Al-A'raf: (206) Indeed, those who are near your Lord...

Issues Discussed:

When God commanded His Messenger to engage in remembrance and persist in it, He immediately followed this by mentioning what strengthens the motivation for doing so: {Indeed, those who are near your Lord do not disdain to worship Him}.

The meaning is that the Angels, despite their immense honor, ultimate purity, infallibility, and freedom from the impulses of desire, anger, envy, and malice, are constantly devoted to servitude, prostration, submission, and humility. Therefore, humankind—who is afflicted by the darkness of the corporeal world and susceptible to human desires and impulses—is even more deserving of adhering to obedience.

For this reason, Jesus (peace be upon him) said: {And He has made me blessed wherever I be and has enjoined upon me prayer} (Maryam: 31), and He commanded the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): {And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty} (Al-Hijr: 99).

The Mushabbihah (those who liken God to creation) rely on the phrase {Indeed, those who are near your Lord}, arguing that the word 'inda (near/with) implies location and direction.

The Refutation: We have already presented numerous rational and textual proofs in this Surah when interpreting the verse {Then He established Himself above the Throne} (Al-A'raf: 54; Yunus: 3) demonstrating that it is impossible for the Almighty to be contained within a location or direction.

If this is established, we must resort to interpretation (ta'wil) for this verse, which can be done in several ways:

1. Analogy with Divine Companionship: God Almighty also said: {And He is with you}. This companionship is undoubtedly by grace and mercy, not by physical location. Furthermore, authentic reports state that God said: "I am near those whose hearts are broken for My sake." This proximity is not spatial, so it must be the same here.
2. Proximity of Honor: The term 'nearness' can refer to high status. It is said that a vizier has great proximity (qurbah) to the ruler, but this does not mean physical proximity, as the doorkeeper or footman might be physically closer to the king in space and location. Thus, the considered proximity is proximity of honor, not proximity of direction.
3. Honor through Association: This phrasing is an honor bestowed upon the Angels by attributing them to God, as He has settled them in a place He has honored and dignified, making it the dwelling place of lights, the ascent point for spirits, obedience, and graces.
4. The Role of Messengership: God described the Angels as {those who are near your Lord} because they are God's messengers to creation. It is similar to saying, "The Caliph has a great army with him," even if they are dispersed across the cities.

Abu Bakr al-Asamm (may God have mercy on him) used this verse to prove that the Angels are superior to humans. His argument is: Since God commanded His Messenger to worship and remember, and then stated, {Indeed, those who are near your Lord do not disdain to worship Him}, the implication is that the Prophet is more deserving of worship. This statement is only sound if the Angels are superior to him.

The text first mentions their glorification (tasbīh), which we know means declaring God free from all defects, relating to knowledge and understanding (acts of the heart). Then, it follows this with prostration (sujūd), which relates to the actions of the limbs.

This sequence indicates that the foundation of obedience and servitude lies in the acts of the heart, from which the acts of the limbs branch out.

Furthermore, the phrase {And to Him they prostrate} implies exclusivity (ḥaṣr), meaning they prostrate to no one but God.

Objection: How can this be reconciled with the verse: {So the angels all prostrated, every one of them} (Al-Hijr: 30), which refers to their prostration to Adam?

Answer: Al-Ghazali said: Those who prostrated to Adam were the angels of the Earth; the great angels of the heavens did not. Another view is that {And to Him they prostrate} implies they never prostrate to anyone other than God (general statement). The verse about prostrating to Adam is specific (khāṣṣ). The specific ruling takes precedence over the general one.

It should be noted that there are many verses indicating the Angels' complete absorption in servitude, such as their saying: {And indeed, we are those who stand in ranks, And indeed, we are those who glorify} (As-Saffat: 165-166), and {And you see the angels surrounding the Throne, exalting with praise of their Lord} (Az-Zumar: 75).