Surah Al-Hadid (57) — Ayah 1

(Ayah 1) ➊ {سَبَّحَ لِلّٰهِ مَا فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ:} means that everything in the heavens and the earth has testified that its Creator and Owner, Allah the Exalted, is free from every defect and deficiency. His essence and attributes, actions and commands—in short, everything—is free from any kind of flaw or imperfection. In this surah, and at the beginning of Surah As-Saff and Surah Al-Hashr, {’’ سَبَّحَ ‘‘} (past tense) has been used; in Surah Al-Jumu'ah and Surah At-Taghabun, {’’ يُسَبِّحُ ‘‘} (present tense) has been used, which includes both the present and the future; and in Surah Bani Isra'il, {’’ سُبْحٰنَ ‘‘} (verbal noun) has been used, which denotes continuity. That is, every particle of the universe has always been declaring Allah’s freedom from every defect, is doing so now, and will continue to do so in the future. In Surah Al-A'la, {’’ سَبِّحْ ‘‘} has also come in the imperative form.
➋ In this, there is a rebuke to the polytheists: that every thing in the universe is proclaiming Allah’s freedom from every defect, while you are associating partners with Him and ascribing children to Him, thus attributing to Him such a great flaw and such a great insult as could not be greater. He created you, He is nurturing you, and He fulfills all your needs; your life and death are in His hands, yet you call one of His powerless servants a provider, another a helper, another a remover of difficulties, another a granter of treasures, another a giver of children, another a giver of authority, another a bestower of treasures, and another a healer. About some you say that they change Allah’s decree, and about others you say that they can bring back an arrow shot from a bow. Now look at the testimony of everything in the heavens and the earth, and look at your own conduct. Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): [ قَالَ اللّٰهُ كَذَّبَنِيَ ابْنُ آدَمَ وَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذٰلِكَ وَشَتَمَنِيْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذٰلِكَ، فَأَمَّا تَكْذِيْبُهُ إِيَّايَ فَزَعَمَ أَنِّيْ لاَ أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أُعِيْدَهُ كَمَا كَانَ وَ أَمَّا شَتْمُهُ إِيَّايَ فَقَوْلُهُ لِيْ وَلَدٌ، فَسُبْحَانِيْ أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ صَاحِبَةً أَوْ وَلَدًا ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ البقرۃ، باب: « وقالوا اتخذ اللہ ولدا سبحانہ» : ۴۴۸۲ ] “Allah the Exalted said: The son of Adam has denied Me, though he has no right to do so, and he has insulted Me, though he has no right to do so. His denying Me is his thinking that I am not able to recreate him, and his insulting Me is his saying that I have a child, whereas I am far above taking a wife or having a child.” In this surah and in the verses of the other surahs mentioned above, if you ponder over the word “tasbih” and in this hadith the word {’’سُبْحَانِيْ‘‘}, the meaning of tasbih will become quite clear. That is why, after mentioning His tasbih in this surah, Allah the Exalted has mentioned more than ten of His attributes, and after all of them, He has invited to leave disbelief and polytheism and to believe, saying: «اٰمِنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ وَ اَنْفِقُوْا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُّسْتَخْلَفِيْنَ فِيْهِ » [ الحدید : ۷ ] “Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and spend out of that in which He has made you successors (to those before you).”
➌ What is the literal meaning of tasbih, what is its meaning in the Qur’anic verses, is this tasbih by the state of being or by speech? For all these matters, see the commentary of Surah Bani Isra'il (44, 43).
➍ {وَ هُوَ الْعَزِيْزُ الْحَكِيْمُ: ’’ الْعَزِيْزُ ‘‘ ’’عَزَّ يَعِزُّ ‘‘} (Form I intensive) is an intensive form, meaning All-Powerful over all, there is no deed that He wishes to do and cannot, and there is no being that can prevent Him from any action. {’’ الْحَكِيْمُ ‘‘} means Perfectly Wise. Every action of His is firm and full of wisdom, because He has complete knowledge of the past, present, and future. There is no mistake in any of His actions; He is Mighty, and He is also Wise. His dominance is not like the blind man’s stick, but along with it is perfect wisdom. {’’ الْعَزِيْزُ الْحَكِيْمُ ‘‘}—with the definite article on the predicate—creates exclusivity in the statement: that only He is Mighty and Wise, no one else.