ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ ﱗ ﱘ ﱙ ﱚ ﱛ ﱜ ﱝ ﱞ ﱟ ﱠ ﱡ ﱢ
And decree for us in this world [that which is] good and [also] in the Hereafter; indeed, we have turned back to You." [Allah] said, "My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things." So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and those who believe in Our verses -
Tafsir
Verse range: 7:156
Know that this is part of the supplication of Moses (peace be upon him) upon witnessing the earthquake.
His statement: {And decree for us a good in this world} means that he first affirmed that the only true Guardian is Allah Almighty, which is His statement: {You are our Guardian}. Then, what is expected from the Guardian and Helper are two things: one is the warding off of harm, and the second is the attainment of benefit. Warding off harm takes precedence over attaining benefit, so for this reason, he began by requesting the warding off of harm, which is His statement: {So forgive us and have mercy upon us}. Then he followed it with the request for attaining benefit, which is His statement: {And decree for us a good in this world and in the Hereafter}.
His statement {And decree} means "and make obligatory for us." The word "writing" (kitābah) is sometimes used to mean obligation. His request for a good in this world and the Hereafter is similar to the request of the believers from this Ummah, as Allah informed us about them in His statement: {And among them are those who say, "Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter"}.
Know that Allah being the Guardian of the servant necessitates that the servant asks Him to repel harms and attain benefits, so that the effects of His generosity, grace, and divinity may become apparent. Furthermore, the servant's engagement in repentance, humility, and awe is appropriate for requesting these things. Thus, he mentioned the first reason first—that Allah is his Guardian—and derived the request for these things from it. Then, he mentioned the second reason afterward, which is the servant's engagement in repentance and humility, saying: {Indeed, we have turned to You}.
The exegetes said: {We have turned} (hudnā) means "we have repented and returned to You." Al-Layth said: "Al-Hūd" means repentance. This second reason was also mentioned because the basis that necessitates a good request for these things is nothing other than the combination of these two matters: Allah being God, Lord, and Guardian, and us being His servants, repentant, humble, and in awe. The first is the covenant of the glory of Lordship, and the second is the covenant of the humility of servitude. When these two are present and combined, there is no stronger basis than them.
When Allah Almighty recounted the supplication of Moses (peace be upon him), He followed it with what was the response to Moses (peace be upon him), saying: {My punishment I inflict upon whomever I will}. This means: I punish whomever I will, and no one has the right to object to Me, because everything is My property, and whoever disposes of his exclusive property, no one has the right to object to him. Al-Hasan recited it as {min asā’a} (from the one who does evil), and Al-Shafi'i preferred this recitation.
Regarding His statement: {And My mercy encompasses all things}, there are many opinions. It is said that what is meant by {And My mercy encompasses all things} is that His mercy in this world was general to everyone, but in the Hereafter, it is specific to the believers, which is indicated by His statement: {so I will decree it for those who fear Me}. Another opinion is that existence is better than non-existence. According to this understanding, there is no existing thing that has not received some of His mercy, and the lowest degree is its existence. Another opinion is that good is desired intrinsically, and evil is desired extrinsically. That which is intrinsic is dominant and prevailing, while that which is extrinsic is subordinate and overcome. The Mu'tazila said: Mercy is an expression of the will of good. And no living being exists except that Allah created him for mercy, pleasure, and good, because if he benefits or is capable of benefiting, it is through the mercy of Allah in many ways. And if pain occurs there, he has many compensations, which are from the blessings and mercy of Allah. For this reason, He said: {And My mercy encompasses all things}. Our companions (the Ash'arites) said that His statement: {And My mercy encompasses all things} is from the general term intended for the specific, like His statement: {And I have been given from everything}.
As for His statement: {And decree for us a good in this world and in the Hereafter}.
Know that all of Allah's injunctions are confined to two types:
As for the first category, it is Zakah (charity), which is indicated by His statement: {and they give zakāh}.
As for the second category, it includes what is obligatory upon a person in terms of knowledge and action. As for knowledge, it is Ma'rifah (gnosis/recognition). As for action, it is the Iqrār (affirmation) by the tongue and the 'Amal (action) by the limbs. This includes Salāh (prayer), and this totality is indicated by His statement: {and those who believe in Our signs}. This is analogous to His statement at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah: {Hudan lil-muttaqīn * Al-ladhīna yu'minūna bil-ghaybi wa yuqīmūnaṣ-ṣalāta wa mimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūn} (Guidance to the righteous * Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them).
7 < { Who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in the Torah and the Gospel with them, [who] commands them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - those are the successful. } > 7 <
