ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ
They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.
Tafsir
Verse range: 39:67
{وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ}
After the pagans commanded the Messenger (peace be upon him) to worship idols, and after Allah established proofs for the falsehood of their claims and commanded the Messenger to worship only Him, Allah clarifies that if they had truly known Him, they would not have made these lowly things partners in divinity. Thus, He says: {And they have not appraised Allah with His true appraisal}.
There are several issues concerning this verse:
Some people used this verse to argue that creation cannot know the reality (Haqiqah) of Allah, based on the phrase {And they have not appraised Allah with His true appraisal}.
Response: We have previously established that this description pertains specifically to the state of the disbelievers. Therefore, describing the disbelievers as not appraising Allah correctly does not necessitate that the believers share this description. This argument is thus refuted.
The phrase {And they have not appraised Allah with His true appraisal} means they did not glorify Him with the glorification due to Him.
This verse appears in three Surahs: Al-An'am, Al-Hajj, and Az-Zumar.
After clarifying that they failed to glorify Him appropriately, Allah follows this by indicating His perfect glorification and ultimate majesty: {And the earth, all of it, will be in His grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Exalted is He, and high above what they associate with Him!}
Al-Qaffal stated that this is like someone saying: "You have not appraised me according to my true worth, when I am the one who did such and such." Meaning, since you know my status and description is as I have stated, you must not lower me from my rank. This is analogous to His saying: {How do you disbelieve in Allah while you were dead and He gave you life?} (Al-Baqarah: 28). Meaning, how can you disbelieve in the One whose description and dominion are this? Similarly here, the meaning is: {And they have not appraised Allah with His true appraisal} because they claimed He has partners and cannot resurrect the dead, even though the earth and the heavens are within His grasp and power.
The author of Al-Kashshaf said the purpose of this statement, taken as a whole, is to depict His greatness and draw attention to the essence of His glory, without delving into whether the "grasp" (qabḍah) or the "Right Hand" (yamīn) are literal or metaphorical.
It is narrated that a Jew came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "O Abu al-Qasim, Allah holds the heavens on one finger, the earths on another, the mountains on another, the trees on another, the dust on another, and the rest of creation on another finger, then He shakes them and says, 'I am the King!'" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laughed in amazement at what he said.
The author of Al-Kashshaf noted that the most eloquent of Arabs laughed because he understood only what the scholars of rhetoric understand—without conceiving of holding, finger, shaking, or anything of that sort. Rather, his understanding focused from beginning to end on the core essence: the demonstration of overwhelming Power, and that great acts which baffle the imagination and minds are easy for Him. He added that there is no topic in the science of rhetoric more subtle or finer than this.
Discussion on Literal vs. Metaphorical Interpretation:
One might ask: Do you accept that the default interpretation of speech is literal, and that one only deviates to metaphor when there is evidence proving the literal meaning impossible? If one denies this principle, then the Qur'an ceases entirely to be a proof, as everyone could claim the intended meaning of a verse is X, and they will adhere to that intended meaning, ignoring the apparent text.
If this is accepted for these two examples, then it should be applied to all foundational and derivative issues, rendering the Qur'an useless as proof in all matters. This is clearly false.
However, if one accepts the foundational principle in Qur'anic studies: The default interpretation of speech is literal, and deviation to metaphor is only permissible when a separate proof establishes the impossibility of the literal meaning. If there are multiple possible metaphors, one is not chosen unless the evidence necessitates that specific choice.
Applying this here: The word Yamin (Hand) literally means the specific limb. You cannot divert the apparent meaning unless you provide evidence that taking these words literally is impossible. Only then must you resort to metaphor. Then, you must prove with evidence that meaning Y can legitimately be a metaphor for that literal meaning, and that this metaphor is preferable to others. If these premises and their sequence are established, this is the correct path relied upon by the people of verification (Ahl al-Tahqiq).
Therefore, the person who claimed to have discovered a new, unique path has not brought anything new; he has merely restated what the people of verification already stated. His expressed joy at his "discovery" is flawed, indicating a shallow grasp of meanings.
Let us return to the true path: Undoubtedly, the words Qabḍah (Grasp) and Yamin (Hand) suggest these physical limbs. However, rational proofs establish the impossibility of attributing limbs to Allah. Therefore, these words must be interpreted metaphorically.
We say: "So-and-so is in the grasp of so-and-so" when he is under his control and direction. Allah says: {Except from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess} (Al-Ma'arij: 30), meaning they are his property. We also say: "This house is in the possession (yad) of so-and-so," meaning he is the owner (sahib al-yad). All these terms signify Power. Jurists say regarding contracts: "So-and-so took possession (qabḍah) of such-and-such," intending only the completion of his ownership.
Since it is established that these terms cannot be taken literally, they must be taken metaphorically to preserve these texts from being rendered meaningless (through Ta'til). This is the true discourse on this topic. (We have a separate book establishing Allah's transcendence from corporeality and location, titled Ta'sīs al-Taqdīs.)
1. {And the earth}: This refers to the Seven Earths. Evidence for this includes: * The word {all of it} (jamīʿan): This emphasis is appropriate only when referring to a plural entity, similar to {All food} (Al 'Imran: 93) or {the children who have not yet understood the private parts of women} (An-Nur: 31). * It is followed by {and the heavens will be rolled up}, necessitating that "earth" refers to multiple earths. * The context demands magnification and glorification, which suits plurality.
2. {in His grasp} (qabḍatuhu): Qabḍah means a single instance of grasping. Allah says: {And I seized a handful (qabḍatan) from the trace of the Messenger} (Taha: 96). Qabḍah (with ḍammah) can also mean the amount grasped by the palm, or used as a verbal noun (source noun). * Meaning: The earths, despite their vastness and expanse, amount only to a single grasp from His grasps. If Qabḍah is taken as the measure, it is clear: the earths in their entirety are the measure that He grasps with one hand. * Regarding the variant reading of qabḍatan (accusative): This makes qabḍatan an adverb of time/place (adverbial accusative).
3. {rolled up} (maṭwiyyāt): This is the opposite of spreading out, like when Allah says: {The Day We roll up the heaven as the rolling up of a scroll} (Al-Anbiya: 104). The one rolling a scroll typically rolls it with his right hand.
The author of Al-Kashshaf suggested: Qabḍatuhu means His Ownership, and Yaminuhu means His Power. Another view: Maṭwiyyāt means they will be annihilated by His decree, as He swore to grasp them. He returned to the first view, calling the others weak, and insisted that interpreting this speech as pure representation/analogy (tamthīl) is preferable.
He elaborated extensively on this, noting the strangeness of this person's approach in praising his own method while disparaging the ancient scholars. If his view allows abandoning the literal text for metaphor without proof, it invalidates the Qur'an. If his view accepts the literal meaning as the default, requiring separate proof for deviation (the path of the predecessors), then what new knowledge has he brought? Furthermore, his interpretations involve strained meanings and weak statements.
If they argue that once proof shows the literal meaning (limbs) is impossible, one must stop there and entrust the specific meaning to Allah (the path of the Muwahhidūn and the Salaf), then this is the path of the early Muslims who avoided elaborate interpretations. Thus, the interpretations brought by this person offer no real benefit.
Objection 1: The Throne is greater than the seven heavens and seven earths. Yet, Allah describes the angels as {carrying the Throne of your Lord above them that Day, eight [of them]} (Al-Haqqah: 17). How can it be appropriate to describe Allah's greatness by saying He grasps the heavens and the earth?
Response 1: There are many levels of glorification. The first is establishing Allah's greatness by His power to sustain these great bodies. The next level is establishing His greatness by His power to hold those angels who carry the Throne.
Objection 2: The verse describes a state occurring only on the Day of Resurrection: {And the earth, all of it, will be in His grasp on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand}.
Response 2: The intent is to show that Allah sustains the heavens and the earth in their current state of habitation now, and He will be the one to destroy and annihilate them on the Day of Resurrection. This demonstrates complete power over creation and annihilation, and indicates His absolute Self-Sufficiency (Istighnā’). It implies that when He intends to destroy the earth, it is like taking a small grasp to annihilate it, demonstrating perfect self-sufficiency.
Objection 3: The essence of "grasp" and "Hand" here is complete power sufficient to preserve these great bodies. Since preserving them on the Day of Resurrection requires Allah's power, so does preserving them now. What is the benefit of specifying the Day of Resurrection?
Response 3: The specification of the Day of Resurrection is to show that just as His perfect power was manifested in creation during the world's flourishing, His perfect power is manifested in its destruction.
After establishing His greatness through the previous means, Allah follows up with another method demonstrating His perfect power: describing the preliminaries of the Day of Resurrection, specifically the blowing of the Trumpet, which precedes that Day:
{And the Trumpet will be blown, and everyone in the heavens and on earth will swoon away, except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown once more, and behold, they will be standing, looking on.}
There is a difference of opinion regarding the Ṣaʿqah (swoon/thunderbolt):
Regarding {except whom Allah wills}: There are several views:
Regarding {Then it will be blown once more, and behold, they will be standing, looking on}:
When Allah described these two blowings, He said: {And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord}.
This earth is not the one we stand on now, evidenced by: {The Day the earth will be changed to a different earth} (Ibrahim: 48), and {And the earth and the mountains will be carried away and crushed with one crushing} (Al-Haqqah: 14). Rather, it is another earth created by Allah for the assembly of the Resurrection.
The Anthropomorphists (Mujassimah) argue that Allah is pure Light, and when He manifests on that earth for judgment, the earth will shine with His Light, citing {Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth} (An-Nur: 35).
Responses to this Suspicion:
Allah mentions several events of that Day:
After establishing that everything needed for settling disputes and cutting off claims is present at the assembly, Allah states that everyone will receive their due right, expressed in four ways:
{And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they reach it, its gates will be opened. And its keepers will say to them, "Did there not come to you messengers from among you, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day?" They will say, "Yes, but the word of punishment has been decreed to be true against the disbelievers." It will be said, "Enter the gates of Hell, to abide therein eternally." And wretched is the residence of the arrogant!}
