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Ayah
Word by Word
لَّا
(Can) not
تُدۡرِكُهُ
grasp Him
ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ
the visions
وَهُوَ
but He
يُدۡرِكُ
(can) grasp
ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرَۖ
(all) the vision
وَهُوَ
and He (is)
ٱللَّطِيفُ
the All-Subtle
ٱلۡخَبِيرُ
the All-Aware
لَّا
(Can) not
تُدۡرِكُهُ
grasp Him
ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ
the visions
وَهُوَ
but He
يُدۡرِكُ
(can) grasp
ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرَۖ
(all) the vision
وَهُوَ
and He (is)
ٱللَّطِيفُ
the All-Subtle
ٱلۡخَبِيرُ
the All-Aware
Translation
No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things.
Tafsir
Vision cannot attain Him, that is, they [the eyes] cannot see Him - this is [a denial that applies] in particular [circumstances], since [it is accepted] that the believer will see Him in the Hereafter, as indicated by God's words, On that Day faces shall be radiant, gazing upon their Lord [Q. 75:22f.], and by the hadeeth of the two Shaykhs [Bukhaaree and Muslim]: 'Verily you shall see your Lord, as clearly as you see the full moon at night') - and it is also said [to mean] that it [vision] cannot encompass Him; but He attains [all] vision, that is to say, He perceives them, whereas they cannot perceive Him; it is not possible in [the case of anyone other than Him to attain all vision while it [vision] cannot attain Him or encompass Him in knowledge. And He is the Subtle, [in dealing] with His friends, the Aware, of them.
Rebuking the Idolators
Allah says;
وَجَعَلُواۡ لِلّهِ شُرَكَاء الۡجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمۡ
Yet, they join the Jinns as partners in worship with Allah, though He has created them,
This Ayah refutes the idolators who worshipped others besides Allah and associated the Jinns with Him in worship. Glory be to Allah above this Shirk and Kufr. If someone asks, how did the idolators worship the Jinns, although they only were idol worshippers The answer is that in fact, they worshipped the idols by obeying the Jinns who commanded them to do so.
Allah said in other Ayat,
إِن يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلاَّ إِنَـثاً وَإِن يَدۡعُونَ إِلاَّ شَيۡطَـناً مَّرِيداً
لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَقَالَ لاّتَّخِذَنَّ مِنۡ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيباً مَّفۡرُوضاً
وَلاضِلَّنَّهُمۡ وَلاُمَنِّيَنَّهُمۡ وَلاّمُرَنَّهُمۡ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ الاٌّنۡعَـمِ وَلاّمُرَنَّهُمۡ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلۡقَ اللَّهِ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيۡطَـنَ وَلِيّاً مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدۡ خَسِرَ خُسۡرَاناً مُّبِيناً
يَعِدُهُمۡ وَيُمَنِّيهِمۡ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمۡ الشَّيۡطَـنُ إِلاَّ غُرُوراً
They invoke nothing but female deities besides Him, and they invoke nothing but Shaytan, a persistent rebel! Allah cursed him. And he (Shaytan) said:I will take an appointed portion of your servants. Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah.
And whoever takes Shaytan as a protector instead of Allah, has surely suffered a manifest loss. He (Shaytan) makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaytan's promises are nothing but deceptions. (4:117-120)
and,
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوۡلِيَأءَ مِن دُونِى
Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me! (18:50)
Ibrahim said to his father,
يأَبَتِ لاأَ تَعۡبُدِ الشَّيۡطَـنَ إِنَّ الشَّيۡطَـنَ كَانَ لِلرَّحۡمَـنِ عَصِيّاً
O my father! Worship not Shaytan. Verily! Shaytan has been a rebel against the Most Beneficent (Allah). (19:44)
Allah said,
أَلَمۡ أَعۡهَدۡ إِلَيۡكُمۡ يبَنِى ءَادَمَ أَن لاَّ تَعۡبُدُواۡ الشَّيطَـنَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
وَأَنِ اعۡبُدُونِى هَـذَا صِرَطٌ مُّسۡتَقِيمٌ
Did I not ordain for you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan. Verily, he is a plain enemy to you. And that you should worship Me. That is a straight path. (36:60-61)
On the Day of Resurrection, the angels will proclaim,
سُبۡحَـنَكَ أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا مِن دُونِهِمۡ بَلۡ كَانُواۡ يَعۡبُدُونَ الۡجِنَّ أَكۡـثَرُهُم بِهِم مُّوۡمِنُونَ
Glorified be You! You are our Protector instead of them. Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn; most of them were believers in them. (34:41)
This is why Allah said here,
وَجَعَلُواۡ لِلّهِ شُرَكَاء الۡجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمۡ
(Yet, they join the Jinns as partners in worship with Allah, though He has created them). Alone without partners.
Consequently, how is it that another deity is being worshipped along with Him As Ibrahim said,
قَالَ أَتَعۡبُدُونَ مَا تَنۡحِتُونَ
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمۡ وَمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ
Worship you that which you (yourselves) carve While Allah has created you and what you make! (37:95-96)
Allah alone is the Creator without partners. Therefore, He Alone deserves to be worshipped without partners.
Allah said next,
وَخَرَقُواۡ لَهُ بَنِينَ وَبَنَاتٍ بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمٍ
And they Kharaqu (attribute falsely) without knowledge, sons and daughters to Him.
Allah mentions the misguidance of those who were led astray and claimed a son or offspring for Him, as the Jews did with Uzayr, the Christians with Isa and the Arab pagans with the angels whom they claimed were Allah's daughters. Allah is far holier than what the unjust, polytheist people associate with Him.
According to the scholars of the Salaf,
the word, Kharaqu, means `falsely attributed, invented, claimed and lied'.
Allah's statement next,
سُبۡحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
Be He Glorified and Exalted above (all) that they attribute to Him.
means, He is holier than, hallowed, and Exalted above the sons, rivals, equals and partners that these ignorant, misled people attribute to Him.
Meaning of Badi`
Allah said;
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالَارۡضِ
He is the Badi` of the heavens and the earth,
Meaning He originated, created, invented and brought them into existence without precedence, as Mujahid and As-Suddi said.
This is why the word for innovation - Bid`ah - comes from it, because it is something that did not have a precedence.
أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمۡ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ
How can He have children when He has no wife!
for the child is the offspring of two compatible spouses. Allah does not have an equal, none of His creatures are similar to Him, for He alone created the entire creation.
Allah said;
وَقَالُواۡ اتَّخَذَ الرَّحۡمَـنُ وَلَداً
لَقَدۡ جِيۡتُمۡ شَيۡياً إِدّاً
And they say:The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son. Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. (19:88-89) until,
وَكُلُّهُمۡ اتِيهِ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَةِ فَرۡدًا
(And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection. (19:95)
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيۡءٍ وهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ
He created all things and He is the All-Knower of everything.
He has created everything and He is All-Knower of all things. How can He have a wife from His creation who is suitable for His majesty, when there is none like Him! How can He have a child then! Verily, Allah is Glorified above having a son.
Allah is Your Lord
Allah said,
ذَلِكُمُ اللّهُ رَبُّكُمۡ
Such is Allah, your Lord!
Who created everything and has neither a son nor a wife.
لاا إِلَـهَ إِلااَّ هُوَ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيۡءٍ فَاعۡبُدُوهُ
None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Creator of all things. So worship Him.
Alone without partners, and attest to His Oneness, affirming that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him. Allah has neither descendants, nor ascendants, wife, equal or rival.
وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيۡءٍ وَكِيلٌ
And He is the Guardian over all things.
meaning, Trustee, Watcher and Disposer of affairs for all things in existence, giving them provisions and protection by day and night.
Seeing Allah in the Hereafter Allah said
لااَّ تُدۡرِكُهُ الَابۡصَارُ
No vision can grasp Him,
in this life.
The vision will be able to look at Allah in the Hereafter, as affirmed and attested to by the numerous Hadiths from the Prophet through authentic chains of narration in the collections of the Sahihs, Musnad and Sunan collections.
As for this life, Masruq narrated that Aishah said,
Whoever claims that Muhammad has seen his Lord, will have uttered a lie against Allah, for Allah the Most Honored, says,
لااَّ تُدۡرِكُهُ الَابۡصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدۡرِكُ الَابۡصَارَ
(No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision.)
In the Sahih (Muslim) it is recorded that Abu Musa Al-Ashari narrated from the Prophet,
إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَنَامُ وَلَا يَنۡبَغِي لَهُ أَنۡ يَنَامَ يَخۡفِضُ الۡقِسۡطَ وَيَرۡفَعُهُ يُرۡفَعُ إِلَيۡهِ عَمَلُ النَّهَارِ قَبۡلَ اللَّيۡلِ وَعَمَلُ اللَّيۡلِ قَبۡلَ النَّهَارِ حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ أَوِ النَّارُ لَوۡ كَشَفَهُ لَاَحۡرَقَتۡ سَبُحَاتُ وَجۡهِهِ مَا انۡتَهَى إِلَيۡهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنۡ خَلۡقِه
Verily, Allah does not sleep and it does not befit His majesty that He should sleep. He lowers the scale (of everything) and raises it. The deeds of the day are ascended to Him before the night, and the deeds of the night before the day. His Veil is the Light -- or Fire -- and if He removes it (the veil), the Light of His Face will burn every created thing that His sight reaches.
In the previous (revealed) Books there is this statement,
When Musa requested to see Him, Allah said to Musa:
`O Musa! Verily, no living thing sees Me, but it dies and no dried things sees me, but it rolls up.'
Allah said,
فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلۡجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ موسَى صَعِقًا فَلَمَّأ أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبۡحَـنَكَ تُبۡتُ إِلَيۡكَ وَأَنَاۡ أَوَّلُ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ
So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and Musa fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered his senses he said:Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers. (7:143)
These Ayat, Hadiths and statements do not negate the fact that Allah will be seen on the Day of Resurrection by His believing servants, in the manner that He decides, all the while preserving His might and grace as they are.
The Mother of the Faithful, Aishah, used to affirm that;
Allah will be seen in the Hereafter, but denied that it could occur in this life, mentioning this Ayah as evidence,
لااَّ تُدۡرِكُهُ الَابۡصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدۡرِكُ الَابۡصَارَ
(No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision). Her denial was a denial of the ability to encompass Him, meaning to perfectly see His grace and magnificence as He is, for that is not possible for any human, angel or anything created.
Allah's statement,
وَهُوَ يُدۡرِكُ الَابۡصَارَ
but His grasp is over all vision.
means, He encompasses all vision and He has full knowledge of them, for He created them all.
In another Ayah, Allah said;
أَلَا يَعۡلَمُ مَنۡ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الۡخَبِيرُ
Should not He Who has created know! And He is the Most Subtle, Well Acquainted (with all things). (67:14)
It is also possible that `all vision' refers to those who have the vision.
As-Suddi said that Allah's statement,
لااَّ تُدۡرِكُهُ الَابۡصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدۡرِكُ الَابۡصَارَ
(No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision.) means,
Nothing sees Him (in this life), but He sees all creation.
وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الۡخَبِيرُ
He is the Most Subtle, Well-Acquainted (with all things).
Abu Al-Aliyah said about Allah's statement that it means,
He is the Most Subtle, bringing forth all things, Well-Acquainted with their position and place.
Allah knows best.
In another Ayah, Allah mentions Luqman's advice to his son,
يبُنَىَّ إِنَّهَأ إِن تَكُ مِثۡقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنۡ خَرۡدَلٍ فَتَكُنۡ فِى صَخۡرَةٍ أَوۡ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ أَوۡ فِى الاٌّرۡضِ يَأۡتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ
O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Most Subtle, Well Acquainted. (31:16).
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