Surah Ash-Shura (42) — Ayah 5

(Ayah 5) ➊ One meaning of this statement after { تَكَادُ السَّمٰوٰتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِنَّ: ’’ وَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيْمُ ‘‘} is that the heavens are near to bursting apart from above, meaning that due to Allah Almighty being Most High and Great, the state of His awe and majesty is such that the heavens, unable to bear His grandeur and power, are about to burst. The effect of Allah Almighty’s greatness and awe upon the heavens can be somewhat gauged from this hadith narrated from Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنِّيْ أَرٰی مَا لاَ تَرَوْنَ وَأَسْمَعُ مَا لاَ تَسْمَعُوْنَ أَطَّتِ السَّمَاءُ وَحُقَّ لَهَا أَنْ تَئِطَّ مَا فِيْهَا مَوْضِعُ أَرْبَعِ أَصَابِعَ إِلاَّ وَ مَلَكٌ وَاضِعٌ جَبْهَتَهُ سَاجِدًا لِلّٰهِ، وَاللّٰهِ! لَوْ تَعْلَمُوْنَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيْلاً وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيْرًا وَمَا تَلَذَّذْتُمْ بِالنِّسَاء عَلَی الْفُرُشِ وَلَخَرَجْتُمْ إِلَی الصُّعُدَاتِ تَجْأَرُوْنَ إِلَی اللّٰهِ ] [ترمذي، الزھد، باب في قول النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم لو تعلمون … : ۲۳۱۲، و حسنہ الترمذي، و قال الألباني حسن ] “I see what you do not see and I hear what you do not hear. The sky creaks, and it has the right to creak; there is not a space of four fingers in it except that there is an angel placing his forehead in prostration to Allah. By Allah! If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and you would not enjoy women on your beds, and you would go out to the open fields beseeching Allah.” And another meaning is that to believe in a book revealed by this Mighty, Wise, Most High, and Great Master, and instead of worshipping Him alone, to consider any creature—who has no power at all—as the remover of difficulties, fulfiller of needs, giver, helper, benefactor of the poor, fixer of problems, or savior of the drowning, or to declare someone as Allah’s wife or son or a piece of His personal light, and then to worship and ask from them, is not a trivial matter. Rather, it is such a dreadful thing that for saying such a thing, the heavens are near to fall down from above, the earth to split, and the mountains to collapse and fall. This matter has been explained in detail in Surah Maryam, verses (88 to 95); please refer to those verses along with their exegesis.

➋ {مِنْ فَوْقِهِنَّ:} The meaning of the heavens bursting apart from above is that these heavens are near to burst from their upper side. Thus, the uppermost heaven would burst and fall upon the one below it, and that upon the one below it, and in this way, all the heavens would burst and fall upon those beneath them. The reason for the heavens bursting from above is the countless angels prostrating there and, due to the nearness to the Divine Throne, the effects of Allah Almighty’s majesty and awe being very intense.

➌ {وَ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُ يُسَبِّحُوْنَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ:} By tasbih is meant declaring Allah Almighty free from every defect and every shortcoming, and by hamd is meant declaring Him the possessor of every perfection. His greatest perfection is tawheed (oneness), and the greatest defect attributed to Him is that someone is His partner, or He has a child or a wife. This is the greatest defect because accepting it would imply His neediness and incapacity; Allah Almighty has declared it an insult to Himself. The angels constantly mention Allah’s attributes of beauty and majesty and attributes of perfection.

➍ { وَ يَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَ لِمَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ:} Most commentators say that by {’’ لِمَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ ‘‘} is meant the believers, and the angels seek forgiveness only for the believers among the inhabitants of the earth, because elsewhere it is said: « اَلَّذِيْنَ يَحْمِلُوْنَ الْعَرْشَ وَ مَنْ حَوْلَهٗ يُسَبِّحُوْنَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَ يُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِهٖ وَ يَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَ لِلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَّ عِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِيْنَ تَابُوْا وَ اتَّبَعُوْا سَبِيْلَكَ وَ قِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيْمِ » [ المؤمن : ۷ ] “Those (angels) who bear the Throne and those around it glorify their Lord with praise and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who believe: ‘Our Lord! You encompass all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who have repented and followed Your way and save them from the punishment of the blazing Fire.’” But some commentators have said: “The words of the verse are that (the angels seek forgiveness for those who are on the earth), which includes both believers and disbelievers, and the meaning of the angels seeking forgiveness for all, whether Muslim or disbeliever, is that they pray for all the inhabitants of the earth, whether believers or disbelievers, saying: O Allah! Provide them with such means by which punishment is averted from them; if they are disbelievers, then grant them faith; if they are sinners, then grant them repentance, so that they may be forgiven.” Qurtubi has considered this opinion to be stronger. There is a question on this interpretation: Allah Almighty has forbidden the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the believers from seeking forgiveness for the polytheists; whatever meaning you take for seeking forgiveness, it is not possible for the angels to seek forgiveness for the disbelievers and polytheists, because they never disobey any command of their Lord, as He said: « لَا يَعْصُوْنَ اللّٰهَ مَاۤ اَمَرَهُمْ وَ يَفْعَلُوْنَ مَا يُؤْمَرُوْنَ» [ التحریم : ۶ ] “They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and they do what they are commanded.” The answer to this question is found in the same verse in which seeking forgiveness for the polytheists is forbidden. Thus, Allah Almighty said: «مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَنْ يَّسْتَغْفِرُوْا لِلْمُشْرِكِيْنَ وَ لَوْ كَانُوْۤا اُولِيْ قُرْبٰى مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ اَنَّهُمْ اَصْحٰبُ الْجَحِيْمِ » [ التوبۃ : ۱۱۳ ] “It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.” It is clear that seeking forgiveness for the polytheists is forbidden when their being companions of the Fire becomes clear and certain, and obviously, certainty about someone being of the Fire can only be after they die upon disbelief. As long as someone is alive, at any time he may be granted the ability to believe, and the knowledge of who will die upon disbelief is not with any human, jinn, or angel. Therefore, praying for guidance for the disbelievers, by which they may be forgiven, is permissible and even Sunnah. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Tufail bin Amr Dosi (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! The tribe of Daws has disobeyed and refused to accept faith, so pray against them.” The people said: “The tribe of Daws is destroyed.” But the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ اهْدِ دَوْسًا وَائْتِ بِهِمْ ] [ بخاري، الجہاد، باب الدعاء للمشرکین بالھدٰی لیتألّفہم : ۲۹۳۷ ] “O Allah! Guide the tribe of Daws and bring them (to Islam).”

➎ From this verse, one can see the sincerity of the angels and their goodwill for the inhabitants of the earth. It was for refusing the command to prostrate to the father of these very humans that Iblis was declared accursed, whereas the angels, by Allah’s command, prostrated and continue to pray for them. He (Iblis) was arrogant and became accursed; they (the angels) were humble and became close to Allah. May Allah Almighty grant us such sincerity and grant the angels the best reward on our behalf. (Ameen)

➏ { اَلَاۤ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ:} The definite article on the predicate {’’ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ ‘‘} and the separating pronoun {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} create the meaning of exclusivity, so it has been translated: “Behold! Surely it is Allah alone Who is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” That is, no one else possesses these attributes. In this, the polytheists are warned that the Forgiving and Merciful is Allah Almighty alone; if these attributes were in the power of the angels, why would they request them from Allah Almighty?