Al-An'am (The Cattle): (100) And they have set up partners for Allah...

Issues in the Verse:

After establishing the proofs for God's divinity, perfect power, and mercy through the lower and upper worlds, the Almighty mentions that some people attribute partners to Him. Although this topic has been mentioned before, the context here differs because the groups attributing partners to God are varied.

The First Group: Idol worshippers. They claim idols are partners with God in worship, yet they admit these idols possess no power over creation, origination, or formation.

The Second Group: Polytheists who believe the celestial bodies (planets) are the administrators of this universe.

• Some among them claim these bodies are wajib al-wujud (necessary in existence) by themselves.
• Others claim they are mumkin al-wujud (contingent in existence) by themselves, created by God, but that God has delegated the administration of this lower world to them. This is the group that Abraham (peace be upon him) debated, saying, {I do not love those that set.} (Al-An'am: 76). The explanation of this proof has already passed.

The Third Group: Polytheists who attribute two gods to the entirety of this world, including the heavens and the earth: one who creates good, and another who creates evil. The purpose of this verse is to recount the doctrine of this specific group.

This sets the structure of the verse and highlights its benefits. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the verse {And they have set up partners for Allah: the Jinn} was revealed concerning the Zanādiqa (heretics) who claimed that God and Iblis (Satan) are two brothers: God creates people, beasts, cattle, and good things, while Iblis creates beasts of prey, snakes, scorpions, and evils.

Know that the narration from Ibn Abbas represents the best interpretation for this verse because it provides a benefit distinct from what was mentioned in previous verses. Ibn Abbas said that what strengthens this view is the verse: {And they have set up for Him partners—the Jinn} (As-Saffat: 158). The term Jinn is used because the word Jinn is derived from concealment (istitar). Angels and spiritual beings are not visible to the eyes, so they are as if concealed from sight. By this interpretation, the term Jinn is applied to them.

I say: This is the doctrine of the Magians (Zoroastrians). Ibn Abbas called them Zanādiqa because the Magians are often labeled as such, as the book attributed to Zoroaster as being revealed from God is called Zand, and one attributed to it is called Zandi. This was later Arabized to Zindīq, and the plural is Zanādiqa.

The Magians claimed that everything good in this world comes from Yazdan (the good creator), and everything evil comes from Ahriman, who is called Iblis in our religious law. They differed on Ahriman: the majority held that Ahriman is created (muhdath), while a minority held that he is eternal (qadīm azali). In both cases, they agreed that he is a partner to God in administering this world: the good things come from God, and the evils come from Iblis. This explains what Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) meant.

Objection: If this is the case, these people attributed only one partner to God (Iblis). Why does the Almighty recount that they attributed partners (plural) to God?

Answer: They say that God's army consists of the Angels, who are numerous, pure, holy spirits inspiring good deeds in human souls. Iblis's army consists of the devils, who are also numerous and cast wicked suggestions into human souls. God, with His army of Angels, fights Iblis with his army of devils. For this reason, God recounted that they attributed partners from the Jinn to Him. This is the detailed explanation of this view.

Once this is understood, we say: His statement {And He created them} points to the decisive proof demonstrating the falsehood of Iblis being a partner to God in His dominion. This proof is established in two ways:

1. We have narrated from the Magians that the majority among them admit that Iblis is not eternal but created (muhdath). If this is established, then every created thing must have a Creator and Originator, which can only be God, the Exalted. Thus, the Magians are compelled to admit that the Creator of Iblis is God. Since Iblis is the origin of all evils, calamities, corruptions, and ugliness, and the Magians concede that God is his creator, they have conceded that the God of the world is the Creator of that which is the source of evils and ugliness. If this is so, it becomes impossible for them to claim that there must be two gods—one for good and one for evil. For this path proves that the God of Good is precisely the Creator of what they consider the greatest evil. Therefore, His statement {And He created them} indicates that God is the Creator of these devils according to the Magians' own doctrine. If He is their Creator, they have admitted that the God of Good is the agent of the greatest evils. Once they admit this, their claim that there must be a separate god for good and another for evil collapses.

2. The second way to derive the argument from {And He created them} is what we have explained in this book and in Al-Arba'in fi Usul al-Din: everything other than the One (God) is contingent in its essence (mumkin li-dhatihi), and everything contingent in its essence is created (muhdath). This implies that everything other than the One True God is created. Therefore, Iblis and all his troops must be characterized by contingency (coming into existence after non-existence). This brings back the same refutation we established: if the God of Good created the source of all evil, the dualistic system fails. This establishes the primary purpose of the verse, and success is from God.

His statement {And they have set up partners for Allah: the Jinn} means: They made the Jinn partners for Allah.

Objection: What is the benefit of placing "Allah" first?

Answer: Sibawayh said they place first what is most important to them, meaning the emphasis. The benefit of this precedence is to magnify the enormity of setting up any partner for God, whether it be an angel, a jinn, a human, or anything else. This is the reason for preceding the name of Allah over the partners.

Know that Al-Jinn has been read with accusative (nasb), nominative (raf') and genitive (jarr).

• The accusative reading is the famous one, where it is considered an appositive (badal) for {partners}. Some scholars consider this weak because the badal should be able to stand in place of the mubdal. If one said, "And they set up for Allah the Jinn," the sentence would not be fully meaningful. It is better understood as an ’atf bayān (clarifying conjunction).
• The nominative reading occurs because when one says, {And they have set up for Allah partners}, if the statement stopped there, it could refer to Jinn, humans, stones, or idols. It is as if the question is implied: "And who are those partners?" The answer is: "The Jinn."
• The genitive reading is based on idāfa (possession) used for clarification.

There are three views regarding the interpretation of this partnership:

1. The First View: What we mentioned: recounting the doctrine of those who affirm two gods for the world—one creating good and the other creating evil.

2. The Second View: The disbelievers used to say that the Angels are the daughters of God. This view suggests that Al-Jinn here refers to the Angels, and the term Jinn is appropriate because it derives from concealment, and Angels are concealed from sight. However, the proponent of this view must explain how their claim that "Angels are daughters of God" necessitates their claim that "Angels are partners of God" for the verse to apply perfectly. Perhaps it is argued that they believed the Angels, being daughters of God, also administered the affairs of this world, thus establishing the partnership.

3. The Third View: The view of Al-Hasan and a group of commentators: The Jinn invited the disbelievers to worship idols and adopt the doctrine of partnership, and the disbelievers accepted this from the Jinn and obeyed them. In this sense, they became people who affirmed that the Jinn are partners to God.

My assessment: The truth lies with the First View. The second and third views are very weak.

Refuting the Second View (Angels as Daughters):

• First reason: God recounted the doctrine of those who affirmed Iblis as a partner separately, and then recounted those who affirmed sons and daughters in the following phrase: {And they fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge} (Al-An'am: 100). Since affirming daughters for God is precisely the doctrine of those who say the Angels are God's daughters, interpreting {partners: the Jinn} this way would result in needless repetition in one place, which is impermissible.
• Second reason: Affirming offspring for God is different from affirming a partner for Him. God distinguished between these concepts in Surah Al-Ikhlas: {He neither begot nor was born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent} (Al-Ikhlas: 3-4). If one were the same as the other, this detailed distinction in that Surah would be futile.
• Third reason: Those who affirm Yazdan and Ahriman explicitly state the affirmation of a partner in the administration of the world. To divert the term from its literal meaning (partnership) to the metaphorical meaning (daughters) without necessity is impermissible.

Refuting the Third View (Jinn as Inviting Partners): This view is extremely remote. The one who invites others to polytheism cannot be called a "partner of God," neither literally nor metaphorically. Furthermore, if we apply this verse to this meaning, it results in needless repetition, as the refutation of idol worshippers and star worshippers has already been exhaustively covered previously.

Therefore, the first view we supported and strengthened is the correct one.

This phrase involves two points of discussion:

First Discussion: The Referent of the Pronoun 'them' There are two views on what the pronoun in {And He created them} refers to:

1. First View: It refers to the Jinn. This means: They said the Jinn are partners to God. Then, these people (the Magians) admitted that Ahriman (Iblis) is created. Some Magians say that God contemplated His own kingdom, became amazed by it, and from that amazement, the devil was generated. Others say he doubted his own power, and the devil was generated from that doubt. In any case, they admit Ahriman is created, and his creator is God. Thus, {And He created them} refers to this meaning. Once it is established that this devil is created by God, it becomes impossible to make him a partner to God in administering the world, because the Creator is stronger and more perfect than the created. Making the weak and deficient a partner to the strong and perfect is intellectually impossible.

2. Second View: The pronoun refers back to those who made the attribution (the people who affirmed the partnership between God and the Jinn). I find this view weak for two reasons:
   • If we interpret it this way, the single phrase becomes a complete and decisive proof invalidating their doctrine. If interpreted this way (referring to the people), it yields no apparent benefit.
   • The rule is that a pronoun should refer to the nearest antecedent. The nearest antecedent in this verse is the Jinn, so the pronoun must refer to them.

Second Discussion: The Reading of Khaalaqahum The author of Al-Kashshāf mentioned a reading: {And He fabricated them} (wa-khallaqahum), meaning they fabricated lies. This implies that they attributed their sacrifices to God by saying, "And God commanded us to do this." Then He said: {And they fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge}.

First Discussion: I say that God recounted that a group affirmed Iblis as a partner to God. After that, He recounted other groups who affirmed sons and daughters for God.

• Those who affirmed sons are the Christians and some Jews.
• Those who affirmed daughters are the Arabs who say the Angels are God's daughters. His statement {without knowledge} serves as a pointer to the decisive proof invalidating this claim, and there are several arguments:

First Argument (The Nature of Divinity): God must be wajib al-wujud (necessary in existence by Himself). His offspring must either be wajib al-wujud or not.

• If the offspring were wajib al-wujud, they would be independent, self-subsisting, and have no dependence on another for existence. One who is like this can never have a parent, because offspring implies subordination and need.
• If the offspring were mumkin al-wujud (contingent), their existence would be due to the creation of the wajib al-wujud. One who is created in this manner is a servant, not an offspring. Thus, whoever truly knows the nature of God is prevented from affirming sons or daughters for Him.

Second Argument (The Need for Succession): Offspring are needed to succeed the parent after the parent perishes. This concept only applies to those who can perish. For the One exalted above that, offspring are inconceivable.

Third Argument (Composition): Offspring imply being generated from a part of the parent's substance. This is only conceivable for something composite that can have parts separated from it. This is impossible for the One, the Unique, the Necessary in existence. In summary, whoever knows the true nature of God cannot possibly say He has offspring. Hence, {And they fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge} points to this subtle truth.

Second Discussion: The Reading of Kharqū Nāfi' read {wa-kharraqū} (with a doubled rā'). The rest read {wa-kharaqū} (with a light rā'). Al-Wāḥidī preferred the light reading because it is more common; the doubling is for emphasis or intensification.

Third Discussion: The Meaning of Kharqū Al-Farrā' said the meaning of {kharqū} is ifta'alū (they fabricated/invented). He stated: kharqū, ikhtaraqū, khalaqū, and ikhtalaqū all mean "they fabricated." Al-Layth said: It is said, takharrq al-kadhib (he fabricated a lie) and takhluquhu. The author of Al-Kashshāf narrated that Al-Hasan was asked about this word and replied: "It is an Arabic word they used to say. If a man told a lie in the gathering of the people, one of them would say to him, 'You have kharqahā (fabricated it).' And God knows best." He added that it could derive from kharq al-thawb (tearing a garment), meaning they tore/split for Him sons and daughters.

God concludes the verse by saying: {Exalted is He, and far above} what they describe.

• {Exalted is He} (Subḥānahu) is a declaration of God's transcendence from everything unsuitable for Him.
• As for {and far above} (wa Ta'ālā), there is no doubt that it does not imply spatial elevation, as the purpose here is to purify God from these corrupt sayings. Spatial elevation does not convey this meaning. Thus, the intended meaning here is transcendence from every false belief and corrupt saying.

Objection: If this is the case, there remains no difference between {Exalted is He} and {and far above}.

Answer: There remains a clear difference. {Exalted is He} means that the speaker praises and purifies Him from what is unsuitable. {and far above} means that He is inherently transcendent and sanctified from these attributes in His essence, whether someone praises Him or not. The praise (Tasbīḥ) relates to the sayings of the praisers, while transcendence (Ta'ālī) relates to His essential attribute, which He possesses by Himself, not by another.

7. {The Originator of the heavens and the earth! How can He have a son when He has no consort? And He created everything. And He is the Knower of all things.}