Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verse 73

Tafsir (Exegesis)

When the preceding verses established the falsehood of the idolaters' path, this verse is introduced to demonstrate that none is worthy of worship except Allah alone. It presents several types of evidence:

{And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in truth}

We have previously explained His attribute as the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

Regarding His creation of them "in truth" (بالحق), this is similar to His statement in Al 'Imran: "Our Lord, You did not create this in vain" (Al 'Imran: 191), and "We did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them in play" (Al-Anbiya: 16), and "We did not create them except in truth" (Ad-Dukhan: 39).

There are two main interpretations concerning this truthfulness:

1. The Position of the People of the Sunnah: Allah is the absolute Owner of all created things and all beings. A possessor's disposition over his property is inherently good and true in all respects. Therefore, His action is absolutely good and absolutely true.
2. The Position of the Mu'tazila: The meaning of "truth" here is that His creation conforms precisely to the welfare (مصالح) of the accountable beings and matches their benefits.

Al-Qadi adds that this verse also implies that He created the accountable person first, so that he might benefit from the creation of the heavens and the earth.

The Islamic philosophers offer another perspective: Allah has deposited in these great celestial bodies powers and properties that cause movements and effects in accordance with the welfare and benefits of this world.

{And the Day He says, "Be!"—and it is—His word is the truth.}

There are two interpretations for this phrase:

1. Interpretation 1 (The Day of Resurrection): The structure is understood as: "He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the Creator of the Day when He says 'Be!' and it is." This "Day" refers to the Day of Resurrection. The meaning is that Allah is the Creator of the worldly existence (planets, natures, elements) and the Creator of the Day of Resurrection, the resurrection, and the return of souls to bodies, all through the command "Be!" (كن).
2. Interpretation 2 (The Truthfulness of His Decree): The word الحق (The Truth) is the subject, and {The Day He says, "Be!"—and it is} acts as an adverbial phrase indicating the predicate. The implied sentence is: "The Truth (His decree) is established on the Day He says, 'Be!'" (similar to saying, "The battle is on Friday"). This means that on that Day, Allah judges only with truth and veracity, as His judgments are purified from injustice and futility.

{And His is the dominion on the Day the Trumpet is blown.}

The phrase {And His is the dominion} implies exclusivity (الحصر). It means that on the Day the Trumpet is blown, there is no dominion except that of the True God, the Exalted. This statement confirms the absolute rule of the Truth, which is free from futility and falsehood, and establishes His perfect, complete power, which no one can repel or oppose.

Addressing a Potential Question: If someone asks: "Allah's word is true at all times, and His power is complete at all times, so what is the benefit of specifying this Day with these two attributes?"

The Answer: This specification is appropriate because that Day is the Day when no benefit or harm can originate from anyone other than Him. Thus, the matter is as He stated: {And the command on that Day belongs to Allah} (Al-Infitar: 17). This is why this specification is fitting.

{He is the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed.}

This means: "And He is the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed."

We have previously established in this comprehensive work that whenever Allah mentions the events of the Resurrection, He affirms two fundamental principles:

1. His absolute Power over all possibilities.
2. His absolute Knowledge of all knowables.

If He were not powerful over all possibilities, He could not accomplish the resurrection, the gathering, and the return of souls to bodies. If He did not know all particulars, this act would not be valid, as the obedient might be confused with the disobedient, the believer with the disbeliever, and the truthful with the hypocrite, thus defeating the primary purpose of the Resurrection.

Once these two attributes (Power and Knowledge) are proven by evidence, the objective is fulfilled:

• {And His is the dominion on the Day the Trumpet is blown} indicates perfect Power.
• {He is the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed} indicates perfect Knowledge.

Consequently, the combination of these necessitates that His word is Truth, His judgment is Veracious, and His decrees are free from injustice, futility, and falsehood.

{He is the Wise, the All-Aware.}

His being Wise (الحكيم) means that He is correct in His actions. His being All-Aware (الخبير) means He knows the realities of those actions without confusion or ambiguity.

Secondary Issues (Masā'il)

We have mentioned in many places in this book that {Kun Fayakun} is not meant as a literal address or command. If the command were directed to non-existence, it would be impossible. If it were directed to something existing, it would mean commanding the existing thing to become existing, which is also impossible. Rather, it is meant to draw attention to the penetration of His Power and Will in bringing forth beings and creating existing things.

There is no doubt that this refers to the Day of Gathering. Furthermore, there is no doubt among the Muslims that Allah created a horn (قرن) into which an Angel will blow, and this horn is called the Ṣūr (الصور), as mentioned in various places in the Noble Book. However, scholars differed regarding the meaning of Ṣūr in this specific verse:

1. Position 1: It refers to that specific horn whose description is mentioned in other Surahs.
2. Position 2: Ṣūr is the plural of Ṣūrah (form/image), and blowing in the Ṣūr is an idiom for blowing into the forms/bodies of the dead.

Abu 'Ubaydah stated that Ṣūr is the plural of Ṣūrah, just as Ṣūf (wool) is the plural of Ṣūfah (a tuft of wool).

Al-Wahidi narrated that Abu al-Haytham refuted this, stating it is a grave error. He pointed to the verse: "And He formed you and perfected your forms" (وصوركم فأحسن صوركم) (Ghafir: 64) and "And the Trumpet is blown" (ونفخ فى الصور) (Ya-Sin: 51). He argued that whoever reads "And the Trumpet is blown" while also reading "And He formed your forms" has fabricated a lie and altered the Book of Allah. Abu 'Ubaydah was known for anecdotes and oddities but lacked grammatical expertise.

Al-Farrā' explained the grammatical rule: Every plural ending in a consonant preceded by a singular masculine noun whose singular form ends with a tā’ marbūṭah (ة) (like ṣūfah preceding ṣūf), follows the pattern where the singular has the ة because the plural form preceded the singular form historically. Examples include ṣūf (wool) and ṣūfah (tuft), wabir (fur) and wabarah, sha'r (hair) and sha'rah, etc. If ṣūfah had preceded ṣūf, they would say ṣūfah and ṣūf, just as they say ghurfah and ghuraf.

However, Ṣūr (the horn) is singular, and it is not permissible to say its singular is Ṣūrah. The plural of Ṣūrah (human form) is Ṣuwar (صُور), because its singular preceded its plural form.

Al-Azhari supported Abu al-Haytham's argument, stating he agrees with his view.

Further Support for Interpretation 1 (The Horn): If the meaning were blowing the spirit into the forms, Allah would attribute that blowing to Himself, as He says: "And when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit" (Al-Hijr: 29), and "Then We blew into it by Our Spirit." However, when referring to blowing the horn (Ṣūr), Allah does not attribute it to Himself, saying: "And the Trumpet is sounded" (فإذا نقر فى الناقور) (Al-Muddaththir: 8), and "And the Trumpet is blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth swoons, except whom Allah wills. Then it is blown once more, and behold, they are standing, looking on" (Az-Zumar: 68).

This concludes the discussion on this point.

Verse 74