Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 54

(Ayah 54) ➊ {اِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ …… :} These six days cannot mean the six days of the world, because their existence is from the sun and the earth, and at that time there was neither sun nor earth. Now, either it means the day of a thousand years which Allah Almighty mentioned in this verse: «وَ اِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَاَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّوْنَ » [ الحج : ۴۷ ] "And a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of what you count," or it means six periods. By reflecting on various verses of the Noble Qur’an, it can also be understood what was created in each period. See Surah Ha Meem As-Sajdah (10). From authentic ahadith, it is known that the creation began on Yawm al-Ahad (Sunday) and was completed on Friday. (Ibn Kathir, Al-Manar) If Allah Almighty had willed, He could have created everything in a moment with the word {’’ كُنْ ‘‘}, but His wisdom required it to be done in the manner He did. Some scholars have deduced from this to do one’s work gradually.
➋ { ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ:} This phrase of the verse has come in six places in the Qur’an. The seventh place is in Surah Ta Ha (5) «اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوٰى». Its meaning is to rise above the Throne. The righteous predecessors affirmed Allah Almighty on the Throne without interpretation, thus it is narrated that the meaning of "Istiwa" is known, but its modality is beyond our intellect; its affirmation is the essence of faith and its denial is disbelief. This is the doctrine of all four Imams. Therefore, the correct belief is that Allah Almighty is separate from all creation and is on the Throne, yet His knowledge and power encompass all. This is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah, and it is established from authentic ahadith that the Throne of Allah Almighty encompasses the heavens and the earth. (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani)
➌ { يَطْلُبُهٗ حَثِيْثًا:} That is, after the night, the day comes swiftly, there is no interval.
➍ { مُسَخَّرٰتٍۭ بِاَمْرِهٖ:} That is, the time and path that Allah Almighty has appointed for them, they continue upon it and do not deviate from it even by a hair’s breadth.
➎ { اَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَ الْاَمْرُ:} That is, just as there is no partner with Him in creation, likewise the command is also His alone, no one else shares in it, whether it is the creative command that runs throughout the universe, or the legislative command, that is, the law of the Shari’ah which He has given to His servants with a certain degree of choice, and according to which there will be reward or punishment of Paradise or Hell.

54. 1 These six days are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Friday, the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) took place. It is said that on Saturday, no creation occurred; that is why it is called Yawm al-Bast, because the meaning of "Sabt" is "cutting off," meaning the work of creation was cut off on that day. Then what is meant by "that day"? Is it the day of our world, which begins at sunrise and ends at sunset? Or is this day equal to a thousand years, as is the reckoning of days with Allah, or as is mentioned regarding the Day of Resurrection? Apparently, the second view seems more Sahih. Because, firstly, at that time, the system of the sun and moon did not even exist; this system was established only after the creation of the heavens and the earth. Secondly, this is an event of the higher realm, which has no relation to the world, so the true reality of this day is best known to Allah alone; we cannot say anything with certainty. Furthermore, Allah could have created everything with "Kun," yet He created everything separately, step by step, in sequence. The real wisdom behind this is also best known to Allah. However, some scholars have stated one wisdom in this: to teach people to work with rest, dignity, and gradual progression. And Allah knows best.

54. 2 That is, Allah is established on the Throne (ّٹھہرا). But how, in what manner, we cannot describe, nor can we liken it to anything. The saying of Na‘eem bin Hammad is: "Whoever likens Allah to His creation has committed disbelief, and whoever denies anything Allah has described about Himself has also committed disbelief." And to state what Allah or His Messenger has stated about Him is not to liken Him. Therefore, whatever matters are established about Allah by clear text (definitive ruling), it is necessary to have faith in them without interpretation, without asking how, and without likening. (Ibn Kathir)

54. 3 The meaning of "hathīthan" is "with great speed," and the intent is that one follows the other immediately; that is, when the light of day comes, the darkness of night disappears at once, and when night comes, the brightness of day ends, and darkness spreads everywhere, near and far.

54. Surely, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six [53] days, then established Himself on the Throne [54]. He covers the night with the day, which swiftly pursues it, and (He created) the sun, the moon, and the stars [55], all subservient to His command. Be aware! His is the creation and His is the command [56]. Blessed [57] is Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

[53] Here, by "day" is not meant our 24-hour day which is related to the sun, because at that time this sun did not even exist. In another place in the Noble Quran, the duration of a "day" is mentioned as a thousand years [22: 47] and in another place as fifty thousand years [70: 4], therefore, here the six days can only be understood as six periods. [مزيد تفصيل كے ليے ديكهئے سورة حم السجده 41 كي آيات 9 تا 12]

[54]
The Meaning of Istiwa' 'Ala al-'Arsh:

Wherever the word "istawa 'ala" appears in the Quran, its meaning is to settle or to sit firmly. However, some rationalist sects, among whom the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah are foremost, translate the verse ﴿اسْتَويٰ عَلَي الْعَرْشِ﴾ as "He established Himself on the Throne," or "He became dominant over the system of the universe," or "He took control and authority," etc., and they interpret "istawa" as "istawla" (to conquer), about which Imam Ibn Qayyim said: «نون اليهود ولام جهمي هما فى وحي رب العرش زائدتان» meaning, the Jews' addition of a "noon" (saying "hintah" instead of "hittah") and the Jahmiyyah's addition of a "lam" (understanding "istawa" as "istawla")—both are additions to divine revelation.

Introduction to the Jahmiyyah Sect:

The founder of the Jahmiyyah sect, Jahm bin Safwan, appeared at the beginning of the second century Hijri during the time of Hisham bin Abdul Malik (105H to 125H). This person was influenced by Aristotle's abstract concept of the Divine Essence (Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who believed in the existence of the Divine Essence but held an abstract view and denied the Hereafter). According to his own understanding, Jahm would describe the complete transcendence (tanzih) of Allah Almighty and would negate those attributes of Allah which are mentioned in the Book and Sunnah. In this transcendence, he went to such extremes and exaggeration that, according to Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), he rendered Allah Almighty as non-existent and nothingness. He considered it shirk to assign direction or orientation to Allah, and he declared it impermissible to attribute to Him hands, feet, face, eyes, and shin, all of which are proven in the Quran. Now the question is, when Allah Himself has mentioned for Himself, in unambiguous words in the Quran, settling on the Throne, or His hands, eyes, face, and shin, then who can describe His transcendence better than He Himself? As for the nature of His Throne, or how He settled on the Throne, or how His face, eyes, and hands are—this is not something we are responsible to know, because He Himself has said: ﴿فَلَا تَضْرِبُوْا لِلّٰهِ الْاَمْثَالَ﴾ and also said ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَيْءٌ﴾. So, the duty of a Muslim is to accept whatever is mentioned in the Book and Sunnah as it is. To subject it to the grindstone of reason and philosophy and to present far-fetched interpretations and distortions is not the way of a Muslim, nor can the Quran bear such philosophical intricacies, because the people upon whom this Quran was revealed were unlettered and completely unfamiliar with philosophical subtleties.

Those Who Argue About Divine Attributes Are Accursed:

To probe into such verses of the Quran in which the attributes of Allah Almighty are mentioned, and to seek rational explanations for them, is the work of those whose hearts are perverse, and they do this in order to create mischief, i.e., to introduce a new sect so that they may be considered its leaders, and thus they subject the Ummah to the trial of sectarianism (see Surah Al 'Imran, verses 7 and 8). And in another place it is said: ﴿وَذَرُوا الَّذِيْنَ يُلْحِدُوْنَ فِيْٓ اَسْمَايِٕهٖ ﴾ meaning, do not follow those who deviate concerning the names (attributes) of Allah. Remember, ilhad (heresy) is generally related to such false beliefs which pertain to the attributes of Allah.

[55] That is, after creating the heavens and the earth and settling on the Throne, Allah Almighty did not sit idle, as some other misguided sects think, but He alone is controlling the entire universe. The sun, moon, and stars are all engaged in their respective tasks according to His appointed course, and by His command they cannot deviate in the slightest. Whatever changes and events occur in the universe, all happen by His command and power.

[56]
Supreme Authority Belongs Only to Allah:

That is, it cannot be that Allah Almighty is the Creator of every single thing in the universe, but others are included with Him in the management of the affairs of the universe—one being the god of rain, another the producer of crops, and another the giver of wealth and riches. Things that themselves are helpless and powerless before the command of Allah Almighty—how can they rule over other things? And how can they affect human life? Only the owner has the right to dispose of his property as he wishes, and the owned is subject to him. Although, in terms of the context, the refutation of star-worship is intended here, the ruling of this sentence is general. That is, in this world, there is no reason for anyone's command to prevail over humans except the command of Allah. Humans are the creation of Allah and eat only the sustenance given by Him, so neither does the ruler have the right to issue any command contrary to Allah's command, nor should ordinary people obey anyone's command except Allah's. As the Messenger of Allah said, in any matter where there is disobedience to Allah, no creature should be obeyed. Also, according to this verse, all political systems except the system of Khilafah are invalid, in which the law of others besides Allah is enforced.

[57]
The Meaning of Barakah (Blessing):

Barakah means that all the expected benefits and goodness for which something was created are fully obtained from it. Here, the meaning of Allah Almighty being blessed is that whatever thing Allah Almighty created in the universe for a particular purpose and goodness, all those purposes are being fully achieved through it.