Surah Luqman (31) — Ayah 20

(Ayah 20) ➊ The meaning of {اَلَمْ تَرَوْا اَنَّ اللّٰهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَّا فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَا فِي الْاَرْضِ: ’’ اَلَمْ تَرَوْا ‘‘} is {’’اَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوْا‘‘} (Did you know?), because man has not seen with his own eyes every single thing in the heavens and the earth made subservient for him, but the word “see” is used here because this matter is so clear as if it were seen with the eyes. (Biqā‘ī) In {’’ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ ‘‘}, the “lām” is for benefit, so it is translated as “made subservient for your sake,” because some things are to some extent under man’s control, like cattle, from which man can benefit as he wishes, but countless things are such over which man has no control. To make them subservient for man means that Allah has bound them to work for his benefit and service, like the sun, moon, stars, and even the angels who protect him. Even harmful animals are, in the end, in some way for man’s benefit, even Iblis, for if he did not exist, there would be no trial, and by succeeding in it, man could not become the inheritor of eternal Paradise. Those people speak far beyond their status who say that man can subjugate the universe with science. The universe is a far-off matter; let these gentlemen just subjugate the beating of their own hearts, or make the stages from childhood to youth and then old age subservient, or at least subjugate death itself. Allah said: «{ كَبُرَتْ كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ اَفْوَاهِهِمْ اِنْ يَّقُوْلُوْنَ اِلَّا كَذِبًا }» [ الکہف : ۵ ] “(This) is a grave word that comes out of their mouths; they speak nothing but a lie.” Before this, Allah had presented His oneness as proof in {’’ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا …‘‘}, and now He presents the subjugation of everything in the heavens and the earth for man’s benefit as proof of His oneness, saying: Think! Do any of your deities have even the slightest share in this creation or subjugation?

➋ By manifest blessings are meant those blessings which man observes with his senses, or knows through reason, or learns from someone else; and by hidden blessings are meant those blessings which, inside or outside man’s body, are working for his benefit, of which he is not even aware, that his Lord has provided so many means for his sustenance, growth, and protection. For example, man eats food and is done, but he has no idea how many mechanisms inside him become fully active to digest it, make it part of his body, and expel its waste. As research advances in various branches of science, countless blessings of Allah are being unveiled before man. These are worldly and material blessings; religious and spiritual blessings, both manifest and hidden, are in addition to these and far greater, such as Islam, the Qur’an, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), and Allah’s boundless mercy, etc. Razi has given a simple and delightful explanation of {’’ ظَاهِرَةً وَّ بَاطِنَةً ‘‘}; he says: “By manifest blessings are meant the soundness of human limbs, and by hidden blessings are meant the faculties placed within those limbs. See, the eye, ear, nose, and tongue are all made of fat, flesh, bone, and muscle, which are clearly visible, but the faculties of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and speaking within them are hidden blessings. Sometimes a hidden blessing, such as sight or hearing, is lost, while the manifest limb, such as the eye or ear, remains intact. This is the case with every limb.”

➌ {وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُّجَادِلُ فِي اللّٰهِ … :} means that there are some people who, despite the proofs of Allah’s oneness being established through creation, subjugation, and countless other manifest and hidden blessings, still dispute and argue about Allah’s oneness and His attributes, for example: Does Allah even exist or not? And if He does, is He one or are there others sharing in divinity with Him? And what are His attributes?

➍ {بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَّ لَا هُدًى وَّ لَا كِتٰبٍ مُّنِيْرٍ:} There are three levels of acquiring knowledge: first, to know through one’s own effort and reflection; second, to obtain guidance from someone knowledgeable; and third, to acquire knowledge by studying an authentic book. The state of the polytheists is that they have neither any knowledge or understanding themselves by which they could comprehend the truth, nor have they obtained guidance from any true guide, nor do they possess any book sent by Allah from which they have derived this belief. Rather, after being deprived of all three sources of knowledge, their entire world is the imitation of their forefathers, and they blindly follow them.

➎ Huffaz, remember that {’’ اَلَمْ تَرَوْا ‘‘} appears in the Qur’an only in two places: once in this verse and once in Surah Nuh: «{ اَلَمْ تَرَوْا كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ سَبْعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ طِبَاقًا } » [ نوح : ۱۵ ]. In all other places, only {’’ اَلَمْ تَرَ‘‘} appears in the singular form.

20-1. Taskheer means benefit (taking advantage), which has been expressed here as "put to work," such as the heavenly creations, the moon, the sun, the stars, etc. Allah Almighty has bound them to such laws that they are working for humans and humans are benefiting from them. The second meaning of taskheer is to make subordinate. Thus, many earthly creations have been made subordinate to humans, which humans use as they wish, such as the earth and animals, etc. So, the concept of taskheer is that all things in the heavens and the earth are engaged in working for the benefit of humans, whether they are under the control and influence of humans or beyond their control and subordination. (Fath al-Qadeer)

20-2. The apparent blessings are those which can be perceived by intellect, senses, etc., and the hidden blessings are those which humans cannot perceive or feel. Both types of blessings are so numerous that humans cannot even count them.

20-3. That is, despite this, people dispute about Allah—some about His existence, some in associating partners with Him, and some regarding His commands and laws.

Do you not see that Allah has subjected for you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and has completed His apparent and hidden [27] blessings upon you? Yet among people is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge, guidance, or an enlightening [28] Book.

[26]
The Meaning of the Subjugation of the Universe:

There are two meanings of the subjugation of the universe. One is that everything in the universe is a servant to man, and man is the one served. The earth, the seas, water, winds, mountains, the moon, the sun, the stars—these are considered the major elements of the universe. The proof that they are servants to man is that if even one of these things did not exist, man could not survive. But without man, none of these things would be affected in any way. The second meaning is that all the things present on earth, whether they are inanimate objects, plants, or animals, Allah has granted man such intellect that he can bring any of them under his control as he wishes and benefit from them as needed. As for those things that are not related to the earth, such as the sun, moon, stars, and winds, Allah has made such laws for them and bound them with such order and discipline that man can benefit from them. He can properly carry out his daily activities and business, etc. He can know years in advance when a solar or lunar eclipse will occur. In the darkness of land and sea, he can determine the time, routes, and directions, meaning he can even prepare calendars for thousands of years ahead. He can also bring about ever-new inventions, and this is the meaning of the subjugation of the universe. The meaning of the subjugation of the universe is certainly not that man should first try to reach his nearest planet, the moon, and then waste his precious life trying to reach other planets. As a poet has beautifully said:
Tu kar-e-jahan ra niku sakhti
Ke ba asman niz pardakhti?
Meaning: Have you already accomplished all the tasks you had to do in this world so well that now you are concerned with flying to the sky?

[27]
What is Meant by Apparent and Hidden Blessings?

Apparent blessings are those which we can perceive through our five senses, and they are related to our material life and economy, etc. These too are countless. Hidden blessings are those through which our moral training takes place and the purification of the soul occurs. These too are countless, and their source of knowledge is divine revelation. Then there are some blessings that are related to both. For example, we see with our eyes; this eye is a great blessing from Allah. But the faculty of sight itself is a separate thing. Similarly, the power of hearing, the power of digestion, the power of imagination, the power of expulsion, etc.—countless powers are working within the human body. If they continue to function properly, a person remains healthy; if even one of them malfunctions, a person falls ill. That is why it is said that health is a thousand blessings. These are the various kinds of blessings about which Allah Himself has said, "If you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to number them." [14:34, 16:18]

[28] That is, despite Allah's countless blessings, there are some such ungrateful people who begin to argue about Allah, whether Allah even exists or not, or they start disputing about His attributes and powers. [For the explanation of this verse, see footnote 8 on verse 8 of Surah Al-Hajj]