Surah At-Tur (52) — Ayah 35

(Ayah 36,35) ➊ {اَمْ خُلِقُوْا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ ٔ… :} The previous three questions were to establish that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the true Messenger of Allah and the Quran is the true Book of Allah. Now, from here, the discussion begins to establish the existence of Allah, His oneness, and His perfect power. That is, the message Muhammad (peace be upon him) has presented before them is that Allah is your Creator, so you should worship Him alone, and you should not associate anyone with Him. After all, is there any reasonable cause for their opposition to this? If they do not accept the Lord as the Creator, then let them tell: were they created without a creator? Obviously, this is impossible, because everyone knows that every created thing must have a creator. Or did they create themselves? This is even more impossible than the first, because it cannot be that a thing is both the creator and the created at the same time. Or let them tell: did they create the heavens and the earth? Clearly, this is not the case either, because this universe was created at a time when these people did not even exist.
In these two verses, Allah Almighty has asked three questions, the answers to which are not mentioned, because it is absolutely clear that neither were these people created without a creator, nor did they create themselves, nor is the universe their creation. Rather, they and the entire universe were created by someone else, and that is Allah Almighty. They also acknowledged this reality, as He said: « وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ فَاَنّٰى يُؤْفَكُوْنَ» [ الزخرف : ۸۷ ] "And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say, 'Allah.' Then how are they deluded?" And He said: «وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ » [ لقمان : ۲۵ ] "And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, 'Allah.'"

➋ { بَلْ لَّا يُوْقِنُوْنَ:} That is, it is not that these people do not accept Allah Almighty as their Creator or do not acknowledge Him, but the reality is that despite acknowledging, they do not have certainty in this matter. Because if they truly had certainty that Allah Almighty is our Creator, then they would worship Him alone, would not associate anyone with Him, and would not oppose the one who calls towards Him in this manner.

35. 1. That is, if this were really the case, then no one would have the right to command them anything or forbid them from anything. But since this is not the case, rather, they have been created by a Creator, it is evident that there is a specific purpose for their creation; how could He just leave them after creating them?

35. 2. That is, they themselves are not their own creators, rather, they acknowledge Allah as the Creator.

35. Or were they created out of nothing [28], or are they themselves the creators [29]?

[28] Refutation of Materialism and Naturalism: That is, have they come into existence as a result of coincidences, as the materialists and naturalists believe, and that there is no creator for them? This notion is false because it goes against such a self-evident truth that no one feels the need for proof or evidence for it, and that self-evident truth is that every created thing must have a creator; it does not come into being by itself.
[29] That is, they themselves are their own creators. The previous statement implies that they had no part in their own creation. The meaning of this verse is that they came into existence by their own involvement and will. And this notion also goes against a self-evident truth, which is that nothing can be both the creator and the created at the same time. That is, something cannot be both self-made and self-maker. Then, when neither of these two things is possible, it clearly means that there is someone else who created or made them. And the creator has the authority to create as He wills and for whatever purpose He wills. The created thing is powerless in the hands of its creator; it cannot show arrogance before Him. Then how have people become entitled to defy the command of their Creator?