CREATOR SUSTAINER CHERISHER ( RABBUL ALAMIN )/All Belongs to Him
1. Surah Al Fatihah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
الْحَمْدُ
للّهِ رَبِّ
الْعَالَمِينَ
(٢)
1: 2. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
C20. The Arabic word Rabb, usually translated Lord, has also the meaning of cherishing, sustaining, bringing to maturity. Allah cares for all the worlds He has created.
There are many worlds;
- astronomical and physical worlds,
- worlds of thought,
- piritual world, and so on.
In every one of them, Allah is all-in-all. We express only one aspect of it when we say:
"In Him we live, and move, and have our being."
The mystical division between:
1. Nasut: the human world knowable by the senses.
2. Malakut: the invisible world of angels, and
3. Lahut: the divine world of Reality, requires a whole volume to explain it.
Asad’s Version:
1: 2 The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
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2. Surah al-Baqara, Medina 87
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
هُوَ
الَّذِي خَلَقَ
لَكُم مَّا فِي
الأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً...
2: 29. It is He who hath created for you all things that are on earth;
... ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَاء فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ...
moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments;
... وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٩﴾
and of all things he hath perfect knowledge.
بَدِيعُ
السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضِ...
2: 117. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth;
C120. The previous verse told us that everything in heaven and earth celebrates the glory of Allah. Lest anyone should think that the heavens and the earth were themselves primeval and eternal, we are now told that they themselves are creatures of Allah's will and design.
Cf. 6:101, where the word bada'a is used as here for the creation of the heavens and the earth, and khalaqa is used for the creation of all things.
Bada'a goes back to the very primal beginning, as far as we can conceive it.
The materialists might say that primeval matter was eternal; other things, i.e., the forms and shapes as we see them now, were called into being at some time or other, and will perish. When they perish, they dissolve into primeval matter again, which stands as the base of all existence.
We go further back. We say that if we postulate such primeval matter, it owes its origin itself to Allah Who is the final basis of existence, the Cause of all Causes. If this is conceded, we proceed to argue that the process of Creation is not then completed.
"All things in the heavens and on the earth" are created by gradual processes. In "things" we include abstract as well as material things. We see the abstract things and ideas actually growing before us.
But that also is Allah's creation, to which we can apply the word khalaqa, for in it is involved the idea of measuring, fitting it into a scheme of other things. Cf. 54:49; also 25:59.
Here comes in what we know as the process of evolution. On the other hand, the "amr" (Command, Direction, Design) is a single thing, unrelated to Time, "like the twinkling of an eye" (54:50).
Another word to note in this connection is ja'ala "making" which seems to imply new shapes and forms, new dispositions, as the making of the Signs of the Zodiac in the heavens, or the setting out of the sun and moon for light, or the establishment of the succession of day and night (25:61-62).
A further process with regard to the soul is described in the word sawwa, bringing it to perfection (91:7) but this we shall discuss in its place.
Fatara (42:11) implies, like bada'a, the creating of a thing out of nothing and after no preexisting similitude, but perhaps fatara implies the creation of primeval matter to which further processes have to be applied later, as when one prepares dough but leaves the leavening to be done after.
Badaa (without the 'ain), 30:27, implies beginning the process of creation; this is made further clear in 32:7 where the beginning of the creation of pristine man from clay refers to his physical body, leaving the further processes of reproduction and the breathing in of the soul to be described in subsequent verses.
Lastly, bara'a is creation implying liberation from pre-existing matter or circumstance, e.g., man's body from clay (59:24) or a calamity from previously existing circumstances (57:22).
See also 6:94, n. 916; 6:98, n. 923; 59:24, notes. 5405-6.
... وَإِذَا قَضَى أَمْراً فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ ﴿١١٧﴾
when He decreeth a matter He saith to it: "Be;"
and it is.
إِذْ
قَالَ لَهُ
رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ
...
2: 131. Behold! his Lord said to him: "Bow (thy will to me)"
... قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٣١﴾
He said: "I bow (my will) to the Lord and Cherisher of the universe."
اللّهُ
لاَ إِلَـهَ
إِلاَّ هُوَ
الْحَيُّ
الْقَيُّومُ...
2: 255. Allah! there is no god but He, the living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal.
C296. This is the Ayah al Kursi the "Verse of the Throne".
Who can translate its glorious meaning, or reproduce the rhythm of its well-chosen and comprehensive words. Even in the original Arabic the meaning seems to be greater than can be expressed in words.
The attributes of Allah are different from anything we know in our present world; He lives, but His life is self-subsisting and eternal: it does not depend upon other beings and is not limited to time and space.
Perhaps the attribute of Qayyum includes not only the idea of “Self-subsisting” but also the idea of “Keeping up and maintaining all life.”
His life being the source and constant support of all derived forms of life. Perfect life is perfect activity, in contrast to the imperfect life which we see around us, which is not only subject to death but to the need for rest or slowed-down activity, (something which is between activity and sleep, for which I, in common with other translators, have used the word “slumber”) and the need for full sleep itself.
But Allah has no need for rest or sleep. His activity, like His life, is perfect and self-subsisting. Contrast with this the expressions used in Psalms 78:65;
“Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.” (R).
... لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ ...
No slumber can seize him nor sleep.
... لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ ...
His are all things in the heavens and on earth.
... مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ ...
Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth?
... يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ...
He knoweth what (appeareth to his creatures as) before or after or behind them.
C297. After we realise that His life is absolute Life. His Being is absolute Being, while others are contingent and evanescent our ideas of heaven and earth vanish like shadows. What is behind that shadow is He.
Such reality as our heavens and our earth possess is a reflection of His absolute Reality.
The pantheist places the wrong accent when he says that everything is He. The truth is better expressed when we say that everything is His.
How then can any creatures stand before Him as of right, and claim to intercede for a fellow-creature? In the first place both are His, and He cares as much for one as for the other.
In the second place, they are both dependent on His will and command. But He in His Wisdom and Plan may grade his creatures and give one superiority over another. Then by His will and permission such a one may intercede or help according to the laws and duties laid on him.
Allah's knowledge is absolute, and is not conditioned by Time or Space. To us, His creatures, these conditions always apply. His knowledge and our knowledge are therefore in different categories, and our knowledge only gets some reflection of Reality when it accords with His Will and Plan.
... وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاء...
Nor shall they compass aught of his knowledge except as He willeth.
... وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ ...
His throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth,
C298. Throne; seat, power, knowledge, symbol of authority.
In our thoughts we exhaust everything when we say "the heavens and the earth".
Well, then in everything is the working of Allah's power, and will, and authority. Everything of course includes spiritual things as well as things of sense. (R).
... وَلاَ يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا...
and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them.
C299. A life of activity that is imperfect or relative would not only need rest for carrying on its own activities, but would be in need of double rest when it has to look after and guard, or cherish, or help other activities.
In contrast with this is the Absolute Life, which is free from any such need or contingency. For it is supreme above anything that we can conceive.
... وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ ﴿٢٥٥﴾
For He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).
لِّلَّهِ
ما فِي السَّمَاواتِ
وَمَا فِي
الأَرْضِ...
2: 284. To Allah belongeth all that is in the heavens and on earth.
... وَإِن تُبْدُواْ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللّهُ...
Whether ye show what is in your minds or conceal it, Allah calleth you to account for it. .
... فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاء...
He forgiveth whom He pleasant, and punisheth whom He pleaseth. For Allah hath power over all things.
... وَاللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿٢٨٤﴾
For Allah hath power over all things.
Asad’s Version:
2: 29 ……..His design comprehend the heavens , for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge.
2: 117 To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth : when He decreeth a matter, He saith to it; “Be,“ and it is.
2: 131 Behold ! his Lord said to him : “ Bow (your will to me) : He said : “ I bow (my will ) to the Lord and Cherisher of the Universe.”
2: 255 ..His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth.
2: 284 Unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth.
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3. Sura al-Imran
Medina 89 [200 verses]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
اللّهُ
لا إِلَـهَ
إِلاَّ هُوَ
الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
﴿٢﴾
3: 2. Allah! there is no Allah but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal.
C343. Cf. 2:255.
إِنَّ
اللّهَ لاَ
يَخْفَىَ عَلَيْهِ
شَيْءٌ فِي
الأَرْضِ وَلاَ
فِي السَّمَاء
﴿٥﴾
3: 5. From Allah, verily nothing is hidden on earth or in the heavens.
Asad’s Version:
3: 2 …Fount of All Being!
3: 5 ..He it is who shapes you in the wombs as He wills.
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5. Surah al-Maida, Medina 112
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
لَئِن
بَسَطتَ إِلَيَّ
يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي
مَا أَنَاْ
بِبَاسِطٍ
يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ
لَأَقْتُلَكَ...
5: 28. "If thou dost stretch thy hand against me, to slay me, it is not for me to stretch my hand against thee to slay thee:
... إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢٨﴾
for I do fear Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds.
Asad’s Version:
5: 28 Even if you lay your hand on me to slay me, I shall not lay hand on you to slay you: behold, I fear God, the Sustainer of al the worlds.(the story of Abel & Cain)
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6. [al-Anam, Cattle Mecca 55]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
الْحَمْدُ
لِلّهِ الَّذِي
خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضَ
وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ
وَالنُّورَ...
6: 1. Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made the darkness and the light.
...ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِم يَعْدِلُونَ ﴿١﴾
Yet those who reject Faith hold (others) as equal with their Guardian-Lord.
C834. Adaia has various meanings:
1. to hold something as equal to something else, as here; to balance nicely;
2. to deal justly, as between one party and another, 42:15;
3. to give compensation or reparation, or something as equivalent to something else, 6:70;
4. to turn the balance the right way, to give a right disposition, to give a just bias or proportion, 82:7;
5. to turn the balance the wrong way, to swerve, to show bias. 4:135.
C835. The argument is threefold:
1. Allah created everything you see and know: how can you then set up any of His own creatures as equal to Him?
2. He is your own Guardian-Lord; He cherishes and loves you: how can you be so ungrateful as to run after something else?
3. Darkness and Light are to help you to distinguish between the true from the false: how then can you confound the true God with your false ideas and superstitions?
There may also be a repudiation of the Duality of old Persian theology; Light and Darkness are not conflicting Powers; they are both creatures of Allah.
وَلَقَدْ
أَرْسَلنَآ
إِلَى أُمَمٍ
مِّن قَبْلِكَ
...
6: 42. Before thee We sent (Messengers) to many nations
...فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَاء وَالضَّرَّاء لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾
and We afflicted the nations with suffering and adversity, that they might learn humility.
فَلَوْلا
إِذْ جَاءهُمْ
بَأْسُنَا
تَضَرَّعُواْ...
6: 43. When the suffering reached them from Us, why then did they not learn humility?
C861. Sorrow and suffering may (if we take them rightly) turn out to be the best gifts of Allah to us. According to the Psalms (94:12), "Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord!"
Through suffering we learn humility, the antidote to many vices and the fountain of many virtues. But if we take them the wrong way, we grumble and complain: we become faint-hearted; and Satan gets his opportunity to exploit us by putting forward the alluring pleasures of his Vanity Fair.
...وَلَـكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾
On the contrary their hearts became hardened, and Satan made their (sinful) acts seem alluring to them.
فَلَمَّا
نَسُواْ مَا
ذُكِّرُواْ
بِهِ فَتَحْنَا
عَلَيْهِمْ
أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ
شَيْءٍ...
6: 44. But when they forget the warning they had received, We opened to them the gates of all (good) things,
C862. Learning the inner truth of ourselves and the world presupposes a certain advanced stage of sensitiveness and spiritual development. There is a shallower stage, at which prosperity and the good things of life may teach us sympathy and goodness and cheerfulness like that of Mr. Cheeribyles in Dickens. In such cases the Message takes root. But there is another type of character which is puffed up in prosperity.
For them prosperity is a trial or even a punishment from the higher point of view. They go deeper and deeper into sin, until they are pulled up of a sudden, and then instead of being contrite they merely become desperate.
...حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَا أُوتُواْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
until, in the midst of their enjoyment of Our gifts, on a sudden, We called them to account, when lo! they were plunged in despair!
فَقُطِعَ
دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ
الَّذِينَ
ظَلَمُواْ...
6: 45. Of the wrongdoers the last remnant was cut off.
...وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾
Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds.
C863. Allah's punishment of wrong-doers is a measure of justice, to protect the true and righteous from their depredations and maintain His righteous decrees. It is an aspect of His character which is emphasised by the epithet "Cherisher of the Worlds".
قُلْ
أَرَأَيْتُمْ
إِنْ أَخَذَ
اللّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ
وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ
وَخَتَمَ عَلَى
قُلُوبِكُم
...
6: 46. Say:
"Think ye, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up your hearts,
...مَّنْ إِلَـهٌ غَيْرُ اللّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ ...
who -- a god other than Allah -- could restore them to you?"
...انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الآيَاتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ ﴿٤٦﴾
See how We explain the Signs by various (symbols):
Yet they turn aside.
بَدِيعُ
السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضِ...
6: 101. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth:
C930. Cf. n. 120 to 2:117.
...أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ...
how can He have a son when He hath no consort?
...وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١٠١﴾
He created all things, and He hath full knowledge of all things.
ذَلِكُمُ
اللّهُ رَبُّكُمْ
لا إِلَـهَ
إِلاَّ هُوَ
خَالِقُ كُلِّ
شَيْءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ...
6: 102. That is Allah your Lord!
there is no god but He,
the Creator of all things: then worship ye Him:
...وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ ﴿١٠٢﴾
and He hath power to dispose of all affairs.
Asad’s Version:
6: 1 All praise is due to God, who has created the heavens and the earth, and brought into being deep darkness as well as light: and yet, those who are bent on denying the truth regard other powers as their Sustainer’s equals!
6: 42 And, indeed We sent Our messages unto people before thy time, and visited them with misfortune and hardship so that they might humble themselves:
6: 43 yet when the misfortune decreed by Us befell them, they did not humble themselves, but rather grew hard, for Satan had made all their doings seem goodly to them.
6: 44 Then, when they had forgotten all that they had been told to take to heart, We threw open to t hem the gates of all [good] things, until –even as they were rejoicing in what they been granted – We suddenly took them to task: and lo! They were broken in spirit;
6: 45 and [in the end] the last remnant of those folk who had been bent on evil doing was wiped out. For all praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the worlds.
6: 46 Say: “What do you think? If God should take away your hearing and your sight and seal your hearts-what deity but God is there that could bring it all back to you?”
Behold how many facets We give to Our messages – and yet they turn away in disdain!
6: 101 the Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could it be that He should have a child with out there ever having been a mate for Him – since it is He who has created everything, and He alone knows everything?
6: 102 Such is God, your Sustainer: there is no deity save Him, the Creator of everything: worship, then, Him alone – for it is He who has everything in His care. No Human vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all human vision: for He alone is unfathomable, all-aware.
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7. Sura al-Araf, Mecca 39
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ
رَبَّكُمُ
اللّهُ الَّذِي
خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضَ
فِي سِتَّةِ
أَيَّامٍ ...
7: 54. Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days,
C1031. A sublime verse, comparable to the Throne Verse 2:255.
The Creation in six Days is of course metaphorical. In 45:14, "the Days of Allah" refer not so much to time as to the growth in us of a spiritual sense, a sense of sin and a sense of Allah's Mercy.
In 22:47, we are told that a Day in the sight of Allah is like a thousand years of our reckoning, and in 70:4, the comparison is with 50,000 of our years.
In the history of our material earth, we may reckon six great epochs of evolution.
The significance of the figure six will be discussed in connection with 41:9:12, where the ,matter is referred to in more detail.
... ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ...
and is firmly established on the throne (of authority):
C1032. Here, we are told of the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days. But lest we should be obsessed with the Jewish idea that Allah rested on the seventh day, we are told that the Creation was but a prelude to Allah's work: for His authority is exercised constantly by the laws which He establishes and enforces in all parts of His Creation.
The beautiful imagery of night and day seeking out each other in rapid succession is still further enforced in the Arabic by the double accusative of the verb yugshi, showing the mutual interactions of the day and the night, each covering the other in turn. The heavenly bodies show an order which is evidence of His constant care and government.
Not only that, but it is only He Who creates, maintains, and governs, and no one else. (R).
...يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا...
He draweth the night as a veil O'er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession:
...وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ...
He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command.
...أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٥٤﴾
Is it not His to create and to govern?
Blessed be Allah, the cherisher and sustainer of the worlds!
Asad’s Version:
7: 54 Verily, your Sustainer is God, who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightuness……
(see Asad note 43) ( 7 times in Quran : "established on the throne of His almightiness" along with His creation of the Universe: 7:54, 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4, & 57:4)
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10. Surah Yunus, Mecca 51
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ
اللّهُ الَّذِي
خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضَ
فِي سِتَّةِ
أَيَّامٍ...
10: 3. Verily your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days,
C1385. See n. 1031 to 7:54.
...ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ...
then He established Himself on the Throne (of authority),
C1386. Istawa, with the preposition ila after it, means He turned to or He directed Himself by His will to as in 2:29.
With the preposition 'ala after it, as here and in 7:54 and elsewhere, the meaning seems to be "to mount or ascend," and to be firmly established, to sit firm and unshaken, beyond question.
The Throne represents many ideas: e.g.,
1. that God is high above all His Creation;
2. that He regulates and governs it, as a king does, whose authority is unquestionably recognised;
3. that He is not, therefore, like the gods of Greece, and paganism, who were imagined to be in a world apart, careless of mankind, or jealous of mankind, but on the contrary.
4. He disposes of their affairs and all affairs continuously and with justice;
5. that the authority of His prophets, ministers, and messengers is derived from Him, and such intercession as they can make is by His will and permission. (R).
... يُدَبِّرُ الأَمْرَ...
regulating and governing all things.
...مَا مِن شَفِيعٍ إِلاَّ مِن بَعْدِ إِذْنِهِ...
No intercessor (can plead with Him) except after His leave (hath been obtained).
...ذَلِكُمُ اللّهُ رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ...
This is Allah your Lord; Him therefore serve ye:
...أَفَلاَ تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿٣﴾
will ye not receive admonition ?
C1387. Cf. 6:80.
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ
الصَّالِحَاتِ
يَهْدِيهِمْ
رَبُّهُمْ
بِإِيمَانِهِمْ...
10: 9. Those who believe, and work righteousness, their Lord will guide them because of their faith:
C1396. Their Faith is the cause as well as the instrument of their Guidance, -the Kindly Light which leads them as well as the Joy which fills their Soul.
The usual symbols of Gardens and Fire are again contrasted - in each case the result of Good or Evil in Life,
...تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الأَنْهَارُ فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ ﴿٩﴾
beneath them will flow rivers in Gardens of Bliss.
دَعْوَاهُمْ
فِيهَا سُبْحَانَكَ
اللَّهُمَّ
وَتَحِيَّتُهُمْ
فِيهَا سَلاَمٌ...
10: 10. (This will be) their cry therein:
"Glory to Thee, O Allah!"
and
"Peace" will be their greeting therein!
...وَآخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٠﴾
And the close of their cry will be:
"Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds!"
C1397. A beautiful piece of spiritual melody! They sing and shout with joy, but their joy is in the Glory of Allah! The greetings they receive and the greetings they give are of Peace and Harmony!
From first to last they realise that it is Allah Who cherished them and made them grow, and His rays are their Light.
فَذَلِكُمُ
اللّهُ رَبُّكُمُ
الْحَقُّ فَمَاذَا
بَعْدَ الْحَقِّ
إِلاَّ الضَّلاَلُ...
10: 32. Such is Allah, your real Cherisher and Sustainer:
apart from Truth, what (remains) but error?
C1426. The wonderful handiwork and wisdom of Allah having been referred to, as the real Truth, as against the false worship and false gods that men set up, it follows that to disregard the Truth must lead us into woeful wrong, not only in our beliefs but in our conduct. We shall err and stray and be lost.
How then can we turn away from the Truth?
...فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ ﴿٣٢﴾
How then are ye turned away?
وَمَا كَانَ
هَـذَا الْقُرْآنُ
أَن يُفْتَرَى
مِن دُونِ
اللّهِ...
10: 37. This Qur'án is not such as can be produced by other than Allah;
...وَلَـكِن تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ...
on the contrary it is a confirmation of (revelations) that went before it,
...وَتَفْصِيلَ الْكِتَابِ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٣٧﴾
and a fuller explanation of the Book -- wherein there is no doubt -- from the Lord of the Worlds.
C1429. The Book: Cf. 3:23 and n. 366.
Allah's revelation throughout the ages is one. The Quran confirms, fulfils, completes, and further explains the one true revelation, which has been sent by the One True God in all ages.
Asad’s Version:
10: 3 Verily, your Sustainer is God, who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness, governing all that exists. There is none that could intercede with Him unless He grants leave therefore.
Thus is God, your Sustainer: worship, therefore, Him [alone]: will you not, then, keep this in mind?
10: 9-10 Verily as for those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds – their Sustainer guides them aright by means of their faith. Running waters will flow at their feet in gardens of bliss; in that they will call out, “Limitless are Your in Your glory, O God!” – and will be answered with the greeting, “Peace!” and their call will close with, “All praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!”
10: 32
Asad ……seeing that He is God, your sustainer, the Ultimate Truth? For, after the truth [has been forsaken], what is there [left] but error? How, then can you lose sight of the truth?”
Pickthall Such then is Allah, your rightful Lord. After the Truth what is there saving error? How then are ye turned away!
Transliteration Fa za_likumulla_hu rabbukumul haqq(u), fa ma_za_ ba'dal haqqi illad dala_l(u), fa anna_ tusrafu_n(a).
10: 37
Asad Now this Quran could not possibly have been devised by anyone save God: nay indeed, it confirms the truth of whatever there still remains [of earlier revelations] and clearly spells out the revelation [which comes] – let there be no doubt about it – from the Sustainer of all the worlds.
Pickthall And this Quran is not such as could ever be invented in despite of Allah; but it is a confirmation of that which was before it and an exposition of that which is decreed for mankind-- Therein is no doubt--from the Lord of the Worlds.
Transliteration Wa ma_ ka_na ha_zal qur'a_nu ay yuftara_ min du_nilla_hi wa la_kin tasdiqal lazi baina yadaihi wa tafsilal kita_bi la_ raiba fihi mir rabbil 'a_lamin(a).
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12. Surha Yusuf (Joseph)
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
رَبِّ
قَدْ
آتَيْتَنِي
مِنَ
الْمُلْكِ
وَعَلَّمْتَنِي
مِن
تَأْوِيلِ
الأَحَادِيثِ...
12: 101. "O my Lord!
Thou hast indeed bestowed on me some power, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events,
C1781. Then he turns to Allah in prayer, and again his modesty is predominant.
He held supreme power under the king, but he calls it "some power" or authority.
His reading of events and dreams had saved millions of lives in the great Egyptian famine; yet he refers to it as "something of the interpretation of dreams and events". And he takes no credit to himself, "All this," he says, "was Thy gift, 0 Allah! For such things can only come from the Creator of the heavens and earth."
...فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ أَنتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنُيَا وَالآخِرَةِ...
O Thou Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter,
C1782. Power in the doing of things as well as power in intelligent forecasts and plans,-both must look to Allah: otherwise the deed and the plan would be futile.
...تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ ﴿١٠١﴾
take thou my soul (at death) as one submitting to Thy Will (as a Muslim),
and unite me with the righteous."
C1783. Joseph's prayer may be analyzed thus:
1. I am nothing; all power and knowledge are Thine;
2. such things can only come from Thee, for Thou art the Creator of all;
3. none can protect me from danger and wrong, but only Thou;
4. Thy protection I need both in this world and the next;
5. may I till death remain constant to Thee-,
6. may I yield up my soul to Thee in cheerful submission to Thy will;
7. in this moment of union with my family after many partings let me think of the final union with the great family of the righteous.
How marvelously apt to the occasion!
Other Versions:
12: 101
Transliteration Rabbi qad a_taitani minal mulki wa 'allamtani min ta'wilil aha_dis(i), fa_tiras sama_wa_ti wal ard(i), anta waliyyi fid dunya_ wal a_khirah(ti), tawaffani muslimaw wa alhiqni bis sa_lihin(a).
Pickthall O my Lord! Thou hast given me (something) of sovereignty and hast taught me (something) of the interpretation of events, Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protecting Friend in the world and the Hereafter. Make me to die submissive (unto Thee), and join me to the righteous.
Asad It is God who has raised the heavens without any supports tht you can see and is established on the throne of His almightiness;
Pickthall Allah it is who raised up the heavens without visible supports, then mounted the Throne, and compelled the sun and the moon to be of service, each runneth unto an appointed term; He ordereth the course; He detaileth the revelations, that haply ye may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.
Transliteration Alla_hul lazi rafa'as sama_wa_ti bi gairi 'amadin taraunaha_ summa-stawa_ 'alal 'arsyi wa sakhkharasy syamsa wal qamar(a), kulluy yajri li ajalim musamma_(n), yudabbirul amra yufassilul a_ya_ti la'allakum biliqa_'i rabbikum tu_qinu_n(a).
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13. Surah Ar Ra'd, Medina 96
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ
السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضِ...
13: 16. Say: "Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth?"
C1828. The meaning of "Rabb" is explained in n. 20, to 1:2.
...قُلِ اللّهُ...
Say: "It is Allah."
...قُلْ أَفَاتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاء لاَ يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًا وَلاَ ضَرًّا...
Say: "Do ye then take (for worship) protectors other than Him, such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?"
C1829. Cf. 5:76.
...قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الأَعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ...
Say:
"Are the blind equal with those who see?
...أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِي الظُّلُمَاتُ وَالنُّورُ...
Or the depths of darkness equal with Light?"
...أَمْ جَعَلُواْ لِلّهِ شُرَكَاء خَلَقُواْ كَخَلْقِهِ فَتَشَابَهَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ...
Or do they assign to Allah partners who have created (anything) as He has created, so that the creation seemed to them similar?
C1830. This verse may be analyzed into six parts, each two parts going together like question and answer. Each except the fifth part is introduced by the word "Say", which is equivalent in old Arabic to inverted commas.
The fifth part, "or do they assign .... similar?" is not introduced by "Say", because it is in the indirect form.
- Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the Worlds?
It is Allah,
- And yet you worship other gods?
No, no one can be equal to Him, any more than darkness is equal to light.
- Your other gods have created nothing by which you can be misled?
No indeed; He is the only Creator, the One and Supreme.
...قُلِ اللّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ﴿١٦﴾
Say:
"Allah is the Creator of all things:
He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible."
Other Versions:
13: 16
Asad ………Say: “God is the Creator of all things; and He is the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists.”
Pickthall Say (O Muhammad): Who is Lord of the heaven and the earth? Say: Allah! Say: Take ye then (others) beside Him for protectors, which, even for themselves, have neither benefit nor hurt? Say: Is the blind man equal to the seer, or is darkness equal to light? Or assign they unto Allah partners Who created the like of His creation so that the creation (which they made and His creation) seemed alike to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty.
Transliteration Qul mar rabbus sama_wa_ti wal ard(i), qulilla_h(u), qul afa-ttakhaztum min du_nihi auliya_'a la_ yamliku_na li anfusihim naf'aw wa la_ darra_(n), qul hal yastawil a'ma_ wal basir(u), am hal tastawiz zuluma_tu wan nu_r(u), am ja'ala_ lilla_hi syuraka_'a khalaqa_ ka khalqihi fa tasya_bahal khalqu 'alaihim, qulilla_hu kha_liqu kulli syai'iw wa huwal wa_hidul qahha_r(u).
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15. Surah Al Hijr
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَا خَلَقْنَا
السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضَ
وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا
إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ...
15: 85. We created not the heavens, the earth, and all between them, but for just ends.
C2005. Allah's Creation is all for a true, just, and righteous purpose. Cf. 10:5.
It is not for mere whim or sport. 21:16.
...وَإِنَّ السَّاعَةَ لآتِيَةٌ فَاصْفَحِ الصَّفْحَ الْجَمِيلَ ﴿٨٥﴾
And the Hour is surely coming (when this will be manifest). So overlook (any human faults) with gracious forgiveness.
C2006. The Hour will not be long delayed when the true Design and Pattern of Life will be manifest. We must not be impatient, if there appear to be, to our limited vision, apparent injustices. We must bear and forbear, and as far as our own personal feelings are concerned, we must overlook other people's faults with "a gracious forgiveness".
إِنَّ
رَبَّكَ هُوَ
الْخَلاَّقُ
الْعَلِيمُ ﴿٨٦﴾
15: 86. For verily it is thy Lord Who is the Master-Creator, knowing all things.
C2007. Khallaq: the emphatic intensive form, as meaning the Creator, Who is perfect in His skill and knowledge, and Whose creation answers perfectly to His design. Therefore no one should think that anything has gone wrong in Allah's creation.
What may seem out of joint is merely the result of our short-sighted standards. It often happens that what appears to us to be evil or imperfect or unjust is a reflection of our own imperfect minds.
See the next two verses and notes.
15: 85
Asad And We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them without truth; but, behold, the Hour is indeed yet to come. Hence, forgive [men’s failings] with fair forbearance:
Pickthall We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them save with truth, and lo! the Hour is surely coming. So forgive, O Muhammad, with a gracious forgiveness.
Transliteration Wa ma_ khalaqnas sama_wati wal arda wa ma_ bainahuma_ illa_ bil haqq(i), wa innas sa_'ata la a_tiyatun fa-sfahis safhal jamil(a).
[ Asad note note 61: I.e. He has created all human beings with full knowledge of their natural differentiation and the disparity in their respective conditions” (Razi) – and this, of course, includes their failings and errors. (Cf: 7:99 –“Make due allowance for man’s nature” – and the corresponding note 162)]
15: 86
Asad Verily, thy Sustainer is the all-knowing Creator of all things!
Pickthall Lo! Thy Lord! He is the All Wise Creator.
Transliteration Inna rabbaka huwal khalla_qul 'alim(u).
[Ali’s note: 2007 Khallaq: the emphatic intensive form, as meaning the Creator, Who is perfect in His skill and knowledge, and Whose creation answers perfectly to His design. Therefore no one should think that anything has gone wrong in Allah's creation. What may seem out of joint is merely the result of our short-sighted standards. It often happens that what appears to us to be evil or imperfect or unjust is a reflection of our own imperfect minds. See the next two verses and notes. (15.86)
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43. Zukhruf(Gold)
Mecca 63 [89 verses]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَالَّذِي
نَزَّلَ مِنَ
السَّمَاء مَاء
بِقَدَرٍ ...
43: 11. That sends down (from time to time) rain from the sky in due measure;
C4614. In due measure: i.e., according to needs, as measured by local as well as universal considerations. This applies to normal rainfall:
floods and droughts are abnormal conditions, and may be called unusual manifestations of His power, fulfilling some special purpose that we may or may not understand.
... فَأَنشَرْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا كَذَلِكَ تُخْرَجُونَ ﴿١١﴾
and We raise to life therewith a land that is dead; even so will ye be raised (from the dead) --
C4615. The clause 'And We raise ... (from the dead)' is parenthetical. Cf. 35:9, n. 3881.
Note the transition from the third to the first person, to mark the Resurrection as a special act of Allah as distinguished from the ordinary processes of nature ordained by Allah.
وَالَّذِي
خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ
كُلَّهَا ...
43: 12. That has created pairs in all things,
C4616. Cf. n. 2578 to 20:53. Also see 36:36, n. 3981.
... وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ ﴿١٢﴾
and has made for you ships and cattle on which ye ride,
C4617. By analogy all means of transport, including horses, camels, ships, steamers, railways, aeroplanes, airships, etc.
The domestication of animals as well as the invention of mechanical means of transport require a skill and ingenuity in man, which are referred to Allah as His gifts or endowments to man.
Asad’s Version:
43: 11 He is the Creator of the heaverns and the earth : He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs from among cattle……..
43: 12 He enlarges and restricts the Sustenance to whom He will : for He knows full well all things.