Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 68

(Ayah 68) ➊ { وَ رَبُّكَ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَ يَخْتَارُ :} After mentioning the disgrace of the polytheists on the Day of Resurrection and the helplessness of their partners, Allah’s oneness and some of its proofs are mentioned. Thus, it is said: “Your Lord creates whatever He wills and chooses whomever He wills.” Obviously, the One who created is the One who will choose. Whoever has no share in creation, how can he have any say in the selection of anything or anyone? Then, choosing anything or anyone depends solely on His will; no one’s counsel is involved, nor is He obliged to choose something or someone because of its excellence, because: «{ لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَ هُمْ يُسْـَٔلُوْنَ }» [ الأنبیاء : ۲۳ ] “He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.” If He wills, He gives superiority to the Throne, makes the Ka‘bah the qiblah, grants prophethood to the prophets, makes Muhammad (peace be upon him) the leader of the children of Adam, chooses the Muhajirun and Ansar for the companionship of Muhammad (peace be upon him), gives the four caliphs superiority over all the companions. No one can say why so-and-so did not receive prophethood, as the disbelievers said: «{لَوْ لَا نُزِّلَ هٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنُ عَلٰى رَجُلٍ مِّنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيْمٍ }» [ الزخرف : ۳۱ ] “Why was this Qur’an not sent down upon a great man from one of the two towns (Makkah and Ta’if)?” In response, it was said: «{ اَهُمْ يَقْسِمُوْنَ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ }» [ الزخرف : ۳۲ ] “Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord?”
➋ { مَا كَانَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ :} The servants never had, nor do they have, the authority to choose whomever they wish by their own will ({كَانَ} contains a continuous negation). Then how did these polytheists get the authority to make the servants of the Lord possessors of the Lord’s powers, which He has not given to anyone, nor can anyone other than Him possess those powers? After all, who gave them the authority to make whomever they wish among His servants a remover of difficulties, or to declare whomever they wish as the giver of sustenance, the granter of treasures, the responder to cries, or the helper? Departments of children, provision, victory and defeat, honor and disgrace, healing and illness, life and death, which He has not given to anyone, they go about distributing among their self-made partners.
➌ From this verse, it is also understood that some people who say that the prophets or saints have such authority that they can bring back an arrow shot from a bow, erase or change what is written in destiny, grant favors to whomever they wish, or make whomever they wish rejected from the court, all these are statements of disbelief. No one other than Allah has this authority inherently, nor has Allah given this authority to anyone. He said: «{ مَا كَانَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ }» “They never have any authority.”
➍ { سُبْحٰنَ اللّٰهِ وَ تَعٰلٰى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُوْنَ :} That is, for anyone else to have authority along with Allah is a flaw for Allah’s essence, as if He alone is not capable of doing everything, and it is something that lowers His majesty. Therefore, it is said: “Allah is pure and very exalted above what they associate as partners.” {’’عَلَا يَعْلُوْ عُلْوًا‘‘} (to be exalted) and {’’تَعَالٰي يَتَعَالٰي تَعَالِيًا‘‘} (to be very exalted). It is understood that in this workshop of power, no servant, even if he is a saint or a prophet, has any authority. All authority is only in the hands of Allah. The words {’’ سُبْحٰنَ اللّٰهِ وَ تَعٰلٰى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُوْنَ ‘‘} appear together in the Qur’an only at this one place.
➎ The authority given to a servant in the world to act or not to act, for which he will be rewarded or punished, is also under the authority of Allah. Therefore, it is correct to say that the creation has no authority. According to the Qur’an and hadith, it is necessary to accept these two things: first, that the servant has been given authority in some matters within the realm of means, whether he chooses the path of disbelief or gratitude. He is not absolutely compelled so that he has no authority in any action, as it is said: «{ اِنَّا هَدَيْنٰهُ السَّبِيْلَ اِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَّ اِمَّا كَفُوْرًا }» [الدھر : ۳ ] “Indeed, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.” The second thing is that even this authority of the servant is under Allah’s authority; if He does not will, the servant can neither intend nor act. As stated in Surah Dahr: «{ وَ مَا تَشَآءُوْنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ يَّشَآءَ اللّٰهُ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ كَانَ عَلِيْمًا حَكِيْمًا }» [الدھر : ۳۰ ] “And you do not will except that Allah wills. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing, Wise.” This is Allah’s decree, in which it is obligatory to believe; whoever does not believe in it is not a believer. As for why it is so, the answer is that He is the Owner; He does whatever He wills. No one has the right or authority to question Him, as it is said: «{ لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَ هُمْ يُسْـَٔلُوْنَ }» [ الأنبیاء : ۲۳ ] “He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.” But it is certain that all His actions are based on knowledge and wisdom. The creation has no access to His knowledge and wisdom, nor can it ever have, so it is necessary for it to remain within its limits.

68-1. That is, Allah Almighty is the Absolute Sovereign; in comparison to Him, no one has any authority whatsoever, let alone being the Absolute Sovereign.

And your Lord creates whatever He wills and chooses for His work [92] whom He wills. They have no choice in the matter [93]. Exalted is Allah and far above what they associate with Him.

[92] That is, since Allah Almighty alone is the Creator of all people, only He can know what kind of characteristics and abilities He has granted to each person. Then, based on this very knowledge, He selects whomever He wills from among His creation for whatever task He wills. Its second meaning is that since Allah has created all these people, therefore, the authority to command or prohibit, or to order people to do something or to refrain from something, also belongs solely to Allah. Furthermore, if Allah appoints someone as His Messenger, then no one else has the right to object to this. And if Allah says that obedience to the Messenger is obligatory upon you, whatever he commands you must do, and whatever he forbids you must refrain from, and in opposition to him, the word of anyone else cannot be accepted, then no one has the right to object to the actions and sayings of the Messenger.

[93]
The Devoted Disciples Who Grant Authority to Their Spiritual Leaders:

That is, they do not have the right to begin distributing Allah Almighty’s authorities among others. To start considering someone as the god of rain, to make someone a provider and granter of treasures, to regard someone as the master of illness and health, and to declare someone as the helper and supporter. In short, among My authorities, to assign whichever authority to whomever they wish. Whether it is an angel, a jinn, a prophet, or a saint, all are created by Us alone, and if they possess any excellences, those too are granted by Us. Then how did this selection come to mean that a created being is raised from the station of servitude and made a partner in the authorities of Allah Almighty? How did they come to understand that they too have some right to distribute Allah’s authorities?