Qur'an 35:2
 | |
| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | Sura Fatir |
| Verse | 2 |
| Juz' | 22 |
| Topic | God's absolute authority in granting and withholding grace • Unity of acts |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 10:107 • Qur'an 6:17 |
Verse 2 of Sura Fatir (Qur'an 35:2) states that no one can withhold the mercy, blessing and sustenance which God grants to people,[1] and no one other than Him can release that which He withholds.[2] This means that all treasures of mercy are with God, and He grants them to whomever He deems fit.[3]
According to Allama Tabataba'i, the author of al-Mizan, the main goal of Qur'an 35 is to explain oneness in Lordship, Prophethood, and Resurrection, and this verse briefly alludes to these three principles.[4] Oneness in Lordship means that only God can independently undertake affairs related to creatures, and no other being can intervene in or manage these affairs without God's will.[5]
It has also been said that the verse refers to the sending of Prophets, meaning that sending a prophet or creating a interregnum is solely within God's authority.[6]
| “ | مَا يَفْتَحِ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ رَحْمَةٍ فَلَا مُمْسِكَ لَهَا ۖ وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلَا مُرْسِلَ لَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
|
” |
| — Qur'an 35:2 | ||
Just as the term "withholding" is used in the second part of the verse for preventing the grant (وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلَا مُرْسِلَ لَهُ; "and whatever He withholds, release it"), if it was expected that in the first part, instead of "whatever mercy Allah unfolds" (مَّا يَفْتَحِ), the term "whatever He withholds" (ما یُرسل) would be used.[7] However, Allama Tabataba'i considers the reason for using the expression "opening the treasury" instead of "sending the treasury" to be the existence of Divine treasuries of mercy, which is explicitly mentioned in Qur'an 38:9 and Qur'an 17:100. This implies that all mercies exist, and people's benefiting from them only requires the opening of these treasuries, not sending something from another place.[8] It is also said that prioritizing "opening mercy" over "withholding" is a sign of the precedence of God's mercy over His wrath.[9]
Exegetes have mentioned several points regarding this verse:
- According to this verse, everyone benefits from Divine Mercy.[10]
- The use of "mercy" instead of "blessing" indicates that blessings are out of mercy and do not benefit God Himself.[11]
- Mercy encompasses both material and spiritual aspects.[12]
- The expression "after Him" (مِن بَعْدِهِ) indicates that God is the first in giving and withholding.[13]
- The mention of the Mighty and the Wise at the end of the verse indicates that His power in granting and withholding is accompanied by wisdom and expediency.[14]
The content of this verse is also repeated in Qur'an 10:107 and Qur'an 6:17.[15]
Notes
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 8, p. 412; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 14.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 8, p. 626; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 14.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 18, p. 170.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417, vol. 17, p. 5.
- ↑ Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, Maʿārif-i Qurʾān, p. 23.
- ↑ See: Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 8, p. 626.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 15.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 15.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 18, p. 171; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 9, p. 473.
- ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 9, p. 473.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 15.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 18, p. 171.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 15.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 15; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 18, p. 171.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 18, p. 170.
References
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
- Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, Muḥammad Taqī. Maʿārif-i Qurʾān. Qom, Muʾassasa-yi Dar Rāh-i Ḥaqq, 1368 Sh.
- Qarāʾatī, Muḥsin. Tafsīr-i nūr. Tehran, Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Dars-hāyī az Qurʾān, 1383 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom, Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1417 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran, Nāṣir Khusraw, 1372 Sh.
- Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.