Surah Az-Zukhruf (43) — Ayah 32

(Ayah 32) ➊ {اَهُمْ يَقْسِمُوْنَ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ:} This is the answer to their objection. Although the word {’’ رَحْمَتَ ‘‘} is general, which includes every mercy, here it refers to prophethood and messengership, because their objection was about this. In the words {’’ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ ‘‘} (the mercy of your Lord), by addressing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the exalted status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is being expressed. That is, is the distribution of your Lord’s mercy—prophethood and messengership—in their hands, that they give it to whomever they wish and withhold it from whomever they wish? No, this authority is only with Allah, and He alone knows to whom this mercy should be granted. These ignorant people, forgetting their own status, are so deluded that each of them wants that Allah’s Book should be given to him alone. It is said: « بَلْ يُرِيْدُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ اَنْ يُّؤْتٰى صُحُفًا مُّنَشَّرَةً » [ المدثر : ۵۲ ] “Rather, every man among them desires that he should be given open scriptures.” Even to the extent that they made the granting of prophethood a condition for believing, it is said: « وَ اِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ اٰيَةٌ قَالُوْا لَنْ نُّؤْمِنَ حَتّٰى نُؤْتٰى مِثْلَ مَاۤ اُوْتِيَ رُسُلُ اللّٰهِ اَللّٰهُ اَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهٗ سَيُصِيْبُ الَّذِيْنَ اَجْرَمُوْا صَغَارٌ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ وَ عَذَابٌ شَدِيْدٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوْا يَمْكُرُوْنَ » [ الأنعام : ۱۲۴ ] “And when a sign comes to them, they say, ‘We will never believe until we are given the like of what was given to Allah’s messengers.’ Allah knows best where to place His message. Soon, those who committed crimes will be afflicted with humiliation from Allah and a severe punishment for what they used to plot.”
In summary, the distribution of your Lord’s mercy is only with Him, and He alone knows who is worthy of it. These disbelievers, because of worldly wealth and status, consider those people worthy of messengership who do not weigh even as much as a straw in Allah’s sight, and because of lack of wealth, they declare unfit for prophethood the one who is the purest in heart and soul, the noblest in lineage, and the most distinguished in human virtues.
➋ { نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ مَّعِيْشَتَهُمْ فِي الْحَيٰوةِ الدُّنْيَا:} That is, prophethood and messengership are extremely exalted things; We have not even given them or anyone else the authority to distribute their sustenance in this world, rather We have distributed it Ourselves, even though it is not worth even a mosquito’s wing in Our sight, so how could We give them the authority to send down the Qur’an!?
➌ { وَ رَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجٰتٍ:} In this brief sentence, Allah the Exalted has stated several realities. The first is that Allah has not kept equality in the distribution of abilities and sustenance, but has placed ranks among them. He made some rich, some poor; some intelligent, some dull; some foolish, some wise, and some even wiser; some strong, some weak; some servants, some masters; some owners, some owned; some blind, some seeing; some honorable, some disgraced; and some rulers, some ruled. The communist slogan that they would create equality of wealth among all people was a great deception. This is against Allah’s decree; it can neither happen nor did the communists succeed in doing so. The difference in ranks in the granting of sustenance and other favors of Allah, instead of uniformity, is an undeniable reality. The purpose of this in the world is a test. (See Al-An‘am: 165) This difference in ranks will be even greater in the Hereafter. See Surah An-Nahl (71), Bani Isra’il (21), and Surah Ar-Rum (28).
The second reality is that this difference has been placed by Allah, no one else has any say in it, and whatever rank Allah has placed someone in, he has no way except to be content with it. Whether someone is made beautiful or ugly, strong or weak, wise or foolish, given eyes or made blind, everyone has to remain as the Creator of the universe has decreed for him.
➍ { لِيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا سُخْرِيًّا: ’’اِتَّخَذَ فُلَانٌ فُلَانًا سُخْرِيًّا‘‘} That is, so-and-so has made so-and-so subservient to himself, or engaged him in his work or service. This is the third reality: the wealth or worldly honor and status of any rich person is not proof that Allah is pleased with him, nor is the poverty of any poor person proof that Allah is displeased with him. Rather, this difference in ranks has been kept by Allah so that people remain in need of one another and can benefit from each other, because if this were not so, the system of the world would be disrupted. It is Allah’s wisdom that He did not give one person wealth, but granted him the ability and strength for some work; another He made weak, unable to work or labor himself, but granted him wealth with which he can hire those who do not have wealth. Similarly, one has one skill, another has another; both benefit from each other. It is not necessary that the one who employs is also higher in rank than the one he employs. Many doctors, engineers, and other skilled people are employed by those who are completely ignorant. Here, there is no one so great that he is not in need of someone smaller; even the king is in need of the barber, cook, and other servants, and the servants are in need of him. This is how the system of the world runs. If all were made equal, it would not function for even a step.
➎ Regarding { وَ رَحْمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُوْنَ: ’’ رَحْمَتُ رَبِّكَ ‘‘}, there are two opinions: one is that it refers to prophethood, that the honor of prophethood and messengership is far superior to worldly wealth, status, and possessions. When He has not placed the distribution of worldly wealth in their hands, how could He grant messengership based on their suggestion!? The second is that it refers to the blessings of the Hereafter which He has prepared for His servants, that is, the fleeting wealth, possessions, and status of this world for which these people strive day and night, your Lord’s mercy—that is, the eternal blessings of the Hereafter—are far better than these.

32. 1. By this mercy is meant those blessings of the Hereafter which Allah has prepared for His righteous servants.

32. Are they the ones who distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have distributed among them their livelihood in the life of this world, and We have raised some of them above others in rank so that some may take service from others. But the mercy of your Lord [32] is better than whatever they accumulate [33].

[31] What misunderstanding are these people under? Do they think that before granting Prophethood to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Allah Most High should have consulted them as to who could be deserving of Prophethood and Messengership? Prophethood, after all, is a very great thing. Even in the other blessings that Allah Almighty has given to whomever He wills, they have no say. Allah has given some more intellect, some knowledge, some more wealth, some more children, some less, and some none at all. Some have been given more ability to work, some more physical strength, some have been given beauty, some have been given one virtue, and others another. Now, do they want that one person should be given all virtues, or that no one should be given any virtue at all? Whereas, whatever Allah has distributed, it is by this that the system of the world is established. The rich need the poor to do their work, and the poor need the rich so that by working for them, they can earn their livelihood. Similarly, students need teachers and teachers need students. In short, on the basis of this difference in qualities, every person is in need of another, and in the distribution of these qualities, they themselves are powerless, let alone interfering in the matter of others, especially in a blessing as lofty as Prophethood.

[32]
Prophethood is Allah’s Special Blessing and Mercy:

Here, mercy refers to special mercy or Prophethood. That is, the honor of Prophethood and Messengership is far superior and higher than the wealth, possessions, and leaderships after which you are running. When Allah did not distribute the sustenance and other provisions of the world according to their suggestions, will He then grant Prophethood to someone according to their suggestions and opinions? Allah Almighty knows well who is truly deserving of this special mercy and whom He should bestow with this mercy.

[33] Because the wealth of the world is perishable and unreliable, whereas this special mercy of Allah, that is, Prophethood, is an extremely exalted thing in both worlds.