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 |
Qur'an 35:2 states that no one can withhold the mercy, blessings, and sustenance that God grants to people,[1] and no one other than Him can release that which He withholds.[2] This means that all the treasures of mercy belong to God, and He bestows them upon whomever He deems fit.[3]
According to Allama Tabataba'i, the author of al-Mizan, the main aim 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 manage the affairs of His 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 the sending of a prophet or the occurrence of a period of prophetic hiatus (fatra) lies 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 explains that the expression "opening the treasury" is used instead of "sending the treasury" because the treasures of divine mercy already exist, as explicitly mentioned in Qur'an 38:9 and Qur'an 17:100. This implies that all forms of mercy already exist in God's treasuries, and people can benefit from them when these treasuries are opened; nothing needs to be sent from elsewhere.[8]
Exegetes have mentioned several points regarding this verse:
- According to this verse, everyone benefits from Divine Mercy.[9]
- The use of the word "mercy" rather than "blessing" indicates that blessings derive from divine mercy and do not benefit God Himself.[10]
- Mercy encompasses both material and spiritual aspects.[11]
- The expression "after Him" (مِن بَعْدِهِ) indicates that God is the first in giving and withholding.[12]
- The divine attributes "the Almighty" and "the All-Wise" at the end of the verse indicate that God's granting and withholding are guided by wisdom and expediency.[13]
The content of this verse is also repeated in Qur'an 10:107 and Qur'an 6:17.[14]
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.
- ↑ 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.