striving, but ultimately, reliance must be on God's decree and destiny." I told them: "This is a true statement you have heard, but you have not understood its meaning." This is because there is no doubt that everything is from Allah. However, Allah, the Exalted, has managed things in two ways: some things have their occurrence contingent upon known causes, and some things He brings into being without these causes.

• The First Category: These are the events of this lower world.
• The Second Category: These are the events of the higher world.

If this is established, we say: Whoever seeks the events of this lower world without using the causes Allah has designated is challenging Allah's wisdom and opposing His management. Allah has decreed the occurrence of these things based on those specific, known causes, yet you seek to achieve them without those causes.

This is the reality of turning away from other than Allah and turning completely toward Allah. Thus, {And those who avoid Taghut} points to turning away from other than Allah, and {and turn back to Allah} points to turning completely toward the worship of Allah.

Then, Allah promised these people things, one of which is: {For them is the good news} (lahum al-bushrā).

Know that this good news relates to several aspects:

1. When does this good news occur? It occurs near death, upon placement in the grave, upon standing on the plain of Resurrection, when one group enters Paradise and another enters the Fire, and when the believers enter Paradise. At every one of these stations, good news of some kind of blessing, relief, mercy, and delight is received.
2. How does this good news occur? It occurs through the removal of disliked things and the attainment of desired things. Regarding the removal of disliked things, Allah says: {Do not fear, nor grieve} (Fussilat: 30). Fear relates to the future, and grief relates to past circumstances. So, {Do not fear} means do not fear the events of the Hereafter you will face, and {nor grieve} means do not grieve over the worldly blessings you missed. After removing these disliked things, Allah gives them glad tidings of attaining good and happiness, saying: {and rejoice in Paradise} (Fussilat: 30). He also said elsewhere: {The Day you see the believing men and believing women, their light running forward before them and to their right, [they will be told], "Good tidings to you this day: Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein you will abide eternally"} (Al-Hadid: 12). And He said: {In it is whatever the souls desire and what the eyes find delight in, and you will abide therein eternally} (Az-Zukhruf: 71).
3. Who delivers this good news? It is possible that the angels deliver it, either at death, as in {Those whom the angels take in death [while they are] pure, [saying], "Peace be upon you; enter Paradise for what you used to do"} (An-Nahl: 32), or after entering Paradise, as in {The angels will enter upon them from every gate, [Saying], "Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. Excellent is the final home"} (Ar-Ra'd: 23-24). It is also possible that Allah Himself delivers it, as He says: {Their greeting the Day they meet Him will be, "Peace"} (Al-Ahzab: 44).

Know that the statement {For them is the good news} contains types of emphasis:

1. Confinement (Ḥaṣr): It implies exclusivity: For them, and not for others. This means no good news is for anyone unless they avoid worshipping other than Allah and turn completely toward Him.
2. The definite article (Alif and Lām) in al-bushrā: This implies the entirety of the essence of good news belongs to them, leaving no share for others.
3. Distinction from mere reporting: Good news (Bushrā) is the initial report of attaining good things. If they hear about rewards in the world, hearing it at death or in the grave is merely a report (Ikhbār). Therefore, this Bushrā is only fully realized when a report comes concerning other types of happiness beyond what they knew or heard in the world. We ask Allah for success in attaining that, as He says: {And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes} (As-Sajdah: 17).
4. The Speaker: The one announcing {For them is the good news} is Allah, the Greatest of the great and the most perfect of beings. The condition for attaining this good news—avoiding all but Allah and turning completely to Him—is a great condition. When the Great Sovereign sets a great condition, and then says "Rejoice" to the one who fulfills it, this good news originating from the Great Sovereign, tied to that great condition, indicates that what is being announced has reached a level of perfection and loftiness that minds and thoughts cannot fully describe. Thus, {For them is the good news} indicates the utmost perfection and happiness from these perspectives. And Allah knows best.

Allah, the Exalted, after stating {For them is the good news} (which was a summary), followed it with words that serve as an explanation and elaboration: {So give good tidings to My servants, who listen to the word and follow the best of it}.

He means by "My servants who listen to the word and follow the best of it" those who avoided Taghut and turned back to Allah, and no others. This indicates that the pinnacle of happiness, the center of all good, and the source of honor is turning away from other than Allah and turning completely toward obedience to Allah. The purpose of this phrasing is to highlight that those who avoided Taghut and turned back are precisely those described as listening to the word and following the best of it, using an explicit description in place of a pronoun to draw attention to this characteristic.

Some scholars suggest that since Allah stated that those who avoided and turned back receive the good news—a high station only attainable by the foremost—and restricting happiness to them might imply deprivation for the majority, which does not suit perfect Mercy, He generalized the ruling: whoever chooses the best in every matter belongs to the company of the fortunate.

This verse indicates several benefits:

Guidance and success are linked to hearing many things and then choosing the best and most correct among them. It is known that distinguishing the best and most correct from the rest cannot be achieved by mere hearing, as hearing is a common denominator for everyone (since {who listen to the word} implies hearing is shared). Therefore, distinguishing the best from the rest can only be achieved through the argument of reason (Ḥujjat al-ʿAql). This indicates that what necessitates praise and commendation is following the argument of reason and basing matters on observation and inference.

The path to validating doctrines and religions is twofold:

1. Establishing proof and clear evidence for their correctness through detailed acquisition. This requires delving into every issue in detail.
2. Before researching proofs and refuting doubts, we present those doctrines and their opposites to our intellects. Whatever the intellect judges as superior and more complete is more worthy of acceptance.

Examples in Beliefs (Iʿtiqādāt):

• The clear intellect testifies that affirming the Creator of the universe is Living, Knowing, Powerful, Wise, Merciful, is superior to denying it.
• Affirming that nothing occurs in Allah's dominion except according to His will is superior to saying that most things occur against His will.
• Affirming that Allah is One, Unique, Self-Sufficient, and free from composition and limbs is superior to saying He is composed or composite.
• Affirming His independence from time and space is superior to claiming His need for them.
• Affirming that Allah is Merciful and Generous, capable of pardoning punishment, is superior to claiming He never pardons.

All these points fall under {who listen to the word and follow the best of it} concerning matters of belief.

Regarding Prescribed Duties (Takālīf): These are twofold: acts of worship (ʿIbādāt) and transactions (Muʿāmalāt).

• Worship: For example, the prayer where one says Allāhu Akbar to begin, has the intention concurrent with the Takbīr, recites Al-Fātiḥah, maintains tranquility (Ṭumaʾnīnah) in the five positions, recites the Tashahhud, and concludes with As-Salāmu ʿAlaykum. This is undoubtedly better than a prayer where none of these conditions are observed, obligating the rational person to choose the former and abandon the latter. This applies to all acts of worship.
• Transactions: Similarly, Allah legislated Qiṣāṣ (retaliation), Diyyah (blood money), and pardon, but He encouraged pardon, saying: {And that you forgive is nearer to piety}. Ibn Abbas narrated that this means a man sits with people, hears both good and bad things mentioned about someone, and then recounts only the best he heard, leaving the rest.

Allah judged those who listen to the word and follow the best of it by saying: {Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the people of understanding}.

There is a subtle point here: the attainment of guidance in the intellect and spirit is an acquired event, requiring both an agent and a recipient.

• The Agent: This is Allah, the Exalted, indicated by {Those are the ones whom Allah has guided}.
• The Recipient: This is indicated by {and those are the people of understanding (ulū al-albāb)}, because unless a person is rational and possesses complete comprehension, these true cognitions cannot settle in his heart.

We say the Agent of this guidance is Allah because the essence of the soul, along with the light of the intellect it possesses, is capable of both true belief and false belief. When something is capable of two opposites, its predisposition toward both is equal. Therefore, this recipient cannot be the cause for preferring one side over the other. Just as a body is equally capable of movement and rest, the body's essence cannot cause a preference for one over the other.

If they argue that the essence of the soul and intellect does not necessitate this preference, but rather the will to attain one side causes the preference, we reply: This is false, because the essence of the soul is capable of this will, just as it is capable of the opposite will. Thus, the essence of the soul cannot be the cause of that specific will.

Therefore, the attainment of guidance requires an Agent (which must be Allah, not the soul) and a Recipient (which is the essence of the soul). This is why He said: {Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the people of understanding}.

Then He said: {Then is one against whom the word of punishment has been decreed like one whom We cause to enter the Fire? Can you rescue those who are in the Fire?} There are several issues here:

A question arises regarding the structure: {Is one against whom the word of punishment has been decreed...} followed by {Can you rescue those in the Fire?}. In Arabic, one cannot typically place an interrogative particle (Hamzah) on a noun and a statement simultaneously (e.g., A-Zaydun a-taqtuluhu [Is Zayd the one you kill?]). Here, the Fāʾ (conjunction) is also present in both the condition and the result: {Is one against whom...} (A-fa-man...) and {Can you rescue...} (A-fa-anta...). Grammarians have offered several explanations:

1. Al-Kisāʾī's view: The verse is a complete sentence. The structure is: "Is one against whom the word of punishment has been decreed [like one whom you save]? Can you protect him? Can you rescue those in the Fire?"
2. The view of the author of Al-Kashshāf: The original structure was: "Is one against whom the word of punishment has been decreed, can you rescue him?" This is a conditional sentence where the Hamzah of denial and the Fāʾ of consequence are attached. Then, the initial Fāʾ is an addition, connected to an implied preceding statement suggested by the address (e.g., "Are you the master of their affairs?"). Thus: "Are you the master of their affairs? As for one against whom the word of punishment has been decreed, can you rescue him?" The second Hamzah is a repetition for emphasis on the denial and improbability. Man fi an-nār (those in the Fire) is used instead of a pronoun, making the verse a single structure.
3. A plausible view: The interrogative particle (Hamzah) is used here to convey the meaning of denial/rejection. Since this rejection is complete and absolute, the particle is mentioned in the conditional clause and repeated in the consequence clause to emphasize the utmost degree of that denial.

The orthodox scholars (Aṣḥāb) use this verse as proof regarding the issue of guidance and misguidance. If the word of punishment has been decreed against someone, the performance of faith (Īmān) and obedience becomes impossible for him. Otherwise, Allah’s truthful report would become false, and His knowledge would become ignorance, which is impossible.

The second line of argument is that Allah decreed that the decreeing of the word of punishment necessitates complete astonishment at the possibility of faith and obedience coming from him. If it were possible and the decree of the word of punishment did not prevent it, this astonishment and improbability would have no meaning.

The Qadi (Judge) used this verse to argue that the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not intercede for those who commit major sins. His reasoning is that if the punishment is decreed against them, that intercession would amount to rescuing them from the Fire, and Allah has decreed denial and astonishment regarding such rescue.

We counter this by saying: We do not concede that those who commit major sins have the word of punishment decreed against them. How can the punishment be decreed against them when Allah says: {Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him in worship, but He forgives what is less than that of whom He wills} (An-Nisāʾ: 48), and {Indeed, Allah forgives all sins} (Az-Zumar: 53)? And Allah knows best.

The second type of promise Allah made to those who avoid Taghut and turn back is: {But for those who fear their Lord will be chambers above them, built one above another}.

This is contrasted with what was mentioned about the disbelievers: {For them will be coverings of fire above them and coverings of fire beneath them} (Az-Zumar: 16).

If one asks: What is the meaning of {built} (mabniyyah)? We reply: When a dwelling is built upon another dwelling beneath it, the upper one is usually weaker in structure than the lower one. The statement {built} means that even though it is above another, it is equal in strength and firmness to the lower dwelling. In essence, the upper and lower dwellings each possess a virtue and a deficiency in the worldly analogy. The upper one has the virtue of height and elevation but the deficiency of fragility. The lower one is the opposite. However, the dwellings of Paradise combine all virtues: they are high and elevated, yet they are of the utmost strength and firmness.

The Islamic philosophers say that these chambers built one above another are analogous to the acquired spiritual states (ʿUlūm Kasbiyyah), where some are built upon others. The ultimate results, which are the knowledge of Allah's Essence and Attributes, are of the utmost strength, comparable to self-evident, primary knowledge.

Then He said: {Rivers flow beneath them}, which is self-evident.

Finally, He concluded the statement: {This is the promise of Allah. Allah does not fail in His promise}.

The phrase {the promise of Allah} is an emphatic verbal noun (Maṣdar) confirming the preceding statement {For them will be chambers}, as this implies Allah has promised them that.

There is a subtle point in the verse: In many verses concerning promises, Allah explicitly states that this is His promise and that He does not fail His promise. However, in verses concerning threats/warnings (Waʿīd), this kind of strong emphasis is never mentioned. This indicates that the side of promise is weighted more heavily than the side of warning. This contradicts what the Muʿtazilah claim. If they argue that He said regarding the warning: {My word is not changed, nor am I unjust to My servants} (Qāf: 29), we reply that {My word is not changed} is a general statement encompassing both promise and threat. Thus, the preference we mentioned is correct. And Allah knows best.

Verse 18

This verse presents the second category of signs that Allah promised those who avoid Taghut and turn back to Him.

This is a sign concerning the creation of the lower world:

1. Allah sends down water from the sky.
2. He causes it to enter the springs within the earth.
3. Then He brings forth with it crops of varying colors.
4. Then they dry up and you see them turned yellow.
5. Then He makes them broken debris.

Indeed, in that is a reminder for those of understanding.