ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ ﳇ ﳈ ﳉ ﳊ ﳋ ﳌ ﳍ ﳎ ﳏ ﳐ ﳑ ﳒ ﳓ ﳔ ﳕ ﳖ ﳗ
O mankind, remember the favor of Allah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the heaven and earth? There is no deity except Him, so how are you deluded?
Tafsir
Verse range: 35:3
"Remember the favor of Allah upon you"
The intent behind mentioning the favor is not merely to mention it with the tongue, but also with the heart, by preserving it from ingratitude and belittlement, and by thanking Him through acknowledging its truth, confessing it, and obeying its Bestower.
From this is the saying of a man to one who has favored him: "Remember the favors you have," meaning: preserve them, thank them, and act according to their requirements. The address is general to all, for all are submerged in the favor of Allah.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: It means, "O people of Mecca, remember the favor of Allah upon you, for He settled you in His sanctuary and protected you from the entire world, while people were being snatched away from around you." It is also narrated from him that "the favor of Allah" refers to well-being (al-ʿāfiyah).
"Is there any creator other than Allah?"
Ghayra Allāhi (other than Allah) is read with the three vowel marks:
If you ask: What is the grammatical position of yarzuqukum (He provides for you)? I say: It may have a position if you make it an adjective for "Creator." It may have no position if you elevate the position of "Creator" by implying yarzuqukum (as a predicate), making yarzuqukum an explanation for it, or by making it a new sentence after the statement: "Is there any creator other than Allah?"
If you ask: Does this contain evidence that the term "Creator" cannot be applied to anyone other than Allah? I say: Yes, if you make yarzuqukum a new sentence (the third of the three possibilities). However, regarding the other two possibilities—adjective and explanation—it is restricted by "providing from the heaven and the earth," thus departing from the absolute. How then could it be used as evidence for His exclusivity in the absolute sense? Providing from the heaven is rain, and from the earth is vegetation.
"There is no deity except Him"
This is a detached sentence with no grammatical position, similar to yarzuqukum in the third possibility. If you were to connect it as you connected yarzuqukum, the meaning would not support it. For your saying: "Is there any other creator besides Allah? There is no deity except that Creator," is not sound. Your saying "Is there any creator besides Allah?" is an affirmation of Allah; if you were to say that, you would be contradicting yourself by negating after affirming.
"So how are you deluded?"
From which direction are you turned away from monotheism toward polytheism?
"And if they deny you, then messengers before you were already denied. And to Allah [all] matters are returned."
