Al-A'raf: (29-30) Say: "My Lord has commanded justice..."

It is known that after Allah the Exalted clarified the command against indecency, He then clarified that He commands justice (al-Qist). In this, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The Meaning of "Commanded Justice"

His statement, {My Lord has commanded justice} (Qul amara Rabbī bi-l-qisṭ), indicates that justice is inherently good in itself for several reasons pertaining to its essence. Furthermore, Allah commands it precisely because it is inherently so. This also implies that goodness is good due to inherent qualities belonging to it, and the answer to this is what has been previously mentioned (in the context of inherent goodness).

Issue 2: Interpretations of "Justice" (al-Qisṭ)

1. 'Aṭā' and al-Suddī said: It means justice (al-'adl) and what is rationally perceived as good and correct.
2. Ibn 'Abbās said: It means the testimony, "There is no god but Allah" (Lā ilāha illā Allāh). The evidence for this is His statement: {Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge, [He is] the Maintainer of justice} (Āl 'Imrān: 18). That justice (al-qisṭ) can only be the testimony that there is no god but Allah. Thus, it is established that justice is nothing other than the saying, "There is no god but Allah."

Commands in the Verse

If this is understood, we say that Allah commanded three things in this verse:

1. He commanded justice (al-Qisṭ): This is the saying, "There is no god but Allah," which encompasses knowing Allah by His Essence, His Actions, and His Rulings, and then knowing that He is One without partner.
2. He commanded prayer (al-Ṣalāh): This is His statement, {And set your faces [toward Him] at every place of prostration} (Wa aqīmū wujūhakum 'inda kulli masjid). In this, there are discussions:

One might object: {My Lord has commanded justice} is a statement of fact (خبر), while {And set your faces} is a command (أمر). It is not permissible to follow a command with a statement of fact. The Answer: The implied structure is: Say, "My Lord has commanded justice," and say, "Set your faces toward Him at every place of prostration, and supplicate to Him, making the religion sincerely for Him."

There are two opinions regarding the meaning of {set your faces}: 1. It means facing the Qibla (direction of prayer). 2. It means sincerity (al-Ikhlāṣ).

The reason for mentioning both is that setting the face in worship can be by facing the Qibla or by sincerity in that act of worship. The former is more likely because sincerity is mentioned afterward. If we interpret it as sincerity, it would be like saying, "And be sincere at every place of prostration, and supplicate to Him, making the religion sincerely for Him," which is inconsistent.

If it is argued: This is consistent if sincerity is tied only to supplication. We reply: Since it can refer to both (setting the face and sincerity), it should not be restricted to just one, especially given the subsequent phrase {making the religion sincerely for Him} (mukhliṣīna lahu al-dīn), which encompasses everything called religion.

If this is established, we consider {at every place of prostration}. Scholars differed on whether this refers to the time of prayer or the place. The former is closer, as it is the location where one can set their face toward the Qibla. It is as if Allah clarified that we should not consider specific locations, but rather the Qibla. The meaning would be: Direct your faces toward the Ka'bah wherever you are during the prayer.

Ibn 'Abbās said: It means when the time for prayer arrives while you are near a mosque, pray in it, and let no one say, "I will only pray in the mosque of my people."

One might object: Applying the literal meaning of the verse this way is far-fetched, as the wording suggests the obligation of setting the face in every mosque, not that one is prohibited from moving from one mosque to another.

After commanding turning toward the Qibla, Allah commanded supplication (al-Du'ā'). The most apparent view to me is that this refers to the actions of the prayer, which are termed supplication because, in its linguistic origin, prayer (al-Ṣalāh) means supplication, and because the noblest part of prayer is supplication and remembrance.

He clarified that this supplication must be performed with sincerity, similar to His statement: {And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion} (al-Bayyinah: 5).

3. He clarified the consequence: {As He began you, so you will return} (Kamā bada'akum ta'ūdūn). There are two opinions on this:

• Opinion 1 (Ibn 'Abbās): {As He began you} means He created you initially as a believer or an unbeliever. {So you will return} means the believer will be resurrected as a believer, and the unbeliever as an unbeliever. Whoever Allah created for wretchedness, He makes him act with the deeds of the wretched, and his end will be wretchedness. Whoever He created for happiness, He makes him act with the deeds of the happy, and his end will be happiness.
  • Opinion 2 (al-Ḥasan and Mujāhid): {As He began you} means He created you in the world when you were nothing; likewise, you will return alive.

Those holding the first opinion argued that Allah immediately followed this with: {A group He guided, and a group deserved misguidance} (Farīqan hadā wa farīqan ḥaqqa 'alayhim al-ḍalālah), which serves as an explanation for {As He began you, so you will return}, necessitating what they claim.

Al-Qāḍī said this view is false because no one claims Allah began us as believers or unbelievers, as faith and disbelief must be acquired states. We reply: This objection is weak because the answer is: Just as He began you with faith and disbelief, happiness and wretchedness, so too will the state be on the Day of Resurrection.

It is known that Allah first commanded the word of Justice (which is "Lā ilāha illā Allāh"), then commanded Prayer, and then clarified that the benefit of performing these deeds only appears in the Hereafter. This is analogous to His statement to Moses (peace be upon him) in Sūrat Ṭā Hā: {Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. Indeed, the Hour is coming; I am about to conceal it} (20:14-15).

"A Group He Guided, and a Group Deserved Misguidance"

In this, there are two discussions:

Our companions (Ahl al-Sunnah) use this verse as evidence that guidance (al-Hudā) and misguidance (al-Ḍalālah) are from Allah. The Mu'tazilah say: It means a group He guided to Paradise and reward, and a group upon whom misguidance was decreed, meaning punishment and diversion from the path of reward.

Al-Qāḍī argued: This is what is decreed upon them and no one else, because the servant does not deserve to be led astray from the religion. If he deserved that, it would be permissible for Him to command His Prophets to lead them astray from the religion, just as He commanded them to establish deserved legal penalties, which would undermine trust in prophethood.

We note: This answer is weak in two ways:

1. The phrase {A group He guided} refers to the past. Under their interpretation, the meaning would be that Allah will guide them in the future. If the meaning was that Allah decreed in the past that He would guide them to Paradise, this would be deviating from the apparent meaning without necessity, as we have established with decisive rational proofs that guidance and misguidance are only from Allah.
2. Suppose the meaning of guidance and misguidance is Allah's decree concerning them. Once this decree is established, it becomes impossible for the servant to do otherwise, otherwise that decree would turn out to be a lie, and lying about Allah is impossible. That which leads to the impossible is impossible. Therefore, the servant performing any action contrary to that decree becomes impossible, which invalidates the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah from this perspective. And Allah knows best.

The grammatical position of {and a group deserved misguidance} (wa farīqan ḥaqqa 'alayhim al-ḍalālah) is in the accusative case, explained by an implied verb, as if saying: "And He abandoned a group upon whom misguidance was decreed."

Allah then clarified the reason why misguidance was decreed upon this group: they took the devils as allies instead of Allah, accepting what the devils called them to, without contemplating the distinction between truth and falsehood.

If it is argued: How does this detailed explanation align with your view that guidance and misguidance occur by Allah's initial creation? We reply: In our view, the totality of power and the incentive (al-Dā'ī) necessitate the action. The incentive that called them to that action was their taking the devils as allies instead of Allah.

"And they think that they are guided"

Ibn 'Abbās said this refers to what 'Amr ibn Luḥayy showed them, but this is unlikely. Rather, it should be taken generally: whoever embarks upon falsehood deserves blame and punishment, whether he thinks he is right or not.

This verse indicates that mere assumption or conjecture (al-Ẓann wa al-Ḥusbān) is insufficient for the validity of religion; rather, certainty, finality, and conviction are necessary. This is because Allah blamed the disbelievers for thinking they were guided; if this assumption were not blameworthy, He would not have blamed them for it. And Allah knows best.

Al-A'raf: (31-32)

{O children of Adam, take your adornment at every place of prostration, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess. Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believe during the worldly life, exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know.}