Mafatih al-Ghayb on Ghafir 40:7

Surah Ghafir (The Forgiver), Verse 7

The verse:

الذين يحملون العرش ومن حوله يسبحون بحمد ربهم ويؤمنون به ويستغفرون للذين آمنوا ربنا وسعت كل شيء رحمة وعلما فاغفر للذين تابوا واتبعوا سبيلك وقهم عذاب الجحيم (7)

Translation:

(They are) those who bear the Throne, and those who are around it glorify the praises of their Lord, believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who have believed: "Our Lord! Your mercy and knowledge encompass all things, so forgive those who have repented and followed Your path, and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire."

Commentary by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi

Introduction

When the Almighty established that the disbelievers exaggerate their enmity towards the believers, He then clarified that the noblest ranks of creation—the angels who bear the Throne and those surrounding it—exaggerate their love and support for the believers. It is as if the Almighty is saying: If these base people exaggerate enmity, then pay them no mind, pay them no attention, and give them no weight, for the bearers of the Throne and those around it are with you, supporting you.

In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The Two Groups of Angels Mentioned

The Almighty recounts this description for two groups of angels:

The First Group: {Those who bear the Throne} The Almighty recounted that on the Day of Resurrection, eight will bear the Throne. It can be suggested that those bearing it now are those same eight. Without doubt, the bearers of the Throne are the noblest and greatest of angels.

Narrations about the Bearers: The author of Al-Kashshaf narrated that the feet of the bearers of the Throne are in the lowest Earth, and their heads have pierced through the Throne, and they remain in deep humility, never lifting their gaze.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do not contemplate the greatness of your Lord, but contemplate what Allah has created of the angels. Indeed, there is an angel called Israfil, whose corner of the Throne rests on his shoulder, his feet are in the lowest Earth, and his head has passed through the seven heavens. He shrinks from the greatness of Allah until he appears like a small bird."
It is reported that Allah commanded all angels to greet the bearers of the Throne morning and evening, honoring them above all other angels.
It is said that Allah created the Throne from a green jewel, and the distance between two of its supports is the flight of a swift bird for eighty thousand years.
It is reported that around the Throne are seventy thousand rows of angels circling it, proclaiming Tasbih (glorification) and Takbir (magnification). Behind them are seventy thousand rows standing, with their hands on their shoulders, raising their voices in Tasbih and Takbir. Behind them are one hundred thousand rows with their right hands placed on their left. None of them utters the same Tasbih as another. (These reports are cited from Al-Kashshaf.)

The Second Group: {And those who are around it} The most apparent meaning here is what is mentioned in the verse: "And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, glorifying the praises of their Lord" (Az-Zumar: 75).

Intellectual Proof: Reason dictates that the bearers of the Throne and those surrounding it must be the best of angels. This is because the relationship between spirits is analogous to the relationship between bodies. Since the Throne is the noblest of physical existents, the spirits involved in managing the Throne must be superior to the spirits managing physical bodies. Furthermore, it seems there are spirits carrying the physical body of the Throne, and from these dominant spirits arise other spirits of the same kind, related to the extremities of the Throne—these are indicated by the phrase, "And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne" (Az-Zumar: 75).

In summary, it has been established through certain proofs and truthful unveilings that there is no proportion between the world of bodies and the world of spirits. Whatever you observe with the eye of sight regarding the differing ranks in the world of bodies, you must observe with the eye of insight regarding the differing ranks in the world of spirits.

Issue 2: The Transcendence of Allah from the Throne

This verse indicates that the Almighty is transcendent (free) from being in the Throne.

The Almighty states here, "those who bear the Throne," and in another verse, "And the Throne of your Lord will be above them that day, eight (angels)" (Al-Haqqah: 17).
Undoubtedly, the bearer of the Throne carries everything on the Throne. If the God of the worlds were on the Throne, these angels would be carrying the God of the worlds. In that case, they would be protecting the God of the worlds. The protector is more deserving of divinity, and the protected object is more deserving of servitude. This would invert divinity and servitude, which is false.
Therefore, this proves that the God of the Throne and the bodies is exalted above the Throne and the bodies.

Three Actions of These Angels

The Almighty recounts three things about the bearers and those surrounding the Throne:

Type 1: {Glorifying the praises of their Lord} This is similar to what is said about the angels: "And we glorify Your praise" (Al-Baqarah: 30), and "And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, glorifying the praises of their Lord" (Az-Zumar: 75).

Tasbih (glorification) means declaring Allah free from what is unsuitable for Him.
Tahmid (praise) is the acknowledgment that He is the absolute Benefactor.
Thus, {Glorifying the praises of their Lord} is close to the meaning of "Blessed is the Name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor" (Ar-Rahman: 78).

Type 2: {And believe in Him} If one asks: What is the benefit of mentioning their belief, since engaging in Tasbih and Tahmid requires prior belief in Allah?

The benefit, as mentioned excellently by the author of Al-Kashshaf, is to draw attention to the fact that if Allah were physically present at the Throne, the bearers and those around it would see and witness Him.
If their affirmation of Allah's existence were praiseworthy, it would be because acknowledging the existence of something present and witnessed does not merit praise (e.g., acknowledging the sun exists and shines does not merit praise).
Since Allah mentioned their belief as a source of praise, commendation, and glorification, it is known that they believed in Him precisely because they did not witness Him physically present or seated there. May Allah have mercy on the author of Al-Kashshaf; if his book contained nothing but this subtle point, it would suffice as his glory.

Type 3: {And ask forgiveness for those who have believed} It is established that complete felicity is tied to two matters: reverence for Allah's command and compassion for Allah's creation. Reverence for Allah's command must precede compassion for His creation.

{Glorifying the praises of their Lord and believing in Him} indicates reverence for Allah's command.
{And ask forgiveness for those who have believed} indicates compassion for Allah's creation.

Further Issues Regarding Their Supplication

Issue 1: Angels are Superior to Humans Many scholars use this verse to prove the superiority of angels over humans.

They argue that when the angels finished praising and sanctifying Allah, they engaged in asking forgiveness for others (the believers). This implies they are self-sufficient regarding asking forgiveness for themselves.
If they needed forgiveness for themselves, they would prioritize it over asking for others, based on the Prophetic saying: "Start with yourself."
Also, Allah commanded the Prophet (PBUH): "So know that there is no god but Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women" (Muhammad: 19), commanding him to mention forgiveness for himself first. Noah (peace be upon him) said: "My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women" (Nuh: 28).
This shows that anyone needing forgiveness prioritizes asking for themselves first. If angels needed forgiveness, they would have mentioned it for themselves before others. Since Allah did not mention their asking forgiveness for themselves, we know they did not need it. Prophets, however, needed forgiveness, as evidenced by the command to Muhammad (PBUH) to "ask forgiveness for your sin."
Therefore, it is established that angels are superior to humans. (And Allah knows best.)

Issue 2: The Scope of Intercession (Shafa'ah) Al-Ka'bi used this verse to argue that the effect of intercession is only in obtaining increased reward for believers, not in removing punishment from sinners.

He points to their plea: {So forgive those who have repented and followed Your path}. He argues that this does not apply to one who repents from disbelief but persists in major sin, as such a person is not described as "following the path of his Lord."
Furthermore, the angels say: {And admit them to the Gardens of Eden which You have promised them}, which is unsuitable for the persistently sinful, as our opponents do not affirm that Allah has promised Paradise to sinners; they only deem it possible.
Thus, the intercession of angels only covers the obedient, and by necessity, the intercession of prophets must be the same, as no one posits a difference between them.

The Refutation: We say this verse proves that angels intercede for sinners. We will demonstrate this and then answer Al-Ka'bi.

Proof from the verse: The phrase {And ask forgiveness for those who have believed}—Maghfirah (forgiveness) is only mentioned in the context of removing punishment. Seeking additional benefit is not called Istighfar.
The phrase {And ask forgiveness for those who have believed} implies they ask for all believers. If a person who commits a major sin is a believer, they must fall under this intercession.
The phrase {So forgive those who have repented}: Asking forgiveness for those who have repented. It cannot mean removing the punishment of a major sin after repentance, because, according to our opponents, this is already obligatory upon Allah, and asking for something obligatory through supplication is inappropriate. Nor can it mean removing punishment for minor sins, as that is also obligatory. Nor can it mean seeking increased reward, as that is not called Maghfirah.
Therefore, the phrase {So forgive those who have repented} must refer to the removal of the punishment for a major sin before repentance. If this is true for angels, it is true for prophets, as there is consensus that there is no difference.

Addressing Al-Ka'bi's Point: Regarding Al-Ka'bi's reliance on the phrase "those who have repented," we say the meaning must be those who repented from disbelief and followed the path of faith. His claim that one who repents from disbelief but persists in sin is not called a repenter or one following God's path is rejected. We say he has repented from disbelief and is following God's path in religion and law. Once it is established that he has repented from disbelief, it is established that he is a repenter. Just as one instance of striking or laughing suffices to describe someone as striking or laughing, without requiring all types of striking or laughing, so too here.

Issue 3: The Nature of Angelic Intercession The people of verification say that this intercession by the angels for humans serves as an apology for a prior lapse.

When humans were first created, the angels said: "Will You place upon it one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood?" (Al-Baqarah: 30).
Since this statement preceded, they rectified the matter at the end by saying: {So forgive those who have repented and followed Your path, and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire}. This is like a reminder that if someone harms another, it is best to compensate that harm by conveying a benefit to them.

How They Supplicated (The Content of the Supplication)

After recounting that the angels ask forgiveness for the repentant, the Almighty recounts the manner of that supplication: {Our Lord! Your mercy and knowledge encompass all things}.

Issue 1: The Use of "Rabbana" (Our Lord) In most supplications, the term {Rabbana} is used. This is supported by the angels using it here, as well as Adam (PBUH) saying, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves" (Al-A'raf: 23), Noah (PBUH) saying, "My Lord, I seek refuge in You..." (Hud: 47), and many other prophets using this term.

The Deeper Question: The word Allah is greater than the word Rabb (Lord). Why is Rabb specifically reserved for the time of supplication?
The Answer: It is as if the servant says: I was in concealment, non-existence, and pure negation. You brought me into existence, and You nurtured me (Rabbaytani). Therefore, let Your nurturing of me be an intercession to You so that You never leave me for the blink of an eye without Your nurturing, favor, and grace.

Issue 2: The Order of Supplication: Praise Precedes Asking The Sunnah in supplication is to begin with praise of Allah, followed immediately by the request.

The evidence is this verse: When the angels decided to supplicate and ask forgiveness for the believers, they began with praise: {Our Lord! Your mercy and knowledge encompass all things}.
Also, when Abraham (PBUH) intended to supplicate, he first mentioned praise: "Who created me, and He guides me, And Who feeds me and gives me drink, And when I am ill, it is He who cures me, And Who will cause me to die and then bring me to life, And Who I hope will forgive my sin on the Day of Recompense" (Ash-Shu'ara: 78-82). Only after all this praise did he say: "My Lord, grant me judgment and join me with the righteous" (Ash-Shu'ara: 83).

Intellectual Proof for this Order: Reason also indicates the importance of this sequence. Praising and glorifying Allah relates to the essence of the spirit like the greatest elixir relates to copper. Just as one particle of elixir, when it falls upon a mass of copper, turns the whole thing into pure gold, so too when a particle of the elixir of knowing Allah's majesty falls upon the essence of the rational spirit, it transforms from the baseness of copper to the purity of holiness and the permanence of the realm of purity.

Thus, when the light of knowing Allah shines upon the essence of the spirit, the spirit becomes stronger in purity and more complete in radiance. When it reaches this state, its power is greater, and its effect is more complete, making the attainment of the desired thing closer and more perfect. This is the reason for preceding praise of Allah with supplication.

Issue 3: The Three Attributes Mentioned The angels described Allah with three types of attributes: Lordship (Rububiyyah), Mercy (Rahmah), and Knowledge ('Ilm).

Lordship (Rububiyyah): This points to origination and creation. A subtle point here is that their saying {Rabbana} points to Tarbiyah (nurturing), which means maintaining a thing in its best state. This indicates that these contingent beings, just as they needed creation and origination from the Almighty when they came into being, also need Allah's maintenance for their continued existence.
Mercy (Rahmah): This indicates that the aspect of good, mercy, and favor outweighs the aspect of harm, and that the Almighty created creation for mercy and good, not for harm and evil.
- A Question: Does mercy encompass all things, as knowledge does? When someone suffers harm, that harm is not mercy.
- The Answer: Every existent receives a share of Allah's mercy. An existent is either necessary (Allah) or contingent. The existence of the contingent being is from Allah and by His creation, and that is mercy. Thus, every existent other than Allah has received a share of Allah's mercy. Hence, they said: {Your mercy and knowledge encompass all things}.
The Order of Mercy before Knowledge: The angels mentioned Mercy before Knowledge: {Your mercy and knowledge encompass all things}. This is because their ultimate goal is to convey mercy and to overlook the various sins they have committed. Mercy is the primary goal, and overlooking what He knows of their sins is the secondary goal. The primary goal precedes the secondary. (Just as in medicine, preserving health is primary, and removing illness is secondary.) The ultimate goal is Mercy; overlooking sins is secondary because achieving perfect Mercy requires overlooking sins. This is why Mercy is mentioned before Knowledge.

Issue 4: The Purpose of Creation This verse indicates that the purpose behind the initial story of creation and formation is Mercy, Favor, Generosity, and Kindness. Certain proofs indicate that everything that enters existence—good or evil, felicity or misery—is by Allah's decree and predestination. Reconciling these two principles is extremely difficult. The philosophers resolved this by saying: Good is desired and intended; Evil is disliked and intended. Good is decreed primarily; Evil is decreed secondarily. This contains a profound depth.

Issue 5: Knowledge Encompassing All Things {Your mercy and knowledge encompass all things} indicates that the Almighty is Knower of all limitless knowledge, both universal and particular.

If this were not the case, supplication would be pointless. If some things could escape His knowledge, the supplicant would not know if Allah knows him and his prayer. In that case, supplication would have no benefit whatsoever.

The Content of Their Supplication (Continued)

After recounting their praise, the Almighty recounts the manner of their supplication: {So forgive those who have repented and followed Your path, and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire}.

The angels requested many things for the believers:

Forgiveness: {So forgive those who have repented and followed Your path}. (This was explained earlier: Maghfirah means removing punishment.)
- If one asks: Forgiveness means removing punishment, so what is the difference between "Forgive them" and "Protect them from the punishment of Hellfire"?
- Answer: The indication of Maghfirah regarding the punishment of Hellfire is by allusion and hint. Since they mentioned this request by allusion, they followed it up with the explicit statement for emphasis and exaggeration.

Conveying Reward: After requesting the removal of punishment, they followed it by requesting the conveyance of reward: {Our Lord! And admit them to the Gardens of Eden which You have promised them}.
- If one asks: You claimed this intercession is for sinners, but this verse refutes that because Allah did not promise sinners entry into the Gardens of Eden.
- Answer: We do not concede that He did not promise them that. We have shown that numerous proofs in the Qur'an indicate that Allah will not keep those who profess La ilaha illa Allah eternally in the Fire. If they are removed from the Fire, they must enter Paradise; thus, this is a promise from Allah to admit them to the Gardens of Eden, either without entering the Fire or after being in the Fire.
- The verse continues: {And admit with them those who were righteous among their fathers, and their spouses, and their descendants}. This means admitting these three groups—the righteous among fathers, spouses, and offspring—along with them into Paradise. This is because a person's joy is more complete when his family and kin share in his livelihood and pleasure.
- Al-Farra' and Az-Zajjaj mention that the word man (those who) is in the accusative case, referring back either to the pronoun in {And admit them} or in {You have promised them}. The meaning of {those who were righteous} is the people of faith.

The Attributes of the Almighty: Then they said: {Indeed, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise}. They mentioned these two attributes because if He were not All-Mighty ('Aziz), meaning He could not be overcome or prevented, the desired outcome would not be achieved. If He were not All-Wise (Hakim), this outcome would not occur according to wisdom and suitability.

Protection from Evils: Then they said: {And protect them from evils}.
- Some commentators say this means: Protect them from the punishment of evils. If so, this repeats {and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire}, leading to unnecessary repetition.
- Answer: The difference lies in two aspects: a) {Protect them from the punishment of Hellfire} is a request concerning the roots (the ultimate destination), while {And protect them from evils} is a request concerning the branches (the intermediate stages). b) {Protect them from the punishment of Hellfire} is restricted to removing the Hellfire, whereas {And protect them from evils} encompasses the punishment of Hellfire, the standing place on the Day of Resurrection, and the punishment of reckoning and questioning.

The Second Interpretation of {And protect them from evils}: The angels requested the removal of the Fire's punishment by saying {and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire}, and requested the reward of Paradise by saying {And admit them to the Gardens of Eden}. Then, they requested that Allah protect them in this world from corrupt beliefs and corrupt deeds, which is meant by {And protect them from evils}.

Then they said: {And whoever You protect from evils that Day, You have had mercy upon him}. Meaning, whoever You protect from evils in this world, You have had mercy upon him on the Day of Resurrection.

Then they concluded: {And that is the great attainment}, because they found eternal bliss through fleeting deeds, and attained a dominion whose majesty the intellects cannot grasp through humble actions.

Surah Ghafir, Verse 8