Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verses 13–15

Issues in the Verse

The best explanation for the structure of this verse, as stated by Abu Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him), is as follows:

The preceding verse mentioned the heavens and the earth, as there is no space outside of them. This verse mentions the night and the day, as there is no time outside of them. Thus, time and space are the containers (adverbs) for all created things. Allah informs us that He is the Owner of space and spatial entities, and the Owner of time and temporal entities. This is a statement of supreme majesty.

I would add another subtle point here: The discourse begins by mentioning space and spatial entities, followed immediately by time and temporal entities. This is because space and spatial entities are closer to the intellect and thought than time and temporal entities, due to subtle points discussed in pure rational theology. Complete instruction begins with what is more apparent and progresses toward what is more hidden. This pertains to the structure of the passage.

The statement, "And His is whatever dwells in the night and the day" implies exclusivity (confinement): these things belong to Him and no one else. This is the truth because every existing thing is either Wajib bi-dhātih (Necessary in itself) or Mumkin bi-dhātih (Contingent in itself).

The Necessary in itself is only the One (Allah). Everything besides the One is contingent. A contingent being cannot exist except through the creation of the Necessary in itself. Everything that comes into being through His creation and formation is His property. Therefore, it is established that everything other than the Necessary Being is His possession and property, which is why it is stated: "And His is whatever dwells in the night and the day."

There are two interpretations for the meaning of this "dwelling" (sukūn):

1. Meaning: Settling after movement. Under this interpretation, it refers to everything that settles (rests) in the night and the day, including all creatures on land and sea. Some scholars suggest that movement is implied but omitted, similar to the verse: “Garments to protect you from heat” (An-Nahl: 81), where cold is implied because of the context. Here, movement is omitted because the mention of rest implies it.

2. Meaning: Residing or Inhabiting. This interpretation holds that sukūn does not mean the opposite of movement, but rather the meaning of residence, as in, "So-and-so resides in such-and-such a city." This is supported by the verse: “And you dwelt in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves” (Ibrahim: 45). Under this interpretation, the meaning is: "And His is everything that occurs in the night and the day," meaning everything within that time frame, whether moving or still. This second interpretation is preferred and more complete.

The reason this is preferred is that everything that falls under the night and the day has occurred within time. This implies that the past has passed and the future will come, which points to change (taghayyur), signifying origination (hudūth). Origination negates eternity and permanence. Everything that time passes through and that falls under time is originated. Every originated thing must have an originator, and that agent must precede it. That which precedes time must precede the concept of time itself, so times do not apply to it, hours do not pass over it, and it cannot be described as having been or as being.

Allah, having established that He is the Owner of space and spatial entities, and the Owner of time and temporal entities, then states that He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing—He hears the call of the needy and knows the needs of the distressed.

The purpose of this is to refute those who claim that God is necessarily the cause (mūjib bi-dhātih). He alerts them that although He owns all created things, He is a Volitional Agent (fā'il mukhtār); He hears, sees, and knows the secret and what is more hidden.

After establishing these meanings, He says: "Say: Shall I take a protector other than Allah?"

Note that there is a difference between saying, "Shall I take a protector other than Allah?" and saying, "Shall I take other than Allah as a protector?" The denial in the first phrasing is directed at the act of taking someone other than Allah as a protector, not at the act of taking a protector. Since they prioritize what is most important to them—which is taking a protector—the phrasing "Say: Shall I take a protector other than Allah?" is more appropriate than the second phrasing. This is similar to His saying: "Say: Do you order me to worship other than Allah?" (Az-Zumar: 64) and "Allah has permitted you" (Yunus: 59).

Then He says: "The Originator of the heavens and the earth."

There is a variant reading where Fāṭir (Originator) is in the genitive case, making it an adjective describing Allah. It is read in the nominative case, implying "He is the Originator." It is read in the accusative case as an expression of praise. Az-Zuhri read it as Faṭara (verb). Ibn 'Abbas narrated that he did not know the meaning of Fāṭir al-Samāwāt until two Bedouins came to him arguing over a well, and one said, "I faṭartuhā (initiated/created it)."

Ibn al-Anbārī said the root of fatr is splitting something at its beginning. Thus, "The Originator of the heavens and the earth" means their Creator and Initiator through a composition where splitting and joining occur when things are brought together. Since splitting is involved, it can be for repair or for corruption. Therefore, Fāṭir al-Samāwāt refers only to repair/creation, whereas verses like "Do you see any fissures?" (Al-Mulk: 3) and "When the heaven is split open" (Al-Infitār: 1) refer to corruption, though the root is the same.

Then Allah says: "He feeds and is not fed." Meaning, He is the Provider for others, and no one provides for Him.

Objection: How can feeding (iṭ'ām) be interpreted as sustenance (rizq), when Allah says: "I do not ask of them any provision, nor do I ask that they feed Me" (Adh-Dhariyat: 57)? The conjunction implies a difference between the two.

Answer: There is certainly a difference, but it is permissible to use one term as a metaphor for the other due to their close relationship. The intent of the verse is that all benefits come from Him, and it is impossible for Him to benefit from anything.

There is a variant reading of "and is not fed" (wa lā yuṭ'am) with a fatḥa on the yā’. Ibn al-Ma'mūn narrated from Ya'qub the reading: "And He feeds, and is not fed," where the first verb is passive and the second is active. In this case, the pronoun refers back to what was mentioned in "Shall I take a protector other than Allah?" Al-Ashhab read both verbs as active: "And He feeds, and is not fed," interpreted as: "He feeds, and does not ask to be fed." Al-Azhari narrated that aṭ'amtu can mean istaṭ'amtu (I asked to be fed). It is also possible that the meaning is: He feeds sometimes and does not feed at other times, according to what is beneficial, like saying: He gives and withholds, He expands and restricts, He enriches and impoverishes.

The beginning of the verse prohibits taking anyone other than Allah as a protector. This prohibition is supported by two proofs: that He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, and that He feeds and is not fed. When this is the case, taking anyone else as a protector is impossible.

The proof that He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth is that we established that everything besides the One is contingent in itself, and a contingent being cannot exist except through the creation of another. Thus, everything besides Allah exists through His creation and formation. It is established that He is the Originator of all existing things besides Himself.

The proof that He feeds and is not fed is evident: feeding means conveying benefits, and not being fed means not benefiting from anything. Since He is Necessary in Himself, He must be self-sufficient (ghaniyy) and exalted above benefiting from anything else.

Therefore, it is proven by evidence that He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, and that He feeds and is not fed. If this is established, it is rationally impossible to take anyone else as a protector, because everything else is needy in its essence, in all its attributes, and in everything under its control. The Truth, the Exalted, is Necessary in Himself (Self-Sufficient), Generous in Himself. Abandoning the Self-Sufficient and Generous to go to the poor and needy is forbidden by clear reason.

Knowing this, we recall that we have previously explained in this book that the original linguistic meaning of Walī (Protector/Patron) is "the near one." The statement "Say: Shall I take a protector other than Allah?" prohibits seeking closeness to anyone other than Allah. This necessitates purifying the heart from turning toward anything other than Allah, and severing attachments from everything besides Him.

Then Allah says: "Say: I have been commanded to be the first to submit (Islam)." The reason is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) preceded his Ummah in Islam, based on His saying: "And this is what I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims" (Al-An'am: 163), and similar to Moses' statement: "Glory be to You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers" (Al-A'raf: 143).

Then He says: "And never be among the polytheists." This means he was commanded with submission (Islam) and forbidden from polytheism (Shirk).

After establishing that the Messenger was commanded with submission and then forbidden from polytheism, He follows it with: "Indeed, I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a Great Day." The intent is that if he were to disobey this command and prohibition, he would deserve the Great Punishment.

Objection: The statement "Indeed, I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a Great Day" suggests that the Prophet (peace be upon him) feared for himself regarding disbelief and disobedience; otherwise, fear would not be possible.

Answer: The verse does not indicate that he feared for himself. Rather, the verse indicates that if disbelief or disobedience were to occur from him, then he would fear. This degree does not imply that the fear actually occurred. An example is our statement: "If five were an even number, it would be divisible by two equal parts." This statement implies the condition (if it were even), but it does not imply that five is divisible by two equal parts. And Allah knows best.

The reading of "Indeed, I fear" (Innī akhāfu) varies: Ibn Kathir and Nafi' read it with a fatḥa on the yā’ (Innī), while Abu Amr and the rest read it without the yā’ (Innī).